Get to Know Me: The Inside Scoop @ Caryn.com

Get to Know Me
(2002)
Caryn's Memorial Guestbook

1. What time is it? 5:17 PM
2. Name on your birth certificate: Caryn Amy Shalita
3. Nicknames: Mom named me Caryn so no one could add "i.e." to the end of my name
4. Parent's names: Myrna & Paul
5. No. of candles on your last birthday cake: 0 (don't believe in them--cake sucks when its covered in wax and nothing comes between me and my chocolate)
6. Date that you regularly blow them out: 12/19 is the blowout date--for a party, that is
7. Pets: one very large dog who no doubt has one of the best web sites for a four-legger
8. Height: 5'7
9. Eye color: Blue or green depending on hair color and what I'm wearing
10. Hair color: Red at the moment
11. Piercings: Major phobia here. Stabbed in a previous life or something. Avoid needles. Love belly rings but could never go through with it.
12. Tattoos: Ditto.
13. How much do you love your job: Me? a job? aw, shucks, when I have one I love it...
14. Birthplace: Pennsylvania
15. Hometown: the planet Earth
16: Current Residence: Venice. CA
17. Had the drink Calypso Breeze? No
18. Been in love before? yes
19. Been to Africa? no
20. Been toilet-papering? no
21. Been toilet-papered? no
22. Been Drunk? I prefer to think of it as happy--at least until the next morning...
23. Loved somebody so much it made you cry? Yes. But I cry at everything. Plus there's PMS. Besides, show me a 16 year old girl who hasn't and I'll show you a girl in a coma
24. Been in a car crash? 4 times
25. Croutons or Bacon Bits? Oh yum, a choice between cheese and artificial fillers? Neither.
26. 2 Doors or 4 (on a car)? 2
27. Sprite or 7up? Won't touch any of that stuff
28. Coffee or Coffee Ice cream? Ben & Jerry's Mocha chip before it was 86ed
29. Blanket or Stuffed Animal? Blanket
30. Dumper or Dumpee: Never been dumped, never "dumped" anyone, just
moved on --but on good terms with all X's that are around and accounted for..

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE???

31. Salad Dressing: Poppy seed or Asian soy ginger
32. Place to be kissed: If you're welcome to kiss me, you know the answer
33. Movie: http://www.caryn.com/biz/caryn-movie-links.html
34. Quote from a movie: "What do you need speech classes for? You t-aw-lk faw-ine!"(Working girl)

Quote:

35. Favorite Holiday: Summer Solstice
36. Foods: Anything that starts with choc and ends with olate
37. Day of the Week: Sunday
38. Song at the moment: Fa fa fa fa--Guster, baby!
39. TV Show: History Channel and Animal Planet
40. Word or phrase: Dot Com, since without it, my life would be very different
41. Toothpaste: Nature's Gate Cool Mint gel
42. Restaurant: Too many to name but given how much I go out, I'm sure I'm many a restaurant's favorite person
43. Flower: Dahlias and sunflowers
44. Least favorite subject: Anything that's been beaten to death by our oh so original media
45. Alcoholic Drink: Fine red wine
46. Sport to watch: Basketball
47. Type of Ice cream: C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E!
48. Zoo exhibit: Children's Zoo at the Bronx Zoo
49. Sesame Street Character: Mr. Hooper. He rocked.
50. Disney or Warner Bros: Ugh. Corporate hellions both....
51. Fast Food Restaurant: I am not one of the billions served at any of these places
52. When was your last hospital visit? Prefer homeopathic clinics, hospitals smell too much like cleaning fluid and fortunately me and most of my friends stay pretty healthy
53. Favorite Soft Drink? None. Water and juice only. Was hell at those childhood birthday parties.
54. What color is your bedroom carpet? Invisible--got hardwood
55. What was the name of your childhood blanket? Hello? I named all the animals in my backyard, not my blankets!
56. How many times did you fail your permit and/or your drivers license test? Never, but my mom screwed up and took me to take the test with an expired registration so I had to return to take the test later that day in my Aunt's funky foreign car that I had never driven and had no idea what the symbols meant. Passed anyway. Go me.
57. What do you think of Ouija boards? Had a freaky experience with one at age 13. The boys ran over us girls on their way out the door. Pretty scary.
58. Where do you see yourself in 10 years: same place I do now--in mirrors. Various locations around the globe, of course..
59. Who is the last person that you got mail from before this one? Chris Kirshbaum
60. Have you ever been convicted of a crime? Convicted? No!
61. Which single store would you choose to max out your credit card? American Airlines
62. What do you do most often when you are bored? Yoga stretches or hugging Francis
63. What words or phrases do you over use? "Oh-OK" Although "No" is
getting easier...
64. Name the person that you are friends with who lives the farthest away from you? Tarek (Egypt)
65. Most annoying thing is: web mythology that won't die--like the save sesame street/NPR petition and e-mail junk mail that isn't even for something interesting...
66. Bedtime: at least 8 hours before I have to get up
67. Who will respond to this the fastest? depends who is online at the time
68. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond?
my friends all like to keep me guessing....
69. What time is it now? 5:49pm

NOW, for the next somewhat shorter survey, also currently making the rounds.....

My friend Stacey Schacter wrote:

WHAT IS YOUR JOB?
Experiencing the joy of life to its fullest. Which sometimes includes acting,
dog rescue and Caryn.com and always includes Francis and Rich.

DO YOU ENJOY YOUR JOB?
see 1st survey

IF YOU COULD BE SOMEONE ELSE FOR A DAY, WHO WOULD IT BE?
Oh I don't know--the Pope, maybe. So I could declare all this reproductive
nonsense stuff papal "bull" and come out with a document that would really raise
some hell on earth and pronounce Ortho Tri Cyclen as not just good for your skin
but good for not having unwanted kids too and choice as something other than an
adjective to describe the meat you used to not be able to eat on Friday.
That'd be some freaky Friday for the Christian right, eh? Now if Rich and I
could swap, then maybe I'd do that so we could have sex from the other
perspective (clearly not an option with John Paul) That'd be pretty
interesting...

GOLD OR SILVER
Platinum : ) I'm with you here Stac!

WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA?
The Patriot. Mel is aging well...and of course, the Dane puppies made the
movie!

Favorite CARTOON CHARACTER
Bobby Hill

WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST?
Blueberry pancakes are my favorite but I usually have mixed cereals or Lifestream's Hemp Plus waffles with fresh berries.

WHO WOULD YOU HATE TO BE LEFT IN A ROOM WITH?
Francis--after one of his more gaseous moments. Koff, honey, don't worry,
you're a close second.

CAN YOU TOUCH YOUR NOSE WITH YOUR TONGUE?
No. Nor can I fold my tongue in half, nor wiggle my ears, nor touch my ears
with my tongue. I can, however touch my thumb to my wrist and fold my hands up
behind my back in prayer position (palms touching). So there.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?
Anyone courageous enough to be themselves in a world that tries to make everyone
conform to unrealistic and often unfulfilling expectations.

Oprah Winfrey, because she is evangelizing New Age messages of spiritual healing to the entire world, and getting them to listen because she transcends the New Age label, touches the mainstream, and is herself an example of how believing in yourself, in spite of the voices that say "you can't", is key to stepping up to claim your destiny.

People who go through life doing their best to make interpersonal interactions with them experiences to be treasured.

BEACH OR CITY
Beach to live, city to play

SUMMER OR WINTER
Summer. Winter only if & when I'm on a ski slope, the only place snow belongs. But I really like late spring best.

HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU HAD YOUR FIRST KISS?
Eleven. Of course when he tried to go up my shirt (because he thought he was
supposed to), there wasn't much there to find...

BUTTERED, PLAIN OR SALTED POPCORN
Plain, Plain, Plain. Air popped, fresh.

WORST MEMORY
Why hold on those--what good does that do?

BEST MEMORIES
The last 9 years. Spent head over heels in love with someone you can't help but
want to create more and even better memories with.

FAVORITE SANDWICH FILLING
Thanksgiving leftovers.

HAVE YOU ANY PETS?
See 1st survey

WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU DESPISE?
Anything that sets off my negative energy radar--which is pretty much any action
taken by someone who acts from a place of fear

FAVORITE FLOWER
See 1st survey

IF YOU HAD A BIG WIN ON THE LOTTERY HOW LONG WOULD
YOU LEAVE IT BEFORE YOU TOLD PEOPLE...
How far is the phone ? Party forthcoming...I'll keep you posted.

FIZZY OR STILL WATER
Still.

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHROOM?
Blue/Soft Green

HOW MANY KEYS ARE ON YOUR KEY RING?
Two--house and car.

WHERE WOULD YOU RETIRE TO?
My various residences located all over the world.

CAN YOU JUGGLE, IF YES HOW MANY?
Not a chance. See earlier survey answer about hospital avoidance.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FORM OF EXERCISE?
Yoga , in-line skating, playing with the dog and of course, sex...(with my
husband, not the dog, you freaks. I know you know who you are)

WHAT DID YOU DO FOR YOUR LAST BIRTHDAY?
Spent time with my favorite people and ate all my favorite foods in one
day--what I do every year!

WHERE DO YOU FOOD SHOP?
Whole Foods , Wild Oats, Farmer's Market & local Organic Co-op & Organic Home Delivery Service. Last minute shopper that I am, haven't tried Homegrocer.com yet but I hear the produce is outstanding!

DO YOU CARRY A DONOR CARD?
On my Drivers License

SAY ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS
Truly hug-inspiring!

AND STILL MORE!!

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
My favorite books all end up in my library... Next up, The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson

WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Don't use one.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BOARD GAME?
Cranium.

FAVORITE MAGAZINE?
Utne Reader. And O Magazine. (Oprah rocks.)

FAVORITE SMELLS?
Rain. The ocean. Heliotrope, Jasmine and the flowers on my Grapefruit tree . Freshly-baked bread. Pine needles.

WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?
Confusion. Feelings always guide me with what to do, but confusion where I don't know what to do is pretty much a show stopper until I can get that sorted out.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING?
Centering myself to make the day a fulfilling, productive one. And then stretching so my body is a willing participant in that process!

ROLLER COASTER--SCARY OR EXCITING?
Exciting. But I have been known to overdo it. Don't ever go on any of the big rollercoasters at Six Flags (the ones that go backwards and forwards, not just the ones that loop) 4 times in a row--straight on through, no line. Trust me. You can get past exciting pretty quick, move into headrush onto raging migraine and an equalibrium-thwacked being in less than a bink of a blurry wind-teared eye.

HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE?
I always screen. My friends know the secret code to get to me quicker.

DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST?
Yes. My German-engineered Bug is my auto space pod and longs for Autobahn level blast off, even as it hugs those curves and looks oh so cute.

DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
No.

STORMS--COOL OR SCARY?
Cool when the weather is warm and the winds just strong enough to sway the trees but not hard enough to knock them over!

WHAT TYPE WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
First car I drove I didn't pick so won't count that. First car I chose for myself was a new VW Bug.

IF YOU COULD MEET ONE PERSON, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD IT BE?
No way could I pick one person. Nelson Mandela. Bono. Julia Butterfly Hill. Anyone who put themselves on the line to make the world a better place for everyone else. Because I'd want to say thank you to them for having the courage and finding the strength within themselves to be that beacon for society at large. A few celebrities who have had the integrity to stand up to the responsibility that ought to be a given part of any rise to fame, but is ignored by most who think they've done enough just by doing the press junkets. And probably a lot of minorities I think. Because to be a minority and take a stance toward empowerment when that is an unpopular view takes 100 times as much courage and requires 100 times as much skill from the person doing it so that the majority will simply will not be able to write that person off. People who have challenged barriers and outmoded ways of thinking on the behalf of those without a strong enough voice--those are the people I'd most like to meet.

WHAT IS YOUR ZODIAC SIGN?
See Caryn.com: Astrologically Yours...

DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI?
Only in stir fry.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB YOU WANTED, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
A job that could help me make a big difference in a lot of people's lives. That is the job I am striving for--don't know in what form it will come, but that is always my constant goal in whatever the projects are that I pursue.

IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY COLOR?
Red. And guess what? I did it...

EVER BEEN IN LOVE?
Once. The rest of the times I thought so, I was wrong.

WAS/IS HE/SHE THE ONE?
Absolutely. Of course the One will not necessarily fit the image you have conjured. Like the Stones say, you get what you need...

IS THE GLASS HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL?
Both. And I think if you only allow yourself to see it as solely one or the other, you are ignoring the true nature of reality, in which most everything has a good side, a bad side, and many shades in between. I admit, sometimes it's helpful to remember that the glass is half full instead of concentrating on what's NOT there, but I think it's essential to always keep a greater perspective about whatever it is you are seeing,

ARE YOU A LEFTY OR A RIGHTY?
Righty. But I always practiced using my left hand so that someday I would be ambidextrous like my grandpa was. Thought that was cool.

DO YOU TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE RIGHT KEYS?
No. Fastest non-structured typist in the West, though.

WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED?
A pair of knee-high leather boots in a box that is too big to fit in the closet I keep my other shoes in.

WHAT ARE YOUR LIVING ARRANGEMENTS?
Me and a really, really great guy share a 1912ish 2 bedroom Craftsmen house, originally a beach getaway for a wealthy Pasadena family. Gardens and walking streets in our neighboorhood abound and neighbors are out, watering the yards, walking the dogs, and stopping to talk to each other and smell the flowers.

FAVOURITE SOUNDS?
Laughter. Silence. The Wind.

FUTURE DAUGHTER'S NAME?
What are you talking about? Aunts have nieces, not daughters...

IF MONEY WAS NO OBJECT - WHAT WOULD YOU BUY?
A multi-billion dollar philanthropic fund to finance educational, environmental, emergency relief & counseling, and animal rescue efforts at home and throughout the world.

Houses/apartments in key locations around the world, so home will never be more than a 6-8 hour plane ride from anywhere.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN LIFE?

Spiritual evolution, man. I mean, c'mon. Look at us this human race. What we do to ourselves and our planet. We're a real mess. Some of us gotta be trail blazers to some better stuff if there's any hope fora better world, so I'll put my best philosophical foot forward here and tell you what life's all about--for me, anyway.

Having fun and enjoying every moment you are alive