Tagged by a Frog

Name a book that you want to share so much that you keep giving away copies:

"Crocodile on the Sandbank" by Elizabeth Peters. Of course, I have to be careful upon whom I bestow it - not everyone has the same sense of humor that I do. Sorry I'm not into passing out "deep" books. I always feel as if I'm being percieved as judgemental or proseltyzing if I do that.


Name a piece of music that changed the way you listen to music:

I've got 2, both waltzes. First one was "The Blue Danube Waltz" by Strauss. When I was about 12 or 13, I got into my mom's record collection and messed around with the record player for an afternoon while they were out. This was the first piece of classical music that hit me strongly, especially having been brought up with those heavy Bach-esque Lutheran Hymns. This was classical music that was light and ethereal, uplifting instead of thumping and ponderous.

The second is the waltz from "Eugene Onegin" by Tchaikovsky. This was the first ballet recital piece that my daughter danced to en-pointe. I was so proud of her, I actually cried. She worked so hard to get and to master her "toe-shoes", and she was so beautiful and graceful, and danced her heart out. Now that she's grown and gone and not dancing anymore, I still picture her dancing when I hear certain types of music.


Name a film you can watch again and again without fatigue:

At the risk of sounding trite - "The Blues Brothers" (The first one!) I first saw this movie during the early 1980's when I'd just gotten married and moved to Colorado from my home in the Western Suburbs of Chicago. I was so homesick, and the movie was "home" to me. Sure, the plot is silly, but the landmarks can make me smile even now (My daughter was married in that county office building, and I have video of her dancing in Daley Center right in front of those windows that the Bluesmobile crashes through) and the music... Oh my, the music!


Name a performer for whom you suspend of all disbelief:

Interestingly, because I'm not a big fan of most of his films, Dustin Hoffman always "IS" his character for me. When I see him on screen, my reaction when first encountering his character in a role is never "Oh, look, there's Dustin Hoffman", but rather a belief that I am seeing the person he is portraying. Jack Nicholson has this quality too - Tom Hanks as well, but to a lesser degree.


Name a work of art you'd like to live with:

The temple of Hathor at Abu Simbel


Name a work of fiction which has penetrated your real life:

Oh my - just one? They all do, you know. As I read them, I assimilate bits and pieces as they impress me. However, if I have to pick one, I think "All Quiet on the Western Front" did more to shape my views about politics and war than just about anything I've read since.


Name a punch line that always makes you laugh:

"I think... no, I am positive... that you are the most unattractive man I have ever met in my entire life. You know, in the short time we've been together, you have demonstrated EVERY loathsome characteristic of the male personality and even discovered a few new ones. You are physically repulsive, intellectually retarded, you're morally reprehensible, vulgar, insensitive, selfish, stupid, you have no taste, a lousy sense of humor and you smell. You're not even interesting enough to make me sick."


That darn Frog, Kvatch, at Blognonymous tagged me, and so I'll pass it on to Croila and Leandra.


741 days