marineko

I've written zines since high school, and have been in dozens of phases during which I got into dozens of different things, most of which I still love now. I want to know as much as I could, listen to as many different music, read as many different books as possible. I think a house without a cat is not a home. I work in the best bookstore in my city.

At the moment my favorite things are books, Blythe dolls, swap-bot, postcards, zines, Japanese manga and drama, and gaming. I play Magic: the Gathering (MTG) and Dungeons & Dragons.

I listen to almost any kind of music, but that doesn't mean I like almost any musician. Mostly I stick to the basics - when relaxing, when happy, or when I wake up in the morning I love Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Sinatra. And I'm absolutely crazy about the Beatles. Have been since I was a kid.

And then there are the bands I loved in high school, and still love very much now - Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Distillers, Sleater-Kinney, Ani diFranco, Tori Amos, Bikini Kill, Julie Ruin, Bis, Iggy Pop & the Stooges, and Velvet Underground.

In my more mellow moments I listen to Rose Melberg, Belle and Sebastian, the Softies, The Smiths, advantage Lucy, Kings of Convenience, the Innocence Mission, Camera Obscura, Tiger Trap and Dear Nora.

I also enjoy J-Pop/J-Rock stuff like Dir en Grey, BUMP OF CHICKEN, Miyavi, Blankey Jet City, ART-SCHOOL, Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her, Pierrot, Spitz, Judy & Mary, and the pillows.

I'd say that I don't listen to metal or hip hop or country, but even within those genres there are a few artists I admire. :D

My taste in books is all over the place like my taste in music, but I guess I can say that for the most part I read Young Adult novels and Fantasy.

My favorite books are: Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami Haruki, Kitchen by Yoshimoto Banana, Drawing Blood by Poppy Z. Brite, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, Fire & Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, Tam Lin by Pamela Dean, The Ivory & the Horn by Charles de Lint, the Drizzt books by R.A. Salvatore

I love reading manga and graphic novels, too. I'm in love with Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics, and everything I've read by Yazawa Ai. Other favorite mangaka are Yuki Kaori (Count Cain, etc.), Yamaji Ebine (LOVE MY LIFE), and Takaya Natsuki (Fruits Basket). As for shonen/seinen manga, I love everything I've read by Naoki Urasawa, and I enjoy reading Naruto, Bleach, Mushishi, Blade of the Immortal, and Death Note.

My favorite poets are Aida Mitsuo, Sylvia Plath, and Dylan Thomas.

Dream for an Insomniac, High Fidelity, Empire Records, Amelie, Swing Girls, Igby Goes Down, Pump Up the Volume, Velvet Goldmine, Garden State, Dead Poets Society, Whisper of the Heart (Mimi wo Sumaseba), My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari no Totoro), You've Got Mail, But I'm A Cheerleader, Foxfire

Six Feet Under, Nobuta wo Produce, Orange Days, House, Scrubs, Heroes, Grey's Anatomy, The L Word

PLEASE remember to indicate which swap your card/package is from. I've received a lot of postcards with no swap name. Sometimes I receive swaps without the swapper's name! I can't rate these swaps as I have no idea who they're from and/or which swap they're from.

I try to rate always, but if you think your swap should have reached me and I haven't rated you, please contact me. I'm on a lot of postcard swaps, and sometimes a card or two slip through without me noticing. Usually I wait a long time before rating a "1", because I know that mail could take longer than usual to arrive. I try to contact people first before giving them a "1".

When it comes to postcards, I like everything. I try to collect a large variety of postcards - from as many different countries, and as many different subjects. I PREFER STORE-BOUGHT POSTCARDS to handmade postcards, and I prefer weathered postcards to those in envelops.