zombee

I have rated everything I have received as of April 8, 2008.

*If you haven't received something from me, PLEASE let me know before you rate me! I send most of my swaps several days early, so if it's not there two weeks after the swap date it probably got lost. :( I will resend!

*I only check my mail once a week, so don't worry if it takes me a little longer to rate you!

*If you're going to be late, TELL ME. I don't automatically rate a "3" if you're late in sending - I know life happens! - so just let me know what's going on and I'll be a happy zombee.

*I will private message my partner at least twice about not receiving for a swap before rating a 1.

*I do sign up for a lot of swaps, but most of them aren't complicated (lists, pen pal letters, mix CDs, stuff like that). I often have them done before partners are assigned.

Hello there! :) My name is Melissa and I'm 27 years old. I'm single and am in college. I love being single and wouldn't want it any other way! I love my nieces (I have two), but I can't imagine having any children of my own. I'm trying to lose weight - so far I've lost exactly 62 pounds. I have one tattoo but no one ever really sees it (it's on my ankle but I almost always wear pants). I have a tendency to fall in love with fictional characters. I love to journal!

My religion is all convoluted. XD I am a pagan, but I don't believe in a deity. I believe in a force called Fate, though. I do think that some things are just meant to be. I love nature and think we can learn a lot by watching it. I was raised pentecostal Christian, which was pretty traumatic for me. I did not fit in at my church and was tormented relentlessly for being different. It was not a pleasant time in my life and I wish I could forget it. I will never step foot inside a church again! I am also Jewish, technically, but I don't practice. My mother has never practiced either, and my grandmother has not practiced in a very long time. My grandmother was born in Germany in 1930 to two Orthodox Jewish parents; she is the only survivor of her family, except for a few cousins. I'm very sensitive about anti-Semitism and the Holocaust/Sho'ah in general. I do not speak Hebrew; the only word I know is my middle name.

I am a "flexitarian" which means that I'm a semi-vegetarian. I have a metabolic disorder that forces me to limit my protein intake, so I don't eat red meat or anything made from a pig. Once in a great while I will eat chicken, turkey, or fish. I live on peanut butter, pita bread, and lima beans! XD Seriously, I have eaten peanut butter almost every day for the past twenty years and I've never grown tired of it.

I stole the "A to Zombee" idea from someone's profile, I just can't remember who!

a work in progress * bibliophile * curly hair is love * doesn't sweat the small stuff (well...tries not to sweat the small stuff!) * empathetic * future former fat girl * glbt ally * history nerd * irish & german ancestry * jazz music is amazing * kawaii lover * long letter pen pal * motivated * never say never! * opinionated * peanut butter addict * quirky * rough around the edges * sometimes too bull-headed * tattooed! * understanding * very laid back * world traveler - someday * x-tremely excitable given the right conditions * young at heart, always * zombie movies = ♥

I love to read! My favorite genres are true crime, thrillers, mysteries, and historical fiction. I don't read romances very often, I just never got into them. Right now I'm reading "I Am America (And So Can You!)" by Stephen Colbert. It's pretty slow reading because I like to read a chapter really quickly, then go back and savor all of the jokes. The Colbert book is the only thing that has gotten me through the writers' strike. I am also reading "God is Not Great" by Christopher Hitchens. He seems to be a very angry man. I don't care for fantasy like Harry Potter and similar stories - I don't have any problems with it, I guess I can't get into alternate universes.

I love The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. I watch the news on either MSNBC or CNN (can't stand Fox). Once in a while I watch "Without a Trace" if I'm up late and it's on TNT. Oh, and I'm a sucker for disaster shows (Air Emergency, Seconds from Disaster, anything that dooms the human race - I'm strange like that XD).

I enjoy a lot of movies. Right now my favorites are "American History X" (it's so moving), "Pretty Woman" (I remember watching this with my mother when I was young), "The Enchanted Cottage" (one of the best movies ever made IMHO), and "Gone with the Wind" (Scarlett totally gets what she deserves in the end XD). I think that "Schindler's List" is very well made but I can't watch it very often because it makes me cry for days. The little girl with the braids makes me think of my grandmother...

I like to cross stitch (sometimes). I can knit scarves, but that's about it, and they usually end up kind of lopsided (once I cast on 60 loops and ended up with over 100 by the time I was finished!). I'm not much of a craft person since I am not very artistically gifted. I'm trying my hand at ATCs, hope mine don't suck!

lip balms (especially moisturizing kinds) * things with bees on them * journals!!! * long letter penfriends * stickers * deco tapes * pretty stationery * candles and incense * bath or shower gels * earrings * kawaii letter sets * sticker sacks * silver sharpies * fragrance free lotions * book recommendations * pens * pretty mailable envelopes * low-fat low-calorie treats * hair products for curly hair * strange or funky socks * necklaces (not silver or gold - pretty beaded things, funky, artistic, Native American style, stuff like that) * nail polishes (I don't like traditional colors though, so no red/pink/mauve for me!)

I like:

anything kawaii (letter sets, stationery, sticker sacks, etc) ESPECIALLY food with faces, Kogepan, and Mamegoma!!

bees (not the REAL kind so don't send me any hives! I mean bee stickers, bee notebooks, bee stationery, bee jewelry, anything like that.)

Beauty and the Beast

journals, journals, journals

anything gothic/dark Victorian

The Phantom of the Opera

masks

European stuff (especially France, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Poland, Austria, and the new country of Kosovo)

vintage beauties/women

books

anything pagan

myths/mythology

Tanz der Vampire

scenic postcards of standard size (I don't obsessively collect these though)

cartoons I like: Speed Racer, Squidbillies, SeaLab 2021, Space Ghost, Family Guy, Futurama, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Moomin

favorite colors: deep red, black, dark green, sky blue, tan, clay, anything earthy, anything shimmery (I'm a magpie at heart)

I don't like:

RUDENESS (how hard is it to be civil to other people?)

candy (I'm on a diet)

most "kid" cartoons (Betty Boop, Mickey or Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Looney Tunes, Diddl, Snow White)

jewelry (besides earrings and non-precious metal necklaces)

angels/celestial beings

grape-flavored anything (blech!)

tea/coffee

least favorite colors: pink, anything neon, olive green

preachy religious things - I like my religion just fine, thanks. I don't want to be converted.

I am allergic to smoke, so please don't send me anything that smells like it.