athena613

Hi - I'm Kara!

I'm a thirty-something autistic writer with a lifelong passion for snail mail. I’ve enjoyed having penpals and swapping packages around the world for over 15 years.

I speak, read and write fluently in English and French, with basic skills in Italian and Spanish, and notions of Greek.

My interests include:

• Anything related to Rats, Bats, Hummingbirds, Dragons, Dragonflies, Butterflies, and Foxes

• Tattoos

• Piercings (I have symmetrical piercings in my septum and both nostrils)

• Anything related to Miyazaki animations

• Plants (seed sharing, growing, creating teas, tinctures, other concoctions)

• Dance and Music (I love to dance, and appreciate all kinds of dancing, from traditional folk dances to ballet to freeform.)

• Interior design (especially involving indoor plants, bookcases, and unique design. Lighting fixtures, lamps, windows are favorites.)

• Architecture, landscaping, and homesteading (especially stonework, cob houses, forests and trees, waterfalls, fairy gardens, herbal gardens, stone paths, mandalas, stone walls and stairs, symmetrical and other aesthetic designs)

• Pharmaceutical Data

• Medicine (both herbal and Western)

• Neurology, psychology, neurophysiology, mental health and wellness, neurodiversity, autism, ADHD

• Pets (we have two dogs, two cats, and two ratties!)

• Baby and children's items (I have a 4 yo and a newborn)

• Stained glass

• Origami

• Hygge ~ the Scandinavian concept of cultivating and maintaining a warm and joyful attitude year-round, by creating spaces, routines, and communities that feel cozy, safe, inviting, and peaceful. :)

Things that I enjoy and collect:

• Kawaii / Sanrio

• Stationary/letter sets of any kind

• Tea

• Photographs

• Art

• Feathers

• Bones or teeth from animals (ethically harvested, please!)

• Jewelry, especially earrings and rings, but I wear all kinds. :) Unfortunately, I have skin sensitivities, particularly in my ears, so if the jewelry is metal, it will need to be solid/pure metals so as not to experience a negative reaction. Any kind of clay, wood, ceramic, glass, etc. is great.

• Natural, homemade, and/or organic beauty products/samples

• Pressed flowers

• Posters and Prints / wall hangings

• Household decorations / anything that I can use to make my new home more inviting. :)

• Currency (coins or paper bank notes)

• Zines, Magazines, and books

• Journals, notebooks, or notepads

• Socks (size 9-11)

• Scarves

• Stickers

• Crystals

• Glass, clay, or earthen beads

• Miyazaki films (ALL of them! ^_^)

• The Darjeeling Limited

• The Fountain

• The Fall

• Persepolis

• Le Chat du Rabbin (the Rabbi's Cat)

• The Good Doctor

I love this show because it touches upon a few of my special interests -- namely, medical data and neurodiversity.

However, I am not very impressed with the uniform depictions of autistic people in the show. There have been 4 autistic characters so far, including the main character and 3 of his patients, and the show's writers made two of those characters speak in almost the same voice. When I looked into it, I noticed that those were the two actors who were not actually autistic. Autistics all sound different, so I don't like that part. We may all experience atypical communication patterns compared to non-autistics, but it doesn't mean that we all sound the same. I think that the writers should hire autistic actors instead hiring non-autistic actors who imitate us.

Still a good show in many other ways, though.

• Rick & Morty

This show should tell you a good bit about my sense of humor.

• Fringe

• Ascension

• Dear White People

I like almost every tea I’ve tried with a few exceptions listed at the bottom — so I’m not picky!

What I hope is that my tea swap partners will send me something that they like, so that I can discover a new flavor or brand, or so that I can experience what they like. :)

In my experience so far, these are my favorite teas:

• Earl Grey

• Any tea blend with rose petals in it

• Any tea blend with lavender flowers in it

• Any tea blend with jasmine flowers in it

• Chai-spiced tea

• Tulsi

• Medicinal herbal teas

I’m open to almost anything. I love trying new flavors and blends from all over the world. :)

I don’t think that I have ever tried a tea that I would not drink!

That being said, there are a few flavors that are my least favorite:

• Hibiscus. If you only have hibiscus I will not give you a bad rating. However, if you can find another kind, I would prefer that. :)

• Any artificial flavors. I don’t like the artificial fruit flavors as much as I like the teas with actual fruit in them.

Strong, pungent, bitter, or earthy flavors do not scare me. :)

Organic tea is a plus, but definitely not required.

Until my early 20s, I enjoyed reading books on a daily basis, often a couple of hundred pages a day. However, I reached a point where it felt like I had "saturated" the amount of fiction and literature that I needed to take in, and at that point, I stopped reading books, and began writing or reading informational journals, textbooks, and magazines, instead.

These days, I really enjoy reading anything to do with the following:

• Medical research, especially concerning neurology, pharmacology, and new data or treatment options.

• Exploration of different parts of the world ; cultures

• Tech news and developments

These are things that I would prefer not to receive from my swap partners. I will not rate down if you still follow the swap rules, but if you're able to avoid sending me these things, that would be swell. I'd rather you save them for folks who will appreciate them. :)

• Note cards of the following varieties: "Thank you," "Birthday," "Congrats," or any other note card that is for an "occasion." I prefer note cards that are not specific to any one occasion.

• Major religious themes

• Christmas or other holiday things, unless that is specified in the swap

• Things that are broken, ripped, etc. Bits of paper, chain, etc. There are specific swaps for this kind of thing; I'd rather receive in tact items, and I also send in tact items

My animal companions includes the following:

Small / Exotic Critters

• Berry, a ruby-eyed, champagne, beige-hooded dumbo rat

• Carrot, a black, Berkshire dumbo rat

• Phoenix, a pink-eyed, dumbo Silvermane Mink rat

• Teddy, a lavender, dumbo Angora rat

• Ratatouille, a brown, dumbo Agouti rat

• Athena, a pink-eyed, black dumbo Marten rat

Dogs

• Cappy, 7 yrs old, a Belgian Malinois / Pitbull pup

• Maya, 4 yrs old, a Black Labrador / Boxer pup

Cats

• Awk, 3 yrs, a black cat with white on paws and chest

• Bit, 3 yrs, a black cat