My Favorite Things
I’ve had a few people that told me that while they enjoyed reading my bio page, they would have liked to know more about me in terms of what I love that is outside the realm of artistic endeavors I enjoy. So here goes: Music: I love music, and like to listen to it as I work on my projects. Since I literally love thousands & thousands of bands, I will have to just mention a few of my big favorites – no doubt, if I had the time & the space, I could devote an entire website just to groups I consider to be worthy of mention. But since I can’t do that, here go some highlights: I have a new favorite to mention, so I will start with that: If you haven’t yet listened to the music of Darius Lux , you will definitely want to. Here is the link to the Darius Lux website . . . www.dariuslux.com A couple of my favorite songs are Darius Lux – Way That It Goes and Darius Lux – Waking Up I hope you will check them out – I think it will make your day!
I am positively nuts over a Celtic group called Celtic Thunder. I could listen to them all day long, every single day. If you haven’t listened to them, I whole-heartedly recommend that you do so. I believe you will be glad you did. Here is a link to one of my all-time favorites by them: http://www.mtv.com/videos/celtic-thunder/736713/christmas-1915.jhtml
My all-time favorite rock band is the Red Hot Chili Peppers I totally love all their stuff and never fail to be amazed by the wide range of genres that they have successfully mastered. Other bands/artists that I love (listed by genre) are: (1) Alternative : Nirvana (o.k., purists . . . Nirvana is considered “Grunge”) – who I love as almost as much as RHCP. I love so many of Nirvana’s songs, that I wouldn’t hardly know where to start, and am the extremely proud owner of their complete discography. Other favorites within this genre are: Buckcherry and Nickelback (2) Rock: Darius Lux, Aerosmith (been a fan since the early days & got to see them in concert many times!), Muse and Green Day. Another “oldie” favorite is Guns & Roses – between the wonderfully unique voice of Axl Rose and the guitar prowess of Slash, you just can’t go wrong. (3) Easy Listening: Il Divo, Josh Groban, Susan Boyle, and Paul Potts (4) Folk Music: John Denver, Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot (5) Rap: Red Hot Chili Peppers & Eminem (6) Classical: Mozart, Beethoven, Lizst, Tchaivosky, and others (7) Opera: Puccini, Verdi, and Mozart . . . not too keen on Wagner, though! (8) Bluegrass: Nickel Creek, Jerry Douglass, Allison Krauss and Union Station (9) Gospel: Gaithers (10) Contemporary Christian Rock: Stephen Curtis Chapman, Out of Eden, and Avalon (11) Misc: Celtic, Bulgarian folk music, hammered dulcimer, most any good instrumentals such as Andre’ Segovia’s classical guitar, any good piano music (12) New Age: Mannheim Steamroller, David Lanz, Joe Weed, Kitaro. (13) R & B: Curtis Salgado, and Stevie Ray Vaughn – one of the true greats, gone too soon . . . sorely missed, never forgotten!
Reading: I have been an avid reader since the time I was big enough to walk to the library. I have a lot of favorite books and favorite authors, and the list grows constantly. In addition to enjoying a very wide range of authors in various fiction genres, I also enjoy a wide range of books in other genres such as: world culture, customs & travels, true-life crime, how-to’s, biographies, animals, history, political commentary, and classics. My very favorite classic book is: (1) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (I make it a point to read it every year) and my favorite autobiographical books are: (1) Tis and (2) Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. There are a number of favorite authors whose works alway resonate with me, and they are: (1) Frank McCourt, (2) Bill Bryson (who has a wicked and wonderful sense of humor, a quirky and entertaining take on life, and a real talent for painting a visual picture for the reader with his excellent choice of narrative) , (3) John Grisham. And of course, last but not least: A necessity for every library: the greatest and most important book ever written, not to mention the best guide for daily living: The Holy Bible.
T.V. Shows: Admittedly, I am very limited here because I do NOT have cable – I cannot warrant the extra expenditure. However, I LOVE the great variety of programs I get on PBS . . . my favorites are Doc Martin, Antiques Roadshow, and all of the travel & history programs. Some of my favorite sitcoms are The Goldbergs, The Middle, and Raising Hope. Other T.V. shows that I love are Dog the Bounty Hunter, America’s Most Wanted, 48 Hour Mystery, Cold Case Files, Grimm, Community, Parks & Rec, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and My Name is Earl (this show is so hilarious and so perfectly cast that I can be in the worst of moods and still end up laughing within just a few minutes of watching).
Movies: I am a movie buff, and have a lot of favorites, but my favorites of favorites are: (1) The Sound of Music (2) The Kiterunner (3) The Twilight Saga (3) Gone in 60 Seconds (4) Angela’s Ashes
Hobbies: Well, you know my top 2 favorites are creating dollhouses & miniatures, and beadwork, but I also love to do paper crafts, grow flowers (actually, doing gardening of any kind . . . I love it!!!), (and using those flowers to dry & make arrangements & wreaths), sew, do quilling, make things with polymer clay. I also love foraging through yard sales & the Goodwill store for things I especially like – such as vintage glassware (everything from beautiful china to crystal stemware), beautiful dolls (not just dollhouse size), any interesting cultural art items from exotic places (especially anything Russian . . . I LOVE Russian art!) – I dream of obtaining a Faberge’ piece!!!!!, The picture below is a Russian Lacquer pin I own – exquisite, isn’t it?! 
The Picture below is a “Beresta” (birch bark) box that I own. They do amazing things with Birch Bark in Russia! 
anything I can use in my projects, great books, etc. . . I also love spending time with my cats, who are all hilarious little characters. It’s never boring around here! One other thing I truly love to do, but rarely get to (due to financial and time constraints) is to travel. First of all, I love flying . . . it’s a big event for me to go up in anything from a helicopter to a big jet. (I especially love the sound & feel of a big jet as it takes off . . . there’ s just nothing like it. ) As a very young child, I got to go up in small planes frequently . . . not only were my Dad & my uncle pilots, but we had family friends that were pilots that owned small planes. I also spent one wonderful year with friends who were helicopter pilots & I got to fly with them a lot (and even got to take the controls, which was a real experience!) But, I digress . . . back to the travel: I have friends in several European countries who have generously offered to “put me up” if I can just get to their respective homes . . . I hope so very much to make that happen one day! I especially want to visit Prague (the bead capitol of the world, and home to some of the most interesting architecture and graveyards on the planet), Italy, Switzerland (and get to meet one of my good friends in person), Spain (again, to meet one of my good friends in the flesh), as well as be inspired by the wonderful history, architecture, and flavor of this fabulous country, and oh well, this particular list could go on forever. I will stop here, but suffice it to say, I would like to see every corner of the world. Also on my “bucket list” is to get to see The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Celtic Thunder, and Il Divo in concert. It’s been way too long since I’ve gone to a concert, and I don’t want to miss my chance with these 3 favorite groups. So, now you know my personal favorites!