My primary personal interest right now (really) is to get out of Pittsburgh. I really don't like the city, though many feel it is a great place to live. Perhaps if you ever visit Charlotte, NC (where I grew up), or visited Lake Norman (north of Charlotte) you would understand my primary personal interest. In NC, I live on either a 540 mile shore-line Lake (Lake Norman), or in an old neighborhood in Charlotte. At the lake, I enjoy just about anything on the water, but there's nothing more satisfying than screaming along the lake on my Hobie 16 (74113), ocasionally showing off, teetering on the brink of capsizing ;-) Nice long rides on our J-24, tricks on my JS-650sx, rowing on our Laser Shell, or beating the lightning (from thunderstorms, not the boat!) on my windsurfer are all in my lake activities.
Charlotte is not quite as exciting, especially since the crazy growth, introduction of professional sports (yuck!), and not-so-brilliant government. I grew up there and rather enjoy visiting with friends and family. Besides, the OmniMax is fantastic!
But, I am stuck in Pittsburgh (yuck!) doing my PhD. Being at Carnegie Mellon rather compensates for Pittsburgh, but it won't last much longer ;-)
Of course, I like to take vacations...well, usually I have "no" choice. I mean what do you do when your Dad calls you up and tells you it's that time of year again. You know, the time to go skiing or diving? No, don't know what I'm talking about? Perhaps a nice picture would help? Check it out, it's pretty. My advisors tell me that I am not allowed to go on vacation till COMIT is defended (good incentive).
I am no longer in pittsburgh! I am in, um, gosh where am I? My stuff is in storage! I am all over the place. I am visiting friends in Seattle and New Orleans and Washington, D.C. Maybe even New York City ... wooooo. I should be interviewing for jobs all over the place as well. Maybe I'll even take a vacation to vegas and go diving in the Cayman Islands, or some other tropical place ;-)