Raindrops & Kittens

Cream-colored ponies
and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells
and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

— Rodgers & Hammerstein, My Favorite Things

• Movies
  • (Almost) anything animated, but particularly:
    • Lilo & Stitch — not only is Lilo a better people photographer than me, taking in the unloveable and …
    • Spirited Away — Chihiro’s personal growth is inspiring
  • Lots of musicals … it’s the flair for the dramatic, plus when the soundtrack is well thought-out and integrated, it makes the experience better. Yes, even Bride and Prejudice (/me hums “Lonely Mr. Kholi from Los Angeles …”)
  • I’ll watch pretty much anything from Jackie Chan or Stephen Chow, and will continue to watch more Chow Yun-Fat tearjerkers.
  • Explosions in space grab my immediate attention

• Authors
  • Science fiction
    • Will read anything by Zelazny, Bradbury, Bujold (hooray for Miles!), or Dick.
    • Really enjoyed specific things by Herbert (Dune) and Joan Vinge (Snow Queen), but not necessarily their follow-up sequels.
    • Sworn off Orson Scott Card until he stops leaving poor Lovelock in limbo.
    • Neal Stephenson’s pretty good too, but a bit complex for me to successfully follow for in-bed reading sessions.
  • Fiction
    • Frank Chin (on the strength of Donald Duk and short fiction)
    • Irvine Welsh (mostly for shorts; I need to sound out the words to understand most of his writing)
    • Dennis Lehane (Boston comes alive again in my mind)
    • Martin Cruz Smith (though I’d preferred to leave Arkady and Irina walking away together at the end of Red Square)
    • William Goldman (tight plotting helped by screenwriting experience)
    • early Larry McMurtry (seems like Texas has roughly eight people in it, and they’re all married to each other, or have been at some point in the past)
  • Manga (Manhwa)/Comics
    • Takahashi Rumiko — Maison Ikkoku specifically. No giant robots. No telekinesis. Just two people falling in love.
    • Alan Moore — Watchmen is a revelation.
    • Chris Ware — some days I am Jimmy Corrigan.
    • Derek Kirk Kim — Same Difference; I think he has something new on the way, too.
    • Azuma Kiyohiko — Yotsubato! will make you smile
    • Adachi Mitsuru — yeah, I know, he keeps writing the same story and changing the names, but I’m still a sucker for it.
    • Ashinano Hitoshi — Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, life and loss.
    • Doha — The Great Catsby

• Music
  • The Beatles, with Paul as my favorite solo artist. Lennon was the superior lyricist, but Paul made the tunes — listen to some of the solo output; McCartney/Wings make much more interesting, experimental music, but the lyrics … not so profound.
  • Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers — dare ya not to move during It’s So Easy When You’re Breezin’.
  • ABBA (and the semi-related musical Chess)
  • Dance Hall Crashers and Save Ferris, but not Reel Big Fish
  • Numerous single songs with inestimable personal significance (lying back on the couch listening to OMD’s If You Leave brings back a single person’s face, every time, for example).