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chicago summer porch-sitting
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"i am a lover of sun and warmth and not a lot of clothes. i need green and earthiness and old trees to really feel at peace. ..."
More about Amanda
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More About Amanda
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Schools (Other):
west bend east & beloit college are the most relevant, i guess...i'm a student of life, as my dad always says.
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Occupation:
nanny/doula/educator/healthcare asst
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Affiliations:
right now i am working on being affiliated with myself and the good ones in my world. most recently i've been affiliated with babybird wren and ms. stella. historically: Coalition for Positive Sexuality--the early years, Chicago Women's AIDS Project, Planned Parenthood, Birthways
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Hobbies and Interests:
most recently:reconnecting. rebuilding. renewing. falling in love with portland. soaking. honesty. whiskey sours. new crafty projects. hiking. yoga. long standing: finding treasures. hanging out with toddler stella, painting furniture, swimming in the lake & lying on the sand, birds, 1920s-40s decor, aprons, knitting. baking and collage. crafts of all kinds. birthing & babies, promoting breastfeeding, lusciousness and lushness, roller skating, scrabble, spelling, sex positivity, gender & body politics, laughing til it hurts--and then some.
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Favorite Books:
right now: eat pray love & the power of one. just finished diary of a teenage girl. i always adore: truth & beauty, the unknown errors of our lives, carol maso books, a.mannette ansay, under milkwood, goodnight moon, amanda dreaming. anything chaim potok, d.allison, sherman alexie, early j.winterson, alice hoffman, charles baxter, susie bright, julia alvarez, j.irving, michelle tea, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The House on Mango Street, The Secret Life of Bees, Autobiography of a Family Photo, A Fine Balance, Life of Pi, the lovely bones, rick bass stories & lynda barry books cuz they're so raw and true.oh-and judy blume, of course.
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Favorite Movies:
finally saw lars & the real girl and it was the most tender heart-pulling film. also love:the darjeeling limited. shortbus. whale rider. pauline & paulette. lost in translation. the devil's playground, avalon, cinema paradiso, on golden pond, ponette, eternal sunshine..., 50 first dates (shut up about it), the station agent, Anne of Green Gables, The Quiet Room, Woody Allen movies, Blue, good 70s porn, Ma Vie en Rose, the secret of roan inish, hitchcock films, good documentaries...i love love love movies.
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Favorite Music:
lately: mixes i'm making. lyle lovett. jolie holland. carla bruni. mason jennings. xavior rudd. tom waits. bonnie prince billie.the lovely mixes meredith makes for me. always enjoy: amos lee, the watson twins, loretta lynn. justin roberts (wink to stella). live pub music on small islands. iron & wine, jack johnson. magnetic fields, the dolly ranchers, i love mixes made just for me. paul simon, nina simone, johnny cash, jane's addiction, cowboy junkies...& so much more.
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Favorite TV Shows:
tv shows on dvd. right now: just started *lost*
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About Me:
i am a lover of sun and warmth and not a lot of clothes. i need green and earthiness and old trees to really feel at peace. water is my favorite place to be.
d.allison's words "you show me yours and i'll show you mine" resonate with me--if you can't get to the real stuff, what is there?
i'm a pop culture junkie, in that i appreciate all things ridiculous. if you can talk pop culture with me, i'll likely think you're the bees knees. i also have a dirty mind & love other dirty thinkers and sayers.(and do-ers)
i am drawn to small-town midwesterners who have learned to appreciate the things they always wanted to escape. i bake fantastic cakes and i love me some babies.
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Who I Want to Meet:
people to explore with me and take it all in. adventurers.
babies being born and just beginning. pie bakers. crepe eaters. walk takers. *people who make me laugh.* wine drinkers. porch sitters. storytellers.
queers who remember why "queer" is important. fat girls and chubby girls who are fat/body-positive. people with smarts and big hearts. crafty people who are easy to sit with.
people who are willing to speak the hard truths.
i'm picky w/people; i'm grateful when the good ones come my way. i'd rather have a few quality gems than a whole pile of cubic zirconia, for what it's worth. if you sparkle and you're worth it, i want to meetcha. the jewels i do find i keep in a heart-shaped box.
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Testimonials and Comments for Amanda
I knew we'd be friends the day I met her. I miss our stolen moments in the office kitchen.
I am all about Amanda's unapologetic vulnerability and her capacity to inject poetry into things that are, at first glance, less-than-poetic. She tells fucking hilarious stories and is a just a little wicked. Basically, she is a real cool girl, fo sho.
that i am out here in portland for good-at
least for a good while. after nearly six
years, maybe we should just accept the
fact that seems unacceptable in terms of
distance and separation. of course, i
never feel that far from you, being as
we're intertwined in this strange, magical
way. what we do have to figure out,
though, is how to actually see each
other more-so that, when we finally do
find time to talk on the phone, we don't
have to have these marathon sessions
where we realize it's 5pm/3pm in our
respective cities and we a. haven't eaten
yet; b. held our pee for three hours; c.
haven't showered and dressed for the
day we're late starting; d. gotten
everything off our chests yet; e. realized
we've even been talking that long.
except there were still a thousand things
i forgot to bring up! ah, well, next time.
yours til niagra falls. (the reason you will
prob. get that reference is the reason we
are friends.) xo.
I know. Weeeee--yerd. Though I have to
say that I really hope that Shorty C's
premonition that you got on the street
is right. I really hope so. I'm putting
my faith in Shorty.
to communicate in spite of a. it never
telling me when shes written me back,
b. it cutting off our emails, and c.
having each others real email
addresses, phone numbers, and a good
measure of telepathy between us. Were
just masochists like that, I guess.
with as glowing a testimonial as Amanda
deserves. I'll try, but I may fail. Our
friendship is one of the only good
things Jeannette brought into this
world, I think. Amanda is a continual
oasis in a vortex of chaos. Amanda is
ridiculously funny even when she's just
recounting the mundane details of her
life, and my cheeks *hurt* after our
conversations. She has turned me on to
so many ideas and people that have made
me who I am. She is equal parts frolicky
friend that you want to bake cakes and
gossip with, and activist/intellectual
that you idolize and emulate. I know
this isn't supposed to be about me, but
knowing Amanda and loving her has made
me feel like it's possible to like
myself. She just has this heart, you
see, that's bigger than the sky, and I
feel so damned lucky to have met her.
attention before or if Amanda keeps
this under cover....BUT, she's
hilarious. Seriously. She can tell a
tale well. I appreciate that. Plus
she doesn't seem to mind that within 2
seconds of entering her home I usually
have a beer in my hand and hit her
patio to smoke. Although I don't
think she likes that I call the sun
room the DART room.
get to see her as often as i'd like.
amanda didn't mind that i called her
booger the first day i met her, and
through such petnames, we forged a
special bond. amanda knows how to be an
ally. she always makes me think of
things in new ways. she works hard. she
voices her beliefs even in challenging
settings. amanda has a great laugh and
cry. i love how unafraid she is to
connect and empathize with people. she
is an open, growing, curious, and fun
booger. i feel energized and inspired
after talking with her. i admire her
and love her.