Mairead

My name is Mairead, which is pronounced nothing like how it is spelled (hint: it sounds exactly like Parade, but with an M). I come from an enormous, first-generation Irish family, which is how I ended up with a name that is Gaelic for Margaret.

I am 22 years old. I have one ridiculously cute boyfriend, 3 siblings (including one twin sister), 2 nieces, 1 nephew, and 76 cousins. Seriously!

I live in the veerrry bottom of New York, about 5 minutes from the New Jersey border and about 40 minutes from New York City.

When I'm not at school, interning, waiting tables, or babysitting, here are some things I like to do:

• Watch movies, at home or in the theater

• Go out to dinner, even though I frequently just order chicken fingers

• Drink Malibu Bay Breezes until dancing seems like a wonderful idea

• Go shopping

• DVR my favorite TV shows so I can fast forward through the commercials

• Check my e-mail/Read blogs

• Take afternoon naps

• Go on power walks with my friends, so we can gossip AND work out

• Photography – both taking pictures and thinking of creative things to do with them once they are printed

• Basic crafting. I love making pretty things, when my time and budget will allow, but I don’t have much in the way of natural talent. I like really basic scrapbooking and homemade cards.

I am in graduate school full-time, and have a couple of part-time jobs, so I keep pretty busy. I hope that by joining swap-bot and participating in different swaps, I'll have a reason to exercise some creativity and try new things. I also like getting to know new people, so to all my future swap partners, I'm also interested in exchanging notes/e-mails.

I really like all music, and could never pick a favorite. I like both modern and classic rock. I also love all kinds of Irish music, as well as oldies, some country, show tunes, Top 40, and party music (think, anything you might hear if you went to a wedding with a really awesome DJ). Current heavy hitters in my iTunes right now are (in random order): Johnny Cash, Green Day, The Killers, All-American Rejects, Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The High Kings, Journey, Bob Marley, The Saw Doctors, and a whole bunch of others.

I'm not huge into rap music, but there are some exceptions. I'm definitely not into metal.

I love to read, but am not able to read for leisure as often as I would like. My favorite book of all time is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and I am forever buying new copies of it because I loan mine out to anyone who seems interested. I love sharing that book.

Other favorites from recent years were a lot of the big sellers - A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Kite Runner, A Million Little Pieces (lies and all), etc.

I love getting new books, but I do so much reading for school that anything extra I read these days needs to be fairly light, easy to read, and hopefully will make me laugh. I usually enjoy British "chick-lit" authors like Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes.

I'm one of those people who goes to the movies and says "oooh I want to see that" after every trailer. I enjoy most films, especially if they are not over the top violent or action-oriented.

My big shows this season are The Office, Grey's Anatomy, and Criminal Minds. I'm also dying for Big Love to start up again in the winter. My guilty pleasure is Army Wives over the summer. These are the only series I follow regularly, but there are plenty of others I'll watch if I find myself in front of the TV when they're on.

As I said earlier, I'm not huge into crafts, but I would like to be. I like working with photos and giving them as gifts, so I am always looking for new ideas there. I also like doing paper-based projects, like scrapbooking and making cards. Sadly, I do not sew, knit, or crochet - I am just not that coordinated.

I don't want to sound picky, but the following are some suggestions of stuff I would love to receive in a swap. I would be more than happy with items that are not on this list, but just in case anyone needs some help, these are some ideas:

• Pretty paper, pens, and stationery.

• Cool photos, especially in black and white.

• Basic crafting supplies – paints, brushes, stencils, glue sticks/glue dots, tape, brads, beads, stickers, embellishments, etc. I’ll take anything!

• Bath and beauty products – makeup, makeup brushes, lotions, soaps, nail polishes, candles, body sprays, etc. Doesn’t have to be too fancy, drugstore brands are fine, but please no dollar store items for this section. I love Bath and Body Works – my favorite scents are Sweet Pea, Warm Vanilla Sugar, and Japanese Cherry Blossom.

• Mix CDs with tracklists so I can discover new songs/artists. Bonus points for including any kind of traditional Irish music or Irish rock, since I have a hard time finding these for download. On that note, I also love getting iTunes gift cards.

• DVDs – gently used or burned is okay

• Things I can use for scrapbooking – journals, ribbons, stamps and inkpads, sticker or vellum stacks, especially ones with quotes or specific themes.

• Cardstock – in assorted sizes and colors, extra love for stacks of cardstock. Extra, extra love for stacks of cardstock that have adhesive on the back.

• Sweets – some favorite candies are Twizzlers, Smarties (not the chocolate kind), Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Hershey Kisses

• School/Office supplies – I love Sharpies, hi-lighters, folders, Post-Its, clips, etc. I know – DORK.

• New or gently used books you think I might enjoy. Also, blank journals or notebooks.

• Anything that will help me get to know my swap partner – notes, letters, photos, items from your town/state/country

• Organizational supplies. This is a real stretch, but I am always looking for things that will help me organize my time, school papers, office supplies, or craft materials. Please help!

Again, I don't want to seem picky, but these are some things that I'm not interested in receiving.

• Stuffed animals

• Kawaii stuff

• Homemade food – the gesture would be very much appreciated, but I would be a little too paranoid to eat food that someone I don’t know sent me in the mail

• Anything containing nuts