papermate

What can I say about me? I'm in my forties and finally okay with who I am. I have a degree in English and am seeking certification for teaching elementary school. I've been happily involved for almost eight years. We have a 7-1/2 year old cat named Dolly and a 4 year old jack russell/fox terrier mix dog named Emma. Emma is a water baby and loves to go to the lake with us. We have a pontoon boat and a houseboat which we are in the process of fixing up and spend almost every free moment on the lake. I live in Western Kentucky and enjoy Kentucky Lake and the LBL area. My partner and my friends all fish and I keep a journal and photograph everything I see. When we go out on lake adventures I take along my binoculars, camera, bunny Easter bucket (for collecting litter and lost treasures) and my scavenging companion, Emma. I used to have a lost lure collection, but it burned up on our houseboat last August. We had the cutest little houseboat, which we were customizing with oak interior before the fire. I spend a lot of time collecting children's literature for my future classroom library. I read everything I collect, because I believe I should know what my students are reading. I love frogs, turtles, birds, rabbits, and other visitors from nature. I could be described as a packrat, but my collections are dwindling. I collect postcards, Shirley Temple memorabilia, some teddy bears (mostly Attic Treasures), buttons (the kinds with sayings on them), beads, cigar boxes, blank books, US state quarters, nickels, and some US presidential dollars. I also collect comics I cut out from the newspapers, things for scrapbooking, pens and pencils. You name it and I probably have a small collection of it. I'm pretty laidback and miss going to the ocean. I don't travel as much as I used to and suffer from a stifled gypsy soul. Once upon a time I used to pack up and head out when the seasons changed. I would get a restless feeling and need to experience new places and people. Of course, this is just a small bit of information about who I am. Perhaps I will make some friends through this web site and some people will learn more about me. I am intrigued with the idea of creating matchbox treasures and hopefully will be allowed to participate in some of those swaps. My favorite colors include various shades of green and others found in nature. I like natural things like wood carvings, coconut buttons, sea shells, and rocks. I've always hunted for rocks. My sister and I trade crystals and other stones with each other. As a child, my parents had to pack a shoebox on trips for the rocks I would collect along the way. Halloween is probably my favorite holiday, because anyone can be whatever they choose to be for one night. It also happens during my favorite season, Autumn. I love sweater weather and the sound of rustling leaves. I am allergic to many soaps and most perfumes. I use a lot of hypoallergenic items. I love the sent of patchouli if someone isn't drenched in it. When I can stand to wear something I usually choose men's colognes; they do not often cause allergic reactions. Women's perfumes are flowery and give me severe headaches. I have a nickel allergy and can't wear cheap jewelry without items turning green. It doesn't mean I don't appreciate such items, just that I will never wear them. I write poems for my journal, short children's stories, and hopefully a novel (one day before I die). I used to have a PEZ collection and have retained some of my favorites. I like to play games, but don't have much time anymore. Some of my favorites include: dominos, something called Hand and Foot (played with ten decks of cards), trivial pursuit, aggravation (a marble game), a Korean game I think is called Go played with black and white marble disks on a wooden table board, an African stone game I forgot the name of, and many others.

I listen to a wide range of music. I thank my father for my eclectic tastes. I was exposed to a little bit of everything as a child and was one of the few children I knew that sang songs from operettas for fun. It came as a big shock to me that life wasn't a musical, because I watched so many when I was very young. I was disappointed that not everyone broke into a song and dance at the drop of a hat. I love to sing. I took voice lessons when I was in my teens, but that doesn't mean you want to hear me. I love classic country songs, eastern music, gregorian chants, music from the late 1800s up to the present, and the Blues. I'm not that impressed with present day music; I've become a bit conservative in my tastes and don't care for much that is too explicit. I also used to play the violin, viola, cello, and some percussion.

I'm a book addict. I love to read all the time. Some of my favorite books include: Catcher in the Rye, The Harry Potter books, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Da Vinci Code, A Tale of Two Cities, etc.

I love to watch movies and some of my favorites include: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, anything by director Alfred Hitchcock, anything with actor Anthony Hopkins, Secondhand Lions, To Kill a Mockingbird, Breakfast at Tiffany's, A Walk in the Clouds, Cocteau's Orpheus, Fantasia, and Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride.

I work from 4pm until 12:30am, so my viewing hours don't leave a lot of selection. I watch a lot of shows on the history channel, animal planet,and TRU tv. I keep up with Lost, Medium, Ghost Whisperer, Forensic Files, and sometimes Masterpiece Theater.

I used to make a lot of jewelry. When I was in my 20s I used to sell beaded necklaces right off my arms, which were my only display case. I eventually made bracelets, but none of my jewelry was very advanced. I created simple jewelry with nice color schemes. Sometimes, I sketch wildlife or people. I'm an amateur photographer, the emphasis is accented on amateur. I photograph a lot of outdoor shots, because I spend most of my time at the lakes. I love to create handmade books, and I spend a lot of time writing in journals. I create cards for family and friends.