1. Pumpkin

Food and scents, yes. Decor, meh.

2. I currently have a CSA and my significant other is perpetually out of town for work, so I've been doing a lot of canning and baking with my vegetables. How do people feel about canned good (pickles, salsa, etc) and vegetal baked goods (squash bread, zucchini bread).

Hooray CSAs! Baked items are always welcome. As far as other homemade goodies go, I’m cautiously open. I love people’s kitchen experiments, but I live in a hot place and am painfully aware of how badly preservation attempts can go awry. If you’ve been canning for a while and it’s a low risk item, bring it on. If this is one of your first attempts, maybe not such a good idea – a trip through the mail in this heat could grow some icky things.

3. Trading Post wants?

I was gifted one of the tissue tees recently, and it’s the ultimate in lounge wear. I would enjoy having another. The Molly Crabapple one is pretty. I wear XL.

4. What direct sellers do you not like and would prefer not to get things from? And also feel free to list any retail brands you really don't like.

Add me to the group that prefers small producers to large corporations. I work in the non-profit and labor rights fields. I’m very sick of my money going to corporations that then turn around and use that money to make my life worse and my job harder.

If you are involved in some sort of direct sales group, I’m happy to receive the products as long as 1.) they treat you well, 2.) my personal information doesn’t end up in anyone else’s hands, and 3.) the products are reasonably sustainable/ethical in their production methods.

Same rules essentially apply to retail brands. I actively boycott Proctor & Gamble and Whole Foods, but I don’t expect you to adhere to my boycotts.

5. How about y'alls coffee and tea preferences?

I’m good on coffee and tea right now. I have excessive amounts of tea right now because I’ve been too lazy to make ice tea this summer like I usually do. My grandparents own a coffee farm so I always have too much coffee.

6. Do you cook? Would kitchen accessories make you happy?

I do cook. I’m pretty good on kitchen accessories, but there are a few odds and ends. Before I start, let me make it clear that I will sometimes list stupidly expensive things in response to questions. I do not even remotely expect you to get me such pricey things. I just like to share neat stuff.

- The black spatula I linked in my ?aire

- A kitchen scale

- A mini-muffin tin

- Lifetime measuring cups

- A pastry cutter

- A marble pastry board

- Zombie glasses (the tall skinny ones, not the ones with gore on them)

- Kitchen linens – dish towels in blue or yellow, napkins and table cloths in those colors plus white, grey, and black. We’ve got sort of a Victorian England meets Latin America thing going with our dining room (living in NOLA has its perks), so old school linens are particularly exciting. Think lacey and minimalist, not country or cute.

7. How do people feel about creative endeavours? Would you like to receive one? Or supplies to make your own? What do you like? Drawings, stories, poems?

Yes, yes, yes. One of my favorite parts of these swaps is seeing other people’s talents – The_Garnet makes fabulous jewelry, Sabir’s paintings are lovely, Meilin’s stories are naughty fun, and Ellebelle’s photos are gorgeous. I love it all!

8. What culture or country (doesn’t have to be modern) do you feel an innate connection with? What about it makes it special to you?

These questions always strike me as a little odd. I don’t think you can really characterize a whole culture or country in quite this way. That said, I guess the answer is the Mediterranean region. I’m primarily Hispanic/Italian, and I studied Classics/Anthropology as an undergraduate, so I’ve spent a lot of time and mental space on that area of the world. I enjoy learning about the food, history, architecture, and land of the region. I adore the spices.

9. Is there any sort of art commission you would like: cartoony, pin-up, fantasy, realistic, etc? If so, what subject would you like drawn (a picture of you, a character, a loved one or pet)?

Your art or someone else’s? If yours, just have fun. If someone else’s, I collect sketches from web comic artists - Spike Trottman is top on my list right now. I enjoy art in general. If you need more specificity, let me know more about the type of art you have in mind.

10. What do you find yourself doing for fun in your free time? What are your main hobbies and interests?

Mostly reading and wasting time on the internet. I like to cook, but I’ve been out of the habit for personal reasons lately. I do like having friends over for dinner and board games when we have time. I’ve been really enjoy doing pilates for the last few years. Swimming is awesome when it’s warm out – summer is my favorite season.

Other than that, I don’t have much in the way of hobbies. I flirt with sewing, and I’m attending a Weavers’ and Spinners’ guild meeting on the 20th. I have also been trying to decorate my house, which I suck at because things never turn out in reality like they look in my head (or on my pinterest).

Does uncluttering count as a hobby? I enjoy that. Speaking of things that normal people consider chores and I enjoy, I’m a fan of old school cleaning tools (think wood scrub brushes and handmade feather dusters) and low key prepping gear (AKA things that you might actually use in a minor emergency, not full on end of the world stuff. I live in a hurricane zone with a husband who’s into zombie movies and I like post-apocalyptic fiction. It’s inevitable).

Mostly, I like learning new skills, but I’m not very good at creative activities since I have limited imagination and hand-eye coordination. I still enjoy trying things out.

11. Table-top gaming? If yes, what kind, edition, etc? Gaming accessories you long for?

Nope, not enough friends who play

12. DVD movies or games that you wish would magically appear in your hands? Can they be used, through Amazon?

Used is fine for everything. I’m not a big collector of physical media, but I wouldn’t mind a copy of the Sword in the Stone.

13. What kind of snacks or candy from other countries/states would you like to try?

Nothing on my wishlist, but I’m open to trying stuff. I have a sweet tooth.

14. Do you have a favorite internet meme, character or pop culture fandom?

Internet specific? Not that I can think of right now. I do enjoy the Blogess who I guess counts as an internet personality.

15. Do you have a Facebook profile (or other social media) that you are comfortable linking to aid your witch in stalking? Please note whether you are willing to add BPALers as friends.

Nope, I deleted my Facebook account. Best decision ever. My other social media accounts are in the spreadsheet. Friend away, but I’m not very active on any of them except pinterest.

16. Anybody interested in something from RCCC, whether it's con-exclusive merch or from a particularexhibitor or artist?

That looks awesome. I see a few familiar artists on the list, but no one that I absolutely have to have something from. My husband would probably die of joy if he got his hands on that TMNT poster.

17. How important to you is regular contact / chatter with your witch?

This is a hard one for me. I don't care about chatty, but I do appreciate care. My two best swap partners ever (GreenWoodTree and The_Garnet. They're both signed up for this swap too - watch out people, they're amazing) were people who clearly put a great deal of time and energy into thinking about me and what would make me smile. It was amazing to feel like someone spent that much time getting to know me, and that they really "got me" from what I put out into the world. I ramble a lot in my answers in hopes of making things easier for people like them who are trying to learn about me, and I'm always happy to engage with a chatty witch. That said, chatty is not remotely a requirement for me. I personally suck at being a high contact witch. I can never figure out what to say in an ecard, and I always forgets to pack the note. It doesn't seem fair to specifically request a high contact witch when I'm not able to return the favor. Plus, I love the ninja witches too. I appreciate that sometimes a swap is a way to show love quietly. Chatting is nice but it's not necessary.

18. Do you like puzzles/riddles/treasure hunts and that sort of thing?

They can be fun. I suck at guessing games/riddles, so they’d have to be pretty easy.

19. If you were to receive music, would you want a physical CD or digital versions?

Digital please!

20. What’s a current problem/annoyance you have that could be remedied but you haven’t had time to address it?

There are two -

1. Somebody find me the perfect pillow. We have an amazing bed, we have great bed linens, but our pillows suck. I, sadly, have neither the time nor the energy to go on a full-fledged pillow quest.

2. If you have magical health improving powers, send them my way. My immune system sucks and my body has... issues. It's frustrating because I spend a lot of time and effort working on my health and nothing seems to really help.

21. How do you feel about having some sort of trinket to carry around for good luck/wishes? i.e. a small figurine, symbol, card, coin…

No thanks, see answer #22!

22. Are you superstitious about anything? Any things you can't have in your house for that reason--bad associations?

I'm not really superstitious per se, but I believe that it's important not to tempt fate. I don't collect good luck charms (seems like I'd be asking for an ironic disaster), but I do actively avoid bad luck charms. I don't like having things that hint at death or disaster, and I don't like things that are supposed to predict or influence the future (again, seems like I'd be asking for trouble).

23. For the vegetarians and vegans: How do you feel about things (say, marshmallows or gummy candy) made with vegan gelatin or other typically-animal-derived-but-not-in-this-instance products?

I’m not vegetarian anymore, so whatever works for you works for me