Hello!
Firstly, thank you so much for all your condolences and kind comments on my previous post. I was really touched and grateful to receive each one. Thank you.
I want to know more about you. Who are you? Where do you come from? Tea or coffee? Cat person or no? Or whatever else you want to say. I would love to get to know you better.
Andrea x
90 comments:
my name is Sarah, I am from LA by way of the deep south. I don't take kindly to cats because they make me sneeze and they're fickle (ie they do not give me the instant, unconditional enthusiasm that dogs too) but I am a sucker for a kitten. I love coffee so much I would NEVER tell anyone how much I drink (someone might call Adult Protective Services).
I don't own pants, I am obsessed with the television show "The West Wing" and I am trying to become a stylistic blend of Stevie Nicks and Dolly Parton.
Thanks for asking! <3
I'm with you on the dangerous levels of coffee consumption, Sarah! x
I'm Katie. I'm a museum curator specializing in biology, interpretation and social media. I'm a military brat, and have lived all over the U.S. and Canada, and now live in the American West. I drink herbal tea and huge amounts of homemade juice (my current favorite is spinach-orange). I'm decidedly not a cat person (sorry), but we currently have a ball python, two rats, a toad and a huge terrarium of Madagascar hissing cockroaches at my museum that I love like they were my own.
Native Virginian.
Coffee drinker. Especially hazelnut or peppermint coffee, it's an addiction I tell you.
Cats and dogs person, both types have hilarious personalities!
Katie, I love pythons! My dad used to have one. They're so friendly. Snakes are gorgeous things. I have never seen (nor heard) a hissing cockroach, though.
Della - totally an addiction. I may start a support group.
I'm Portia. A 36 year old Brit, Mum to a beautiful Little Tornado, a burgeoning dressmaker and obsessive thrifter.
Things make me cry all the time. Happy things,sad things, frustrating things, beautiful things.
I drink coffee all day every day. A throwback from trying to live a "day walker's" existence despite being wholeheartedly a night owl.
I only started blogging in October but already I'm in lovewith how it allows me to connect with people. Something I miss very much from my working life.
Oh, and I only found your blog yesterday. It's beautiful and I am very very sorry for your loss.
I don't believe loved ones are ever gone, just gone from our sight momentarily.
Portia
xxx
Portia, I feel just the same way about blogging. Working from home can be very lonely, and blogging offers the opportunity to meet likeminded people and feel a sense of community. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!
(Also, glad to see so many other coffee addicts here)
You already know that I'm an Andrea as well and from New Zealand. Long time reader, ha ha :)
I love cats, though I don't currently have one of my own and drink a ridiculous amount of tea as well as writing poems and making music.
It's always lovely to see you here, Andrea! :) - Other Andrea
I'm Megan. I'm part artist, part writer, part teacher (against my will, almost).
I'm from New York, and my day is not complete without at least two cups of tea (caffeinated.)
I've always wanted a cat. When I have my own place, it's going to be one of the first things I take care of.
I just started reading your blog, but I'm already a big fan.
Hi Megan! Lovely to meet you, and thank you for your kind words.
Thanks for asking! I'm Elly and I'm a Ph.D. student developing/reseraching new technologies for music and performance art (I studied both computer science and theater...this is, apparently, where that combination can end up). I'm also interested in a lot of other things, including costume design, dance, crafting, sewing, style, thrift shopping, and occasional blogging. I'm originally from Colorado, and now live in the Boston area. Though I really am not a fan of the cold weather...
I drink coffee more than tea, though both still on a pretty infrequent basis. (Attempting not to join the ranks of the coffee addicts.) I love cats, though have never owned one thanks to family and friends being seriously allergic. Maybe one day!
And I do enjoy reading your blog quite a lot.
Hi Andrea, Thanks for the sweet note you left on my site! I have a cat named Mattie...she pretty much has me, my husband, and teenage son wrapped around her paw! I wake up every morning with a caffeine headache...I love coffee and un-sweet iced tea! I have been blogging since July on blogspot and for the San Antonio Express News with two different blogs for three years. I teach journalism to high school and really have loved it! I am so excited to find you near by in Austin!
Give in to the power of the coffee, Elly ... you know you want to ...
;)
Hi Andrea !
My name is Marion, I am a 23 years old French student and I have been following your blog for only one week, but I can honestly say I had a crush on the way you write !
I am definitely not a coffee addict (but you all really should open a club :D ) but I'm a tea-holic !
I am more a dog-person, but I have a wonderful cat named 'Tartine' that I wouldn't let go for any gold in the world. I think animals in general make everyday life so much different :)
I am a student in Travel Management in the Alps and a soon-to-be tour-operator (fingers crossed).
It is such a pleasure to read your blog, please keep on writing it. You give me so much motivation to write... Something I hadn't been doing much for a long time (except in my blog).
I can't wait to read your book :)
Pam - it's always so lovely to discover local writers, so I'm thrilled you stopped by! :) Mink has us wrapped around his paw, too. All four paws, if I'm honest.
I'm Grace, I'm an Oregon girl temporarily transplanted in the Northern Virgina suburbs. I am a cat and dog person (I have one big dog and three cats at the moment), a total coffee addict, a thrifter, a reader and writer, and a movie lover. Today was my first visit to your blog (I came from your guest post at Sal's blog) and I LOVE it.
Thank you, Grace, that's very kind of you! Wow, three cats - I'm envious. I would love to have more, but Mink is pretty territorial and I don't think he would take kindly to roommates!
Marion - it's lovely to meet you, and thank you for the kind words! Your studies and job sound just amazing. I'm so glad that you find some inspiration here. x
(Sorry if my replies are out of order, everyone - Blogger sends them through at weird times).
I'm so sorry for your loss. I should have said that earlier.
Me:
Tea,
cat person but not cat owner (and probably a bit allergic),
American and German by passport but pan-European by heart,
want to be a writer but lack the perseverance,
therefore try being a researcher because that takes slightly less of it,
and spend much of my time outside of research sewing new things from old clothes,
dancing tango,
and reading.
I've been following your blog for probably a year and a half now, I greatly admire your style both in fashion and in writing, and that admiration is probably what keeps me from commenting often enough! Sorry for that, I can try to change it.
Hang in there,
poet
Poet - thank you for your kind words, and I absolutely don't mind if you comment only intermittently! I'm afraid I don't comment on other blogs as much as I should because I worry I don't have anything to contribute. It's always lovely to hear from you. x
Andrea,
Your post about your great grandmother was incredible. I loved it. I'm sorry for your loss but it is wonderful how much you learned from her.
As for me, I'm an almost 30 something in a transitional state in my life. Every door is open and it is overwhelming and exciting simultaneously. I love coffee and tea, even worked for a tea retail company for a year and a half. I love cats for sure but anything that gives me love, I'm a sucker for. I look forward to reading your blog in the future and getting to know more about you through your writing.
Best wishes - KP
KP - thank you for your kind words! It sounds like you are at a really exciting stage in your life - I hope it goes well. x
Well, I'm an Aucklander who grew up in Dunedin, I can't start the day without two cups of coffee, I like a cup of tea on occasion but I'm not a regular tea drinker, I've been a cat person for years and a couple of years ago we were finally able to add a dog to our family and I now think of myself as a dog AND cat person.
Oh and if you remember our evening Twitter conversations over Come Dine With Me you'll know I'm a reality TV / cooking show lover!
Selina xx
Selina, of course I remember! Golly I miss that show. It has everything I love - cookery, etiquette dramas, colourful personalities and glimpses inside other people's homes.
I would love to have a dog as well someday - I used to have a little Yorkie who was just gorgeous.
Selina, of course I remember! Golly I miss that show. It has everything I love - cookery, etiquette dramas, colourful personalities and glimpses inside other people's homes.
I would love to have a dog as well someday - I used to have a little Yorkie who was just gorgeous.
Well, I'm Leilani, I'm from Calgary AB and in the winter I study journalism at King's in Halifax NS (best university EVER!) (ohyeah I'm Canadian), and in the summer I work in coffee shops or ranches. Really I just want to write and am slowly gearing up to being a proper "blogger." I like exclamation points, books, music and coffee.
The boyfriend's allergic so unfortunately I'm not allowed a dog or a cat, but if I could I'd get both, as that's what I grew up with - big dogs and barn cats in the city.
Mimicking Sarah, thanks for asking, and I hope everything with your family is becoming slowly more alright. xo L
Leilani - thank you, things are slowly getting better. And working on ranches sounds great, particularly since you're an animal lover! (I like exclamation marks too).
Hello! I'm Lucy, I'm from Hobart, Australia :)
I'm most definitely a cat person. My baby's name is Felix, there's a post on my blog about him :) He's a 14 year old Russian Blue, and we spoon every night! Haha!
I don't drink tea of coffee, I hate hot drinks!
I've just finished my Music degree, I'm a classical pianist, and I'm trying to decide what I want to do with it. I just deferred my masters in teaching, as I don't want to waste half a year or so only to change my mind! Life is tough sometimes! I'm a croupier at a casino, it's a totally fun job. I'm thinking I might even get on a cruise ship to work and see some world.
I love your blog, can't wait to read your book!
Much love, Lucy xxxx
Lucy - working on a cruise ship sounds amazing! You would meet so many interesting people and have so many unique experiences.
I spoon with Mink every night too - although he's more of a fork than a spoon (his claws sometimes dig in).
A x
My name is Célynne, I'm a Franco-Ontarien living in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I'm originally from a small town in North Ontario and moved here for college and work. I'm going to be moving out to a small town in Alberta on the border of Saskatchewan in the summer of 2012 though, as that's where my boyfriend lives.
I'm big on coffee, but I like some green tea with sugar and cream (yup, I'm odd like that) from time to time.
I'm an all-animals person. I've got (get ready!) 1 cat, 2 rats, 2 tree frogs, 3 crested geckos, 1 western hognose snake, 2 ball pythons and 10 tarantulas. Yup, tarantulas. :)
AND, this may be a bit odd but... I started reading your blog about a year ago, about the same time I went through a big change in my life and personality. It was a needed change, very much for the better, and in a small way, your blog helped me. Having such a brilliant, strong person like you to look up to, even if from afar. :)
Oh thank you, Celynne, I'm very touched, and I'm glad that I could help (even in a small way!).
Wow, that is a lot of animals! I had a similarly long list when I lived in Zimbabwe and we had a lot more space, but now it is down to (1) cat.
I've never met a tarantula, but I hear they make great pets?
My name is Claire and I'm from Melbourne, Australia. Tea for me, please! Lots of it!
I'm studying Ethnomusicology at university and am currently focusing on the music of the Karen people of Burma. I began the course as a classical violinist but have fallen hopelessly in love with ethnomusicology and abandoned my habits of spending hours each day on violin practise. This is something that I'm a little sad about. I will focus again on the violin one day!
I am very allergic to cats, but I do find them enchanting! I have a pet rabbit called Chomby, who lives inside the house and spends a lot of time exploring. He is litter trained!
I always love to read your blog and follow your adventures as a writer. Thank you!
x Claire
Hi Andrea, yours is one of the first blogs I ever found and I've been following you for around nine months now. I'm a vintage seller based in Brisbane, Australia and am shortly to open a retail shop, hard work but very exciting. Lots of coffee here but no pets at present, maybe when my 3 year old is past the pulling-head-off-live-animal stage! I'm very curious to read your book now that I 'know' you.
My new state is Virginia, where we are living at our 19th address since we were married in 1973. We are from Wisconsin but spent 19 years in San Antonio, Texas, so as you might imagine, we're missing it a lot this time of year. That goes especially for Boomer, our Texan cat! I'm an all day coffee drinker (with half/half), but tea at night...or when my parents visit. I'm working at home as kind of a secret weapon for a few people. I do remote data management and other support work things. I blog a bit too. I'm enjoying your blog very much!
Hello, Andrea, I don’t comment on blogs as a rule, I’m afraid I will be addicted to it and I don’t have a lot of time. However, I have another rule that tells me I ALWAYS have to answer if someone asks about me. So, you got me!
My name is Nilce, I live in a city in the Amazon forest, it is pretty hot and humid here and I couldn’t love it more. I’m Brazilian, so drinking coffee was part of my social training and I can’t drink tea to save my life, but I love juices and cold chocolate. I also like cats so much sometimes I have de delusional idea I’m one of them and can go around without caring much about anything. I love reading and I think it is really magical to be able to connect to other people you would probably never meet in person, it is like having a Wonderland of our own, don’t you think? Well, I like writing too, but I love my job (I’m a teacher) so much I can’t imagine my life divided between these two passions now, maybe when I grow old I will become a writer (or a cook, I love cooking!). I’m a Gemini and I will be 30 this year, so exciting! I think that is all, I’m married and I’m anxious to read your book, do you think it will be translated into Portuguese? By the way, thank you for sharing your blog with us and I will stop talking because when I start I can’t control myself (see why I don’t comment as a rule...) Tchau!
Hello! you already know me a little but after following your blog for so long and learning so much about you I feel I need to balance up our accquaintence.
I am a tea drinker. (Secretly believe coffee tastes like dirt, but don`t want to offend anyone. That leaves more coffee for you guys anyway right?!)
For the first time in my life I am catless and it breaks my heart. I miss their little paws the most.
I have my first art exhibition outside of christchurch in March and haven`t made anything for it yet - consequently I have bitten my nails down to an embarassing length.
And one day when I am old, rich and wise, instead of buying a first home I want to buy a first bach.
It was so lovely of you to invite us here.
how fun!
i'm anna marie. i'm from pennsylvania and i've been enjoying your blog for, oh my goodness, at least a year!
i am an avid tea drinker. my morning beverage is iced tea. i'm okay with a frilly coffee drink every now and again, but tea is where its at!
i'm a huge cat person. my husband and i sort of have a zoo. we have three cats and one loaner kitty. oh, and did i mention 3 dogs? i learned to be a dog lover.
what else? i love to cook & bake. i teach piano lessons to about 20 kiddos. i would love to do the vintage clothing thing, but not many 5'10 ladies existed back then, apparently!
xo.anna marie
Claire - your field of work sounds so interesting. And I love your rabbits name! I had rabbits once upon a time - Chewton and Clover. A friend of mine has one called Brett, but he's some sort of evil demon rabbit whose mission is to bite everyone with whom he comes into contact.
Kitty - a retail shop? That's so exciting! And such a huge enterprise as well, I'm sure. Good luck!
Robin - I LOVE the Texas weather and am not surprised that you (and Boomer!) are missing it. A 'secret weapon?' What a great business title! I hope it's on your cards. :)
Nilce - blogging is great, isn't it? If I didn't have a blog I wouldn't have met you, for instance - when else am I going to get the chance to talk to someone who lives in a city in the rainforest! It sounds lovely. If we sell Portuguese rights to the book, I'll announce it - fingers crossed! (And I'm a Gemini too).
Mirabel! So lovely to hear from you, and exciting about your art exhibition. I remember the lovely things you made for Tete a Tete. Have you kept in touch with V and W?
Must be so hard not having a kitty. Life really is incomplete without them.
Hi Anna Marie! Your menagerie sounds great. Where is the 'loaner' kitty from? :) And you teach piano? I've played for years but I'm mediocre at best ... now I am assaulting everyone's ears as I learn the guitar!
I can imagine it would be hard to find dresses with the right proportions, since you're so lovely and tall. That's one advantage of being short, like me - although I have big feet that will never fit into vintage shoes!
I'm so enjoying reading about all of you - you're all so lovely and full of interesting tidbits. Thanks so much for commenting.
A x
Hi Andrea!
Eszter here - bit of a long time reader but not very frequent commenter :-D
I'm 26 (almost 27) and work for a food packaging and printing company doing graphic design.
I blog about my drawings and lately SEWING because I've become seriously addicted. Somehow it has converted the guilt from my obsession with clothes into a worthwhile creative outlet.
I've had a similar all over the place upbringing as you - which I may have mentioned before. Born in Communist Romania and then moving to Australia. I've lived in three states now and my feet are itching to make a big move again. Your move to Texas definitely has inspired me - I'd like to make a BIG move overseas, the UK or the US. Something drastic. Why not - I don't have deep roots in any place.
And if you can't tell by the name of my blog, I LOVE cats. We have two fluffy kitties at home and they are endless hours of entertainment and joy. So cute!
Also - I'm a coffee snob through and through. If it's not some obscure single origin sourced from the mountains in Guatemala, I'm not interested ;-P
Hi Eszter! I'm so impressed at all your sewing - all I can do is the most basic altering, and I've only ever made skirts from scratch. And I can definitely recommend Texas if you want to make another big move - I really love it here! (Only if you're a hot-weather person, though).
I'm Katherine,
NZ journalist, I hate coffee. I occasionally drink tea. love cats, mostly because they are fluffy and look after themselves.
I lived with Ally in Wellington and we hatched a plan where I would marry a wealthyish man and he would buy us (Ally and I) three shops, a shoe store, a bar and a 24hr burgerking.
I'm Gina. I'm sitting in my living room with a cat (Amaretto) on my lap as I type this. My other cat (Drusilla) is batting at some plants a few feet away. I usually read blogs in the morning over my 1 or 2 cups of coffee before working out and getting ready for work.
I'm an avid reader. Last year, I added a "What I Read This Month" feature to my daily style blog. I'm an immigration attorney in Chicago, IL, USA, and I've handled asylum cases from people from various countries, including Zimbabwe.
My best friend (or frenemy? the word didn't exist back then, but that's probably what we were) in grade school was named Andrea. She was the first person I ever met with that name.
Hello! My name is Sarah, I'm 27 years old and I was born and raised in Kansas. I have a master's degree in Art Therapy, but right now I'm a special ed. paraeducator at my old high school.
I love coffee and have been drinking coffee since I was a little kid (well back then I called it "coffee-milk" and it had lots of sugar), however lately coffee hasn't been loving me back and I've become more of a tea drinker. Tazo's Zen tea is my favorite!
I also love cats, although I don't have a cat myself. *sigh* Someday...
Hi Katherine! I heard about your Welly exploits with Ally, but I didn't hear about the marry-rich plan. Is it still on the cards? ;)
Gina - I love your cats' names. I hope your frenemy didn't give you bad associations with my name - I had a frenemy in primary school called Ashleigh, and I still can't stand the name!
Sarah - oh no! I'll have a word with coffee and tell it to behave. ;) Here's hoping you get a kitty one day soon!
I am Cara, and I'm from the cold, windy prairies of Canada. I, alas, am "genetically predisposed to a heart condition of which coffee is a trigger" (as the snooty doctor told me when I was 21 years old and in a panic as my heart was well over 200 beats per minute while sitting), therefore now a tea drinker. I feel like bad grad student with my thermos of tea, so I lie and tell people it's coffee. I would love a cat, and my sister has promised me her "spare" cat when I find a place that would let me live with a cat! I'm also am getting married this summer (so excited!!!) and am a brand new auntie (even more excited!!!!!!)
Thanks for asking!
I'm Rebecca and am a Sydneysider. I am suposed to be writing a PhD about the hitory of art education, but seem to have been a wee bit distracted the last few months! I find it so tough to treat my own work like a real job sometimes.
I find the way you write about your work really inspiring.
Definately coffee - although sometimes I convince myself to switch to tea in the afternoons.
I'm probably more a dog person, but have a few neighbourhood cats that visit often and sometimes make me wonder. :)
i'm lena, and blog under the name of fröken lila, which is swedish for miss purple. i'll turn 27 for the second or third time this year, and will soon move for the 19th time of my life, to country nr 5. this time from oslo, norway, to sofia, bulgaria. however, i don't want to think about that right now because it stresses me out.
i studied culture and am now working part time at the opera's box office and still don't know what to do with my carreer. i love books, films, opera, theatre, music, clothes, shoes, food, perfume and all kinds of other things. especially etsy. i'm a passionate tea drinker and am grumpy if i don't get any.
Haha. Sadly no. The man in question thinks i'm a nut job. Not sure why I decided to tell that particular story, it's just what came to mind.
New plan - both move back to Wellington and watch a lot of Coronation Street Ondemand.
For some reason this seems like a much more realistic plan.
My name's Nina, and I'm 16. I live in Tennessee. I love vintage clothes, and I love books, and I love people from other countries, so your blog was like heaven to me when I first found it about a year ago! :)
I don't drink tea or coffee, because of my religion, but I do enjoy a cup of cocoa now and then. And I have a cat, but she's the snobbiest thing I've ever met. At least she's cute. :P
That's pretty much it. I love reading about you. :)
Hi again Andrea, love the idea for this post, do you mind if I use it on my blog too? Thanks
I'm C. N. Nevets, and I've spent most of my life in Indiana (USA). I lived for a couple of years in Alaska, and have spent short times living in other locations, as well, including Germany for about four months when I was ten.
I drink both coffee and tea, but coffee is my primary go-to.
I love cats.
I've done archaeology in seven US states and Mexico.
Cara - I love that you tell people it's coffee so as not to spoil your grad school image! That's just lovely. Congratulations on becoming an auntie and on your upcoming marriage!
Rebecca - working from home on your own projects is tough. It took me ages to settle down into a good routine (and I've been doing it for three years now!). I love it when neighbourhood cats visit - Mink not so much. ;)
Lena - wow, 5 different countries? You're beating me! I've only lived in 4. :) Working in an opera house's box office must be fascinating - do you get to see all the performances?
Nina - aw, thank you! And Mink's a bit of a snob as well, on occasion, but he loves us deep down.
Kitty - of course! :)
C.N. - wow, archaeology? How interesting. Do you find your knowledge and experiences in this area influence your writing much?
Doing archaeology helped me develop patience and a bleak sense of humor. Three months on one project in Iowa without even a single prehistoric artifact.
Working and living in the field with the broad array of folks who do archaeology really exposed me to a lot of people and I know that's influenced my perception of humanity and the characters I create.
There is also a sort of chronological displacement central to archaeologists whose lives sort of center around both the very modern and (typically) the very old. That existing-out-of-time thing has really influenced how I comprehend and relate stories.
And my time doing bioarchaeology (excavating and analyzing skeletal remains) really brought home for me the university of a basic, biological human-ness and the shared paradox of fragility and durability those remains demonstrate. This has certainly influenced the way I handle characters in my fiction.
I'm Su, from Massachusetts, but temporarily marooned here in California. My hunny and I have 4 cats and a dog. They tend to run the house, actually.
I LOVE both coffee & tea, depending on my mood, and of course hot cocoa, made from scratch.
I love history, reading, museums, and the ocean, plus thrifting & vintage.
PS, I also LOVE your blog!!
It's so interesting to read about everyone! What a nice idea, I may steal it ;o)
I'm Fiona, I'm 44 am I the oldest eeek! I run my own business online called Notorious Kitsch but times are hard with a recession on and it feels like we are hanging on by our fingernails constantly.
I have loved the 50s - clothes, music homewares etc - since I was in my late teens, so I've been wearing vintage clothes for longer than some of you lovely ladies have walked the earth he he!!
I love life generally but feeling the pinch is making me grumpier than normal at the moment and quite frankly I don't like it! I like to be happy!
Oh I love coffee and don't ever do tea which as a Brit is considered strange. I love cats and dogs but have neither as we're away too often with the business, but my ideal pet would be a miniature daschund!!
I am a passionate tea-drinker, a wanna-be-writer, a cat lady, a Finn. I do research on American insane asylums. I am going to be 33 in two weeks, and it has occurred to me recently that I don't believe in grown-ups.
C.N. - interesting! I like the term 'chronological displacement.'
Su - you sound just lovely. If I am ever in your area, we must have a museums-and-thrifting day!
Straight Talking Mama - it sounds tough. I can't even imagine what it would be like to keep a small business going in the recession, and I so admire people who do.
The Waves - me neither. And neither does my mother, nor do my grandparents. I think grown-ups are a myth.
Hi,I'm Louise.
I only found this blog a few days ago, as a friend linked to your guest post on Sal's blog. I'm sorry for the loss of your grand-nan, she sounds rather wonderful.
I love cats, but I'm allergic. So when I get the chance, I want to own pygmy hedgehogs. I'm absolutely a coffee person, though I've been told there is a residue of blood in my caffeine stream!
I was a PhD student in Philosophy, but I recently withdrew from my studies - a long, unpalatbale story for another time:( So I'm 28, part-time retail monkey, occasionally blogging poems & political snarks about the UK.
Nice to meet you :)
Louise - pygmy hedgehogs!! Most gorgeous things ever. Nice to meet you too!
Yes, they're supposed to be very good for allergy sufferers. They also tend to be lactose intolerant, so I already feel like I have something in common with them. I take my coffee black, no sugar. Enjoying Whittard's chocolate truffle flavour this week.
I had no idea! Although I remember something about hedgehogs in general being lactose intolerant when I was living in England ... my grandmother told me that bread-and-milk was actually bad for hedgehogs, which dashed my Enid Blyton-esque hopes of feeding the one that lived outside my window.
Coffee - cinnamon blend for me this week.
Hi! I'm Danielle! I grew up in San Antonio but I have been living in Denver for about 8 years now. I'm a geologist who is trying to get into school to be an environmental scientist. I love cats (and 2 cats own me!) and I now want a dog or possibly a pot bellied pig. Or a farm. I am a big tea drinker, and I just made the Denver Roller Dolls, so I guess technically I am a roller girl. I love reading, so I am going to have to look for your books! I also enjoy thrifting, but I am not very good at it yet. I'll get there :)
I'm really sorry for your loss. Good luck with everything coming up!
Hi—I'm Anita, I live in Asheville, NC, and I've only just discovered your blog.
I have ten cats, all strays/rescues (I say "I" have them, because my husband refuses to accept any responsibility for inviting them into the house; never mind that he can frequently be found with one on his lap!). I'm a tea drinker: at the moment I favor green tea with lemon and hibiscus blossoms.
I'm a retired graphic artist; now I make dolls, sew, do a little beadwork, garden, raise chickens, and read incessantly. (Yes, I was the one reading the cereal box because Mom wouldn't let me bring a book to breakfast.)
I'm living the life I always dreamed of! Except for the pony . . .
Danielle - a roller girl! How cool. (And I love the pot-bellied pig idea).
Anita - I did the same thing with the cereal box! I have a reading addiction - will read absolutely anything with no discrimination if a book isn't available, up to and including car manuals.
Sorry to comment late, but I'd like to introduce myself anyway. I'm Katie from Roanoke, Virginia, USA. I have a mug that says "No Coffee, No Workee," so I drink tea when I'm goofing off and coffee when I'm working. I love cats but grew up with dogs. I found your blog through a friend and love how upbeat you are and the fashion and writing ideas you've given me, so thank you. Have a splendid day! :D
I'm Fi, a uni student from Melbourne, Aus. I'm equally inspired by the fashion and writing sides of your blog. I love to write. My favourite authors are P.G. Wodehouse and George Orwell - an odd couple, but both such brilliant writers. I also love vintage fashion, and covet each and every one of the dresses I've seen on your blog.
Shawna (aka Callah).
From outside of Toronto in Canada.
I'm mainly coffee but with lots of loose leaf tea thrown in for good measure!
And I'm a cat lover all the way!!
xo
Hi,
I just found your blog in the last couple of weeks, but it's great to read a blog from someone with similar interests - writing and vintage.
I'm from Sydney, Australia and I'm currently doing a creative doctorate in Australian war fiction, which includes writing a novel as the bulk of my dissertation. I look forward to reading your book, and your posts on finding a publisher. I've just started (well, about to start) learning to sew, but I've been op-shopping since I was eight.
As for beverages and pets... I need my wake-up coffee, but after that I survive on multiple pots of tea. I have neither a cat nor a dog, as I move house frequently, but instead I enjoy the lizards, spiders, lorrikeets, fruit bats and possums that live in my neighbourhood.
You post on your Gran-nan was a touching tribute to a woman who was clearly very precious.
Tessa xxx
yes, being able to see all the performances at the opera house is the one positive thing that comes with working at the box office there. and that i get to see all kinds of weird people! a friend of mine asked me to write something "a night at the opera" about all the weirdos (including some of my collegues..), and maybe i'll do that further on in spring, after i moved. oh, and i'm looking forward to reading your book!
I'm Mab, born and bred Aucklander. I can't quite remember how I stumbled onto your blog, but it was so lovely to see someone from New Zealand. I managed to nab one of your frocks from TradeMe when you did your big wardrobe clearance (a gorgeous pink flowered, shawl collared dress that I adore).
I'm a coffee and cat person, my Buster likes to try and convince me nearly every day that he can fit on my lap as well as the laptop.
I'm a poet, a cook and an op-shop hunter extrodinnaire. I may also have a slight addiction to hats.
Hi there,
I've been a long-time reader of your blog, though this is my first comment. I'm a California girl living in Vienna, I like other people's animals, both coffee and tea, and I always look forward to reading acatofimpossiblecolour!
Katie - thank you for your kind words! And I do the same thing - coffee while I'm working, tea while I'm relaxing.
Fi - P.G. Wodehouse is one of my absolute favourites, too!
Shawna - hooray for cat lovers!
Tessa - your work sounds fascinating. I would love to hear more about it. I wrote TCOTGAB (terrible acronym) as part of a MFA, but there was no academic/research portion - just a 'craft' essay describing the process, methods etc that had to accompany the novel.
Mab - you know, I don't know if I remember that dress! Clearly a sign that I buy way too much vintage. I'm glad you like it, though, and I'm sure it looks beautiful on you. Do you have any pictures?
Also, am thrilled to meet another hat addict!
Vienna250 - thank you so much!
I'm Anna, living in Vermont, originally from Alaska, and coming somewhat late to this series of comments. By profession I'm a freelance editor with a specialty in medical journals.
Cats and dogs both, with a heavy bias toward cats, although I don't have one at the moment. Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon---preferably decaffeinated spiced chai with honey and milk (though it always amuses me that the box says "chai tea" because "chai" is Russian for tea; my inner editor shouts that this is redundant and therefore a language crime).
I write poems, some of which have been published in respectable venues, as well as short fiction and essays. My major research-and-writing project, which I've been avoiding for longer than many here have been alive, deals with an aspect of history which which my family was involved. (Anyone who says "Oh, are you going to self-publish?" will regret having said that, because I know that my manuscript can be accepted by a real publisher if I do a good job.) Now that I've emerged from avoidance, the project is truly under way. My writing buddies and family give constant encouragement.
Your Grand-nan is an inspiration. Thank you for giving her to us.
I'm Christina, and I am going to Utah State University, studying French. I adore writing, and I am semi-interested in vintage fashion. I don't like either tea or coffee,and the only cats I like are Pokemon. Your blog is highly entertaining, and I enjoy reading it very much.
My name is Sarah and I'm from Hamilton, Ontario. I was raised by a single mum and I'm an only child.
My awesome husband and I will be celebrating 7 years of marriage on February 22nd! :) We live in a little house on a quiet, tree-lined street with our daughter and cute (and very loud) cat, Fuzz Bee.
My heritage is English and American (I qualify as both a Daughter of the American Revolution and a Daughter of the Confederacy) and I'm a big tea lover. Earl Grey, Lady Grey, and Green teas are my favourite. I discovered an online tea site called Adagio Tea and I'm looking forward to trying Sencha, Lapsang, and Formosan Oolong.
I love to sew, decorate, read, crochet, laugh, and play board games. I love bright colours, vintage and retro, and anything sparkly.
I'm a stay-at-home mum and very proud of it. I do a little PA work on the side and I am the backstage manager / costume designer for an amazing burlesque troupe: Vaudeville Tattoo.
Anna - I didn't know that about chai! Now the wording is going to bug me, too. ;)
Nina - thank you for your kind words!
Sarah - your job is amazing! And I love playing board games, too. Particularly Settlers and Carcassone. You?
Hi, I'm Frances and I'm from Cape Town, South Africa. I've only recently discovered your blog (through Sal), and was very excited to read about a fellow African! My aunt and uncle used to live in Marondera, and I've been to visit them twice. Loved it in Zim! Unfortunately they lost their farm in 2000.
I'm more of a dog person and definitely a tea addict. Coffee makes me anxious. (Although I do love it too, so it's my weekend treat)
And my hobbies are sewing and surfing. I love the creativity of sewing, and being in the sea calms my soul.
Hi Andrea - Rachel, from Auckland, NZ. I'm 41, have a darling 2 and a half year old daughter, Claudia, and teach English part-time at a school for teenage mothers. The perfect job - both of them!
Lavazza "crema e gusto" - always and every day. Made on a stovetop espresso machine. I love tea as well - but I'm not so fussy about it. Teabags are fine.
I have been following your blog for a while now (weird how I feel I know you) and wonder if you have visited the Reading Room at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. Such a treasure trove - one of the richest special collections in the world (in fact the research library in AS Byatt's Possession - fabulous novel if you haven't yet had the pleasure - is based on it.) I once spent a few weeks there researching and reading the poet Louis Zukofsky's correspondence. The Gutenberg Bible is there, too....but you probably already know all this.
I imagine you would be intrigued by such a place - and who knows what material for a novel might be found there?! Pat Fox, who works in the reading room, is the most helpful and friendly librarian on the planet - seriously.
Must go, here's my husband with a cuppa. Warm wishes!
Hi Andrea,
We have been in contact for a long time but I guess this is my opportunity to self-indulge!
Apart from being mother to three, wife to one, I have been a part-time freelancing medical writer for three years.For 12 years though I worked with rats, rabbits and humans all of which (/whome?) were alive or dead at the time. Then I realised that I'd rather design and write up experiments than actually do them...part guilt (even though I didn't kill any humans, I swear!), part laziness I guess.
My second job is managing my husband's cardiology practice. My absolute leisures and pleasures in life (apart from chatting around the dinner table with my family over a home-cooked meal) are writing and reading. No, reading and writing...no, writing and reading. Well, you get the picture.
I love lots of coffee, tea and chai latte's (by the way, the word chai means tea in Arabic, Czech and Hindi as well).
Love your blog and, as always, I wish you every success, my dear.
Mervat
xo
Skaapie - it's so lovely to meet another Southern African! Marondera was a beautiful farming area (not so much now, obviously). My aunt and uncle had a farm too, in the Chinhoyi area (which is where I spent my first few years), but they lost it in 2000 as well.
Rachel - your espresso sounds just glorious! I haven't been to the Reading Room yet - haven't even heard of it - so thank you so much for introducing me to it. I will definitely go and take a look - it sounds wonderful.
Mervat! So lovely to hear from you, as always, beautiful lady. x
Andrea - here's the link to the Harry Ransom Center:
http://www.hrc.utexas.edu
Enjoy! - Rachel
Hi!
I found your blog about a month ago and it has become one of my favorites! I'm Tiffany, I'm from California and I have recently become a coffee person (when my I started working in LA over the summer I had to get up at 5AM and wouldn't get home til very late at night..) I have always been a cat person, when I was little I would pretend to be a cat! I have a rescued cat now named Miss Kitty. I love teaching and have my elementary credential, so I'm just waiting for a job to open up! One of my favorite things to do is get lost in a book! Thank you for such a great blog! :)
Hi!
Elisa, 17, Finland. Coffee to wake me up and make my hands shake vigorously. I love cats, for their beauty and all the silly things they do. (I know a cat that can't meow. She sounds more like a sheep.) I'm wishing to become a writer in the future, though I can't even say it out loud with a straight face. Low self confidence.
My mom complained to me last night, when I bought sparkly glitter shoes for spring, instead of the boring ones we had seen earlier. I have a huge crush on a boy. He has dreadlocks.
I love your blog! (I've been a lurker, but plan on changing that)
Andrea~
Heather from Baltimore, here. Thanks so much for being so welcoming. I, like many I'm sure, so often follow and find inspiration from blogs without engaging as much as I should. I only found yours a few days ago, and second the thoughts of condolence.
I'm a theater professional--public relations by day, costume designer by night. I love to sew, both costumes and crafts, as well as for myself as of late. I am a movie and TV junkie (the power of Tivo and Netflix keep me up to date when I'm in tech all the time, phew!). I love to read, and for the last two years have had an incredible book club going with a close group of friends from college and beyond.
Sometimes I really wish I actually used my blog, I've instead taken to tumblr where I can share what I'm working on and what inspires me in short bursts and images. Less pressure as I tend to be both busy and very distracted much of the time :)
Rachel - thanks!
Tiffany - I pretended to be a cat when I was little, as well! I was always slightly disappointed to be human.
Elisa - hi! My cat doesn't have much of a meow either - it's more of a bleating sound. Or a loud yowling when he wants breakfast.
Heather - I'm so envious of your sewing skills! I bet you make some beautiful stuff. What attracted you to theatre? Did you start out as an actor?
hi andrea! i'm a bit late in replying, but it seems only fair to say hi when i'm always reading your posts. i have two huge cats although i wouldn't call myself a cat person, the idea of a cat came with my husband (and i'm glad it did). i also drink way too much coffee (espressos!). i think of myself as a writer on hiatus, your blog is a pleasure to read- it always reminds me of how fulfilling writing is. you also introduced me to nanowrimo -thanks! i was going to participate for the second time this year, but i became a mom early november so that didn't leave much time for writing. lots of life experience to write about later though! keep blogging please.
Thanks, Andrea!
Actually, I don't know when the attraction started. I can't remember NOT playing with costumes, doing renderings and drawings, dressing up dolls and recreating favorite movies. Part of it was acting, but I think it was usually the clothes :) It firmed up in high school when I began working on costumes for school plays and at the local Renaissance Festival. That's when I started doing more clothing--I did try to act in both, and in college, but it always seemed there was more competition in acting and more demand for costumers.
And it happened again after college--I was acting in local theater and ended up costuming most the shows I was in! And then that lead to jobs word of mouth, so I just started doing more and more costuming and quickly moved from community theater to paid gigs!
I guess it's just love :)
Alice - wow, that does sound like an experience worth writing about! Are you going to try Nano again this year? I'm planning to host a group on my blog again.
Sabine - sounds like so much fun! Thanks for indulging my curiosity. x
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