motes

** a quick note: I've had some postal mail go astray recently, likely from it being mis-delivered by a carrier who doesn't know the building either to a neighbor who didn't bring it to me or to an empty post box. If I haven't rated you, pls message me -- this only recently started happening but it's pretty irritating! **

Moped rider. Mandolin & banjo player (not well). Siamese-cat caretaker. Toe stubber, backscrubber. Comix-maker, and occasional hip-shaker. International Jet-Set Girl (I love Reykjavik, but also London, Berlin, Dublin, and Belfast). Unapologetic feminist. Lover of stripey & unusual socks (I should buy stock in sockdreams.com) and all things weird and unusual. I love baths and natural body care products (but please know that synthetic fragrances in bath products almost always trigger migraines for me. If it says "fragrance" anywhere on the ingredient label, even if it also says "all natural," chances are really high I won't be able to use it. Weirdly, the two exceptions I've found so far are LUSH products, and I've been able to wear some BPAL--I think because those are essential oils rather than synthetic. Anyway, if you're curious or concerned and just want to check before sending, please feel free to pm. I assure you that I very much appreciate the effort on your part!) and am into making soap! Cruelty-free products are very important to me; I'm a vegetarian but I do consume dairy and have a fondness for good, unusual chocolate (if you've read Steve Almond's Candyfreak, you'll know what I mean).

I'm interested in stuff that defies traditional gender stereotypes. I read a fair amount (now that I'm done with graduate school I can read for fun again!) and I am trying to become a Scrabble freak (really!). I have penpals, I like funky Japanese and Korean writing paper, and I love art, particularly modern work, and Frida Kahlo (of course) is one of my favorites. I also love Keith Haring's work. I'm into graphic novels, especially the Sandman series, but I like Craig Thompson's work, Alison Bechdel's, Seth's, Julie Doucet's...

I also am very into rollerderby -- I'm a referee based in New England and I ref all over the place, both men's teams and women's teams. (I've been reffing for nearly 10 years now.) I also work as a museum educator for k-7th grades; mostly science-based.

So, good to send: art materials, including pens or markers, fabric (especially anything with funky or mod patterns), quirky socks (especially if I can skate in them, but know also that I have huge calves from skating!), Halloween stuff is always welcome at any time of year as is pretty much anything to do with roller derby or skating, cute goth, monster, or zombie stuff (I'm not so into gore), coffee, tea, candy, homemade items are welcome (I do have pierced ears, so earrings are OK), and I have a crazy fondness for locally made natural soaps (I used to sell soap and I learned how to make it as well, and I love Lush and Biggs and Featherbelle and Dirty Ass Soaps). I always get a kick out of swaps where my partner's obviously had some fun picking out or making things! Surprise me!

Also, I really love ampersands (this thing: & ) and it's what my derby name (anne persand) references.

(but please, a request: include a little note when you're sending things along with your name and the name of the swap...I'm good at rating quickly but I'm a really terrible guesser!)

the cure, the clash, billy bragg, bjork, sugarcubes, husker du/bob mould/sugar, david byrne, talking heads, depeche mode, agent fresco, the dresden dolls, elliott smith, jonathan richman, joy division, bauhaus, chvrches, moby, new order, nine inch nails, peter gabriel, pj harvey, r.e.m., radiohead, siouxsie & the banshees, death cab for cutie, against me!, the magnetic fields, the mountain goats, of monsters & men, the pixies, and the lucksmiths...to name just a few!

I guess you could say I'm mostly alternative with a very wide stripe of goth. I love the aesthetics of goth--fashion and makeup--and it's where I started when I first started buying music 20 years ago.

I play (to varying degrees) mandolin, banjo, & guitar.

Amelie! (But I also like Alien, Starship Troopers, Party Monster, Breakfast on Pluto, Wildcats--my tastes are hugely wide-ranging!)

Law & Order (original, CI, SVU...Sassy Barba forever!), the BBC reboot of Sherlock, Homicide: Life on the Street, House MD, Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends, Torchwood, Dr. Who, NCIS, Bones, Criminal Minds (Dr. Reid all day every day!), Carnivale.

Zines (I've done a minicomic called BOOTY for many years! I love Microns and mostly work in B&W, but I'm trying to expand a little!). I'm a printmaker (primarily linocut with acrylic inks), I sew and I run a monster millinery business (my monster hat) that I've owned & operated for over four years now.

find me on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mymonsterhat

I prefer handmade, obviously, but more than anything I want you to have fun putting a swap together for me. I've found that I've gotten inspired by some things I've made for others, and I'd love it if that happened to you as well!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Though I knit, I'm generally pretty well-stocked on yarn at this point. I also don't scrapbook, so if those items appear in packages I pass them along to a friend who does.

I try to rate as soon as swaps arrive, and if I haven't rated you for a swap by the deadline, please feel free to pm me to ask why I haven't rated. (Generally if I haven't rated you it means the swap hasn't arrived yet.) I will not rate a 1 or a 3 without contacting you, and I won't rate a 1 or a 3 without really good reasons.

In that same spirit if you're going to be late sending a swap, please, please make the extra effort to pm me to let me know. It really does make a difference & it shows me that you're a responsible swapper.

As an extension of that, if you haven't received a swap from me and the deadline has passed, please just message me to check in before rating me a 1. I take deadlines and swapping seriously--I think my rating can speak to that--especially because I know what it feels like to expect something and not have it arrive! Please give me the benefit of the doubt and contact me before rating.

& so you know, I do recycle packaging whenever I can and remove other people's addresses from those recycled packages, but please let me know if you're concerned and rather I didn't re-use yours.

Sarah--smokyquartz1980--THANK YOU for angeling the Barbie Gone Wild swap! She's here and I don't know how to rate you for angeling, but HEARTS BIGTIME for you, not only for angeling but also because the doll's fantastic and reminds me of Blade Runner!!!