What about the things I've always liked (let's go back as far as high school), and haven't shifted?
Are there things (by things I mean objects, foods, hobbies etc) that you've always adored and even with time those things are still your favorite?
This took some pondering, considering much time has passed since high school years. I chose high school because I see it as a more definitive time in terms of developing self interests outside of what my parents dictated to me.
1) music: beyond what my parents played and the odd fad band (e.g NKOTB), I recall my first foray into what I consider "real music" as being the purchase of U2's 'Achtung Baby' when I was in Grade 8. To this day, I wish that I could find my gr.8 music teacher and thank him. Then there's CBC radio (I loved listening to Finkelman's 45s), and the influence of the music my friend's listened to in highschool (the smiths, tori amos, pj harvey, low, guided by voices). Music in high school meant a lot to me and the relationship I developed with it honestly helped me through a lot. It was also something my friends and I shared by making mixed tapes and going to concerts in Guelph, London and Toronto when we could scrap together enough money/a ride.
2) books: okay, my love for books started before high school, but my relationship with books is a lot like my relationship with music. Probably more of an escape back then and something I didn't share with friends. But in the past couple of years, I've been in book clubs and often read book recommendations with friends and discuss afterwards. And the quote is true: book lovers never go to bed alone. Something I have always loved to do, since I was a kid, is read in bed - laying down. I also love waking up on Saturday and Sunday each week and the first thing I do is switch on the light and read for 30-60mins. Even if it's nice out.
3) I vote chocolate anything over vanilla anything
4) movies: My family was never really into movies and my parents always indulged me and on weekends would take me to the video store in town. For some reason or another, I got hooked on Woody Allen in Grade 11 or 12. I'm still a Woody Allen fan to this day. And I'd say my taste in movies really hasn't changed since high school. Romance=barf (excluding the english patient), romantic comedies=I-can-tolerate, sci-fi&adventure=Yes!, drama=maybe-depends-on-story, comedy=hells-yes, horror=No!, action=mostly-snore, film noir=yes-please, crime=yeah-maybe, art film=if-it's-miranda-july, historical-drama=right-up-my-nerdy-archivist-alley.
Still, some of my all-time favorite movies that I watched when I was in high school are:
-Home Alone I (there are so many awesome quotable lines from that movie!)
-Reality Bites
-Annie Hall
-What dreams may come (i think i was 18, but in Ont at that time we had 1 extra year of high school called OAC)
5) nature walks and hikes: when my family moved to the "country" in gr.6 and our house was just a 10minute walk to 3 lakes and a forest, I realized the powerful escape of nature. Okay, this whole blog appears to be about escape! To this day, even when I travel to somewhere new, the best parts for me are nature-related, even if that is a city park (e.g. Golden Gate park in SF) and recent adventures (Iceland) have been nature-focussed. Sometimes cities depress me and I need to get to the trees.
Okay, I'm going to end my list of favorite things for now. That was more typing than I anticipated and if you've read this far, thanks! I think that while what is outlined above defines who I am, and how I've spend a good majority of my time outside of sleeping, eating and working, if all of that didn't happen to me I think I'd still be Jen. I believe we all have a person inside of us that has always been there and is who they are without influence of a film, or an album or food stuff. That person is partially defined and sculpted by up-bringing, but overall I think our soul is given to us and grows with us and shapes our direction. Is that kooky? Am I a kooky-almost-32-year-old, living in Vancouver, drinking Kombucha and doing yoga?! Shit, maybe I am! I do recall seeing a photo from when I was 6 or 7 years old, and I've set-up a small blanket fort and my stuffed animals are all around me and I'm reading a book! I've been 'me' for awhile I think. And that's comforting.
~jb
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