JdoubleL

ATTENTION! I am a little behind on my swaps right now. I'm not a "no-sender," I've just been a little behind with my pay schedule. Please be patient. I promise promise promise I'll send your things out as soon as I possibly can!

My name is Joanie and I'm 22 years old. I just graduated from college and I'm trying to get my real life sorted. I live with a bunch of dirty hippies that are also some of the best friends I'll ever have. We party, we rage, but at the end of the day, we read Harry Potter or watch the Princess Bride. I work at a pretty ski resort in the mountains (irony-I don't know how to ski) that sells timeshares and condos. Before that I worked at a supermarket for six years. Whoop whoop. I went to school for public relations and journalism, so my nose is always in the news. I'm an editor at heart, so my red pen comes along wherever I go. My favorite pens are the RSVP ones. Fine tip. I'm an office suppply junkie. I'd rather go to a Staples than to a clothing store any day. In fact, I mostly shop at the GoodWill store in the 75 cent T-shirt bin. What can I say? I'm a jeans and T-shirt kind of gal. I love hemp and nog incense. I collect Magic Hat bottle caps but I don't drink beer. I love Audrey Hepburn. I love tattoos and have a few. I'm learning piano and it's really hard, but I'm a band kid through and through. I've played flute since I was big enough to hold one.

I can go on and on. And I will. My profile needs work, but I'm getting there.

I firmly believe in peace, love, and equality. I mean it in general for everyone, but my specific purpose is in gay rights. I don't actually classify my orientation, simply because you can't help who you love. But for all intents and purposes, I consider myself a straight ally. I go to vigils and I write letter upon letter to the Editor about whatever queer rights business happens to be in the news. One of my best friends and his girlfriend recently participated in the Equality Ride, which is a program through Soulforce. It's a bus trip around the country, fighting against religious based opression of gays in colleges and universities.

Anyway, queer rights is a BIG deal to me. Because we're talking about human rights here. I want my brothers and sisters to have all the same opprotunities that I have. More than half my friends are gay. And I live in liberal Massachusetts. So I'm fighting the good fight for love. And that's that.

Now don't be scared. One of my hobbies is dead people. Now now, don't get freaked out. I'm not obsessed with death exactly. I'm more interested in the process of classifying it, and the interesting stories of how people have passed. I'm mostly into celebrity gossip about it (my all time favorite Web site is www.findadeath.com - I visit every day). I love love LOVE looking through death certificates, and tons of them can be found on findadeath. We call ourselves death hags. I stop at every cemetery I pass and take pictures of my favorite stones. I keep rubbing material in the car for the best ones. My goal is to travel around to see famous peoples' resting places. Death is sad, sure, but it's peaceful, and no one should be forgotten. Cemeteries are pretty much the most peaceful place you can visit. That's what they're there for. So, I hope that's not entirely creepy. I just got into it a few years ago and I don't even remember how or why.

My next strange interest is roller coasters. You might think that's not strange. But I'll tell you why it is. I LOVE roller coasters, but you will never, ever catch me riding one. I love to take pictures of them. And watch them run. They're just the most gorgeous man-made structure I can think of. I actually got into it by researching defunct rides - rides that are no longer in use. Did you know that there are roller coasters in dead parks, sitting there, overgrown, not being used? They just thought it would be more cost efficient to leave them rather than take them down. I want to see all of them. And if they do tear them down, I'm the first one there trying to get a piece of it.

Ohhhh where to start, my loves. My books are my children. I have my own little personal library, and when someone borrows a book from me, I insist that they underline their favorite parts, and add any commentary in the margins.

My desert island, top five favorite books are:

1.) Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland - Carroll

2.) High Fidelity - Hornby

3.) Diary - Palahniuk

4.) The Harry Potter series (books 3 & 6 are my faves.)

5.) Me Talk Pretty One Day - Sedaris

I have loads of favorite books. I'll add more as I have time.

I love all John Cusack movies. My favorite, albeit corny, is Say Anything. C'mon, the boombox over the head, Peter Gabriel, I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen? Tell me you love this movie, too.

So, here's a list of favorite movies. I'm talking favorites. Movies I know the dialog to and cherish with all my heart.

In no particular order:

Say Anything

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Serendipity

That Thing You Do!

High Fidelity

Labyrinth

Grosse Point Blank

The Harry Potter series thus far

Almost Famous

MST3K - the Movie

The Breakfast Club

Sixteen Candles

Pretty In Pink (we all love our brat pack, right?)

March of the Penguins

The Princess Bride

A League of Their Own

Field of Dreams

Glory

Many, many more. I'll add as they come to me.

Ohhh my music is so ecclectic.

To begin with, you will never in your life meet a bigger fan of the Monkees. Ever. Hands down. They're my world.

Other than that, I like earthy crunchy stuff. Examples are: the Disco Biscuits, Bassnectar, Infected Mushroom, Les Claypool, Sound Tribe.

I am emo junkie. Give me Dashboard and you've made me a happy camper.

The Beatles = life. Favorite Beatles song: Norwegian Wood.

Iron and Wine is my heart.

If I could watch one hour of television a week, I would always, always choose the Deadliest Catch on Discovery. I am in love with Sig and Edgar Hansen. I'm going to move to Alaska someday, find a fisherman, and marry him. Then he'll name a boat after me.

I love Reno 911 (specifically for Terry, the roller skating gay man), MST3K, the Daily Show, Top Chef. Eh, I don't actually have cable right now, so I mostly don't watch much TV anymore.

-I love dogs. Big dogs. It's a dream of mine to have a newfoundland someday.

-I HATE butterflies. Please don't send anything with butterflies on it.

-I love penguins. They're amazingly cute.

-I love glass beads.

-I smoke. I don't have an ashtray. I need one.

-I'm addicted to chapstick.

-My favorite color is blue.

-I wish on 11:11.

-I'm an Aries.

-The Cheshire Cat is my all time favorite character in literature.

-I like to leaf through medical textbooks devoted to severe dermatological conditions.

-Just kidding. Making sure you're still following.