Friday Five, redux
Have no fear (not that anyone does, I'm certain), I shall up the amount of entries very soon. Starting tomorrow, in fact. I've hooked up with a collab started by my buddy from 3WA.

In anticipation of said entries, I shall take the opportunity to skive off for one more day and present
The Friday Five !

1. What is your favorite type of literature to read (magazine, newspaper, novels, nonfiction, poetry, etc.)?

While I am currently seeking therapy for my Shiny Paper Addiction, I get the most comfort from a work of fiction. I hate the wee paperbacks and I'm always afeared of getting the stately hardcovers dusty or dirty, so I tend toward the large softcovers. They're manageable with the added value of being a little more hardy. That fits my bill just fine, thanks.

2. What is your favorite novel?

Wow, asking a question like that of a booklover like myself is tantamount to asking me which of my children is my favorite. If I had to say off the top of my head, I'd say The Thorn Birds and The Stand bring back great memories for me of my early teens. Since this was not a time of widespread happiness, those books have come to mean all the more to me. I've reread them countless times, which I'm still not sure isn't a sickness of some form or other. Not that I'm going to seek help or anything.

3. Do you have a favorite poem? (Share it!)

My favorite poem is in fact, I suspect, actually a little song.

Little boxes on the hillside,

Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,

Little boxes, little boxes,

Little boxes, all the same.

There's a green one and a pink one

And a blue one and a yellow one

And they're all made out of ticky-tacky

And they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses

All go to the university,

And they all get put in boxes,

Little boxes, all the same.

And there's doctors and there's lawyers

And business executives,

And they're all made out of ticky-tacky

And they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf-course,

And drink their Martini dry,

And they all have pretty children,

And the children go to school.

And the children go to summer camp

And then to the university,

And they all get put in boxes

And they all come out the same.

And the boys go into business,

And marry, and raise a family,

And they all get put in boxes,

Little boxes, all the same.

There's a green one and a pink one

And a blue one and a yellow one

And they're all made out of ticky-tacky

And they all look just the same.

Evan Pike was my Grade Thirteen English teacher. His classes were legendary. Full of information, cool bits of trivia, facetious remarks, Shakespearian quotes, the odd dance number and snark. He had managed to hit on the exact right formula to get teenagers to listen and learn. And learn I did. He even managed to convince me that my writing didn't totally stink. He gave me the tiniest molecule of self-confidence, and that molecule was what propelled me to apply to college to study Print Journalism, and that decision is what led to me doing an internship this very day at the local television station and what might result in me being happy in my work. Imagine that.

Mr. Pike died many years ago while on vacation in Rome. He passed away on the steps of a coliseum. He was a cool dude until the very end. Thanks, Evan.

4. What is one thing you've always wanted to read, or wish you had more time to read?

The classics. I think a little voice in the back of my brain suspects I'm too thick to actually understand and appreciate them, so they remain unread. I always go back to the phrase, "I may not know (good literature), but I know what I like". I fear many a literate individual will disagree with me on that. To comprehend the imagery, etc. is just part and parcel in their minds. I know I'm reading for me, but there they are, standing behind my left shoulder, judging. How I manage to get out of bed in the morning amazes me, I worry about so many things...

5. What are you currently reading?

I've got three going at the moment: Roddy Doyle's The Woman Who Walked into Doors, Dean Koontz's The Door to December and Steve Martini's The Attorney. I just finished White Oleander, and must say I loved it. I read no other book while I was enjoying it. I can now watch the movie when it comes out on dvd, as I never go the other way around. Creating pictures of the characters and their surroundings in my head first is very important to me.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Posted at 8:16 a.m.