Networking, writing books reviews (am top reviewer at Amazon and also like writing here, check it out: Discovering wonderful new authors with a unique viewpoint and great writing style, with a "voice" that is so gripping that I simply can NOT put the book down, unless I have to.Discovering rare or scarce books for my store which you can see by clicking the blue letters below: HAVE A LOOK AT MY STORE IF YOU'D LIKE Just the way one person might appreciate a particular painting while it leaves another person indifferent, I take to some books more than others - and a fair share just don't "grab" me at all.I also enjoy taking long walks (it gets my imaginative part of my brain going), painting, enjoying nature and appreciating the simple things in life (although a glass or two of a fine vintage wine now and then is always appreciated). Good food, wonderful conversation. New friends. Never failing to appreciate the time I have with those I love, knowing that time passes quickly.I am a sucker for quirky new gadgets (IPods, Tivo,) and my short attention span (except when I'm involved in a good book) usually means I'm running from one new passion to another but I've finally reached a state of balancing organization with randomness, a major challenge for me. I'd start to clean out the fridge, see a couple of tomatos and that would remind me that the garden probably needed watering...and off I'd go...and then maybe get back to the fridge project days later. One thing would lead to another.So I'm proud of achieving a (usually) balanced state, but I think being too balanced can have its pitfalls too (in fact, I'm counting on that, because quirkiness and creativity run in my family). Took me years to get to a point of near organization and enduring the deaths of my father, several friends and my mother-in-law made me realize life is, indeed, short and I need to spend it the way I truly want to, balancing giving with taking time for myself while doing it all with as much passion and commitment as I can bring to the table on any particular day.
Shakespeare, Kevin Spacey, Eli Wiesel, Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hanks, Stephen Hawking, Dale Chihuley (the glass artist, not sure I spelled his name right, sorry), Dare Wright (because she'd have to be pretty odd and, perhaps, interesting), Joyce Maynard, J.D. Salinger (an enigma) and many other people, both living and dead. I'll add more as I think of them.Although he does occasionally visit me in my dreams, I'd like to see my father again someday because I miss him. He was enigmatic, often a pain in the ass but so wholly and totally loving that I can't imagine a father who loved his children more than my father did (well, except for my husband who also is top notch as a father). I never wanted to have to say Goodbye to my father so I'd like to meet him again. I would thank him for my son because he came from my father's first country, Romania, and we might never have thought of adopting from there if that hadn't been the case. I'd also like to meet the drunk driver who nearly took me out of this world and tell him I forgive him (I forgave him almost instantly, not for driving drunk, but for being human and making a mistake but I never got a chance to tell him that.). He died a year after he nearly killed me and I hope what he did to me didn't play a part in his decision to kill himself. If it did, I hope the universe dealt kindly with him after his death.
First, if you listen to CDS, take my son's advice and get this, it works: CD OPENER - THE BEST Perfect gift for the musically inclined. A wide range of tastes here, folks, some very strange. Have been listening to The Dresden Dolls lately (suggested by one son) but I also enjoy Mahler, Tom Waits, vintage Motown, older Marianne Faithful albums, Prairie Home companion shows (where music is generally featured at some point) and more. I have two sons who really love the Garage Band feature on Mac computers and are always making up compositions for me to listen to. I have quite a few of those on CDS and some of them have been favorites as well, reflecting each son's personality and musical tastes.
Days of Heaven was a favorite (no, NOT Gates of Heaven but Days of Heaven with Sam Shepherd) and for lighter fare I did enjoy While you were Sleeping. Recently caught Match Point, a movie which made me think about what role luck plays in life. Last night, I watched The Family Stone which was a bit grating at first but eventually I found it touching. I'm still in love with the movie ,Harvey, with James Stewart even though I've seen it a zillion times and can sit through To Kill A Mockingbird over and over. WHen I was little, I really wanted to marry someone just like Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird and I had a major crush on Gregory Peck (which was, of course, just a crush on character he played). Same thing with Cary Grant in Arsenic and Old Lace. First time I watched LA Confidential, I was blown away by it. Still love The Usual Suspects. What I REALLY like are movies that shouldn't work, but do, like The Wizard of Oz. Judy Garland really WAS too old to be Dorothy yet everything just fell into place when the movie was finally made - and it still works for me - and my kids. We still love watching it.
Lately, I've been hooked on both House and Medium but I tend to think that one's television interests have to do with something subconscious that a particular show "hooks" into. I mean, I used to watch the show Family and I doubt I could sit through an episode of it now..same thing with 30 Something and Hill Street Blues. They just don't speak to me anymore. I also was recently riveted by the documentary The Boy in the Bubble on Frontline because it made me think about medical ethics. Medium certainly has its flaws but something about the show intrigues me, way beyong the psychic stuff. House is simply a character and I like the way the show takes chances, putting a generally irritable guy in a feature role. My husband had me involved in old Buffy and Angel shows and I found the scenes with Ilyria particularly moving...perhaps I relate a bit to her sense of feeling a bit dislocated sometimes, even in our own familiar world, that sense of individuality that we all have, even as we connect with others. My husaband and I inevitably watch The Sopranos, although that series is winding down now. Have caught bits and pieces of Big Love and I also love to watch home decorating and landscaping shows. I find them soothing, sometimes in a Muzaky way, like falling into a huge cloud of cotton candy. I can watch those shows and just...start feeling peaceful - and inspired.
Often, my favorite book will be a new "discovery" that I've just listed at my store: http://www.rareanduniquebooksonline.com and HAVE A LOOK AT MY STORE IF YOU'D LIKE . Beyond that, there are far too many to list so I'll just add what I'm reading now. Absurdistan (just started it, can't give an opinion) Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper, a guy who happens to be Gloria Vanderbilt's son and who has suffered his fair share of tragedy, including a brother's suicide amd father's premature death.I'm also rereading Night by Elie Wiesel. I tend to dip into Finance books now and then, too. I love biographies, true crime, great fiction, just about anything . I admit I'm a bit of a magazine addict as well and read the daily Newspaper to see what might be happening both locally and nationally. Here's what I'm always browsing through, ANY bookseller should read it (any seller for THAT matter): HOW TO SELL BOOKS USING ONLINE AUCTIONS.
Most of my heroes are unsung ones, the people who make a difference in other people's lives but rarely get credit for it. They deserve more recognition. Among them I've include my youngest son, a child who was brave enough to leave all he knew at age five to come to a new country and a new family. He continues to show me the true meaning of resilience, of courage and of unwavering love in spite of many obstacles. My husband is also a hero but he'd never believe it of himself. But he is. People so often don't see their best qualities. He is truly compassionate, patient, forbearing and a great husband and wonderful father. He's an excellent teacher too. He never slacks off, is always willing to listen to his students and try to help them grasp an elusive idea. He's changed more people's lives than he'll ever know (but I'm keeping tabs, maybe someday I'll surprise him with the list).