Swap-bot Time: November 21, 2024 1:07 am
www.swap-bot.com

user2637

user2637
Original Member
Last Online: October 25, 2020
Birthday: February 13
Country: United States
Goodreads
Flickr (spoilers)
Etsy $5 wishlist

~~~~About Me~~~~

Hi, I'm Desirée, but you can call me Ray or Des if you like. I'm mostly going by Ray now around the 'net (love the androgyny / sex ambiguity of it!) but sometimes forget and sign things 'Des' since that nickname is much older. :)

Sadly, I am chronically ill with Fibromyalgia Syndrome, which includes many symptoms that vary day to day. It's awful, but I try to deal with it or ignore it (ha!). I end up being pretty anti-social when the FMS gets bad.

It's hard for me to venture out into the world sometimes due to my severe asthmatic allergies to cats, cigarette smoke, and many scented items, which includes intentionally scented things like perfume, body lotion, cologne, and fabric softener, and accidentally scented things like dry erase markers, and cleaning solutions. Luckily, I've never found a craft supply that I'm allergic to when it's dry, so don't fret over that! Please do try your best to not send me "fragranced" or "scented" things, or cats, haha. I greatly appreciate it.

If you, or someone in your household smokes and the swap has been exposed to smoke, please mark the envelope somehow. If you do, I can use science to get the smell out. Yay!

In my free time, I like watching movies, playing board games or D&D, papercrafting, reading, and learning new things. I don't knit or sew too much anymore as it's hard on my hands/arms. I would take college classes forever if I had the time, money, and spoons to do so.

I am an unrepentant feminist, atheist, humanist, scientist. I believe in equality of all humans, and hate that our laws don't reflect this. I believe gender is not binary and personally do not identify as female. I believe in evolution, and other peer-reviewed scientific facts. I believe in asking questions, lots of questions. I eschew quackery, homeopathy, pseudo-science, and illogic.

~~~~Current News~~~~

Update 15Jun2020:

....still on hiatus... keeping my account of course but I dunno if/when I’ll get back to swapping.

...depression sucks.

~~~~About Swaps~~~~

Profile-specific are my favorite. Regardless, I will always check my partner's profile!

I am very proactive. When I host, I check to see if everyone sent on time, and don't 'archive' the swap until I've verified everyone has sent, rec'd, and been rated. I find keeping on top of this helps avoid 'surprise' ratings.

I try to rate fairly and to use the rating system as it's meant to be used. As for mailing, I mark a swap 'sent' when I put it in my mailbox to be picked up. Sometimes this happens in the evening and the swap gets picked up the next day.

~~~~Some things I like~~~~

Loving Pocket Letters right now. I want a binder FULL of them! I prefer mine to be fully decorated on the front, so I can flip through my binder later and enjoy the artsy-ness of them again. Empty pockets make me sad!

Washi tape is still an obsession.

I collect Rolos. My rolodex can take cards up to 4 1/8" wide and 3" tall. I prefer the backside to have the holes at the TOP.

ATCs!!!! They are so small and easy to collect. I have a whole 4" binder full already. I have pages dedicated to science, handdrawn/handpainted, Firefly, Buffy (the show), Halloween-esque, Torchwood, and Doctor Who. Also working on a collection of seahorse ATCs.

Colors: Orange is my favorite! Right about the 620 nanometer wavelength, specifically. I like all other colors except pink, and red/white/blue together. I can do without pastels and gold as well.

Snacks: My partner and I love to try new snacks, candies, chips, etc. We prefer dark chocolate with stuff in it (but not coconut or licorice). Love hot cocoa, tea, and coffee mixes. Chocolate+peanutbutter=♥

~~Themes I like~~

Animals: Pretty much any realistic looking animals with the exception of spiders/arachnids. I'm not too fond of housecats either, but they are nice in silhouette form. Some of my favorites are: anteaters, baby mammals, bats (fruit bats!!), beavers, bees, beetles, boar, bunnies, capybaras, chickens, chinchillas, cows, crows, dinosaurs, ducks, feathered dinosaurs, foxes (especially fennec, silver, and red), goats, hedgehogs, hummingbirds, kiwi, koalas, lemurs, octopodes, owls (especially little and barn), penguins, platypuses, puppies (corgi!), otters, raccoons, red pandas, seahorses, sloths, snakes, squirrels, stingrays, sugar gliders, turtles, zonkeys.

Food: Pretty much all fruits and vegetables, pineapples, citrus fruits, blood oranges. Also coffee, tea, cupcakes, cakes, mushrooms, pumpkins. Foods with faces are adorable.

Games: Scrabble & word games, craps, poker, roulette, Clue, Monopoly. Most board games. Dice. Decks of cards.

I've finally given in and started collecting Aces of Diamonds, my 'lucky' card since grade school. Not lucky exactly, but it seems to pop up everywhere. Would love some from weird decks of cards (I have a lot of Bicycle cards and normal red/blue backed cards already).

Science: Planets, stars, space, spaceships, atoms, chemical symbols, anatomy, robots, androids, floorplans, technical plans or diagrams, maps, roadmaps, gears, clocks, hardware like screws & nails, tools, crime scene investigation, fingerprints.

Dark: Skulls, gore, blood spatter, fire, serial killers (real and fictitious), Halloween, horror, macabre, graveyards, gothic, bones, steampunk, vampires (True Blood, Dracula, Elizabeth Bathory but not so much Twilight), zombies.

Misc: Artistamps, postoids, or other fake stamp-like-things. Stamped images. Embossed images (with a machine or with powder). Handdrawn. Handpainted. Russian, German, Latin, Esperanto. Paisley, plaid, stripes, chevrons, solids, swirly patterns. Cityscapes. Leaves, trees, vines. Super heroes and comic characters. Robots. Motorcycles. Book pages with words, numbers, diagrams. Ephemera. Punctuation, especially asterisks and ampersands. Knitting, sewing, cross-stitch. LGBTQIA support. Atheism. Anything from the TV shows, Movies, Music, and Books I've listed below.

~~~~Some things I dislike~~~~

Fragrances: Please do not send me anything fragranced. They can make me ill, thanks.

Colors: Red, white, and blue together. Gold. Pastels. PINK. To be clear, I HATE pink. When I get pink things, they make me sad, and just go right into the "give away" pile. It's a huge pile and all pink. Please don't send pink, even as an extra! I do occasionally join sender's choice swaps, so I know that I will invariably receive pink in those and that's my fault for joining sender's choice.

Themes: Anything religious. Americana. FLOWERS, as most flowers I see are pink or pinkish-red, or it looks like a flower shop exploded onto the paper or whatever, I'm not a fan. I don't hate-hate them, but I don't typically keep or use things with flowers on them. Astrology. Cutesy/girly (if a stereotypical girl or young woman would like it, I probably wouldn't. Think of me as male, if that helps). I don't like hearts like this ♥ (but I love anatomical hearts). French. Holidays items, except Halloween which I love, and non-religious Xmas stuff is growing on me--but V-Day, Easter, 4th of July, etc. aren't my style. Realistic spiders (SO arachnophobic!). Zentangles.

Loose glitter -- it gets everywhere! Glitter that is secured down to items is okay.

Things I don't need: Unless the swap specifically calls for it, or it's related to one of my "likes" and you think I'll love it!: Magnets. Bookmarks (unless Book Darts). Keychains. Jewelry. Makeup. Body products. Hair accessories. Clothing. Plain-colored envelopes.

~~~~Movies & TV~~~~

Movies: Amelie. Lilo and Stitch. The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Boondock Saints. Donnie Darko. Shock Treatment. Rushmore. Office Space. The Princess Bride. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. SuperTroopers. Repo! The Genetic Opera. Serenity. Big Hero Six. Wreck-It Ralph. Wes Anderson flicks. Musicals! Star Trek (the reboot is GREAT). Super hero films; Guardians of the Galaxy was so good!

T.V.: Firefly (I like in order: Simon, Mal, River, Wash, Kaylee). Doctor Who (the 11th Doctor is my fav). Torchwood (swoon Captain Jack swoon Ianto Jones). Buffy (Spike is my favorite!). The Big Bang Theory. Dexter. True Blood (Eric Northman!). Primeval. The Walking Dead. Arrow. Archer (horrible people but I LOL every episode). Castle. Bones. House. The 4400. Psych. ReGenesis. Eureka. Warehouse 13. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Battlestar Galactica. Fringe. Star Trek. Gotham. The Librarians. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Marvel's Agent Carter. Girls. Hannibal. Helix. Rick and Morty! And so, so many more shows that have ended or were canceled well before their time.

~~~~Music & Reading~~~~

Music: The Dresden Dolls. Amanda Palmer. Vermillion Lies. Nine Inch Nails. Rammstein. Fiona Apple. Hamell On Trial. Jonathan Coulton. Rent Soundtrack. Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog soundtrack. Repo! The Genetic Opera soundtrack. Kirby Krackle (geektastic!).

Reading: Sci-fi with actual science, like Red Mars, The Martian, and Rendevous with Rama. Mysteries. Humorous. Serial killer books like the Silence of the Lamb series and Dexter. Books made into movies (of genres I like). Books that continue/expand movies/tv shows that I like. Non-fiction books about science. Books by Tim Powers, Miranda July, Joey Comeau, Robert Heinlein, Christopher Moore, David Sedaris, Tom Robbins, Mary Roach, Isaac Asimov. Cookbooks. I guess I'm starting to like fantasy, but only the kind where I can pronounce everything and don't have to learn a new language. ;) I'm pretty much over YA dystopian trilogies -- too many, too similar.

~~~~Wishlist~~~~

I can dream, right? ;)

  • I'm in love with all the new postage stamps. Would LOVE to get used stamps (on envies sent to me or previously used) of all the planets + Pluto & New Horizons (I have rec'd Neptune, Uranus, & Jupiter!), the pets (chinchillia and hermit crab are top of the list, cats are at the bottom haha). (I rec'd all the Star Trek stamps, yaaaaay!)
  • Aces of Diamonds from weird decks of cards.
  • Flat, paper paraphernalia from any of my fandoms: Doctor Who, The Big Bang Theory, Walking Dead, Buffy, Firefly(!!!), Torchwood, etc. (list of tv shows and movies above).
  • Profile-based Rolos, ATCs, Flipper-books, or Pocket Letters.
  • Medium/largish paper punches / punchies
  • Solid colored embossed papers (with a machine, not powder)
  • Stencils (any size) -- Thanks to @ArtyBeth3 for sending me a handful of stencils. They are awesome!
  • Rec'd Doctor Who UK stamps!! Hooray! Huge thanks to @sassafrass for sending me a beautiful entire set of these. Just framed them!

~~~~Things I can send~~~~

This section is a work in progress....

I'm open to private swaps with swappers in good standing, though probably only within the USA due to postage costs. Here are some things I can send:

  • handmade envies -- I have one of those envie boards and have figured out measurements for PL-pocket-sized envies, as well as large envies to fit fairly well-stuffed PLs themselves.
  • scrabble tiles -- I have a lot of the basic tiles, and also black plastic "L33t" tiles with neon green letters on them.
  • postcards -- to be used by you. I have a pile of them but almost never use them.
  • used stamps -- tons of old Russian / USSR stamps, nicely off paper and in great condition. Also I save all the stamps from the envies I receive, basically just to send off to SB'ers.
  • stamped images -- the stamps tend toward my 'likes' above, so keep that in mind. I also have a Inkadinkado Stamping Gear kit, which makes for interesting stamping.
  • Santa Cruz, California swag -- I live here so if there are things you desire from here, maybe we can set something up!

...more to come!

~~~~ETC~~~~

Tag/Angel/RAK/Rockstar/Flaker notes (just for me to keep track):

Rockstars! @oblivionspin . @stephiedee . @kiddomerriweather . @sassafrass . @libertylithium . @FiWebster . @VivaLaDiane . @Snuggles555 . @Hell0Z0mbie . @smadronia . @stlouisphile . @jannieb . @biasbabe . @starrycat . @Snoskimouse . @Saristotle . @TC . @ImzadiRose . @CalyD


Swappers who flaked on me or my swaps (all angeled already): @rockyhorrorgerri . @APlusAmigurumi . @doulton . @evillinna . @Anne510 . @Yelrebmik . @feliciaclark7 . @MrsDoubleA . @InSkyDiamonds . @Krystalk . @fineapple

Ratings

sabbysteg rated for Fandom Postcard Swap: Firefly on Feb 4, 2017
5
rating
Comment: Thanks for the card!
ttbishop rated for mpu: send me a postcard 2 on Feb 2, 2017
5
rating
Comment: Thanks for resending.
JeanetteC rated for mpu: send me a postcard 2 on Feb 2, 2017
5
rating
Comment: So sorry you had to re-send Ray but I adore Orca so this card is perfect. I have seen them in our own 'sea' here, in Alaska and in Australia. Have you seen any? Thank you!
pkpeace rated for mpu: send me a postcard 2 on Feb 2, 2017
5
rating
Comment: Multiple Hats! Thanks, Des! xo
oblivionspin rated for mpu: send me a postcard 2 on Feb 2, 2017
5
rating
Comment: Your (resent) postcard arrived today and boy oh boy do I see why it made you smile. What a fantastic creation. Thank you (:
5
rating
Comment: This was the best journal I ever received in a swap...what fun!! By the way, if you are ever in WV, 30 miles from me is the Transatlantic Lunatic Asylum, the largest cut stone building in the western hemisphere, in Weston, WV..it is now a "tourist trap", reported to be haunted, and they have all sorts of spooky events there!! The building is enormous, made from hand cut stone - one of WV's many odd tourist attractions!! Sounds like you find a bunch in CA as well. Fun getting something mailed from Disneyland...I lived in CA for 2 years in the '60s and never got to Disneyland!
Response: That asylum sounds amazing!! So happy you like the swap and that Disneyland got it there quickly. I had to wrestle with it to get it into the little mailbox on Main St USA haha. Thanks for the nice comment! :)
bbsporty rated for MPU: Postcard Plus #3 on Nov 29, 2016
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for a great postcard! I'm still working on the word scramble but I will get it!
Response: You're welcome! Let me know if you need a hint. ;)
pkpeace rated for mpu: Halloween Scavenger Hunt on Nov 9, 2016
5
rating
Comment: Guess what was in my mail today?! Ok, so I LOVE the purse! I feel so honored by the thought you put into it! The teeny, tiny dancing skeleton buttons are my kind of thing and they will end up grooving somewhere in my home! The washi and vellum bag are favorites too! Thanks Des, I love everything!! xo Patty
Response: I tracked it this morning and was very surprised that they found it!! Kinda amazing actually. So happy you love the purse and things -- if you check the purse lining, you may notice some of the skeletons are leapfrogging haha. Thanks for being patient! :D
midwestkiwi rated for mpu: send me a postcard... on Nov 9, 2016
5
rating
Comment: Too friendly cows? What did they DO to you?
Response: Hmm.. I meant to write "two friendly cows" haha. Homonyms, amiright!? They were called Peanut and Willie, rescued by a friend of a friend when they were 1 day old. I got to pet them and feed them bread! :D
MamaMangrove rated for mpu: send me a postcard... on Nov 9, 2016
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the card & cool train stamp. It's the morning after the election & I'm dejected, distressed & despondent...
Response: You're welcome. I'm glad you like the card. I'm feeling much the same way today, coupled with shock. :/
JeanetteC rated for mpu: send me a postcard... on Nov 8, 2016
5
rating
Comment: Ray! Excellent pun...thank you! Thinking of you and hoping today is sunnier <3
Response: Glad you liked it! :) Thanks for the nice rating.
bigmamabird rated for mpu: send me a postcard... on Nov 7, 2016
5
rating
Comment: Thanks for the silly ventriloquist postcard! I like all the patterns on it... I have always found them (ventriloquists) a little disturbing, truth be told. Any way this was a fun and satisfying swap.
Response: I think the patterns are what drew me to that card too. It was a toss up between that one and a guy riding an ostrich, which was more solid colors. Hopefully it didn't disturb you too much! :)
pkpeace rated for mpu: send me a postcard... on Nov 7, 2016
5
rating
Comment: I love the card, King Tut! I saw that in Seattle I think. I can't remember!! Thank you for sharing your memories of Bill Peet books! I hadn't thought of them in awhile! The Westing Game is in my "To Read" pile! Thanks, Des! xo
Response: I re-read the Westing Game this year and still enjoyed it but not as much as when I was a kid and it was a BIG mystery, haha. Hope you like it. :)
5
rating
Comment: OMG! I can't even tell you how fabulous this is!! The recipe and Valentine's Day cards - YEESSSS!!!! I love every bit of it - thank you so much! I wish I could give you all the hearts!
Response: :D I was really going for 'all the hearts', so I'm glad I achieved it. ;) ;) Thanks for the lovely rating! :D
TwoTurtles rated for Quick MEGA Washi Swap (USA) on Oct 23, 2016
5
rating
Comment: Thank you!!
Response: You're welcome!
sabbysteg rated for Fandom Postcard Swap on Oct 23, 2016
5
rating
Comment: I'm an 11 fan too! He gets no respect!
Response: Oh, goody! I'm glad you like 11. :D My other partner does too! That makes me happy that I sent you two my last two 11 postcards. Share the 11 love.
Sharlie rated for Quick MEGA Washi Swap (USA) on Oct 22, 2016
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the washi!
Response: You're welcome. :)
kssunlover1947 rated for Quick MEGA Washi Swap (USA) on Oct 21, 2016
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the washi
Response: You're welcome!
shinyserra rated for Quick MEGA Washi Swap (USA) on Oct 21, 2016
5
rating
Comment: Thanks!
Response: You're welcome. :)
TeeB rated for WOW! Washi, WOW! #2 on Oct 20, 2016
5
rating
Comment: Really great tapes! Thanks so much!
Response: You're welcome. I was happy for my camera phone with this swap. I luckily remembered to snap pix of this and the Quick Mega Washi, so I was able to not send you the same tapes in both! :D

Rating Overview

Overall Hearts Stars Hosted
5.0000 713 92 96
Completed Fives Threes Ones
563 894 0 0
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Uncategorized
68 165 322 8
View all

Currently In

  • the user is not currently in any swaps :(

Currently Hosting

  • the user is not hosting any current swaps

Comments

cynaemon on Apr 21, 2022:

Heads up!. This user pops in every couple of years to harass people! BEWARE!!!!

smadronia on Dec 31, 2018:

hugs miss you here on the Bot

pkpeace on May 3, 2017:

WOnderful You!!! I love the fabric! Thank you so much! I'm hoping it will become sleep shorts!!! Take good care of yourself and I do hope you're feeling better soon! Hugs, Patty xo

DaisyNY on Feb 22, 2017:

Who the hell would ever put licorice in chocolate? Agh, the thought of that....

VivaLaDiane on Feb 16, 2017:

Words can't really express my gratitude for the little card and Stitch penny that somehow found it's way to me. I've had a very rough patch and am just being to get back together. But I am sincerely touched to receive the envelope from you. It's amazing that a penny could mean so much, but it really did and I thank you so very much! ♥

cayers2 on Feb 3, 2017:

I've been out of town all week and came home to find a nice package from you. Thanks so much for the blank note cards! I love the fact that they are blank on the outside as well! That way I can use my imagination to decorate them any way I want! :)

AATW Jan. wishlist

oblivionspin on Jan 30, 2017:

No worries about the postcards being eaten, definitely not your fault but super annoying on your end.
It's good to hear from you to know you're hanging in there, even if you're overwhelmed. Don't forget to breathe and take care. Hugs!

oblivionspin on Jan 11, 2017:

The thick spots were some mix of acrylic mediums and molding pastes. It was definitely my intention to paint over the cards a bit to pretty them up, but the best laid plans of mice and men...

phillaine on Jan 2, 2017:

GAH! I totally guessed what you made me, but I couldn't have possibly guessed how awesome it would be! Thank you, Ray. You weren't joking when you said you found the perfect fabric. I love the grey and red/black accent fabrics, too. This is such a thoughtful gift, put together with so much care, and I can tell it will last me for a long long while and hundreds of dreams. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. ♥ "Poppies will put them to sleep....sleeeeep...." :)

oblivionspin on Dec 31, 2016:

AHS has its moments, you would probably enjoy it. I will be honest, I only watched the first 2 seasons, I am one of the worst people at watching television shows, I lose interest so easily. Or I latch on to one character that dies way too soon or have one character that irritates me to no end and I just can't get over it (Dexter hit both those points, for example. I only got through one season.)(actually looking at your t.v. section on your profile it seems to be made up entirely of shows I tried really hard to watch and didn't make it, so yeah, you probably would enjoy it. I count 3 that I have seen the whole way through on there, though.)

Login to leave a comment now!