Not so easy to contain myself in this area, I'm ultra-intrigued by far too much. You gotta check out my blog entry for details, because I wrote more than this little box could handle nicely... But to give you a lil' nibble: Travel (che, I just want to trot all over this planet!), music, being outdoors (hiking, running), healthy foods (Organic rocks! I worked at Earthbound Organic Farm one summer), dancing, trying to speak Spanish (love the Latin American culture), quality time with quality people (I adore my precious and fascinatingly wonderful friends)...taking pictures (memories!), volunteering...read on in the blog...
I am so eager to connect with old buddies from years gone by, and maintain contact with my present amigos. And I am definitely stoked to connect with new people who have a passion for life, an interest in travel, global culture, communication, dance, music, random acts of kindness, todo (all)...I just love to meet new folks and gain new perspectives on what life is like from their spot on the ever-greener plot of grass they occupy.
Can we say "eclectic"? I'm all about a huge variety of styles. Just to give you a random sampling of CDs/bands I've listened to in the last month: U2, Coldplay, Marisa Monte, Sambada, Sergio Mendes (Brazilian---love music from Brazil=rico, suave), The David Crowder Band, Switchfoot, Alanis Morisette, Lauryn Hill, Vicentico, Kevin Johansen (Argentinean), India Arie, Tracy Chapman, Sade, Damion Rice, And a ton of compilation CDs that have everything from Aerosmith to Beatles, to BeeGees to E. John, to Sara McLaughlan to Wyclef Jean, to Norah Jones to Lenny Kravitz to rhythmic hip-hop to 70's to 80's to 90's to world music, to songs from musicals...and the beat goes on...
I grew up with a cinema critic, mi madre, so I am all about watching something worth my while. If I am going to give 2 hours of my life, the flic had better teach me something about humanity, spin a new angle on life, or make me re-evaluate my assumptions or hard n' fast opinions. I'm not too keen on fluff. I'll take depth, thank you. And if we watch a movie together, I want to TALK about it afterward, it should generate _discussion_. I am definitely a fan of foreign movies with subtitles, sundance/independent films, and documentaries. Movies that remain in my "I dig it" category (some are just straight up nostalgic): 'Much Ado About Nothing,' 'Twelve Angry Men' (the black n' white version), 'Enchanted April' (the ultimate escape to an Italian villa), 'Empire of the Sun,' 'Supersize Me' (beware of McDonalds!), 'The Never Ending Story' (quite profound for a kids movie if you read between the lines), 'Beautiful Life,' 'Lugares Comones,' Terms of Endearment,' 'Beaches,' 'West Side Story,' 'Monsoon Wedding,' (the great soundtrack, the colors, and the Indian culture!!), 'Room With a View,' 'The Great Escape,' 'Princess Bride' (I know, me and everyone else), 'Xanadu,' (crazy 70's musical), 'Irreconcilable Differences,' 'When a Man Loves a Woman,' 'What's Up Doc?' (hilarious oldschool movie), 'Strictly Ballroom' (yeah dancing!), 'Shawshank Redemption,' 'The gods Must Be Crazy' (classic laughs), 'Motorcycle Diaries,' and the list goes on...there's still so much to see...!!
I'd rather be outside. I don't have any regular TV viewing in my daily schedule (save for the occasional glances at the silent TVs playing in the gym). My information overload comes from sitting down in the evening and poring over the newspaper; gimme the Headlines and the Local section, por favor. When I am ever around a functioning, audible television, I must admit, I can get sucked in to a good reality TV show (I know, shame on me and my voyeurism). Can I just say that I am a fan of really good advertising? There are some extremely creative people out there coming up with brilliant 30 second promotional campaigns. 5 gold stars for them. You know what else I like, Makeover shows. It's so rad to see someone move from frump to glam in a half-hour program. And don't point the finger and call me shallow, naturally it's what's inside that counts--but an ugly, frizzy, red perm being tamed into a sleek, brunette hairdo is definitely to be applauded. I love watching the Travel network, History Channel, and catching music videos when I can. Teach me, I want to learn... Too much TV is, without doubt, an undesirable excess.
I love reading, I really do, because it makes me smarter (you too)...but I find it hard to sit still and take in a good read, I often prefer to socialize. However, I do find treasured pockets of time here and there. I am a huge fan of Victor Hugo's 'Les Miserables,' (the novel, the musical, the movie... sooo rich and deep and powerful). I make a habit of digging through the Bible, trying to apply the lessons and teachings to my life, even though it's an extremely ancient text, it definitely has a lot of light to shed for the 21st century. I LOVE Donald Miller, 'Blue Like Jazz,' and 'Searching for God Knows What' --- homeboy is just entertaining and oh-so-relevant. I just started reading through 'Everybody's Normal Till You Get To Know Them,' and mmm-hmmm, lots of good insight there. Who else...E.M. Bounds, Jane Austen, Dave Barry (this gent can make me laugh out loud), oh, and 'House on Mango Street,' by Sandra Cisneros, and 'To End All Wars' by Ernest Gordon. Kids books rock, too, like 'The Giving Tree,' 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,' and 'Rikki-Tikki-Tembo-No-Sa-Rembo...' And there are still towers of books that I need to read.
People who have disciplined themselves to love selflessly. I have so much respect for those who have dedicated their lives to serving others, caring for the well-being of those less fortunate, or just folks that are in need. Big pat on the back for those making a significant effort to improve life here on earth (that includes folks who stick their necks out to protect the environment). The life and teachings of Jesus have totally rocked my world. It breaks my heart that people have such a wack misunderstanding about who the heck Jesus is--there are faaaaar too many skewed views on this ultra-loving man. "Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone." I admire those who recognize the importance of not judging others, but rather choose to understand and love. We need to see the equal potential of humanity. I greatly esteem people who follow through with their good intentions, and who make it a priority to respect and befriend others, looking for ways to be encouraging rather than critical and merciless. You don't have to be world-famous to be my hero, rather, world-conscious, and intentional about making the most out of life for oneself and for others.