Things I'm Into: March!

Hey shiny internet friends! I've been obsessing over quite a few things lately, so in true Kristina Horner fashion, I thought I would share them with you. And to be quite honest with you, today seems to be "procrastinate all things productive "day," as I spent an hour of homework time doing this:

Wow that's a close up on my face I never wish to see again (yes, the technological inconsistencies are bothersome. I'll work on saving for that "let's buy Kira a real, grownup camera" fund at some point).

But anyway. The seven facts about me are not the things I'm into (except for coffee, obviously. And animal hats). My current obsessions haven't sprung into popularity in March of 2013, but I'm always a late boat-catcher. Then again, I'm not into boats.

So. What tickles me pink, you ask?

1) Parenthood.

....Okay, stop freaking out. I have no intentions to become a mother for a very very very long time. I'm talking about the show. Yes, it's one of those "brings you tears, brings you laughs" shows about people and their lives. But, hullo, Loren Graham is in it. Which should make anyone jump straight over to Netflix and watch all four seasons.

Full disclosure: I haven't watched all four seasons. Dammit, college, for getting in the way of my TV watching life.

This show not only has great chemistry between the characters, but it deals with pressing issues of today in a real manner. TV has a tendency to gloss over and glamorize real issues, but Parenthood doesn't do the fakey, made-up version. It's one of the first shows to tackle Asperger's syndrome in a main character. It covers the challenges of a loved one facing cancer. It shows us how it's normal to tumble through life, rather than glide.

2) The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult.
If you ask me who my favorite author is, my answer will be John Green. But it wasn't too long ago that, without hesitation, I would answer Jodi Picoult. This author covered ethical dilemmas with unrelenting wit and grace. She gave each character a strong voice. She wasn't afraid of humor, but she didn't use it to condescend to her reader. Then her books started getting predictable. There would be some kind of drastic event, the kid would shy away from his/her family and friends, and a difficult trial would end the charade. By Lone Wolf, I'd gotten frustrated with Picoult. Then her most recent book came out. There was no trial. Instead, Picoult depicts the life of an isolated baker, a former SS Nazi guard, a former Holocaust survivor, and a current day Nazi hunter. I have always been interested in studying the events of the Holocaust, but it's easy to gloss over dates and names in a textbook without getting the full pain the victims, (as well as perpetrators) experienced. Picoult makes the horrendous acts involved in the Holocaust come alive, and she captures the guilt a living Nazi feels. It's tough to try and evoke any sort of sympathy for monstrous behavior. I dove into the book claiming I could never feel anything close to sorry for the former Nazi. But Picoult, after much research, pinned the sort of guilt a monstrous figure would feel. The dialogue is witty. The pain is real.
This book is seriously a piece of art. I can't believe she's still being coined as "chick-lit" author.

3) Lindsey Stirling.
Think you have to choose music or dance? Think again. Stirling has been titled the "dancing violinist." Her two passions, rather than competing, complemented each other. As did her love for classical music and dubstep. I never thought of violin as being a component of dance music, but Stirling's work isn't that of the dead classical artists. Her beats are lively and expressive. Even a simple measure is exploding with joy.
And the girl can dance. The fact that she learned those techniques from YouTube astounds me.

Namaste.