Name: Caridad Ferrer. No, seriously, that’s my real name, at least it’s my real middle and real last name and let me tell you, it made the first day of school SO not fun.

Height: 5’3” if the atmosphere’s a little thin

Weight: As if!

Age: Um, yeah, no... not tellin’. Let’s just say old enough to know better.

Place of Birth: New York City. Manhattan. I’m told this is odd. I don’t know why. It’s just where I was born.

Where I grew up: Miami. I know this is odd. I know most people think it’s cool, but growing up in Miami is kind of surreal, especially when most people’s frame of reference is “Miami Vice.”

Background: Cuban-American, first gen. Had the rules and restrictions that went with it, although I was spared a quinces with a poofy dress. I did, attend one... once... you see the photographic evidence. I speak Spanish relatively fluently, although I tend to get rusty if I’m away from the family for long stretches, so I go back to Miami every few months to get in some practice (and eat some really good food).

Where I’ve lived: (Besides New York and Miami) Tallahassee (capital of Florida and home of Florida State University where I went to college— Go Noles!); Nashville, Tennessee; Cleveland, Ohio, and yes, it does rock. I currently live in Jacksonville, Florida which does not necessarily rock, but is reasonably okay.

Where I’d like to live: Somewhere that has a beach but lacks humidity. Yes, I realize this cuts down my options considerably. And I’m kind of an Atlantic Ocean sort of girl, although I do have the love for the Pacific as well.

Where I’d like to visit most: Australia. No doubt. London’s high up on the list too.

Dogs or Cats: Both, but I’m currently a dog person with two (85 lb each) lap dogs.

Music: Way too much to list— check out What’s On My iPod for updates. I listen to most anything and will happily take recommendations, because I’m always on the lookout for more good music. It’s a Moral Imperative.

Books: Oh, boy. Again, way too much to list, but some of my favorite authors are Anne Rivers Siddons, Maeve Binchy, John Steinbeck, Diana Gabaldon, John Jakes, Jennifer Crusie, and Judy Blume.

 

 

TV and Movies: Yes. Watch them both. A lot. Moonstruck, Steel Magnolias, When Harry Met Sally, Breakfast Club, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Someone Like You, Pelican Brief, Big Night the LOTR Trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back, Bull Durham, Major League, and all MGM Musicals from the 40s and 50s. For TV, I’m hooked on Bones, House, Angel (yeah, I know it’s canceled), Daily Show With Jon Stewart, and Adult Swim on Cartoon Network.

Stuff you may or may not find interesting:

I’ve played piano since I was five, been singing since I was about the same age and once upon a time, wanted to be the Next Big Thing on Broadway. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth beat me to it, the witches. Oh, well.

In addition to the piano, I also played trumpet, French horn and was the drum major of my high school band. Plus, I was in the percussion section of the Florida Wave Drum & Bugle Corps, spending my summers traveling across the country on a bus with a hundred other kids, sleeping on gym floors, eating more peanut butter and jelly and drinking more Kool-Aid than any one human should ever have to endure and I liked it. Okay. You can say it. I know you want to. Band geek. Corps geek. Yes, I was. Proudly.

No one will play Trivial Pursuit with me anymore.

I collect cookbooks, including antiques and currently have a collection numbering over seven hundred. And yes, I can cook.

Oh, and I write. Books, even. Which is presumably why you’re here. So go, check out the site, and let me know what you think.