Swap-bot Time: March 31, 2023 2:05 am
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catlingmex

catlingmex
Original Member
Last Online: March 30, 2023

Country: United States
My Website

About Me

My name is Robin, and so far I've been alive for over half a century.

Born and raised in Indiana, USA, I lived the first 20+ years of my adult life in Mexico City, Mexico, then in Costa Rica (Central America) for a couple of years, then in South Florida for 5 years or so, now in a small town in in my native state. I'm female, 100% bilingual English-Spanish, joyfully Roman Catholic, happily married to a man born and raised in South America. This is all pretty exotic for an introvert who grew up in a monolingual Midwestern milieu! [chuckle]

I've worked at quite a variety of jobs in my lifetime, including teacher of English as a foreign language at a college in Mexico for many years, airline reservations agent, direct in-home support to adults with developmental disabilities, big-box store cashier, clerk at a thrift store, call center agent, and church secretary. I would love to retire from a day job someday, but unless a major miracle occurs, that will not be possible.

In addition to the usual 9-to-5, I spent 7 years developing recipes and writing (in Spanish and English) about authentic Mexican food for thespruceeats.com. Now the hubs and I maintain our own blog, where we share recipes from North, Central, and South America: comboplate.net

Languages

Fluent in English and Spanish. Have studied some Italian, Portuguese, German, and Polish. I love language, languages, and linguistics! However, I am not usually very talkative at all -- go figure. I do tend to be more loquacious in writing, as evidenced by the length of this profile! lol

Miscellaneous LIkes

Likes/loves include

  • FOLKLORE, popular culture and festivals, local history and quirky local places, the history and traditions of HOLIDAYS of all sorts (I adore Groundhog Day, for example.)

  • Cooking, baking, COOKBOOKS; reading, talking about, trying and developing recipes.

  • chocolate (the darker, the better), MINT flavors (all kinds), teabags (black or herbal, green not so much), anise-flavored things (not licorice candy), real CHEESE, all kinds of cookies, avocados, aromatic herbs and spices, interesting hot sauces

  • TURTLES (freshwater), fireflies/lightning bugs, llamas, cats, lizards/iguanas, otters, honey bees, dragonflies, ladybugs, butterflies, groundhogs, and robin birds (especially since my name is Robin). My husband is an enthusiast of sloths, pandas, and bears in general.

  • SUNFLOWERS, suns, smiley faces, the color yellow and cheerful things in general

  • PUZZLES, crosswords, word search, mazes, jigsaw puzzles, kaleidoscopes, board games

  • visiting MUSEUMS of all kinds, also botanical gardens, conservatories, etc; also birdwatching and simple gardening, especially succulents and anything in containers.

  • ART and artistic and artsy craftsy stuff in general; ancient art, cave art, folk art, "primitive" art, and outsider / visionary art are particular favorites

  • artistic ATCs and all sorts of snail mail postal joy

  • Americana (USA) and anything Latin American and/or Caribbean

Occasional creative endeavors

Linoleum print carving, mini-zine making, drawing, painting, cross stitch, creative writing, adult coloring, zendoodling, woodburning, very simple sewing, papercrafts, floral arranging; would love to try a lot more things.

Not particularly into ...

I am totally not cool. On most days I'm pretty much okay with that, though I do apologize for any discomfort my dorkiness may cause. [winsome smile]

Sorry, but I am not really into gothic/dark, tattoos/piercings, girly things like make up and spa treatments, Disney, video games, cynicism, political bashing, anime, manga, New Age, erotica, vampies or zombies, kawaii, or gourmet coffee. I'm not big on shopping (except for groceries, I do enjoy grocery shopping! oh, and thrift stores) and I am working on being less sarcastic.

However, I'm really not at all as crochety and dour as I know that last paragraph makes me sound. :-) While I do strive to be the best me that I can be, I do not believe that perfectionism is healthy.

Rating, Flakers, and Flaking

I will always rate you for a swap I received. It might not happen the very same day that I receive your item (I can sometimes go a few days between visits to the site), but it will be within a week.

I've been a member here at Swap-Bot pretty much since the beginning of the site. The first swap here that I participated in was in March of 2006! My level/intensity of swapping activity has varied widely through the years. I've seen many trends come and go, as you might imagine.

In recent years it has become quite popular here to maintain a "wall of shame" or list of people who have flaked. I choose not to do that. There have been quite a few who have "done me wrong," and, yes, of course it's unpleasant, but I consider this an issue only between my partner and myself. I have given people low ratings when warranted -- and I consider that sufficient "punishment." If your views differ on this, I respect that. Please also respect mine.

As for my own (few and long ago--over 10 years now!) 1s and 3s: I am not proud of them, and I accept them without argument as fair consequences for my actions at the time. However, I generally don't discuss those ratings with anyone besides the people directly involved.

I Can Always Use

  • postcards showing a recipe or a typcial craft/costume/food from your country or region

  • anything particular to your city/region

  • zines or mini zines (relatively clean, please)

  • small denomination banknotes or coins from anywhere in the world

  • recipe pamphlets (like the ones given out for free with a food product) or cookbooks with recipes from real people (like those made for fundraising by churches and civic groups)

  • bookmarks, epecially handmade, related to your area (touristy or not), and the freebie ones given out by libraries, museums, bookstores, etc. (preferably not too childish)

  • lip balm in interesting flavors (not strawberry, bubble gum, or dill pickle flavored)

  • plant cuttings or seeds for succulent plants (with growing instructions)

  • Catholic miscellany (rosaries, old prayer books, images of saints, etc.)

  • cassette tapes (my 2002 Honda has a tape deck), any type of music, books on tape, etc. UPDATE: my beloved Honda has now passed to a better life, but I have acquired a boom box with cassette deck. I have settled on cassettes tapes as my absolute favorite format!

  • Any sort of souvenir cotton dish towel/tea towel from anywhere. I have purchased a few of these at thrift stores for around a dollar each (apparently people buy them as souvenirs and then don’t actually use them most of the time), and have come to love them. It doesn’t matter that I’ve never been to the location featured; I get to travel around the world each time I do something in the kitchen! New or used, retro or modern is fine, as long as they are not badly stained or full of holes (small stains/imperfections are no problem). I will be joyfully using any towel I may get.

  • "discarded" pieces of cross stitch/embroidery or old crocheted doilies/dresser scarves. It always kills me when I see a stitched picture for sale at a thrift store, because some poor woman worked hard and long on it only for someone else to go and throw it out/donate it. I do understand downsizing and all, but this is the type of valuable piece that can be used to create something else (pillow, pin cushion, greeting card, whatever), so I try to "rescue" these precious items when I can and the price is reasonable.

Ratings

nathalieswap rated for Excess X-Slips #1 on Mar 28, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Received them today in good condition :-) Thank you for the huge variety!
Teraecau rated for Newbie friendly swap! on Mar 17, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for this massive swap! :) The girl dye cuts are so cue! ✨
5
rating
Comment: thank you!
Jafferty rated for Postage Stamp Bag Swap #63 on Mar 16, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Thanks much for the swap! Will get these moving along!
Honeybee203 rated for Newbie friendly swap! on Mar 15, 2023
5
rating
 
5
rating
Comment: Thank you! Can't wait to send these home!
5
rating
 
5
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Comment: Thank You SO MUCH Robin! Super neat and organized ; a Perfectly Done Presentation…!! I even appreciate the selection of Bags you sent,.,. You included Bags signed by ❤️SOOO MANY❤️ Participants that i had ❌NEVER❌ Before came across -or seen…!!! Several “NPW / NSW” Pals that I specifically marked down in my notebook for references for sending “Firsties” too…. So I want to thank you (ALSO) for (potentially) gifting me a handful of Brand New Pen Friends! On Top Of THAT (priceless gift; as - We all can agree - a Friendship / Snail Mail - Relationship is ABSOLUTELY “priceless,”!! ☺️☺️)…. Your bags left me with my JAW on the FLOOR….. firstly; I came across an Addressee residing in Barstow…. Which is a smaller city roughly 2 hours from me - that’s a “Stop” on the “Los Angeles to Las Vegas” circuit, so that was Exciting! But - even moreso ; I came across an addressee LIVING IN THE EXACT SAME CITY AS ME (😱😱🤯🤯🤯😱😱😳😳😦😦😶😳🤯🤯🤯🤩🤩🤩🥳🥳😭😭🥳🤣🤣🤪) lololol… I had NEVER came across any Pen Friends locally …. (With the exception of being a teenager) but I could t believe it - lol. So I want to thank you So Very much - your swap was appreciated MORE THAN YOU COULD KNOW..!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ (P.S. I’ll have you know - I was able to turn around and send 4 back Home last night …. The same evening I opened your package ! So I assume they’ll all appreciate you more than you know as well 😉!! ) thanks again Robin.,,, I’ve made you several Books and Bags and included some of them in the 4 Send-Offs last night …. Hopefully they’ll have a very quick turnaround as well 👍 Much Love and Positivity!
Response: Wow, thank you for such an effusive rating! It´s probably the most enthusiastic I´ve ever received, lol. So glad there were some amazing things in there. Thank you for all the love and positivity.
5
rating
Comment: Thanks!!!!
5
rating
Comment: Thanks so much!
denisedecker58 rated for 10 Friendship Sheets on Mar 8, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Thank you!
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for a great swap!
Begokschaf rated for Postage Stamp Bag Swap #62 on Mar 6, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Thank you
5
rating
Comment: Thank you so much!!! :)
5
rating
Comment: WOW! So many amazing goodies! Thank you!
5
rating
Comment: Such a special card! thank you for sharing it with me!
lrm1980 rated for Zines #39 on Mar 3, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Love your Faux Fall zine… cute! I know I do swap zines at times with a few others… I’ll try to find someone to send your bag along to. 💕
Millia rated for Memory Triggers #9 on Mar 3, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the zine 🌸 I also really adore the handmade heart card! 🦋
Myself333 rated for PH: Variety Pack #8 on Feb 27, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Oh my gosh, Robin, absolutely great envie! I got such a good chuckle at some of these items, and it was all so to my taste, thank you for that! All 4 postcards, the avocado sticker book, and the adult joke greeting cards are my fave, you really made my day <3 Happy swapping!
Response: I´m so glad all that quirky stuff went to someone who appreciates it!
Spritsy rated for Memory Triggers #9 on Feb 26, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Robin, I REALLY like the premise of your zine! Valentine's Day can be a stressful day for many, and your ideas are great ways to spread the love without relegating it to just romantic love. I will most definitely be expanding my definition of Valentine's Day next year :) I appreciate the extra surprises as well <3
Response: It sounds like you were the perfect audience for that zine. Thank you so much for the positive feedback. <3

Rating Overview

Overall Hearts Stars Hosted
4.9927 1478 29 38
Completed Fives Threes Ones
993 1900 3 2
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Uncategorized
95 566 201 131
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Currently Hosting

  • the user is not hosting any current swaps

Comments

LadyGuenevere on Feb 4, 2023:

Happy Groundhog Day from this late-arriving, procrastinating groundhog who didn't want to be seen, but sends cheer and good wishes! He's off to see if Puxatawney Phil saw his shadow, but either way---6 more weeks of winter if you live in the Northeast. Maybe even a blizzard! ;)

  • Alayna
LadyGuenevere on Feb 3, 2023:

((Hmmm! So very sorry, I'm struggling with trying to make images display! I've asked for some help; be back soon. laughs ))

LadyGuenevere on Feb 3, 2023:

This groundhog slept in, and was a bit late in arriving! I hope you'll forgive him; he just agrees with whatever Puxatawney Phil has to say. ;)

!(http://www.owlkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/dreamstimes23121036-300x300.jpg)

nancylee on Feb 1, 2023:

Thank you for joining my swap- celebrate a little more with a bonus Groundhog Day Profile Decoration swap

cowboypoodle on Jan 30, 2023:

Groundhog Day profile decoration!

Rainydancer on Sep 24, 2022:

Welcome to Sunshine swaps!

kittyhahahotbot on Sep 16, 2022:

chimerix on Aug 17, 2022:

OMG! I just got home and found a big ol' package of yarn waiting for me! I am in love with so many of the skeins you sent, I have to find projects for them now! Thank you so much for sharing your stash with me! Aloha!

RAKS only

circularlogic on Dec 6, 2021:

Thank you for the Christmas card and minizine, Robin! The minizine is awesome!

Happy Holidays,
Jessie

SwapwithMisty on Nov 19, 2021:

Hola! I'm so glad you enjoyed the sweet potato recipe! Thank you for joining the swaps and extra thanks for the happy mail you have sent my way! :) Best wishes for Happy Holidays!

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