Why the President Elect is Cool

Far from being a political post, I just had to take the cue from Mark Bruno's polit-blog, Left of Center, for a wholly fun and non-partisan look at some interesting bits of Obama trivia. The Telegraph in London just published a list of 50 facts you might not know about Barack Obama.

The points that I found interesting (and relatable):

• He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics
  [geek in the White House - sweet!]
  
• He has read every Harry Potter book
  [see above]
  
• He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager
  [so did I!]
• He can speak Spanish
  [Se Habla Español - un poquito]
  
• His favourite drink is black forest berry iced tea
  [an iced tea man - like me!]
  
• He can bench press an impressive 200lbs
  [an actually strong president!]
  
• His favourite book is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
  [well-read in classic American lit]
  
• His desk in his Senate office once belonged to Robert Kennedy
  [nice legacy]
  
• His favourite films are Casablanca and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
  [good taste in film]
• He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard but was rejected by the all-female committee
  [who's laughing now, bitches?]
  
• His favourite music includes Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Bach and The Fugees
  [eclectic = good]
  
• He enjoys playing Scrabble and poker
  [so do I!]
  
• As a teenager he took drugs including marijuana and cocaine
  [as do a lot of teens - better to acknowledge past mistakes and learn from them than to deny]
  
• He hates the youth trend for trousers which sag beneath the backside
  [so do I!]
  
• He drives a Ford Escape Hybrid, having ditched his gas-guzzling Chrysler 300
  [as SUVs go, not a bad example to set]
  
• He has his hair cut once a week by his Chicago barber, Zariff, who charges $21
  [about what a lot of regular guys pay for a haircut]
• His favourite fictional television programs are MASH and The Wire
  [again, good taste]
  
• He plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds
  [right ON!]
  
• His favourite artist is Pablo Picasso
  [aesthetically open-minded]
  

I think this kind of stuff is pretty cool. I like being able to identify with the dude representing me. Okay, back to the regular post-election non-political blog...