OneLitFirefly

My name is Crystal. I'm about 5'5 with brown eyes and naturally brown hair. I'm 18 and very new to swap-bot. I am a Christian but I won't argue the point with anyone. I'm not here to convert anyone but if you have any questions feel free to ask. I don't think I'm better than anyone because I'm Christian or for any other reason--trust me, I've done WAYYY too many stupid things and made WAYYY too many mistakes to even come close to thinking that. I won't judge you because I have way too much grass on my own doorstep and too many beams in my own eye to be worried about anyone else's business. I've had a very... interesting life. I think I've gone through a lot more than what the average teenager has to go through, in fact, I'm surprised I'm still sane. But in so many ways I'm lucky because a lot of people have it a thousand times worse than I do, and for all of the things that I HAVEN'T had to go through, I'm very thankful.

My favorite colors are: green (any shade but especially kelly/Irish green), black, yellow, and purple. And I'm really starting to like orange as well. I dunno, how do you pick a favorite color? All of them are so pretty, haha. Well, all of them except pink (any shade)... which I'm not a big fan of. SOME shades of pink are ALRIGHT in SOME circumstances but for the most part I really don't like pink.

I find people really interesting. I love to talk and listen to people and find out why they are the way they are, why they do the things they do, and what makes them "tick," so to speak. ALTHOUGH... I'm EXTREMELY shy and self conscious when meeting new people (and in general) which has a lot to do with things I've gone through. I'm trying to get over it but it's going to be difficult. SO talking and listening to people and trying to figure them out is a whole lot easier in writing (like emails, snail mail, instant messaging, etc.) for me.

I love computers and other electronics, and just technology in general, but if I were offered a job working on them or something, I don't think I'd ever be able to figure it out. I know enough about computers, etc. to use them myself but not enough to fix them or anything like that! haha. A lot of the things I'm interested in are things I don't think I could ever really figure out.

I LOVE filming things and creating/editing videos. Like making music videos from movie clips and songs. I have a couple of mine posted on my Youtube page listed above, if you'd like to see examples. Anyway, after I get past my first two years of general education in college, I plan to major in film production. I don't know which I want to be more: the girl behind the camera, or the girl doing some of the editing of the films! haha. Maybe I can be like, an independent filmmaker or something.

I'm artistically minded and do well in subjects relating to art, English, Christianity or history, and I'm pretty good in science classes, but anything even REMOTELY related to math (like geometry, chemistry, accounting) and stuff is really hard for me. I guess you could say I'm "mathematically challenged."

Speaking of being artistically minded, I really love doing my arts and crafts lately. I've always had ideas and been artistic and creative and stuff, so much so that in school, any time there was a group project due, people would get into arguments over who got to be in my group. And in contests, my group has always won. (Hey, I have to brag on that because it's the ONLY thing I have to brag on!! haha!) Anyway, despite having always been creative, I didn't really get into it as far as doing it in MY free time (and not at school) until recently. And what I have discovered is that I tend to use and do really unconventional things in my art. For example, sculpting paraffin with an electric nail file, painting with make-up (like eyeshadow and bronzer), mixing Elmer's glue and food coloring to hold confetti when actual paint wouldn't work right, or using a toothbrush for a paintbrush when none of my professional brushes make the effect I want. Stuff like that.

I've recently gotten really into Broadway musicals, movies BASED on Broadway musicals, and opera. I love drama. I love to act and play improv games (like from "Whose Line is it Anyway?" for example) but again, I'm very shy, so it's been a long time since I've actually acted in any plays/skits in front of an audience.

I also like to read.

I just graduated high school and my favorite classes were Speech, Bible, English, and journalism.

Speaking of journalism, this past year I wrote for the teen section of our city newspaper (it was called the DDTeen) AND wrote for, and was the editor of, our school newspaper, the Fleur de Lis. I love journalism and editing. I've also served on the yearbook staff for two years. tears I hate that it's all over! lol

Anyway, back to where I was going... Yeah, I just graduated high school but due to the ACT people mixing up some records they say that I did not change a testing date (which I DID change) and would not give me an admission ticket to take the June 14th test. I HAVE taken the ACT+writing ONCE already and got a 24, but I wanted to score higher which is why I wanted to take it again, and now they won't refund my money, so all I can do is take it again in October. Which means that I won't be able to go to college until January. When I do go, though, I plan to go to a community college for two years to get my general education and then move on to a college where I can major in film production and minor in either journalism or dramatic arts.

Oh yeah, and I do have a few collections: coins, turtles (not REAL turtles but turtle decorations and stuffed turtles and really anything turtle-related), and ANYTHING Star Wars.

That's all I feel like writing/can think of right now. Maybe I'll add more later.

Many different kinds. I mean seriously... My iPod is home to the strangest, most unconventional assortment of non-compatible music you've ever heard... lol. The only kinda of music I don't like are rap, country, and loud, noisy "grunge" or "hard metal" bands ... and even those three dislikes have a few exceptions.

My view on music is kind of unique. I am a Christian, and I used to only listen to Christian music, and had deleted all of my secular music... not because I see secular music as a "sin," but because for me personally, it presented a weakness wherein if I gave myself even a little "wiggle-room", I'd start listening to it ALL the time, which would make me think more about myself or my problems than God. Well, I recently started listening to secular music again, and now, I can't deny that it's pretty much all I listen to. One thing that I don't understand about myself is that I tend to have a natural leaning toward "darker" things when I'm not completely focused on God, so it's either/or. Not anything satanic, hardcore, or devilish.. just "darker" than "usual" music. Mainly because that's what I can relate to.. I like listening to music that expresses my feelings and things I have gone through, and, well, like I said, I've gone through more than your average teenager.. so what I listen to reflects that. So lately all I've been listening to are bands like Evanescence, Lacuna Coil, Nightwish, Within Temptation, and Flyleaf, for example. I don't know, I can't explain it. Anyway, on the secular side of things, I also like Something Corporate, Sarah McLachlan, Alexz Johnson, Cher (don't ask), Avril Lavigne, Weird Al, techno, trance, electronica, ska, video game music, Broadway Musical soundtracks, and the soundtrack from the 2004 movie Phantom of the Opera.. and much more.. usually whatever's on the radio, if I'm "feeling" it, lol.

EDIT July 1, 2008 - I haven't been listening to much "dark" music at all recently, in fact, I can't remember the last time that I did. Hopefully I can stop altogether and delete all the depressing things from my iPod again! =)

Every single living Word of the Bible!!, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew (C.S. Lewis); The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis); The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy (C.S. Lewis); Walk Two Moons (Sharon Creech); The First Casualty (David L. Seidman); Cyon: Veritas (C.V. Manning); The Glass Menagerie (Tennessee Williams); The Screwtape Letters (C.S. Lewis); Ancestors of Avalon (Diana L. Paxson); A Divine Revelation of Hell (Mary K. Baxter); Who's Driving the Purpose Driven Life? [even though I have some criticism of the book] (James Sundquist); Deceived on Purpose: The New Age Implications of the Purpose Driven Church (Warren Smith); In the Name of Purpose: Sacrificing Truth on the Altar of Unity (Tamara Hartzell); Redefining Christianity: Understanding the Purpose Driven Movement (Bob DeWaay); The Pied Pipers of Purpose (Sarah and Lynn Leslie); Rachel's Tears (Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott); Eats, Shoots and Leaves (Lynne Truss); God's Plan for the Ages (James Lee S.); A Study in Bible Prophecy (James Lee S.); Julius Caesar (William Shakespeare); Nightmare Academy (Frank Peretti)

The Passion of the Christ, One Night with the King, The Parable of the Christ, Judgment, Future Tense, End of the Harvest, CLICK!!, Patch Adams, National Treasure, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, The Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd, The Wedding Planner, The Story of Us, Crybaby, I Am Legend, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, all six Star Wars movies in the order from most favorite to least: 1; 2; 4; 6; 5; 3, Cellular, Avenging Angel, Where the Heart Is, Finding Neverland, Gone With the Wind, Scarlet, Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, The Wizard of Oz, The Labyrinth, What Dreams May Come, Facing the Giants, Oceans Eleven, Oceans Twelve, Rose Red, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, The Tenth Kingdom, Paulie, The Real Macaw, Fly Away Home, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ice Princess, Anywhere but Here...more later

Favorite actors and actresses: Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Tony Shalhoub, Johnny Depp, Jeff Goldblum, Brendan Fraser, Adam Sandler, and Natalie Portman

♥♥♥MONK♥♥♥ ♥♥♥Radio Free Roscoe♥♥♥ Instant Star, Whose Line is it Anyway?, The O'Reilly Factor, Hannity and Colmes, On the Record with Greta van Susteren, Law and Order: SVU, House, The Pretender, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World

I love to make jewelry (mostly earrings), crochet, draw/sketch, and make pottery. If poetry and other forms of writing can be considered "crafts," I'm into that too. And, it should be! After all, to write good poetry you have to "craft" your words carefully! ha. Other than that, I'm kinda new to crafting. As of writing this I've made three ATC's and am working on two more. The last ATC I did took like three hours and is my new favorite (of course it's only my third one, lol). I also like to make scented wax sculptures by melting down paraffin and any color crayon, mixed with scented oil, and pouring the mixture into a mold. Then, once the mold cools and dries, I sculpt it more (like the details) and sometimes paint it.

I really didn't realize I was this artsy until verrry recently.. like June 16th ha. I'm still basically in the experimental stage of things. But I'm loving all of this art!

ATCs! I love ATCs! I haven't even received my very first one yet (as of writing this) but I've seen my cousin's and her friend's collections and love them and have been making them and I definitely want to start a collection.

Turtles (not real ones but ANYTHING turtley. I collect mainly turtle statues, icons, what-nots, whatever you call them. Porcelain turtles, weirdly colored turtles, ANY kind of turtles.. even turtle craft supplies (like embellishments or paper or whatever.)

ANYTHING Star Wars.. pretty much just like the turtles, ANYTHING goes.

special coins for my coin collection if you have them/want to get rid of them. I don't collect state quarters though.

Decorated boxes of pretty much any kind.

Any handmade art really. Paintings, crafts, whatever.

Icicle dolls- I LOVE them and would like to have a collection but I can't make them so if anyone wants to trade with me for them it would have to be a trade for something I CAN make (and/or supplies if I have them, although I really don't have that many).

EARRINGS! I am an earring FIEND. I have like 70-90 pairs of earrings and CANNOT get enough. Really, any kind of jewelry though. I wear all kinds of jewelry (except the beachy-looking or hemp) and love it.. Bracelets, anklets, chokers, necklaces, earrings, rings (size 8!), did I leave anything out? Don't have any piercings besides my ears though and don't really like toe rings. Oh, and I don't wear pins either. But most jewelry I love.

Supplies, ephemera, etc. - I really don't have very much in the way of art supplies at all, since I'm kinda new to most of this. So the three ATC's I've done so far were completely handmade from stuff I had.. like acrylic paints, glitter (I have a few colors), cottonballs, and stuff. And images I printed off the computer. But I don't have a lot at all so supplies are always welcome.

STATIONERY! - love it. Any kind of stationery really. Can't get enough (even though I don't have a lot at the moment, ha)

Decorated crosses of any kind

I like ANY of the above (and anything else) in the following themes:

STAR WARS! (both trilogies), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA! (2004 movie), turtles, Ireland/Irish, Mardi Gras (love the colors and masks but no boobies please! lol!), anything of a Protestant Christian theme, trippy stuff like crazy dreams etc., Monk, Radio Free Roscoe, Birds, Cats, Snakes, music, drama, night skies, glittery/jeweled things, and probably a whole lot of other things that I can't think of at the moment (but will update later if I think about it).

1. Anything pornographic or vulgar
2. Anything to do with alcohol, drugs or cigarettes (unless it's ANTI)
3. Anything promoting any other religion besides Christianity and Judaism
4. Anything that has skulls or dragons on it at all.
5. ANYTHING spider-related. I have arachnophobia. I have made a couple of spider ATC's but I made them so crazy and unrealistic looking that it wasn't scary to me at all... but just because it would be hard to explain where to draw the line, I'm saying NOTHING spider-related.
6. Anything macabre. I don't mind things that lean a little to the "dark" side but I don't want anything EVIL or TWISTED, if that makes sense. If you have any questions just ask me and I'll clarify further.
7. Anything "country style" like.. I dunno how to describe it.. you know like the whole "country kitchen" thing? like with ducks or roosters or whatever or like wooden spoons or something? I dunno. If you have questions just ask. I don't really like that style too much :)

For like birthdays or holidays or something if anyone is ever wondering...

1. 2004 DVD "The Phantom of the Opera" starring Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler
2. ITUNES GIFT CARDS! Specifically, I REALLY want the soundtracks to the television series "Instant Star" seasons 1, 2, and 3, and since I don't really use cd's anymore, I just want to buy the albums off of iTunes. Plus there are a lot of tv series on there that I like so I mean iTunes gift cards are always handy :)
3. Any "Monk" box sets, I don't have any of the seasons yet, lol :P

umm i think that's all i can think of right now :P