Do you have any symbols or totems that are meaningful to you? Meaningful? Not really. I do like suns, fleur de lis, oak trees, and scottish thistles.

 

When you are having a really rough day, what do you like to do/have to make it a little brighter? My first inclination is to give in to pouting - mope on the couch, eat junk food, watch bad tv, etc. Those things can be a pleasant change of pace from real life, but I honestly find more improvement in my mood if I do the exact opposite - go to a pilates class, make a nice dinner, and maybe quietly read a book.

 

Would you like if your witch sent a regional pop/soda? If so, what type (Root beer, creme soda, cola, citrus-flavored, chocolate-flavored, etc...)? Hmm, I've mostly been trying to avoid soda (sugar/caffeine, not so healthy), but I'm always intrigued by regional items and my husband loves strange sodas so it's not like anything would go to waste. I'm up for trying anything.

 

Ninjas or Pirates? Pirates
Werewolves or vampires? Werewolves
Zombie or Cthulhu? hmm, a hard one. I guess I'll go for zombies, I have more plans for how to deal with them.

 

Do you want to receive one big package or a bunch of small ones? Digital stuff all at the end when the box should arrive or as we go? Your preference is my preference. I do like to see some signs of life (an ecard, a question through a third party, etc.) periodically during the round but actual gifts can be distributed as you see fit.

 

Do you welcome knitted items? If so, what would you like most? (amigurumi, washcloth, socks, shawl, shawlette, scarf, wrist warmers, hat, etc.) Do you have any favorite fibers? How about any fiber allergies? Favorite color for knitted items? Dishclothes or pot holders would see the most use since it's HOT here. I do like wrist warmers, but they won't get used for a while. I'm not knowledgeable enough about fiber to have a favorite. I am ever so slightly allergic to wool. Colors are the same as my color preferences in the questionnaire.

 

If you knit/crochet, what sizes of needles do you need? I don't knit/crochet

 

What styles of artwork do you like? hard for me to describe, but maybe my answer about favorite artists from last round will help: Huh, I am embarrassingly ill educated on art history. I googled “best artist” and went through a list of someone’s idea of history’s hundred best painters (very much eurocentric, btw). Turns out I’m a big fan of Spanish artists (I knew that, although I hesitate to say it because it makes most people think Picasso and I HATE Picasso) and Baroque painting (never would have guessed it since find Baroque architecture distasteful). Here’s a list of people who caught my eye: El Greco (love him), Velasquez (scenes more than portraits), Rembrandt (again, scenes more than portraits), Caravaggio, De Goya (when he’s not being disturbing), some Monet and Van Gogh but mostly for the physical texture of the paint on canvas, Gustave Courbet, some Klimt (especially his strong female figures, less so the stuff with random dots), Vermeer (scenes not portraits, I swear I don't hate portraits), Edward Hopper, Gerhard Richter was kind of ineresting, Georges de la Toure, and Artemisia Gentileschi. In general, I love photography and sculpture. I’m wild about interesting textures. I’ve got some more modern things that aren’t anything amazing but have caught my eye on both pinterest (scattered throughout but especially in Sanity Inducing, Livingroom, and Kitchen) and etsy. My husband and I also collect sketches and art from our favorite webcomic artists. We've got stuff from Aerie, Jeph Jacques, Randy Milholland, and Danielle Corsetto. I'd love to add work from Spike (of Templar, AZ) or the folks behind Oglaf. We mostly have sketches and original art rather than prints.

 

If you cook, would you be interested in-hand made spice mixes/rubs? sure, but please go easy on the salt

 

Would you like mexican vanilla or silver rings/necklaces? Vanilla - sure, but a small bottle. Rings - no. Necklaces - sure

 

The Conjure Oils update (http://conjureoils.com/emporium.htm) looks absolutely fabulous...I didn't know she made soaps and candles and whanot. Is there anything from the Oddment Emporium you would like? Nope, they all have doom notes.

 

What is your favorite color? Depends on my mood and what it's for. Black/silver/jewel tones are always a safe bet.

 

What is your favorite season? Summer, no contest.

 

If you could live anywhere in the world and money was no object, where would it be? Hmm, probably southern Spain depending on the political climate at the time.

 

Do you have any long trips coming up? If so, could you use things to occupy yourself? No long trips, but plenty of long days. I quit my job in order to move. Since we moved about two months early b/c of my mother in law's health issues (basically, it was becoming really upsetting to everyone involved for my husband to be driving 8 hrs each way to split time between his sick mom and his pregnant wife), I wasn't able to look for a job before we got here. End result, I'm unemployed and not likely to find a full-time job any time soon. So, I'm bored.

 

I'm going to Jungle Jim's next week (it's basically a massive international food gasm in Ohio, look it up); would anything interest you?Did you say food?? Hmm, well, anything you think I might like would be great. If they've got a decent selection of latin foods, I always try to keep an eye out for masarepa that's made from non-GMO corn. Goya is almost certainly GMO and it's usually the only variety readily available.

 

Name three things that you could use, but might not necessarily think to get for yourself? Drawstring pajama pants, an iron (yes, like for ironing - I lost my last one and never remember to replace it), and maybe cloth napkins.

 

Does anything from the TP Etsy update interest you? I went ahead and favorited anything from the TP and Lab etsy updates that looked interesting.

 

I just found out Oreo is launching ones with watermelon flavor in the USA only. Is it something you would enjoy? Not at all. While we're on it, I'm unlikely to enjoy the flavored kit kats that were mentioned earlier either.

 

What are the three BPALs you would most like to receive - one GC, one not-hard to find LE, and one HTF LE from your dreams? To be honest here, other than what's already on my wishlist, I'm not really on a hunt for rare BPAL right now b/c my sense of smell is sort of off these days. I'd hate for you to track down some super rare scent that I expressed interest in only for me to be unable to even go near the sealed bottle because my nose is still in overdrive. If you've got something from my wishlist, great. I've been looking for those for a while, so I'm happy to wait a bit longer for my nose to get back in line before sniffing. Otherwise, please don't go out of your way.

 

If you don't consider yourself in a "fandom" (and I get that ... I don't really go overboard on my liking of any TV show/Movie/etc), are there any TV shows or Movies that you really like and/or watch regularly or any actors/actresses you wouldn't leave standing in the rain (unless you like looking at them sopping wet, in which case ... well, nevermind)? Shows I will always happily watch: Star Trek (all of the shows), BBC's Hustle, Mythbusters, Firefly. My husband and I both adore the Sword and the Stone, but it's not on Netflix so we don't get to watch it much. As far as actors/actresses go, I always manage to forget my real favorites when I make lists like this. Off the top of my head - Actresses: I'm fond of Jennifer Lawrence. I would watch Katherine Hepburn act in anything. I think Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie, and Christina Hendricks are very attractive. Gina Torres is a whole 'nother level of attractiveness above those other ladies (wowza). Young Liz Taylor was pretty cute too but she looks a lot like my mom. I wish I looked like Rosie Perez in this picture. If anything I look like (an extremely frumpy and overweight version of)this lady. Actors: I was shocked the first time I saw a really young Paul Newman in a movie and realized how amazingly attractive he was. Chris Hemsworth is totally not my type but my heart rate still went up when he took his shirt off in the first Thor movie. I find myself appreciating Brad Pitt and George Clooney more as they age for both acting and looks. Johnny Depp (who is my type) just becomes more obnoxious with age to the point that I no longer find him attractive. Hugh Laurie amuses me, and if the character Wash from Firefly/Serenity existed I would have a big crush on him not for his looks but for his personality (but would keep it to myself out of respect for Zoe and their amazing relationship).

 

So, dear witchee, would you like some Tw*twaffle soap or scent or lotion? No, but if they ever make the sorbetto, you can count me in.

 

Has anyone asked about tattoos? Do you love them? Hate them? Have any? Want any? Have one (it matches a friend's) that I got when I was 25. Want a big back piece but can't afford it yet.

 

I live near the Brown and Haley outlet - makers of Almond Roca and Mountain Bars - would you want anything from the outlet? For nut-haters, they have nutless Roca For the no-sugar folks they have sugar-free as well. Not particularly, but it wouldn't go to waste

 

I also have an Oberto jerky outlet local to me - any wants there? jerky tends to be a bit too high in salt for me

 

How do you feel about home-canned goods? As long as you're relatively experienced at canning, absolutely! Don't forget about heat issues with mailing to Louisiana, though.

 

Do you like BPTP clothing? (collapsed a few of these questions since I don't have a ton of content for answers) I've always ignored it b/c I generally don't like printed on clothing. That said, someone just sent me an XL Treat tissue tea and it's so incredibly comfortable that I would probably wear others like it if I had them. As far as which ones I like, pretty or smutty are fine, skulls/death imagery or supernatural connotations are not.

 

What else do you love from the Trading Post site, and need to have? Nothing I need, but I haven't gotten a chance to try the hair glosses yet and I'm very curious.

 

Is there a particular movie genre that you like (Fantasy? Drama? Romantic Comedy? Musicals? TV-Series, etc), and what format would you prefer: DVD, Blu-Ray, or something in the cloud (like Amazon, iTunes, Flixster, etc)? I tend to like musicals, old classics (I'm an Esther Williams fan, amongst others), acting showcases (e.g. All About Eve, A Lion in Winter, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf), ultraviolence (Reservoir Dogs, Goodfellas, etc), and con artist movies. I pretty much don't want to own most movies any more, though. We have Netflix and several movie theaters, so I don't really see the point.

 

Following up on the Adagio question from earlier, what are you top five wishes, for teas and blends? Gonna skip this one since I just got a fabulous selection

 

Do you have anything that you do ritually, every summer? Not specifically. When I still lived at home in Florida, we used to try to go to the beach every weekend. The first weekend trip was always a lovely tradition - putting the windows down and turning off the a/c so that the water would feel cooler by the time we got there, stopping at our favorite snack stand (boiled peanuts!) on the way there, packing the perfect picnic, taking a walk on the beach to see how it had changed in the last year, stopping at our favorite vegetable stand on the way home.

 

What are your top five wishes from ThinkGeek?
1. That keyboard cleaning putty stuff (can't find the link right now)
2. Solar charger (http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/d0bc/)
3. Different solar charger (http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/13c9/)
4. Flash drive/bottle opener (http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/e00f/)
5. Canless air system (http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f162/ - so stupidly expensive but tempting)

 

Seen anything lately that makes you go OH HOLY FUCK THAT'S AWESOME!! ? Heh, well, nothing quite that cool, but I have seen a couple of "wow, that's well thought out" things.
High end: TSA compliant laptop charging carry on bag - charge your laptop AND skip the whole removing your laptop and all it's cords while in a long line surrounded by impatient people? Awesome
Low end: Lifetime measuring cups - long lasting, stove safe (I don't have a microwave, so melting butter on the stove would be quite useful), good for left (David) and right (me) handers, metric and imperial measurements, AND stackable so they take up less space. They're like the perfect measuring cups.

 

Do you like audiobooks? If so, do you have/would you like to try Audible? (I'm an addict, myself.) Iffy, I've enjoyed a couple of Gaiman audio books, but mostly I zone out when I'm listening.

 

Chocolate: Love? Hate? Allergic? If love, what are your faves? Love. I used to say I was a dark chocolate fan, but that was before dark chocolate became the equivalent of a culinary dare. Now I sometimes get dark bars that are more like "experiences" than enjoyable food. I guess I'm just not up for 94% pure dark chocolate. I also dislike white chocolate, gloopy caramel filled chocolate, and chocolate with savory bits (bacon, chiles, etc.). Other than that, if it's chocolate, I will love it.

 

I know Canadian chips can be different than others, how does "dill pickle" or "ketchup" sound? Meh

 

If you were getting a custom Haus of Gloi blend, what four notes would you choose? Summer notes listed here and you can click through to the whole list from there. http://www.hausofglo...er-single-notes I'm not interested in a custom blend, but I guess the list could help with other things: Peach Skin, Apple, Clove, Coffee (not combined)

 

QUESTION! Do you like Kickstarter? Are there any projects up that you really like? Mixed feelings. I haven't seen any must back projects recently

 

QUESTION! If you have an Etsy wishlist, what are your top 5 favorite things on there? The price is unimportant, not because I'm rich, but because I'd like some inspiration. I had a really hard time with this one. Decided to stick to non-bath/body products and non-edibles since so many previous questions are about those two categories.
1. This dude's furniture (http://www.etsy.com/shop/jreal)
2. These pet bowls (http://www.etsy.com/listing/121919415/cobalt-blue-pet-bowl-talavera-pattern?ref=col_view)
3. These earrings (http://www.etsy.com/listing/64188808/sunstone-earrings-oxidized-sterling?ref=col_view)
4. This bracelet (http://www.etsy.com/listing/83124125/extra-wide-silver-fleur-de-lis-bracelet?ref=col_view)
5. Tie between this dress (http://www.etsy.com/listing/74002004/emerald-green-taffeta-prom-dress-made-to?ref=shop_home_active) and a pair of custom pants (http://www.etsy.com/listing/45189733/completely-custom-pants?ref=col_view - although not that style, probably black work pants)

 

Festival this week -- includes an "encampment" and an art faire. any interest in trinkety things from the encampment or cards/prints from local artists Not so much with the trinkets, but I do like small art pieces. If you see something that you think I might like, sure!

 

How do you feel about glitter? does loose glitter make your skin crawl or would you bathe in it? I'm sort of indifferent

 

Do you want/need/like/collect journals? If so, do you prefer lined or unlined? No thanks

 

Does the idea of wearing a plant as jewelery give you the warm fuzzies or the heebie jeebies? Yeah, that'd die real fast

 

Gourmet popcorn, yes/no? What do you like: glazed, savory, candied? Nuts or not? Any flavors you wouldn't like (like Bacon CHeeseburger, Pizza, Watermelon, Root Beer Float, Hot Chili Dark Chocolate)? Or if any of those sounded interesting, how weird is weird enough? Usually flavored popcorn is too much for me - the sweets are too sweet, the savories are too salty.

 

Question: I make my own hair gloss, would you like some detangling and very shiny hair gloss made by me? This is a 'cone rich blend, not the least bit natural. No thanks. I try to stick to cone free stuff most of the time. Neat hobby though

 

Every package has to have something blue in it. Blue can also be used to describe more risque humor...how would you rate your general sense of humor? Are you strictly PG-13, R-rated, NC-17? It is extremely difficult to offend me with dirty humour. So long as it's not racist or rapey, we're good. I think there was an earlier question about dirty cross-stitch that never quite made it to the list. I'm fine with that too. It'll stay up until the kid learns to read and then get a break for a few years.

 

Do you like puzzles? What kind? Jigsaw, word, etc? I do enjoy a good puzzle. Haven't done jigsaw puzzles in ages, but I do like doing them. I'm a crossword fan, but I have so many half done books picked up while I was bored in an airport that it's not even funny. Other than that, I'm up for anything word, logic, or pattern related. Not so great with numbers or spatial reasoning.

 

Anything interesting from the new Paintbox Soapworks update for you? Coveting Clean Slate, but I think I'm good otherwise since most new stuff was in soap form.

 

What about recycled sari silk yarn, witches and witchees? I'm sure it's beautiful, but I don't do any yarn requiring crafts

 

Sooo, the Blooddrop update (Aviary and Summer Simplicities). Anything you'd like from there? Several of the scents sound pretty, but I'm really not looking for non-BPAL perfume right now. On the other hand, the bath salts and sparklers sound like they could be fun.

 

DEAR FIBER AND YARN PEOPLE: I am going back to Paradise Fibers today. They have like almost every type of fiber roving and dye and stuff available. If you're a spinner and have any fiber wishes, what would you like? Dyed or natural? Do you need dye? colors? brand? Not a fiber or yarn person.

 

If I wanted to include something for your fluffball, what would be good, and what should I stay away from? The pup likes kong type toys and tennis balls. We try to avoid stuffed or fabric toys because he shreds them and leaves their innards strewn across the house. The non-toy items that would be good for him are a bit pricey - leashes, collars, bowls, and the like.

 

Would homemade treats be something you'd like for your dog/cat? Sure! He's particularly fond of bacon flavored stuff, but he'll pretty much eat anything.

 

If you get a long weekend this weekend... what are you doing with it? Staying in? Going out? Family? Friends? If you don't get a long weekend, are you OK with that, or a little sad? (If you are Canadian, apply this to last weekend). Well, since neither one of us is working right now, a long weekend just doesn't feel all that special. Still, it was a good one (especially after the craziness of last weekend). David got to go out and be social, I got to stay in and have some alone time, and we even had time to do some house cleaning. Sunday is our anniversary, so I'm very excited about that. We've had an eventful year, and I think we could use a chance to just enjoy each other's company at a fancy but low key dinner.

 

Would you be interested in getting a kombucha starter and instructions on how to use it to easily make your own fermented, probiotic tea drink? Sadly, kombucha is not a taste I appreciate in beverage form.