mandaanne

I'm a 40-something gamer, knitter, and crafter in SF Bay Area, California. I adore TTRPGs - D&D of course is the old standby, but also love PbtA and indie RPGs. What matters most is the group at the table. I'm multicraftual - I love knitting, crochet, beading, metal clay, spinning, dyeing, and general crafting.

I live with my husband and two cats, Plato and Miss Pickle. He wants a dog. I want no more furballs in our tiny condo. We'll see who prevails...

Hubby and I enjoy Renaissance Faires, camping, and spending time with our awesomely kooky friends and family.

I LOVE geeky mashup art such as this Calvin & Hobbes / Firefly mashup by Karen Hallion:

One of my idols -- and I am privileged to call her 'friend' - is Marilyn Wann, author of the book Fat!So?

A random list of stuff that makes me happy:
--Happy intense colors like mustard yellow, plummy purple, berry/fuchsia pink, deep turquoise, bright aqua
--Rich autumnal colors like pumpkin and rust, chocolate brown, golden yellows, cranberry and wine
--Pigs with wings (aka "When Pigs Fly")
--Frogs with crowns / frog prince
--Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, The Jabberwocky (The Disney animated version or original Tenniel illustrations. Don't care for the Johnny Depp movie version.)
--Glitter and sparkle!!
--Feminism
--Christmas
--Terry Pratchett's Discworld
--Harry Potter/Hogwarts
--Acorns and oak leaves
--Pumpkins
--Fat Liberation / Body Positivity / Health At Every Size
--Hair flowers
--Sending and receiving snail mail
--Fat-positive art
--Tea and teacups and teapots
--Art of tea and teabags and teacups
--Original paintings (especially watercolors)
--Favorite animals: whales, sheep, sea otters, cats
--Disneyland
--Things inspired by fairy tales
--Geekery
--Firefly/Serenity/Whedonverse
--Board games & board game stuff (like meeples and dice)
--Books/literature/reading themed things
--Guardians of the Galaxy - dancing baby Groot!

Tea:
I am a longtime tea lover and as such I am a bit picky about my tea. I prefer black tea or green tea with fruity flavors. I do not prefer Earl Gray or rooibos/red tea. I've never found a "dessert" (vanilla, caramel, chocolate, etc.) flavored tea that I enjoy, so I prefer to avoid those.

Postcards:
Because some swaps require it, I'll state here for the record that I prefer to send and receive postcards "naked" (not in an envelope). I enjoy handmade or bought ones, prefer photographs or artwork rather than maps or advertising cards. But any card inspired by my profile or with a thoughtful message is appreciated. :)

I don't like / prefer not to receive...
--The color red, mostly. (Christmas items are an exception!)
--Dogs (I'm a cat person)
--Anime, Kawaii, Hello Kitty
--Diet talk and body hate. Please never send me anything that talks about weight loss or certain foods being "bad"/"sinful"/etc.
--HATE the saying "I love you like a fat kid loves cake."
--Religious imagery, symbols, or quotes
--Bell peppers. Hate 'em!
--Artificial fragrances/perfumes - I'm allergic!
--Camouflage
--Hunting/guns
--Spiders, scorpions, bugs, and other creepy crawlies - please none of these!!
--Video games (except Tetris)

I am highly allergic to cigarette smoke and various plant and flower pollens, as well as many perfumes/colognes/scented items. Please keep my swap items smoke and scent free.

I have two cats at home, so any crafts from me are likely to be dangerous if you're highly allergic. If it's just a card swap, I can make sure to send cards from work that have never been in my home - just let me know.

Knitting: I usually make hats - they're nice and small, don't take too much yarn, and I don't have time to get too bored! Plus I really love knitting in the round. But I've also done scarves, a baby sweater, a pair of socks, a doll, fingerless mitts, dishcloths/washcloths, baby blankets, throw blankets...

Papercrafts: Most recently, the invitations and decorations for my best friend's bridal shower.

Crochet: I picked up crochet because I wanted to make amigurumi, but I've never actually finished one! (Oops!) I have enjoyed making string grocery bags and using crochet to dress up the edges of knitted projects.

Random Crafting: I love to make stuff of all sorts, from using floral tape to attach flowers to pens for my desk at work, to coating clothespins in glitter, to making handmade candles and Scrabble tile Christmas ornaments. Most recently, I’ve been enjoying making small cute stuffed felt toys.

I love to read, mainly sci-fi/fantasy, with a healthy dose of "whatever Mom has already bought on Kindle/Audible" to fill in the gaps. Mostly historical mysteries there.

Favorite authors:
--Patrick Rothfuss
--J.D. Robb
--Terry Pratchett
--Lois McMaster Bujold
so many more... I can't list them all!

Favorite Books/Series:
--Discworld
--Kingkiller Chronicle
--Harry Potter --The Phantom Tollbooth
--Alice in Wonderland
--The Hunger Games

I am deeply saddened by the loss of the great Sir Terry Pratchett (1948-2015). He wrote a world I fall into with great delight time and again.

Plays & Musicals:
--Wicked
--Rent
--Into the Woods
--Cabaret (the revival version)
--Blue Man Group
--Mamma Mia

TV Shows & Movies:
--Firefly/Serenity --Downton Abbey
--The 10th Kingdom (miniseries) --Criminal Minds --Cooking shows & cooking game shows --Harry Potter movies --Marvel Cinematic Universe
--The Hunger Games series
--Disney's Beauty and the Beast (animated) --Disney's Aladdin (animated) --The Princess Bride
--Labyrinth
--Back to the Future
--The Muppet Christmas Carol
--The Muppet Movie (original)
--Romancing the Stone
--The 5th Element

Bands/Singers:
--Journey
--Simon & Garfunkel
--The Beatles
--Straight No Chaser (Christmas)
--Ray Lynch (for meditation or sleepy time)

My friends and I love to play games. We usually prefer more contemporary / Euro games... Some favorites include:
--Azul --Pandemic --Power Grid
--Lords of Waterdeep
--Mah Jongg
--TTRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, Masks, Monster of the Week

We occasionally enjoy vintage games like Sorry, Parcheesi, Uno and I definitely love things like earrings made from Sorry pawns, etc.