Lists.

List 1:  Books I have read.

I have chosen here to include books that made me think a lot while or after reading them, not just books I have read that I enjoyed but that may not have had as profound an impact.

Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson

A brilliant sci-fi novel that explores the world of nanoscience and innovative entertainment technology in a Neo-Victorian way.  The story of a young girl facing unlikely odds who becomes the hero of her time.

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

A meditation on the possibilities of the afterlife.  Though this is a novel for teens, I really liked the story because it was a creative model of the afterlife, but it also relates very well to life.  It's a great example of recovery after loss, something that I struggle with all too often.  

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

I didn't know who Neil Gaiman was when I first picked up this book in a small-town bookstore because it looked interesting, I was spending the summer with my grandmother, I was bored, and I wanted to read something.  I loved it.  I haven't gotten through most of his other books yet except for Coraline, which was written brilliantly, I might add, even though it's for kids, but I would like to.  I enjoy him as a writer.  This is the story of an underground (in both senses of the word) London separate from the London above ground.  A regular ol' guy gets swept up in this world on a dark, magically, but really cool adventure.  

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Need I say more?  This book is hilarious.  Admittedly I haven't read all the stories that make up the Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide, but I'm working on it.  I honestly keep forgetting that this book exists and then kicking myself for it.

List 2: Books I want to read.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Being a creative writing minor, I wrote a story last semester for my fiction class that I was told tackled ideas somewhat similar to concepts brought up in this book.  I've heard it's very good and have been meaning to acquire it.  

A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin

I didn't get into Game of Thrones when it first aired on television and became really popular, but my boyfriend, who had read the books, and I watched a few episodes and I started to follow some of the character's stories.  He assured me that the books were very good and that I would enjoy reading them, so I'll give them a try.  

Sum by David Eagleman

Not being religious, I'm very interested in contemplations of an afterlife that is different from the traditional afterlives outlined in modern religions.  I am an avid Radiolab listener, in fact I just listened to the episode that is based partly off of an excerpt from this book last night, and that's how I was led to want to read this.  David Eagleman is a neuroscientist as well, but I think the imaginations of scientists are fantastic things and that this would be really interesting.  I've heard it's not a sciency read and would be rather interesting for anyone, not just people who are really into neuroscience (I certainly don't know much about it, though I find explanations of things I can understand to be immensely interesting).

List 3: People I find inspiring

Most of the people I find inspiring are classmates, teachers, or people I don't know that just have some quality that I notice, feel I lack, and wish I had.  

But if I had to come up with some people who are more recognisable..... 

This might be cliche, but I have to say Steve Jobs is one of them.  One of my first assignments in my journalism class a couple schools back was to watch a video of the commencement speech Steve Jobs gave at Stanford University and write an article about it.  In watching this, he gave a brief autobiography, advice, and a lot of encouragement to those graduating.  His main point was to never give up on what you want to do, even if there doesn't seem to be a way to get there.  Make your own path.  I found it very motivational.  

Carl Sagan, a very notable cosmologist and general Renaissance man who explains what we know about the universe and how we know it in his series Cosmos, episodes of which can be found floating around on the internet.  Here is an excerpt from one episode:

Obama.  I'm not American and I can't vote, and I'm really not all that political and don't want to get that way, but this guy's cool.  I wouldn't want to be president because it doesn't sound like very much fun but I really think this guy's doing the best he can and is making some pretty good decisions.

List 4: Music I like.

Coldplay.  One of my favourite artists, and one of the bands I've liked for the longest amount of time.  Sadly, this song is a little too pertinent right now, but I still really like it.  I like older stuff better than most of what's on Mylo Xyloto, their newest album. 

Opeth.  They're actually a progressive metal band (I like progressive metal, and I have no problem with heavy screaming, though I will spare you any of that here), but they also do a lot of beautiful acoustic pieces and some lighter metal (with Opeth, I gravitate more to the songs that are done in this style).  His voice is spectacular, and they're one of the best bands I've seen live.  This is a song that's nice and light, so I promise there's not reason to be afraid to press play.  

Florence and the Machine.  I don't like everything I've heard from her, but her voice is so strong and incredible.  Here is my favourite song:

Simon Fraser Univeristy Pipe Band.  This is a University in the Vancouver area (actually had I never left Vancouver I might have gone there, it's also my dad's alma mater) with several grade levels of pipe bands.  Their Grade I (the highest) has won the world championship several times, and  they're celebrities in the Canadian Scottish community (The pipe major also owns a local dance and piping supply store, and his neice won the Highland Dancing World Championships, so they're a big deal).  I really have never heard another band as good as they are.  This also happens to be them opening for Vancouver's home hockey team, the Canucks, at their first game of the season a few years ago.  Also, check out this other video for a more traditional performance by them.  This is a medley, which is a blend of several different tunes, but the fast paced one right before they play the really slow bit is Flora MacDonald's Fancy, which is the tune for a highland dance as well.  Also in here is a highland reel, which is one of the only highland dances that is not performed individually.  Most pipe bands do not include so much harmony in their performances, which is one reason SFU is so fantastic.  

And my other three favourite songs right now: I Will Wait by Mumford and Sons (though I like a lot of what I've heard from them, a lot, Radioactive by Imagine Dragons (though I'm not sure I like much else by them) and Little Black Submarines by The Black Keys.

Also, Radiolab by NPR. A Science and Technology podcast for ordinary but curious people.  Not music, but this is what I most often listen to when I'm driving.  

List 5: Places I have lived

I feel that the places I have lived have influenced me a lot because they all have very unique cultural flavours.

Calgary, Alberta

Famous for its Calgary Stampede every summer, Calgary is an ever-growing city a couple hours east of the Canadian Rockies.  It has a very country-western feel to it, but it's a haven for the more outdoorsy adventurous types as well.  I was born there and only lived there until I was almost seven years old, so it didn't have a huge impact on me, and frankly, it's not my favourite place to visit.

Honolulu, Hawaii

I turned seven years old a couple weeks after we moved here and we lived there for three years.  I attended grades 2, 3, 4, and 5, and my dad worked at the cultural museum.  It was a pretty cool place to live.  In school we learned a lot of culture, including Hawaiian history and Hula, and some of the Hawaiian and Japanese languages.  On weekends we either went sailing, snorkeling, or to the beach.

Vancouver, British Columbia

I lived here twice: once immediately after Hawaii, and once on my own two years ago.  An incredibly beautiful coastal and mountainous city in the pacific northwest, this has probably been my favourite place to live.  It's where I say I'm from even though I wasn't born there, because it's where my dad grew up, where we spent our vacations visiting my grandmother, and probably the most deeply engrained in who I am culturally.  The problem with Vancouver is, though, that it rains a lot, and it's a fairly big city.  I had trouble being there on my own because I found it hard to meet people, and the weather can be really depressing if you're already not the happiest you could possibly be.  I hope to move back there one day though, but hopefully not on my own.  

Daytona Beach, Florida

My dad moved here when I was thirteen, my mum and I when I was fourteen.  This was an extremely difficult adjustment for me to make after Vancouver, and for a long time I was very unhappy about it.  I still don't like Daytona very much, but I have at least learned to appreciate Florida's weather and drivability.  Maybe I could live here (Florida, not Daytona) again in a very long time from now, but for now the plan is to leave once I'm done with my degree at Flagler.

Asheville, North Carolina

My first year out of high school, I moved to Asheville to go to a school in Swannanoa (about 20 miles away from the city).  It was a very rural, very small community with very liberal notions.  It was really interesting, but I decided as the end of the school year came up that it wasn't a good fit and returned to Daytona.