This is supposed to be the "Friday Five"...

but I compiled a bunch of them together. Why? Because I can. Consider it your "Saturday Fifteen."

Music:

1. What is the first record/tape/CD that you bought?

The first Tape I owned was Duran Duran I don't remember what album it was anymore. The first CD's I owned, were Jann Arden -- "Living Under June" and Annie Lennox -- "Medusa"

2. Who is your favorite all time band/singer?

Oh god. Aretha Franklin, because her voice is the balm to my soul, I used to adore Collective Soul. Now, there are too many to list, and my music collection threatens to topple over and smother me in my sleep.

3. What have you been listening to lately?

Lately, I've been listening to Delerium and Enigma, quite a bit. Like, right now.

4. What is your favorite radio station, what do they play, and where do they broadcast?

I wake up to 94.5 The Beat, every morning. They play hip-hop, R&B, and top 40. Waittaminute. Let me clarify, they play GOOD hip-hop and R&B. (well, some crap too, but I only listen to it in between pressing snooze.) They broadcast in the Lower Mainland only, as far as I know. I find it enjoyable. I used to listen to Classic Rock 101, but I got tired of hearing "Money" by Pink Floyd EVERY SINGLE MORNING when I got up. (I'm not joking. every morning.)

5. Can you recommend a good song or CD that everyone should listen to?

I'm cheating. I'm mentioning four.

Everyone should listen to these four albums:

i) Aretha Franklin -- "The very best, The 60s"
ii) Green Day -- "American Idiot"
iii) Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - "The essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (2 Disc set)
iv) Fiona Apple -- "Tidal"


Literature:

1. What is the one book that you reread over and over again?

I read all my books over and over again. All of them. I read "Ender's Game", "Ender's Shadow", and "Shadow Of the Hedgemon" repeatedly, written by Orson Scott Card. I also read the Kushiel's Dart Trilogy by Jacqueline Carey and "Queen Of the Damned" by Anne Rice over and over. I love these stories.

2. What is your favourite genre?

It's a toss up between 'Science Fiction' and 'Fantasy'. I don't like non-fiction. It bores me to tears. Lately I've also been browsing through some pretty, yet phenominally expensive design magazines (I use the term Magazine loosely, it's a quarterly released issue, and it's usually as thick as the fucking bible.)

3. Do you usually buy your books or visit the library?

Book stores. I am horrible for returning books to the Library. I think Vancouver Public Library has a warrant out for me for late fees. (Hey! That's between you, me and the fencepost, okay?)

4. Who is your favourite author?

Anne McCaffrey, Anne Rice, Orson Scott Card, Piers Anthony, Mercedes Lackey, Hunter S. Thompson, and too many more to remember this late in the evening.

5. What book have you read that you absolutely hated?

I usually have no problem sitting down and reading a book cover to cover in about a day and a half, but the ONLY book that I slogged through from start to finish was "Wind in the Stone", by Andre Norton. I could never empathize with the protagonist OR the antagonist. It drove me nuts, but I finished it because I can never leave a book without reading the whole thing. I need to know the end, even if it sucks.

Random Stuff.

1 thing that's on your mind right now

That I'm alone.

2 songs you like

i) "You and I" by Delerium

ii) "Sweet Sweet Baby (Since You've been Gone)" by Aretha Franklin.

3 things that make you angry

i) Ignorance.
ii) People that jump to conclusions.
iii) People that say deliberately hurtful things for no reason.

4 things that make you happy

i) Devin. (Hah. You knew I was going to say that.)
ii) Writing.
iii) Singing.
iv) Tetris. (Yeah. It's my zen game. I play it when I need to unwind. I can't think and play at the same time.)


So what, I'm a dork.

5 people who have made a big impact on your life

i) My Mother. I heart my mommy. She's inspirational and has always told me that I could do whatever I wanted if I put my mind to it. Without that kindness, I might have drowned in my own depression when I was younger. My mom was also the inspiration to write. When I was a child, she would sit there in a writing frenzy, creating her novels and I never understood until I started writing on my own how much the need to do so possesses you.

ii) My Grandfather. My grandfather has been through so much hell the past three years, from losing his left leg from above the knee, to struggling through bladder cancer and consequentially Chemotherapy, and minor invasive surgery for heart problems at the present. He was smiling and happy on Christmas day just past after going through Chemo on Christmas Eve, and I wish in my heart of hearts that I could be as strong as he is, when I know he's going through so much rough luck and still manages to have a smile cross his face.

iii) Haig Armen. He's my instructor in History Of Design. As lame as it sounds, I've never had a teacher as passionate about his work than Haig, other than my choir teacher in highschool. He's the sort of person that makes me want to BE a designer, when I can see how he loves his work.

iv) Crystal Belong. Imagine being knocked up by some asshole of a teenager when you're 16, having him leave you high and dry, and deciding to keep that child. Imagine struggling to raise that child, relatively on your own, with only some help from the people around you. Imagine trying to have a relationship, when you've got to think of your child first and how he will react to another adult influence in his life. Imagine going to school full time, working part time, and being a mother full time, putting food on the table, paying the amount of attention to your child that he needs, ensuring that his daycare is supplying what he needs to learn properly, getting YOUR homework done, making shifts on time... A million other tasks. This is what Crystal deals with on a daily basis. I find that unbelievably inspirational.

v) Devin Pike. Don't roll your eyes. He doesn't even understand why. I can't really explain it all that well myself, and I'm not too shabby with words. Maybe the fact that he inspired me to love again, when I was so fucking jaded. Maybe that he's a phenomenal writer, and inspired me to write this blog, which I find to be the best release of all this junk in my head I've ever had. Maybe that he's taught me how to forgive, forget, and move on, when I was stuck on that before.

I know, you might be thinking, these are all ordinary people. Why no celebrities? Why no Nobel Peace Prize winners? Because, I've had the opportunity to sit down and TALK to these people. Celebrities don't mean shit to me. The people I know are the ones that are important. Perhaps that's narrowing my view of the world, and it's not to say that others aren't inspirational. This was a remarkably difficult question to pick only five people, and I did the best I could.

Fuck it. I'm not going to defend my answers. Take 'em as you read 'em.