cassiop3ia

friday, nov. 6 I HAVE BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL FOR THE PAST WEEK! gee golly, what a year this has been! i was admitted to the mental hospital this past week for psychosis, and as a result have not logged any ratings of things i have received or responded to mail. because i'm still recovering, please be patient with me as i go through all my mail and messages. for upcoming swaps that i am already signed up for, i am trying my best to get them out but may be a day or two late because i am crazy as heck right now! like literally nutso!

I HAVE MOVED! If you're in a wishlist-type granting thing with me for a group, my address in the address threads are not correct! please message me to get my new address. thanks to the magic of USPS, i will still get your item if sent to my old address, but i think it's better to be efficient, no? thank you!

the address that comes up when you click on my name for regular swap-bot swaps is the correct address! thanks!

just a chicago gal from los angeles trying to make her sad existence less sad by immersing herself into snail mail, no matter the cost (literally, sometimes!). 29 years old. you can call me sylvia. mostly because that is my real name.

i am a journalist by trade and, as far as writing goes, have worked for various los angeles newspapers, and have also written for paste magazine. i do consider myself a freelancer, although work is not steady, so i bolster my income with figure modeling for art classes.

i prefer writing creative nonfiction/memoir writing, but i also do enjoy writing poetry. i also journal and art journal quite a bit.

MY MENTAL ILLNESS: i have bipolar i disorder, rapid cycling. so if i send you a penpal letter, i may make some mention of being "sick" or going to the "hospital." i am not regular sick, and i do not mean a normal hospital! i actually never get colds! also, that is why i am currently unemployed! this is a heck of an illness. i am putting this in my profile in the hopes that this miniscule mention will raise some kind of awareness. also, i am tired of wondering whether i mentioned to this penpal or that that i have bipolar disorder. it is a big part of my life. it has ruined me and made me famous. it has done so many things for me and against me.

WHEN IT COMES TO 1S AND 3S AND RATINGS: if you think i merit a 1 or 3, please email me first so we can discuss it and i can resend if needed! on the other end, if i have not rated you and it's been a while, let me know! i'm usually good at quick ratings but i'm fallible.

neil gaiman's "american gods." alan moore's "the killing joke." zadie smith's "white teeth," william faulkner's "the sound and the fury," gabriel garcia marquez's" 100 years of solitude." joshua ferris' "the unnamed." i generally like sad books that unveil and gently cup in its hands the fragility of humanity.

i also enjoy books by SARK.

wayne's world. wayne's world 2. there will be blood. eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. synecdoche, new york. most kinds of "relationship porn" (that is, movies along the veins of revolutionary road, away we go, blue valentine). scott pilgrim vs. the world. rocky horror picture show.

ephemera. paper art. rubber stamps. NAKED postcards. washi tape. zines. photocopy craft. collage. any kind of handmade art. things that could be used for pocket letters.

rabbits. squids. octopuses. the color orange. rainbows. polka dots. the city of portland, ore. the city of chicago. the city of london. the city of los angeles. (all cities i have lived in.) kawaii -- i prefer non-sanrio kawaii. maps. travel. nautical iconography. food. vegetables. fruits. vintage. mod. the emotion of sadness. heartbreak. medical history and medical curiosities. art from the 1800s to the 1970s. taxidermy. pinups.

WEIRD THINGS IN GENERAL!

TEA: when it comes to tea, i usually use loose-leaf tea. i only use sachets when i make iced tea, and in that case i use four teabags at a time. i would stray from putting sachet tea in packages and pocket letters (sorry!) unless you are putting more than one sachet of the same flavor, or are putting different sachets together that might brew well together, or if you are sending loose-leaf tea. otherwise, i don't have much use for the stuff. i'm super sorry! this is the one thing i am picky about. i like all teas except for chamomile.

CANDY/CHOCOLATE: candy of all kinds is great! my boyfriend loves blueberry flavoring.

• LUSH items of any kind
• socks, especially knee and thigh high socks. I live in a very cold climate during the winter (it can get to -20F out here in chicago), so wool socks are especially useful!
• handmade envelopes
• washi rolls or samples
• diecuts and embellishments for pocket letters and ATCs
• anything handmade by you
• blank journals of any size
• sharpies, scrapbooking or other pens with interesting ink
• address labels!
• any kind of art made by you -- this includes envelope mail art, ATCs, that sort of thing. i'm always looking for art to display in my house!
• i've always wanted a letter opener!

• disney or other characters from cartoon movies (e.g. despicable me)
• butterflies
• holiday-themed items
• coupons -- i do not need them

(that's all i can think of right now)

KINDS OF POSTCARDS I ENJOY: i am not picky. i enjoy touristy postcards as well as artsy or non-touristy postcards, or postcards that correspond to my likes above, but if you are not from the united states i would love to get a touristy postcard from you! also, if you enjoy making handmade postcards and if the swap permits, feel free to send me one!

WHAT TO WRITE ON YOUR POSTCARD IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE: write me a quote that inspires you or makes you feel at peace. tell me something that is worrying you -- i find that it's rather therapeutic to write about that kind of stuff. or write whatever you want! these are just suggestions.

i am a beginner at pocket letters, although, excuse my hubris, i think i am pretty good at them. i'm looking for one-time or long-term pocket letter pals, and i totally welcome newbies, so please do message me if you're interested! :) international welcome.

since realizing that my pocket letters are basically just ATCs, as i embellish and use the heck out of mixed media on them, i have started getting into ATCs. they are not perfect; in addition, i have a wacked-out sense of what is considered "art" and so my ATCs might not be for you. but I'm trying really hard!

i tend to do a mix of watercolor, acrylics and pen and marker drawings. i also use a lot of junk-type paper collage when the craft calls for it. my pocket letters tend to be a little more "scrapbook"y so as to please everyone since i'm a little insecure about my personal art style.