leashingfear

June 20, 2008: I'm really late on a few swaps at the moment, and I'm really sorry about that. Just an fyi for anyone who cares--Once I'm caught up, I won't be swapping as much for a while. I have other things I need to focus on.

"The only dream worth having is to dream that you will live while you are alive, and die only when you are dead. To love, to be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and vulgar disparity of the life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget." - Arundhati Roy

silly obligatory intro

member since Dec. '07, last profile update May 19, '08

I'm always up for private swaps. Just pm me. :)

Okay, so this profile is pretty extensive. I've had partners with very sparse profiles, which makes it kinda hard to be confident about what I'm sending, and that sucks, because I want people to love what I send them. So, I think too much is better than too little when it comes to swap-bot profiles. :) Oh, and this really look longer than it actually is, cuz a lot of it is in list form. I find it's easier to read that way.

Anyway...I'm 30 year old walking contradiction. I'm a free spirit fueled by anxiety. I'm addicted to lip balm/gloss, and music, and the written word, and thrift shops. I'm a bit of an insomniac, especially in warmer times of the year. I'm a somewhat spiritual atheist. I believe in truth & beauty & love & kindness. I get annoyed with people who can't appreciate my sarcasm & dark sense of humor. My socks never match. Hmm...I'm a pretty typical Gemini.

Craft-wise, I'll try just about anything. I like mail art (participating in others journals, collection chunky books, camera mail, naked mail, un-taped decos, etc.), re-using anything to make something new, machine sewing (reconstructing, and simple stuff like skirts, totes, etc.), hand sewing (mostly with felt, sometimes fleece), photography, cooking/baking (it's an art!)...I love altering journals, but I don't really use them myself, so if you want one, let's set up a swap. :) In general, I mainly do fabric or paper crafts, and some multi-media. I used to make jewelry a lot, but rarely do now. I want to learn to crochet. I was big on penpalling back in the day, then I quit writing letters & just swapped slams & decos, which I've recently taken another break from...just starting to get back into decos.

some random things I love:

• my babies (kitty named Monkey, two rabbits named Sassy & Noopy)
• all animals (okay, not cockroaches)
• sustainable living
• biking
• adventure
• nature/being outside
• thrift stores/garage sales/antique and vintage stuff
• etsy
• marriedtothesea
• fifties style diners (I want to design my kitchen like one--when I actually own a house someday)
• the 1920's
• The Onion
• daisies and lilies
• traditional looking gnomes
• cute toadstools, owls, deer, raccoons, squirrels...forest creatures & that sort of thing
• skulls & sugar skulls
• dark, macabre, "goth" things
• Halloween
• vodka
• the word fuck
• kitsch
• Southern Comfort with ice & a lime wedge please
• wordplay
• the ocean, and water in general
• fire
• philosophy
• chaos theory
• absurdity
• abstract thinking
• old metal lunchboxes
• long walks at night
• brainy board games (any recommendations are more than welcome!)
• card games (recommendations also welcome!)
• winter
• thunderstorms
• summer rain
• the moon and stars
• tattoos
• the beauty in things that aren't usually considered beautiful
• ancient cultures
• cryptozoology and paranormal stuff
• and literally tons more.

I love dark/macabre things, and sickeningly cute things, and they're even better when they mesh with each other.

I like to make fun of bad tv & movies, and bowl or Wii bowl while tipsy or drunk. This is the sort of thing that makes me laugh:

some modern artists I love: Kurt Halsey Frederiksen(!!!), Benjamin Lacombe, Edward Gorey, Audrey Kawasaki, Anne Taintor, Stella Marrs, Elbereth Moore, Tara McPherson, Suza Scalora, Jane Evershed, Brian Froud, Lise-Laure Meyer, Bizarro by Dan Piraro, Pearls Before Swine by Stephen Pastis, Gary Larson... As for classic art, I tend to like expressionism, dadaism, street art, impressionism, and the abstract most.

some pop/kawaii characters I enjoy: Smurfs, Snagglepuss, most Hanna-Barbera characters, Jim Henson (except for the newer Sesame Street Muppets-Zoe, Baby Bear, etc. Pretty much anything post-Elmo sucks.), Monokuro Boo, The Lorax, Sneetches, Emily The Strange, Deery Lou, Lenore, Kogepan, Gloomy Bear, Bad Taste Bears, South Park (especially Butters), Animaniacs, traditional looking gnomes, fantasy-style faeries (more Amy Brown, less Mary Cicely Barker), kawaii food-not necessarily with faces, just any cartoon-ish cute food.

things I collect:

not much really, as I'm not big on clutter...mostly collections that I've carried over from my childhood.

• plastic smurf figurines, and anything else smurfy
• kneehuggers
• muppets stuff (mostly muppet show & Henson movies (Labyrinth!!), not so much Sesame Street, although Grover is one of my fav. muppets)
• any classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon character stuff
• I still have my old Strawberry Shortcake dolls, just b/c I can't seem to part with them. I definitely don't want any of the newer S.S. stuff though. I also still have a shitload of Garbage Pail Kids cards from back in the day. :)

(my first true love)

"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley

I love discovering new music, or getting a great mix of stuff I'm already familiar with. I'm always up for cd swaps...pm me if you're interested.

Tool, Modest Mouse, Violent Femmes, Tom Waits, Bright Eyes, Splashdown...so much more. indie rock/pop/folk, electronica (mostly downtempo & trip-hop, some industrial), lo-fi, jazz, whatever you would call Rasputina and other oddball stuff like that, punk-folk, classic punk (70's, not recent pop-punk/mall-punk), post-rock/shoegaze, some post-punk, silly novelty type stuff (TMBG, Moxy Fruvous, Arrogant Worms, etc.), classical (esp. when heavy on strings or piano), showtunes, et cetera...I absolutely don't like country (other than Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, etc. which I consider folk singers), modern r&b (but some classic soul is cool), or rap (but hip hop is okay in small amounts), and most top 40 stuff. Also, no opera, por favor. Um, I've dabbled with the harmonica, and have very basic piano skills. I played clarinet for about half a year as a kid, but I think if I had taken up violin or cello instead, I probably would've stuck with it. I have a thing for strings. :)

• My last.fm page is here.
• My favorite local radio stations: WBER, WITR, WGMC, WRUR, WXXI
• I also love Pandora.
• If you're sending me cd's, I'd prefer not to receive plastic cases. Naked with a track list/cover art is best, but if you're uncomfortable with that for some reason, then paper sleeves are okay...or those sleeves with the protective fabric where you can fit two cd's in. I store my cd's in albums, so I don't really need the extra packaging. Plus, y'know, plastic is choking the Earth. :/

Cometbus, Plath, Bukowski, Orwell, The Devils Dictionary, per-zines, themed zines, vegan cook-zines, Henry Rollins, Seuss, Francesca Lia Block, Augusten Burroughs, Kerouac, beat poets, other poets, Palahniuk, Joyce Carol Oates, classics, non-fiction, coming-of-age stories, memoirs, vegan cookbooks, humor, short stories, intelligent YA fiction, and of course art/craft/diy type books...There are very few authors that I would say I'm a fan of. Most of the ones I like have one or two books that I enjoy, and the rest are crap. If I don't feel like I can't put the book down after reading the first 20-30 pages, then I usually won't finish it. I love antique or vintage vegetarian cookbooks, and etiquette or beauty books or pamphlets. Also, pamphlets about the dangers of drugs or alcohol from the '70's and '80's.

Click way up at the top to see my Netflix page. I think you have to be a member to see it.

Click here to be my Netflix friend.

some favorites: Fight Club, V For Vendetta, United States Of Leland, Monty Python & The Holy Grail, Usual Suspects, Amelie, Happenstance, High Fidelity, I ♥ Huckabees, Heathers, Wonder Boys, Labyrinth, Garden State, Coffee & Cigarettes, Waking Life, Science Of Sleep, Lucky Number Slevin, Life Of David Gale, Dark City, Moulin Rouge, Clue, Airplane, Office Space, Pans Labyrinth, Perfume, Salton Sea, et cetera.

lots of old movies, musicals, & rat pack stuff...I love old hollywood. Indie, suspense, silliness, bad horror, zombies, Jim Jarmusch, Tim Burton, Wes Anderson, Kevin Smith, Terry Gilliam, Michel Gondry, Hitchcock, Coen bros...

Zooey Deschanel, Ryan Gosling, Jason Schwartzman, Kevin Spacey, Vincent D'Onofrio, Gene Kelly, Steve Martin, Audrey Tatou, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Parker Posey, Maggie Gylenhall...I have a crush on Zach Braff. :)

I don't watch much TV. Mostly b/c there's nothing worth watching these days, but I also don't have cable. Does that make me a bad American?

I'm in love with Conan O'Brien.

I like House, The Office, Pushing Daisies, and I'm a PBS geek. Oh, and Scrubs...

Occasionally I'll watch random crime/forensics dramas, or primetime news shows (like Dateline, etc.). I do like Law & Order:CI just b/c Vincent D'Onofrio is amazing, but I never know when it's on.

Gone, but not forgotten: X-Files is absolutely the best thing ever on tv...Gilmore Girls, MSCL, Monty Python's Flying Circus, MST3K...

The only reasons I miss having cable: South Park, Project Runway, What Not To Wear, and Clean Sweep. Anyone know where I can watch TLC shows online???

Yeah, I'm vegan.

Honestly, I feel that this should be treated as an allergy, or at the very least, a religious belief. It's something that is extremely important to me. As far as swaps, fabric & food would probably be the only issues, so that means no wool, leather, feathers, silk, angora, mohair, other fur...I know those last three aren't very likely, but, y'know, just in case. Click here for a pretty comprehensive list of the most common animal ingredients to watch out for in food items. I don't suppose I'll join many food related swaps unless they're specifically for veg'ns, b/c I always feel like I'm being a pain in the ass with all the exceptions, and most people aren't as well-trained in ingredient reading as us silly vegans. :) Recipe swaps aren't a big deal, b/c I can easily veganize almost anything. If you have any questions/concerns about the veganism of something you want to send me, please just ask. I don't bite. Well, unless I know you really well. ;) Also, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions if you're seriously considering going vegetarian/vegan. I've been vegetarian for almost 16 years, and vegan for the last 8, and I've also worked in nutrition, so I'm pretty knowledgeable on the subject. Oh, also on the subject of food--I don't eat anything with any artificial sweetener (aspartame, sucralose, etc.), and I hate watermelon and artificial watermelon flavors. I love ginger, garlic, pomegranate, broccoli, curry, indian food, raw unsalted almonds, cupcakes, cookies, seitan, etc. Traditional Polish recipes would be much appreciated-veg'n or not.

about my babies (if you want to send them something):

Monkey (cat) is almost a year old. She only eats "human food" as her regular diet, but does eat almost any store-bought cat treats (no Iams, please). No, she isn't vegan, b/c it isn't natural (nor is it healthy for cats), and I don't feel I have the right to force it upon her. Catnip doesn't have any effect on her. Her favorite toys are mylar balls (she plays fetch! also will fetch bottle caps & clothespins), anything made of fun-fur, random ribbons and yarn or things made of them, human hands and feet and writing utensils :P, and she loves anything that is shiny or makes noise.

Sassy & Noopy (rabbits) love any rabbit/gerbil/hamster food or treats, dried fruits, nuts, cereals, trail mix, banana chips, carpet & wires (argh!), and of course fresh veggies & fruits, but those aren't particularly mailable. :)

other random things you may want/need to know...

• sizes: size 10 foot, so for socks, the generic 9-11 size for women is good. I can't wear "no-show" socks. They always slide down in my shoes. Anything that goes over the ankle or higher is cool. Also, I don't like toe socks. Tops: in regular mens size t-shirts-small, or x-large in boys...in juniors-medium or small if it's all natural fibers, large if it's man-made or a blend (I definitely prefer cotton over anything though.)...in misses-small, and long-sleeves are usually too short for me in misses.
• I live with three furry girls, but really, you're more likely to get some of my hair in your package than theirs.
• I don't smoke, and am never around smokers long enough or when I'm doing mail for that to be an issue at all.
• I don't have any known allergies other than the seasonal variety.
• I'm depressed & anti-pharma, so please bear with me if you notice that I haven't logged in for a bit & I'm late with something I owe you. If I know I'm going to be late, you'll hear from me. However, my mental state is very unpredictable, so if you don't hear from me & I'm late, I promise I'm doing my best to get your stuff to you, and you will get it. I'm not a flaker.
• I try to avoid big-box and other chain stores as much as possible. I'm a huge supporter of fair-trade and organic goods, and re-using/recycling/re-purposing wherever I can. I always check second-hand and/or independent businesses (whether they're local or online) before resorting to the "made in Bangladesh by exploited people so we can sell it to you cheap" stores.
• Most packages I send will be in re-used packaging. If you have a problem with that, well, I don't know what to tell you. I think the Earth is more important...
• I'm not very easily offended. Art should be a free expression. Cursing, nudity, any subject matter, et cetera, is all fine with me. But that doesn't mean you should send me the latest issue of Playboy, or some white supremacy propaganda.

colors/patterns/themes I like:

• I'm not too picky about colors...I like most. Earthtones and gemtones are my favorites...especially burgundy, teal, kelly green, turquoise, most shades of purple, royal blue...
• I almost always prefer brown over black, and I'm a bit of a klutz, so white isn't the best option.
• I'm not super-crazy about pastels, but they're okay, as long as there's no pink. I do love buttery yellow.
• I hatehatehate gold, beige/khaki, and pink. Magenta or hot pink (and I like fuschia-is that a pink or a purple?) is okay, but any other shade of pink might just make me puke. Really. You don't want to make me puke, do you?
• I love flowers, but I'm really picky about floral prints. Most of the time, they look way too country for my taste.
• "retro" or mod patterns, graphic prints, etc.
• polka-dots!!! (but not really tiny ones)
• toadstools, owls, deer...
• anything Halloween/occult related, or that you would consider macabre rocks, especially bats.
• zebra print
• other animal prints
• I like fruit & vegetable motifs, especially cherries, but again, nothing too country looking. (I don't like Mary Englebreit.)
• some other food-cupcakes, tofu...
• Indian (the country, not Native-American) or Moroccan styles...swirls, spirals, & the bright color combos, etc.
• some fav. color combos: black, white & red, or any two-color combo of them, black & bright/bold pinks, teal & brown, sky blue & buttery yellow & maybe some sea green...that beachy look, any combo of earthtones-fall colors...

Things I'd love to see in my mailbox, in no particular order:

• Well, first of all, anything handmade is always better than store-bought, in my opinion, so make me something.
• postsecrets...send me one (anonymously, of course)!
• zines, zines, zines!! Or just direct me to a zine you think I'd like, or any cool distros.
• craft supplies & ephemera...nifty embellishments, charms, mulberry papers, other differently textured papers, cool images, unique brads, raffia, buttons, beads, fake flowers, ribbons, fake leaves, paper punches, etc.
• black & white photos of just about anything
• mix cd's...peek at the music section above.
• bike stickers (mini bumper stickers that fit well on the bars of a bike) political (I lean left, if you hadn't guessed), environment, animal rights, humorous, etc.
• small handmade stuffies or amigurumi (especially amigurumi, since I can't make them myself...yet. :))
• non-silk, non-wool secondhand funky or fugly neckties
• if you're a knitter/crocheter, I love hand/arm warmers-I prefer them to cover my knuckles and go as close to the elbow as possible. I have tons of knitted scarves though (that's as far as my knitting skills go), so no more scarves, please.
• cutting off some old jeans to make shorts? I'd love your scraps! I want to make a patchwork denim throw/blanket. Send the whole pantleg, or decent sized square/rectangular pieces. Back pockets would be awesome too, if you just decide to go pocketless or something. ha.
• sea glass
• embroidery floss
• scraps of that frilly/stringy looking yarn
• Manic Panic hair dye...my fav. color is Ultra Violet, but any color other than yellow or orange is cool. (I like yellow & orange for other things, but when it comes to hair, they look absolutely horrid on me. :P)
• 100% cotton fabric in funky patterns or solids, preferably at least 1/3 yard per piece, or fat quarters. Cotton/poly blends are okay if the pattern is exceptionally cool.
• felt (no wool) in any color, at least about the size of a cd case.
• any small-ish (5x7 to 11x14) artwork you think I'd like that is also suitable for framing...yours or someone else's...even a greeting/note card.
• back issues of these magazines: Sassy (I'd love you forever!!!), Made, Craft, Readymade, Utne, Bust(just got a sub., so any older than 2008), Nylon, Found, Bitch, Craft Paper Scissors, almost any health related ones, or any others you think I'd like. Old teen magazines are good too...they have more interesting pictures & lettering to cut & paste with. :) I don't like mainstream women's mags, or tabloid/celebrity mags, and the only ones I subscribe to are VegNews, Magnet, and Bust.
• cute cupcake liners
• your favorite fabulous vegan recipes, esp. for baked goods
• secondhand books
• kitsch!! Anything vintage/antique from the 20's to the 70's...especially the '20's and '50's, and '70's kitchen stuff--in those ugly olive/orange/mustard colors.
• altered barbie dolls, or other altered toys
• any sort of vegan goodies...sweets & other junk (or healthy) snacks. I loooove teriyaki primal strips!
• nature themed or decorative (swirls, borders, stars, celtic, etc.) rubber stamps. Oh, animals and insects too, but I guess that falls under nature. (I don't care if they're wood-mounted or not. I know some people are picky about that.)
• cutesy or vintage shot glasses, no souvenir ones, please.
• one inch buttons (pinbacks, badges, whatever you want to call them) or bottlecap magnets/pins involving anything I like
• novelty socks, but no toe socks, please, and no christmas or easter, but snowmen are cool. looove Halloween socks :)
• old high school yearbooks or pages from them
• books or pages from books that are in any language but English
• old library date due cards & envelopes...y'know, from inside the cover of the books, before everything was computerized...
• ultra fine or fine point Sharpies in any color but gold, felt tipped pens, any other smooth-writing really inky pens (not your average ballpoint). I don't like gel pens. I'm a big fan of Sanford products.
• tea (pretty much any variety/flavor, but I hate apple flavored teas) Loose tea is cool too.
• cute cotton totebags that have straps long enough to be carried on your shoulder as a purse...new, used, handmade...
• more boring totes to be used as grocery bags...can never have enough of those. :) also, new, used, handmade...
• any kawaii stationery items with bad english translations, even if it's characters I didn't mention liking. I find them too amusing to resist. :)
• quality incense (not from drugstores or grocery stores, etc.--good Indian stuff) Balsa wood is my favorite. I like nag champa, and "Super Hit", patchouli, lemongrass, woodsy, citrusy or light floral scents...musky scents give me a headache.
• Jelly Bellies-popcorn is my fav. flavor, maple sugar candy, dark chocolate...
• anything with a sense of irony or sarcasm. I'm a sarcastic bitch. :)
• pretty much anything involving anything I like is cool. :)

Things I wouldn't be so thrilled to receive:

The first two are the only ones I'd be kind of pissy about. Of course, I'm not terribly picky, b/c I can always pass things on to someone else who'll enjoy them, but it's always better to get stuff you love & will keep, right? :)

• anything that isn't vegan.
• most religious items. Thanks. (exceptions: I don't mind things related to Earth-based religions, and most eastern religions. I do love learning about religions, but I don't like proselytization.)
• anything with US flags on it, or that is otherwise overly "patriotic"
• anything too "country" looking.
• Disney things, except for their version of the Cheshire Cat. Oh, and I love Mary Poppins. I had a crush on Dick VanDyke's character as a kid. :)
• Suzy's Zoo, Precious Moments, Happy Bunny, Diddl, Harry Potter, Spongebob, anime characters...
• dotee dolls, icicle dolls, button faeries...they're just ugly to me...I don't get it.
• dollar store stuff. Well, dollar store supplies and ephemera aren't too bad sometimes, but anything else, no thanks. There's a dollar store next door to where I work, and I'm over there way too often. :)
• gel pens
• I rarely use stickers, confetti, or glitter.
• lotions and body sprays, or any other cosmetics or toiletries unless you're positive it's vegan
• I hate gold jewelry, and I don't wear necklaces.
• altered tins and matchboxes and shrines
• romance novels, crime, law, or horror novels.
• knick-knacks/figurines