Switch Witch Questionnaire

Forum Name: Dominique
Full Name: REDACTED - I'm very sorry, but I have a couple of unwelcome internet stalkers, and I try to keep my real name separate from my pseudonym.
Email Address: Dominique_del_Mer@Yahoo.com
Mailing Address:

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Basic Info
Birthday: September 30, 1987
Pets: N/A (Does my boyfriend count?)
Children: Nope
Religious orientation: Protestant, with strong Pagan leanings.
Favorite Holiday: Chinese New Year and Halloween
Occupation/Major in school: Majored in Technical Writing and Applied Psychology, currently working as a technical writer.
Living arrangement: I have a little one-bedroom apartment that I share with my boyfriend.
Livejournal/Blog/Website: http://www.bpal.org/blog/889-dominiques-blog/
Organizations/Causes/Activities: I’m a part of the Society for Creative Anachronism, which is to say I spend time making medieval clothing and camping in the middle of nowhere.

I also support the Heifer Project

BPAL
Favorite BPAL oils: Agrat-Bat-Mahlaht, Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand, Carnal, Giant Vulva, Harimise, June Gloom, Lady Una, Pumpkin Latte, Pumpkin Patch V 2009, Tamamo-No-Mae, Gluttony, Kill Devil, Kumiho, Wanda, Baobhan Sith, Gingerbread Poppet
Favorite notes: Sweet, foody things. The notes below are ones I’m fond of, but if it smells like dessert, chances are good that I’ll like it.
Foody/sweet notes: Honey, quince, vanilla, caramel, sugar, fig, rice, rain, peach, espresso, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate, coffee bean, buttercream, caramel, tea, ginger, chai.
Citrus notes: Mandarin, grapefruit.
Sexy notes: Cream accord, apple blossom, skin musk, pinot noir, sandalwood, merlot, leather, orange blossom, ylang ylang, myrrh.
Favorite non-BPAL perfumes:
Pumpkin Chai, by Violette Market (Notes: Ripe harvest pumpkin, sweet black tea, clove bud, vanilla bean, cardamom, warming Masala spices, and sweet vanilla cream.)
White Tea and Ginger, by the Bath and Body Works
Love Spell, by Victoria's Secret
Least favorite notes: Vetiver , powder, patchouli (I don’t find it offensive, but my skin amps it to the exclusion of everything else), pepper, candy-hot style cinnamon, vetiver, dirt, bitter almond. Oh, and vetiver.
Least favorite non-BPAL perfumes:I only keep a list of the ones I like.

If Beth made a custom blend for you, what would the notes be, and what would you want the label art to look like?
Morning After – Apple blossoms, skin musk and cream accord, overlaid with last night’s pinot noir.
Label art

Hummingbird – Bright, sharp and just a little bit crazy. Ginger, tangerine, grapefruit, fig and peach, with a whiff of vanilla and a double handful of sugar.
Label art

The smell of cordite and a smoking gun barrel overlaying skin musk, too much coffee and a lot of ginger, all hiding a core of caramel and wine-soaked peach.

I'd like the label art to look like this or this.

Clothing & Jewelry
Hair type: Long red hair, wavy with a tendency towards dryness at the tips and oiliness at the roots.
Skin Type: Normal skin
Allergies (specifically B&B related): I'm allergic to eating pomegranate, but haven't had any issues with pomegranate skin products.
Other things to avoid: N/A
Tub, shower or both? Usually, shower. Sometimes a tub.
Favorite bath & beauty products: Glittery lotions, flavored lip gloss and hair conditioner. (No, really. My hair is hip-length and I go through conditioner like you wouldn't believe.) Dr. Bronner’s soap is amazing.
Clothing Style/Fave garments: For work, I tend to wear jeans, t-shirts and jackets. For parties, corsets, long skirts and tight shirts. I'm typically somewhere between geek casual/fetish goth. I like long sleeves, and fitted shirts.
Favorite clothing colors/colors to wear: Black goes with everything. So do deep jewel tones - maroon, blood red, forest green, royal purple. Pastels make me break out in hives. -.-
Type(s) of jewelry worn: Necklaces primarily, though I also wear rings and bracelets. I have 13 ear piercings. The ones along the outer edge of my ear I leave alone, and don’t really swap out the captive bead rings. The piercings in my ear lobes are gauged slightly.
Ring/wrist/collar size: I . . . have no idea.
Jewelry - gold or silver? Silver, rose gold or copper.
Do you have any allergies to metal? Nope.
Favorite gemstones: Precious gemstones, um, ruby and opal. Semi-precious, lapis lazuli, malachite, obsidian and amethyst. Also, mystic topaz, London blue topaz and labradorite. Mmmm, labradorite.
Sock/Shoe Size: I wear an 8, 8 1/2 shoe size, in American sizing. I can provide other sizes, if need be.

Lifestyle
Style/home decoration style: : ‘Eclectic’ is the word, I believe. That, or ‘Moroccan-inspired’. There aren’t any chairs in my apartment, or full sized tables. I have cushions and pillows everywhere, as well as a truly enormous beanbag. There are collages on the walls, using posters, commissioned art, bumperstickers and pictures cut from National Geographic. I have some pictures from http://shadowscapes.com/ and am very fond of her art. The goal is vivid color, but open floor space for dancing. The bedroom is decorated with painted silk tapestries and Morrocan lanterns, with a dragon and phoenix motif. Also, foxes. Foxes, butterflies and hummingbirds also show up regularly.
Favorite decorating colors: Black, royal blue and bright red.
Things you collect: Other than BPAL? I like socks, art of Asian dragons and phoenixes and DragonsandBeasties sculptures
Favorite music: New Age/Celtic music (Enya, Loreena McKennitt), techno, instrumental flute and violin music, as well as bouncy bubblebum pop.
Least favorite music: R&B, hip hop, punk rock, metal rock of all varieties, and dubstep.
Vegetarian/Vegan?: I am an omnivore who attempts to eat healthy.
Other food restrictions: I am allergic to pomegranates, and that’s about it.
Favorite flavors: Pumpkin, ginger, mushroom, chai, chocolate, warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves), mandarin oranges.
Favorite foods/drinks: Vegetarian lasagna, udon soup, sweet fruity tea, Jamba Juice smoothies, noodles, snickerdoodles. I'm attempting to lose weight, so if you want to send sweets (and yay for sweets!), small quantities would be appreciated.
Favorite authors/genres: Fantasy, military fiction, non-fiction history, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher (and similar authors. Urban fantasy is a fun genre.) Also, cook books! I'm trying to learn about Asian history, pre-1900. Steven King, Sharon Shinn,
Least favorite authors/genres: Biographies, sports related stuff, Stephanie Meyer, anything relating to huggable vampires. (The horrifying kind are fun, though.)
Books/authors you'd like to read, but haven't yet: I've picked up The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century a couple of times, but haven't read it yet. Oh! And the Dragonbreath series by Ursula Vernon - I have the first one, but none of the others.
How do you feel about receiving gently used books as gifts? Used books are love in solid state. I'd be delighted to receive used books.
Favorite stores (including clothing stores): Um . . . REI, Barnes and Noble, Sephora, MAC Cosmetics. Honestly, I do most of my clothes shopping from thrift stores, or online.
Favorite online stores (including B&B stores): http://www.sockdreams.com/_pages/index.php - Socks! Stripey and knee high or higher.
http://www.nutsonline.com/ - I like dried fruit very, very much.
http://www.twistedfiberart.com/default.asp - yarn. Brightly colored, silk yarn.
http://shadowscapes.com - Lovely art.
http://www.etsy.com/ - Because of aaaaaall the shiny stuff.
http://www.jinx.com/shop/ - I like their t-shirts
http://www.thinkgeek.com/index.shtml - I also like their t-shirts.
Magazines you subscribe to: No active subscriptions at the moment.
Magazines you like, but don't subscribe to: Old school Reader's Digest, National Geographic, Life
Favorite movies: Underworld, Spirited Away, True Grit, Iron Man, Pitch Black, The Expendables, Kiss of the Dragon
Favorite TV show(s): Spartacus, Dirty Jobs, Sons of Anarchy, damn near anything with Gordon Ramsey
Hobbies/crafts done: I knit, manically. I also sew, braid, make kumihimo and do a whole lot of baking. Much in the same way that I can't have enough BPAL, I can't have enough yarn. For, for some reason, yarn sounds like a good idea, I like vivid colors and very soft textures. (Yay for silk and micro-fiber!)

Wishlists
BPAL Wish List (including SW/SF Help): My wishlist is here.

Other website Wish lists (amazon.com, etc):
My Etsy
My Amazon

Random Questions:
Random Questions:
- On a scale of 1-5, how organized are you?
I’d give it a 3.5 to a 4. My closet is usually kind of messy, but it’s very important to me that the apartment is tidy when I have guests over, and I get stressed when it’s not.

- Where, outside of the U.S. would you love to visit? (if you're international, this can be anywhere)
Ireland, to see some of the old castles, or Japan, to see the Fushimi Inari Shrine.

- Do people tell you that you act older, younger, or your age?
Act older, and look younger.

-If I gave you a toy gun with flashing lights, would you hide and start shooting people from around corners OR would you thank me on the IGI thread and then quietly donate it (a niece, Oxfam, Goodwill, wherever)? (there are no wrong answers for this, so don't be afraid to answer honestly)
I’d be so jazzed. My boyfriend collects and modifies Nerf guns, so having an armory on hand to return fire is important.

- What animal do you feel like the most?
I don’t really identify with animals. I like foxes, as they’re associated with one of my role-playing characters, and I like phoenix symbology.

- Your favorite feature about yourself:
I like my hair. It’s blonde-red, very long and quite eye-catching.

- Do you live in a neighborhood or in the middle of nowhere?
I live in the middle of an enormous suburb.

-Have you ever thought, "oh, I'm going to get myself one of those one of these days" but then never do? List 1 under $10 and 1 over $10.
Um . . . I like really, really *deep* red nail polish. (Blue-based red. Soul-sucking red.) That should be less than $10.

A small pot for growing herbs in my window box, or the seeds themselves – I have a bag of potting soil, but I haven’t worked up the nerve to try growing something.

- How do you feel about boi witches?
I like boi witches!

- Do you like garage sales (boot sales)?
Yep! I’m usually too tired to haul myself out of bed early Saturday morning, but I do like the garage sales.

- I like to slather my food in …:
Barbecue sauce or hummus. A local Chinese place has this great dumpling sauce, but I have no idea what's in it, other than soy sauce and chili seeds.

- State fairs or carnivals?
Both! I typically go to the State Fair, as it’s reasonably close by, and enormous.

- You throw caution to the wind and runaway to join a traveling circus. What job would you want ( a main performer, a side show, a behind the scenes spot, etc) and why?
Oh, I’d want to be an acrobat. Great costumes, lots of attention and it’s the closest I’ll get to actually flying.

- What mythical or fantastic race of creatures (dragons, unicorns, griffins, elves, dwarves, faeries, etc.) do you most identify with?
Kitsune! They’re Japanese fox spirits most known for carrying messages for Inari, and for getting into trouble. (And seducing people – good times, all around.)

- Imagine that you're given a shoebox-sized time capsule, and you are asked to put any number of items in the box that symbolize who you are. The items can be may be anything you can imagine, and money is no object, but they must fit within the box. What do you choose?
That is a really hard question. I'd put in my Obrimos necklace, a handful of d10s, a picture of my boyfriend and myself, and probably a folder of papers, containing recipes I've worked on, and stories I've written.

- Do you need storage boxes?
I do. I have overrun my BPAL boxes and am searching for more.

- The world has given you the day off. You hear that, no chores, responsibilities, or budget you have to follow. What would you do in those 24 hours?
I’d probably start prepping the night before – I’d want a day bag packed, and to shower, so that I and my boyfriend could get up early and hop a plan to Ashland, Oregon. We’d get breakfast at one of the cafes, rent bikes, and spend the day biking around town, visiting the little shops and the farms/artist’s markets. I’d hole up in one of the used bookstores, reading everything in sight, then go over to the yarn stores and the wooden toy stores, and fiddle with *everything*. We’d have dinner at the tiny Italian café on Main Street, then watch one of the Shakespeare plays. Good times.

- Do you like steampunk & if so what kind of steampunk item would you most like to receive?
I do! God, uh – I could use a blinged out Nerf gun, a hat, or a pair of goggles. Or a lady’s satchel.

- Do you have an etsy shop?
I do not.

- Would you like to receive baked goods, if so what kind?
Eeee! I totally would! Bread, or cookies, or brownies, or even non-baked goods, such as fruit preserves would outstanding.

- What is something totally random (yes, that thing that just popped into your head) that hasn't been covered by any previous questions?
My apartment is kinda small. Objects that are beautiful and useful (or, y’know, edible) are always appreciated.

Notes (Here's where you can add additional information you'd like your Switch Witch to know!):
I play a lot of table-top role-playing games. Dice would be very welcome! Um, I like hair ornaments, particularly hair sticks, fuzzy arm warmers and boxes to store my BPAL collection.

I use a tea chest to hold my BPAL, but there is exactly one slot left. A box or some way to hold the perfume would be awesome.