annienia

I grope my mailbox daily, reaching all the way to the back to make sure I haven't missed anything. Mail is the number one way to make my eyes wide with joy, and my mouth water with anticipation. I don't ever get enough, so swap-bot seems like a perfect fix. I love to send mail as much as I love to receive it.

I live in on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, westcoast rainforest, and the beauty of mountains and ocean are part of my daily view. It can rain a lot here, though, so anything bright and shiny catches my eye...I feel like a crow sometimes, collecting shiny things - buttons, pins, beads, paper, colourful fabric, yarn and fleece. It all lifts the spirits on the days of liquid sunshine.

I love to read all kinds of books and listen to all kinds of music. Another joy is introducing my teenage daughter to the classic TV shows from my childhood and that of my own parents - Dick Van Dyke show, I love Lucy, Gilligan's Island, Facts of Life, Petticoat Junction, Get Smart.

I love history and science as well as literature and the social sciences. Most of my classes are in the humanities so far, though I hope to branch out into some biology.

I teach an exercise class called Nia, so I have music in my life everyday that runs the gamut of flowy enya-type to rock'em-sock'em cowboy stuff to hip-hop. When I'm just crafting away, I generally listen to moody women singing great lyrics.

I listen to guys, too, just not as often.

When I'm feeling blue I get out my music medicine - all the songs that remind me to be grateful.

When I need to get the housecleaning done and I'm a bit pissed about it, the Matrix soundtrack!

Colours! purples and greens and blues that shade into teal.

Art - in postcard, sticker, notecard form. whether it's art you've created yourself or art you've found, send it on over!

Odd, quirky, off-centre, funky, but not gross or maliciously twisted.

Interesting stamps - you define interesting.

Yarn that has been spun with odds and sods woven in. Art yarn, lovely wool yarn that is soft as a baby lama, colourful yarn that makes your eyes sing.

Flying pigs! I am a pig in the Chinese Zodiac, and so have a small collection of flying pigs which hang about the house reminding me to think outside the box.

Simple art, hand-crafted needlework from any era, mixed media art.

Orlando by Sally Potter!

Pride and Prejudice by the BBC (with Colin Firth as Darcy)

TV-wise I love the most recent BBC productions of Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes. I also love the sci-fi series Firefly (though it was way too short lived), and have seen enough Star Trek to last me a lifetime.

I love intelligent dialouge and witty rejoinders. Movies that go beyond the stereotypes and cliches for something new and original, even if it's just the way they are dealing with a problem common to all humans. Show me something new about it, ya' know?

Yarnbombing, Felting (both needle and wet), papery things with inks, and just playing with art supplies Nothing too serious, and whenever I can fit it in.

I also love making collages from magazine and book images, but always look for something out of the ordinary.