katiec

I have a cat and a step-dog and a tattoo of a sandwich and too many books on hold at the library and Girlfriend and I are gardening for the first time this season. We travel a lot, seek out fun around our city, and hate to have too much free time. I know how to read tarot cards. I only knit socks. I am not the world's best speller.

I am very motivated by food and I will drive twenty miles out of my way for a good donut (I have done this, recently…). My Girlfriend and I like to come up with new recipes for our vitamix - lots of green smoothies. I don't eat meat or fish.

I am interested in: tarot; reading; writing letters, cards, and short stories; teaching people how to knit; knitting socks; yoga and Ayurveda; food (esp. tacos, pierogi, and sandwiches); hanging with friends; social justice (esp LGBT* & women's rights); volunteering; graphic novels starring queer girls; cute stationery; trampolines; talking to strangers; jokes; embarrassing my girlfriend with my corny jokes; modern dance; popular science.

I'd love to receive letters and hear about your life, your interests, have a good discussion, etc.

From the last few months (I read a lot and would love more recommendations):

• Long Division by Kiese Laymon
• The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosely
• To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck
• Orlando by Virginia Woolf
• Mr Fox by Helen Oyeyemi
• The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander
• The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
• Embers by Sandor Marai

• Knitting
• Gardening
• Cross-stitch
• Cooking (though I am very bad at it!! If you have tips/tricks/recipes to share, I'm all ears!)
• Canning
• My fledgling garden

• Modern Family
• Brooklyn 99
• Saturday Night Live
• Community
• Bates Motel

various stand up on Comedy Central and NetFlix and YouTube

• Jokes, Improv, Standup Comedy, Irony, Sarcasm, Philosophy of Humor, etc
• Educational/Scientific/Anatomical/Botanical pictures/postcards/drawings/chatter
• Cross stitch patterns
• Zines
• Graphic Novels
• Poetry
• Short Stories
• Podcasts about comedy or science (like, RadioLab, Dead Authors Podcast, etc)
• Chatty letters full of funny stories and big ideas
• Vegetarian and vegan recipes
• Cheese!
• Letterpress cards
• Japanese Kawaii Stationary (but not Hello Kitty)
• Essays or zines about feminism, intersectionality, lgbtq, social justice, civil rights, etc
• koalas
• organic things
• handmade things
• history! of all kinds
• seeds from unusual organic vegetables or heirloom plants
• Catholic saint cards and such
• Time travel
• Tolkien
• Star Trek the Next Generation
• Green Smoothie recipes
• Unusual flavored toothpastes (favorite so far is green apple - super weird!)

• Meat
• Gratuitous complaints
• Makeup, soap, etc -- I am chemical free so I make my own cosmetics and bath stuff
• friendship books or question swaps
• anime or manga
• sci-fi/fantasy (except for time travel, Tolkien, and Star Trek the Next Generation)
• most mysteries
• vera bradley-type things
• chevron patterns
• mustaches
• shopping; coupons; anything that looks too designery
• most current-event politics
• chicklit
• most sports
• most video games (love 8 bit NES, though!)
• Word art (example: KEEP CALM AND blah blah blah - or: IN THIS FAMILY WE DO blah and blah and blah and blah) and inspirational sayings
• angels
• bible quotations, out of context (pls see my note about religion, below)
• anything to fan-y - like fan-art, fan-fic, etc
• Zombies, Vampires, Witches
• Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Twilight, True Blood
• Disney, Hello Kitty, Betty Boop, Looney Toons or any other character stuff
• Babies or cute kids (unless you are sharing a picture of, like, your own kids)
• racism, sexism and gender discrimination (of any kind. I hate hearing women stereotype and berate men as much as I hate to hear men stereotype and berate women), homophobia, xenophobia, American jingoism

• Cowpeas
• Wild Arugala
• Mizuna
• Blondkopfchen Tomatoes
• True Lemon Cucumber
• Black Cherry Tomato
• Green Zebra Tomato
• King Richard Leek
• Empress Bean
• Garden Sorrel
• Beets! (can't remember what variety they are)
• Red Sorrel
• Udumalapet Eggplant
• Rosa Bianca Eggplant
• Hill Country Okra
• Poona Kheera Cucumber
• Collard Greens
• Chickweed
• Magenta Orach
• Bloomsdale Spinach
• Basil
• Mint
• Oregano
• Cilantro

(all organic)

I am starting my plants indoors and moving them outside in a few weeks. My part of the midwest shouldn't be warm for at least another month (so, maybe around May , 2014??)

I am super interested in emergency and disaster preparedness and response. I volunteer with the local chapter of an international organization that focuses on preparedness and response, and I'm considering taking EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) training. If you have any experience or interest in disaster response training, or emergency medical response, or community preparedness, I'd love to hear about it!

I also volunteer with the local chapter of an international girls' leadership organization. I'd love to chat if you also work with girls, instilling leadership or civic responsibility or access to STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education and careers.

I'm extremely interested in women's health education. I hope to eventually gain the education and experience to work in women's health education in a more substantive capacity than my modest little volunteer gig at the community health center nearby. If this is a field you're involved in, I'd love to hear more about it! I am especially interested in barriers to receiving accurate women's health education (specifically social and cultural barriers).

Comedy and humor. Everything about it. Whatever you got, talk to me. I love it.

• body positivity

I really have trouble relating to people who attempt to bond by talking about how much they hate the way they look or hate their bodies. Same with people who judge/hate on other people's bodies. I am a medium-large girl and I love the way that I look and I don't bond over body-based shame/judgement/hatred.

• concern trolling

Hatred disguised as concern or "advice" is disrespectful and angers me. Examples of things I might consider concern trolling include writing me a note hating on fat people (like me!) and couching it in concern for health, or hating on lgbt people (like me!) and couching it in concern for the immortal soul.

• religion/faith/theology

I love hearing about/talking about faith and theology in a respectful way. I find religion and the history of religion to be very interesting. I am also interested in how people live their faith or spirituality, and why.

That said, I am an agnostic and a lesbian - and a damn happy one! I am not looking to be converted, nor to hear why I or others are going to hell/ how I or others are sinning, etc.

I also do not like biblical quotations, taken out of context. I don't find them inspirational out of context. I wouldn't mind having a respectful discussion about a passage, though.

• in general, I trust other people's intelligence and enjoy a live & let live philosophy. I hope for the same from others!