BrandiAM

Please note (May 14, 2012): I was in a car accident last night (no one was hurt) and consequently do not currently have a car. A few swaps are due, but because I have no mode of transportation, those swaps will be late on sending. Sorry for this. I will send them as soon as possible.

Originally from Arizona, I recently moved to southwest Virginia. I like traveling, watching movies, roller derby, reading, cooking and baking, and knitting, especially dishcloths. I tried to learn how to crochet, but it didn't quite work out. :)

I'm shocked that I am a mother of a two-year old. I'm keeping my fingers crossed about skipping the "terrible" part of the two stage, as my daughter has yet to show signs of being anything but great.

I heard about this site from a friend who has been participating for awhile.

I like a lot of stuff, but I love 80s stuff. My favorite band is New Kids on the Block. As unlikely as it seems, I also like the Cure and Depeche Mode. :D

Really, though, I love discovering new music. Generally speaking, I don't like country. I like a bit of everything else, though, including J-Pop.

As for newer stuff, I like the Killers, Coldplay, Metro Station, Bruno Mars, Hot Chelle Rae, Pink's newer stuff....

Among my top 20 (in no particular order):

(the original) Willy Wonka, Father Goose, Father of the Bride, Gone With the Wind, Labyrinth, Atonement, Wanted, Ironman, Enchanted, Amelie, Clueless (blush), Penelope, Clash of the Titans (original), The Princess Bride, The Last Unicorn, A Life Less Ordinary, Donnie Darko

Recent likes, even if not in my Top 20: Twilight series, The Avengers, Ted, The Hunger Games...

The Office (both UK and U.S.A), Fraggle Rock, Arrested Development, Queer As Folk (UK), The Biggest Loser (I know, I know...), Smallville, almost anything on the Food Network, but especially Throwdown w/Bobby Flay, Good Eats, & Iron Chef.

I love all handmade things, but as for those I do myself, I knit (although I've been knitting off and on for about six years now, I'm still not great and still have to follow a pattern), I am learning to crochet, and I am slowly learning how to craft with paper (scrapbooking, bookmarks, and things like that). I wish I knew how to sew, but alas, I'll learn at some point, but don't have time now.

I love glass, as in blown glass beads or glasses. I once made my own glass bead at a glass shop, and that made me want to start crafting everything in glass on my own, but again, time, money...

I also like bags. I'm currently trying to knit my first bag, so wish me luck with that!

Colors: Burgandy, purple, pink... black combined with any of the former

Weather: sunny and warm!

Number: 6

Blogs: food-related blogs

Animals: sharks, whales, dolphins, koalas

Flower: cherry blossom (sakura)

Drinks: hot chocolate or hot cocoa (but not any with fruit flavors, such as "orange chocolate," or the like), teas (esp. different varieties of chai & other black teas)

I lived in Japan for 3 years, so I love Japanese or Japan-inspired things.

Japanese characters: Hello Kitty and Domo-kun. Doraemon and Anpanman are cute, too.

I also lived in Britain for a while, so I love British things, esp. British chocolates, teas, and biscuits.

Scents: vanilla, honey, honeysuckle, cherry blossom, lavender, cotton blossom, fresh linen... and many more

Mythological creatures: fairies, unicorns...

Comic book: Sandman, but also like Spiderman & Daredevil a lot, too. I am excited about the upcoming Avengers movie.

Snacks: dark chocolate, sunflower seeds, dark chocolate, cookies, dark chocolate, chips, dark chocolate, fruit, chocolate & caramel, etc.

Socks: all, but especially funky knee socks, fluffy/soft socks, and toe socks. :)

Band: New Kids on the Block --> over the past few years, I've enjoyed (re)going to many of their concerts, including Joe McIntyre's solo (w/Eman) shows and Jordan Knight's solo shows. There's a certain kind of happiness that comes from reliving the joys brought back from my teen years...

I read a lot, from Spenser's Faerie Queene to current trash pop novels.

On the fun side, I love the Twilight series, Harry Potter series, The Dark is Rising series, any book by Neil Gaiman (well, not American Gods), and almost any book by Nick Hornby. I used to like Irvine Welsh, until I realized how disturbing some of the (unnecessary) violence in his novels is.

Generally speaking, I like fantasy, young adult, quirky (and admittedly cheesy) books written for women, but not romance novels.

I'm currently reading Little Lady, Bit Apple by Hester Browne, Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Bedell Smith, and Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones (a cookbook).

Do NOT like:

Coffee,

artificial sweeteners,

cats,

smoke,

almost any type of nut,

orange/chocolate combos,

pretzels,

black licorice,

peanut butter...

I have a tendency to not only like things, but instead, I become a bit obsessive over some of the things I like. These include:

New Kids on the Block: I try to go to as many of their events as possible, including the solo shows of a couple of the members of the group. I try to get my photo taken with them at any point possible. As a matter of fact, I drove 8 hours this summer to go to somewhere one of the guys was appearing...(I also managed to fit them in my profile three times, so I'm sure that says something, too.) :D

Twilight: Loved the series. I even took my niece to the 12-hour long showing of the newest movie.

Comic book stuff: I loved the Avengers movie this summer...

Yarn: I have TONS of it, but I can't seem to stop buying more, and more, and more...