EmperorFool

I'm a healthy, happily-married, middle-aged woman (but I hope not as ordinary as that makes me sound). I grew up in Northern California but now live in a tiny house on Cape Cod with my DH and two adorable cats named Lucy and Ethel.

I'm a part-time massage therapist and part-time English professor, and I really like the combination of physical and intellectual work.

I like to travel--alone, with friends, or (especially) with my husband. I'm a bit of a nature girl and enjoy getting out in the elements; I especially like walking, kayaking, cycling, jogging, and bird watching. I've also recently begun practicing yoga regularly, and I LOVE it. Though not the world's best housekeeper, I do love to cook. My favorite cuisines (to cook and eat) are Indian and Italian. I also like a glass of wine to go with what I've cooked. :-)

A few things I like:

• Scented candles, incense, essential oils, and anything that smells nice.
• Things with wings (birds, butterflies, dragonflies, etc.).
• Tarot cards.
• Making use of something that would otherwise be thrown away.
• Reading, reading, reading...
• Blues, greens, purples, and earth-tones.
• The sound of rain on the roof.
• Both coffee and tea.
• Plants.
• Things that sparkle. :-D

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Things I don't much care for:

• I don't have a huge sweet tooth. I go more for salty things like chips or nuts.
• Super-cute cartoon characters.
• Loud noises (except for a good thunder storm!).
• Violent books, movies, or TV.
• Very religious/preachy items.(Religion is a personal thing.)

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I covet little things to help with my obsession of making ATCs and cards:

• bits of interesting paper
• snippets of fibers and ribbons
• buttons or charms
• little sparkly (or not) baubles and embellishments
• pages of text (esp. in languages other than English)
• playing cards to alter

Singer-songwriter types and pop/rock from the 1960s (Beatles, Stones), '70s (Eagles, ELO), and '80s (Blondie, Elvis Costello). A few other artists I enjoy are Warren Zevon, John Gorka, Amiee Mann, Lloyd Cole, Garnet Rogers, K.D. Lang, Leonard Cohen...

I'm not big on hip-hop, opera, or country (with the exception of the divine Patsy Cline), but I try to stay open-minded.

I love to read, so it's hard to pick specific favorite books. I love literary fiction (Margaret Atwood, Anne Tyler, Graham Greene) and travel writing (Bill Bryson, Paul Theroux). I care more about prose style than plot, so page-turner thrillers, romances, and the like don't generally do much for me. Still, if someone recommends a book I'm usually willing to give it a try!

My all-time favorite movie is Now, Voyager, a 1940s melodrama with Bette Davis and Paul Heinried. I just love movies from that era (Casablanca, the Thin Man series, etc.) I'm also fond of well-made documentaries and the unpredictable sort of quirky comedies like Little Miss Sunshine.

We don't have cable or satellite, and there's no regular broadcast TV here, so I haven't seen a new TV show in years. DH and I enjoy old TV series on DVD, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons, and the original Star Trek series.

I've always wanted to create but only been recently began to act on that urge. It's been great! Favorites are:

• Paper crafts, esp. making cards for special occasions.

• ATCs, in various media.

• Polymer clay. This is such a versatile medium, and I'm learning more about it every day.

• Making earrings, with beads from a craft shop, and/or that I make myself out of polymer clay.

As much as I love swap-bot, it's not my life. I have two jobs, family and friends, and various community activities and commitments. In addition, I am enrolled in a full-time post-graduate degree program. Crafting and swapping are fun and welcome diversion from a very busy life, so I try not to make them a source of stress, for me or my partners.

I always do my best work for swaps, because everyone likes to receive something showing care and effort. So far, I have sent off all my swaps on time. If you expect something from me and haven't received it, please PM me and I'll be happy to re-send. I also try to rate promptly. If you've sent me something and have not received a rating, also please PM me and I'll let you know if I got it. I won't give you a bad rating until I've tried to contact you. OK? Thanks.