Getting to Know Me, Getting to Know all about Meee..

Haha. What movie is THAT from, kids?

Anyway, Ingrid posted these questions in her regular feature, Getting to Know You. So, I decided to do a short post for the sole purpose of participating and plus, its like a type of questionairre and I FREAKING LOVE THOSE.

1.birkenstocks or designer shoes- Designer shoes because, despite the fact that I can only afford birkenstocks, I find them hideously ugly and I would perfer to go shoeless.

outside or inside- This depends completely on what the weather is like.

hoping or planning- Planning because, one never gets anywhere hoping for things without planning a way in which to acheive what they are hoping for.

carrots or peas- Peas because, although I do like carrots, sometimes they leave that really nasty weird taste in my mouth..I can't explain that taste either but, its atrocious.

cheese or chocolate- Cheese because, I've never been a chocolate lover in the first place.

wristwatch or intuition- A wristwatch because, I like to be certain and I am not inclined to guess or go with my gut.

milk or juice- Plain, light SOYMILK because it is so good for you and doesn't have any of the animal hormones that cow's milk contains nor all the additives, sugars, colorings, and calories of a juice.
..Unless I get to have a Naked juice which is a different thing altogether.

creating or viewing- Viewing because, I'm not exactly the artistic type.

walking or running- Walking because, if you go at a brisk pace, you get just as much exercise as if you were running and it saves an awful lot of wear and tear on your knees and joints.

bouncing or rigid- I am partial to bouncy objects myself.

cozy or breezy- If its a light spring or summer breeze, I'll take that. They can often be cozy.

fancy or hearty- Mealwise? I like homemade, healthy food that leaves you satisfied so, hearty.

chuckle or guffaw- Both are swell.

whisper or announce- I like to whisper things myself.

lick or bite- Oh, a mixture of the two of course!

snuggle or grope- Same as above.

sing or listen- I do enjoy singing.

kiss or hug- Kisses are my preference.

wonder or discover- Its best to discover answers to things that we first wonder over.

anticipate or achieve- Believe ACHEIVE!

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista

Friday Fill-ins.

1. I enjoy amazing music with meaningful, heartfelt lyrics.

2.The state of our country is something I wonder about often lately.

3. In my heart, I knew Nick didn't love me.

4. Take time, add a likttle patience, and you end up acheiving exactly what you set out to accomplish.

5. Life has gifted me with the ability to really get through to children.

6.A good film is an instant vacation.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to nothing in particular, tomorrow my plans include heading to the gym and Sunday, I want to get groceries.

So, what are YOUR plans for the weekend?

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista.

BTT:Stories.

If you’re anything like me, one of your favorite reasons to read is for the story. Not for the character development and interaction. Not because of the descriptive, emotive powers of the writer. Not because of deep, literary meaning hidden beneath layers of metaphor. (Even though those are all good things.) No … it’s because you want to know what happens next?

Or, um, is it just me?

Actually, that is the MAIN reason why I read. If there are hidden meanings and metaphor sprinkled throughout the story, then its due to my understanding of grammar that I take notice. Simply put, if I'm not taken in by the story that is being told, I end up eventually abandoning the book after a few attempts at becoming interested. Now, admittedly, that is extremely rare. In fact, the only example I am able to come up with would be my experience with The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin, which was required summer reading for my 10th or 11th grade year thus, I HAD to finish it, which I did..at the end of September.

So, 98% of my reading choices are accomplished because I cannot wait to find out how the story ends.

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista

The Sunday Salon: Where the Hell IS Desilu? by Howard Rayfiel.

This memoir was different than anything I've read previously which had anything to do with Lucille Ball in the simple fact that Lucy was just a small part of this book, which is to be expected of course because, this man has accomplished so much besides working for "The Redhead", if I may borrow Mr. Rayfiel's affectionate term for his friend and employer.

Howard Rayfiel comes from a long line of honest, hard working judges. He was raised on a moral code built on honesty, justice, and compassion for our fellow human beings; and that shines through as he regales us with stories of the corruption of the behind-the-scenes business side of Hollywood and the way he chose to conduct himself while working with men who would do anything, stoop to new lows, etc. all in the name of the almighty dollar. Mr. Rayfiel began his multi-faceted entertainment career as a theatrical lawyer in NYC, he later moved to LA where, through a chain of events, he was appointed resident counsel to Desilu Productions, Inc. As he was, in his own words, the lawyer who wanted to be a writer, he went on to the top of the ladder as Vice President of Lucille Ball Productions, Inc., Production Executive on Here's Lucy, a member of the Writer's Guild of America, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

This work is filled with anecdotes on many of Howard's celebrity friends which included but was not limited to, Lucy and Walter Matthau. This book is very good if, like me, you enjoy becoming acquainted with the private persona of some of your favorite personalities or if the script and story writing prospect is something that interests you a great deal.

All in all, I'd give Mr. Rayfiel's memoir 4 out of 5 stars.

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista

The Sunday Salon: Summer Reading List.

I know..I missed last week. Sorry.
I'll most likely miss next week as well, what with my trip to Georgia.

Anyway, I thought that this week, I would just compile a short list of what I am reading for the summer of 2008.

I've just finished The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James, which I liked -well enough..until the ending but, that's another post for another day.

Other books in my summer line-up include:
-Where the Hell Is Desilu? by former Desilu Studios attorney and Vice President of Lucille Ball Productions, Howard Rayfiel . Obviously, I'm excited for this one!
-Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriett Beecher Stowe.
-The Cider House Rules by John Irving.

I am currently embarked upon A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, which I only cracked open last night.

So, what are a few books which you plan on enjoying by the pool with a nice, tall glass of lemonade? Tell me!

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista.

Late Night Friday Fill-Ins.

1. Traveling throughout Europe, especially Britain and Italy, is high up on my bucket list.
2. My favorite quote is "The important thing in life is our relationship with other human beings. It's not what we set out to get, but how we go about the daily task of living." and it's from Lucille Ball.
3. Noone really inspired me to start blogging, just the fact that I wanted a spot for me to store things that inspire me, stuff that brings a smile to my face, and I wanted to be able to have a record of my thoughts which often get jumbled up all together in my head and its quite a task to sort them out.
4. Strawberries are best at breakfast.
5. Nothing was very positive in the last dream I remember having but, it wasn't exactly a nightmare.
6. The most enjoyable time to go for a walk is early afternoon, say 2:00.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to absolutely nothing, tomorrow my plans include finally going for a swim in the pool and Sunday, I want to finish my book!

Did you participate in Friday Fill-Ins today? Link to your responses in the comments!

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista.

The Sunday Salon: Krista & the Classics.

I have many quirks, as I'm certain all of us do but, one of those which I possess which irks me most is the fact that when it comes to classic literature, it takes me a very long time to finish reading books.

...and I mean a veryyyy long time. Word or page count does not matter, whether said piece of literature is 400 pages or 1,000; it takes me, and I'm sort of embarassed to admit it, sometimes a month and a half from the time I crack the first chapter until I come to the conclusion and heavy heartedly take leave of a group of characters.

Oh, and by the way, another thing I have is that I absolutely cannot begin another book until I'm through with my current selection. Yeah. I read maybe 6 books a year but, I'm always in the midst of one.

A perfect example? Take a look at the newest addition to my homepage, my book meter. 356 pages out of 606 pages of The Portrait of a Lady done. Not bad, you say? That's after reading a page here, a chapter there for oh.. I don't know, almost two whole months?

The thing is, I've been this way since I began delving into chapter books back in first grade. Wanna know how long I stayed with Heidi and her grandfather back in fourth grade? Six months.. SIX. FREAKING. MONTHS. So, obviously, it isn't that I secretly despise classic lit. On the contrary, I adore it. I guess, perhaps, I overanalyze the situations and topics brought up in these novels?

On the bright side, it proves I do, indeed, have great perserverance. I have never been able to justify just giving up on a story after a few chapters or halfway through. I mean, the author poured all they had, every aspect of his or her life was consumed by the creation of the piece of art which I hold in my hands for, months, years even and, I always feel that I owe it to that person to carry on, enjoy the ride for what it's worth, and only once I've finished do I have the right to judge whether or not I loved or loathed their tale. I've realized that 95% of the time, even if the book as a whole was not to my liking, I am able to pick out a few aspects that made me think or a character that I was drawn to.

I don't know, maybe the way to look at this drawback in my person is; slow and steady wins the race because, by concluding a great piece of the written word, I always feel like I've won. I've won more knowledge, I've been taught a lesson, I've been forced to see the world from a completely opposite point of view from my own and, though I may not agree, I've gained more understanding and respect for a certain group or individual and in that sense, I've won more than any kind of competition could have offered me.


So, what about you guys?
Do any of you identify with me here?

If you've participated in The Sunday Salon this week, please leave me the link to yours in my comments!

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista

Booking Through Thursday..on FRIDAY.

...because, I'm wild like that!




This week's question is:

Have your book-tastes changed over the years? More fiction? Less? Books that are darker and more serious? Lighter and more frivolous? Challenging? Easy? How-to books over novels? Mysteries over Romance?

I've always been open to almost everything in way of books [and just about every other art form too] except for Romance and I'm also not particularly drawn to fantasy, sans The Chronicles of Narnia and Wicked.
From a very young age, say third grade, I've particularly enjoyed auto/biographies immensely. I yearn to learn as much as I possibly can about any one individual, I read up for months rather obsessively, and once I've dug up everything available, short of their bra or underwear size, obsession begins to dwindle but, I always retain a love for and enough information on said individual to be in the running to becoming an official biographer.
So, in short, no, nothing has really changed at all.

So, what about you guys?
What kind of reading do YOU enjoy most and have your reading habits shifted or evolved in any way over the past years or months?

If you've participated in this week's BTT, please leave linkage in comments!

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista

Friday Fill-ins..on a saturday.

I didn't get around to this yesterday so, I'll just post it late.

By the way, do any of you have any other really swell weekly memes to suggest for me to start participating in? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Those of you with multiple blogs or private blogs...if you could add your link to the Fill-Ins, that would be GREAT!

Questions courtesy of MindFul Mimi who had some thought- provoking ones this week; thank you, Mimi!

1. For me apathy is the opposite of creativity.
2. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Sallinger was the last excellent book I read.
3. I like fill-ins because well, to be completely honest, despite the fact that I enjoy questions that require a lot of mind power and the like most of the time, its nice to just be able to fill in the blanks on occassion.
4. In nature I like looking at blooming plants and flowers and baby animals the best.
5. I'm still undecided as to who I feel should win the US elections.
6. The last time I laughed with all my belly was last saturday while at a screening of one of Lucy's first ventures beyond Lucy Ricardo in the television special, K.O. Kitty It was a riot.
7. And as for the weekend, yesterday I went to the gym and continued reading Portrait of a Lady, today my plans included returning to the gym and finally getting food in the house that I will actually allow into my body and Sunday, I want to hopefully finish up Portrait of a Lady and watch Judgement at Nuremberg!

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista