A meme

Suzy with a Y did the following meme, and tagged me, so here it is....(Thanks Suzy, I like this kind of thought provoking meme.)

Name a book that you want to share so much that you keep giving away copies: I seem to have gone through a big turnaround in the last couple of years. In the past, when I was a keen Christian, and very involved with counseling, it would have been a book by Bishop Frank Retief called “Divorce, Hope for the Hurting”, I gave away lots. It was a voice of sanity and comfort to help Christians deal with the reality of divorce, and particularly spouse abuse, in a non judgmental way. Given some of the harsh and unrealistic “biblical” approaches to the subject out there, this was great. But I’m afraid God and I are not so close now, I no longer go to church, so that really no longer applies as a current choice. I have read some wonderful books, but have not necessarily bought copies to distribute. I have lent Nelson Mandela’s “long walk to freedom” out, and for me it was such an eye opener, because whites in Apartheid South Africa were denied access to so much knowledge of what was really going on, press censorship was extreme. So I found it fascinating seeing the independence struggle through his eyes.

Name a piece of music that changed the way you listen to music: Beethoven’s 1812. Up till then (I was an 18 year old student at the time I was introduced to it) I viewed anything other than rock, but particularly classical, as too geeky to possibly listen to. Staying in Johannesburg with my Godparents one vacation, they suggested I sit and listen with them, and they talked me through the finer points. It made me open my mind to new possibilities, and now I love most music (unless it is SERIOUSLY aggressive and/or evil, or whiney R&B which seems to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!), rock, blues and jazz, are still hot favourites.

Name a film you can watch again and again without fatigue: Ok nothing cool or deep or intellectual here, I love Top Gun, and call me weird, but it is not for the story, or the actors, but the flying scenes, I can just get high watching those jets doing their thing!!

Name a performer for whom you suspend all disbelief: Gee, this is hard. Funnily enough a name that pops into my mind is Jack Nicholson, because he is totally believable as a baddy, but has also done some sympathetic good guys (and crazy good guys) to perfection.

Name a work of art you'd like to live with: Oy, as it is I don’t have a spare millimeter on my walls because I can’t resist art…

but I would have to say Turners “the snow storm” totally does it for me,

also just about anything by an ex Zimbabwean artist, now working in South Africa, Ann Lindsell Stewart.

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

mmm well the works of Tolkein, because they let my imagination soar.

I battle with questions like these because I can devour a book or film avidly, but it is sort of “out of sight out of mind” later. I am better at remembering non-fiction, which I read a lot of.

OK this will be odd, but my mom used to read the Cautionary Verses of Hillaire Belloc to us as kids, and I swear some of those stories shaped my values as a person, I mean just listen to some of these titles…….
· Matilda, who told lies and was burned to death
· Godolpin Horne, who was cursed with the sin of pride, and Became a boot-black
· Lord Lundy, who was too freely moved to tears and thereby ruined his political career
· George, who played with a dangerous toy, and suffered a catastrophe of considerable dimensions.

They sound horrendous but do yourself a favour and hunt down a copy of this book; it is hilarious in a dark way.

Name a punch line that always makes you laugh: a lot of Arnie’s one liners.
And whenever Mr Bean introduces himself in that silly voice “Bean”… it cracks me up every time… which just goes to show that humour can be a very arb thing!
Oh and I adore Roald Dahls macabre sense of humour, there was one story where an antique dealer spotted a rare Chippendale treasure, and tried to convince the owner it was worthless, so he could score a bargain. I love the punch line when he goes back to try and buy it, and the owner says words to the effect of “well you told us it was rubbish so we burnt it!” Now that I am back at work, insomnia has kicked in because it is the only way I get time to paint! Janet has started something! She is addicted (and I mean ADDICTED (-;) to doing ATCs, which, when I confessed my ignorance, she informed me are Artist's Trade Cards, and the only restriction is that the size must be 2.5 "x 3.5". So on the easel is a piece of canvas that I am adding layers of texture to, then Iwill put a cardboard window over it till i find bits that work as a mini-pic, and cut out. Watch this space!A bottle of sparkling water with yellow picnic plates behind it!