Interests & Hobbies
Arts & Crafts
- Arts & Crafts Projects: Working on a variety of arts and crafts projects, including assemblage sculpture, collage, scrapbooking, papercraft, mixed media, drawing, painting, and using pastels or crayons.
- Art History: Learning about the history of art and different art styles, exploring the evolution of artistic movements, and understanding the cultural context of artworks.
- Culinary Arts: Practicing techniques in bento, mukimono, creative plating, garnishing, and decorating cakes, cookies, and other desserts, with a focus on visual appeal and creativity.
- DIY Home Maintenance & Decor: Engaging in simple DIY repair, home improvement, and decoration projects for both interior and exterior settings, including hardscaping and landscaping.
- Preferred Subjects: Creating artwork featuring elements like leaves, trees, flowers, mushrooms, insects, birds, small wildlife, garden scenes, natural textures, fruit, vegetables, fantasy elements, and seasonal landscapes.
- ‘Stim’ Content: Enjoying working with brightly colored materials and manipulating them to create visually satisfying pieces, often incorporating unique textures and movements.
- Vintage Fashion & Costumery: Designing and constructing theater costumes, cosplay outfits, and historical fashion pieces, focusing on authenticity and intricate details.
- Classic Children's and Family Entertainment: Fondness for nostalgic TV shows and movies from the '80s and '90s, such as “The Muppet Movie,” “The Swan Princess,” “Once Upon a Forest,” “The Pagemaster,” “Space Jam,” and works by Don Bluth.
- Classic TV Shows & Movies: Watching old TV shows, classic films, and specials, especially those that emphasize whimsy, comedy, and timeless storytelling.
- Radio Programming: Listening to recordings of pre-television radio shows, including comedy, drama, thrillers, and romance, and enjoying dramatic literature readings.
- Vintage Cartoons & Animation: Watching early Disney animations, works by Hanna-Barbera, Looney Tunes, Silly Symphonies, Merrie Melodies, and classic cartoon series like “The Little Lulu Show.”
Collectibles & Miniatures
- Antique Toys & Restoration: Collecting and restoring antique toys, such as those made of cast iron, tin, and wood, including pull toys, teddy bears, porcelain and Bakelite dolls, dollhouses, mechanical banks, colorful marbles, toy soldiers, and classic models and train sets.
- Collecting Vintage Toys: Collecting vintage toys like Polly Pocket, Barbie, Care Bears, and Cabbage Patch Kids, with a focus on preserving and showcasing their history.
- Dollmaking: Crafting, styling, and dressing unique dolls, emphasizing creativity and attention to detail in each creation.
- Miniature Crafting: Constructing dollhouses, dioramas, dollhouse furniture, and miniature sets, focusing on intricate details and realistic representations.
- Toy Hospitals: Finding joy in restoring and caring for toys in need of repair, ensuring they are brought back to their former glory.
Cooking & Culinary
- Accessible Cooking: Creating simple, easy recipes with few steps and minimal preparation, suitable for those with disability-related barriers, ensuring everyone can enjoy the cooking process.
- Food Psychology: Exploring the philosophy of food and eating, focusing on denouncing diet culture and promoting recovery from disordered eating, emphasizing a healthy relationship with food.
- Food-Related Content: Enjoying cooking tutorials and exploring culinary practices, both in the cooking process and the cultural aspects of food, celebrating diversity in cuisine.
- Historical Cooking Shows: Recreating historical cooking methods and recipes from different time periods and cultures, bringing the flavors of the past to life.
- Genres: Enjoying dark fantasy, dystopian/post-apocalyptic, high fantasy, historical fiction, modern fantasy, paranormal/supernatural horror, science fiction/fantasy, survivalist fiction, traditional fantasy, and utopian/social fiction.
- Themes: Interests include advocacy, agape love, benefits of diversity, betrayal/vengeance, challenging traditional norms, chosen family/found family, compassion, complex family dynamics, empathy, ethical dilemmas and moral complexity, healing, human connection, hurt/comfort, identity, intentional communities, justice, mutual aid/care/growth, narratives of empowerment, personal growth, psychological depth, recovery from trauma, resilience in the face of adversity, resisting harmful systems, systemic injustice/resistance/activism, therapeutic/healing journeys, and vigilantism.
Health & Wellness
- Health At Every Size: Promoting the benefits of exercise and nutrition without focusing on weight change or body image, emphasizing overall well-being and self-acceptance.
- Mindfulness: Practicing physical and mental well-being through mindfulness, incorporating techniques that promote relaxation and stress reduction.
- Organization: Utilizing low-cost home organization techniques and tidying inspiration, ensuring spaces are functional and aesthetically pleasing.
- Self-Care: Encouraging and practicing self-care behaviors, especially for those living with disabilities, emphasizing the importance of taking time for oneself.
- Stretching, Low-Impact & Seated Exercises: Engaging in disability-friendly exercises, ensuring physical activity is accessible to all, regardless of ability level.
Language & Linguistics
- Dialectology: Studying regional and social variations in languages, focusing on differences in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, and how these variations reflect cultural identity.
- Ethnolinguistics: Exploring how language embodies and reflects the cultural practices and values of a community, understanding the deep connections between language and culture.
- Evolution of Language: Studying the history, construction, and evolution of languages, dialects, and creoles, tracing the development and changes over time.
- Language Learning: Learning and practicing Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL), focusing on practical usage and cultural contexts.
- Linguistic Anthropology: Studying how language influences social life, identity, and cultural norms across different societies, exploring the intersections of language and anthropology.
- Phonetics and Phonology: Studying the sounds in human speech, including their physical properties and linguistic usage, understanding how sounds are produced and perceived.
- Sociolinguistics: Investigating how social factors like ethnicity, age, and class influence language use and variation, examining the social aspects of language.
- Voice Acting Mechanics: Exploring the technical skills and methods involved in voice acting, including articulation, vocal modulation techniques, and sound effects, focusing on effective voice performance.
Literature & Storytelling
- Audiobooks: Enjoying full-length readings of fiction from the fantasy, science fiction, horror, and paranormal mystery genres, both novels and short stories, with a preference for female reading voices.
- Children's Literature: Engaging with story readings aimed at children, highlighting educational and entertaining storytelling that offers comfort and encouragement.
- Fairy Tales, Folklore & Myths: Delving deep into folklore and mythology from various cultures, including fairy-tales and folklore from England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, China, Japan, South Asia, and South-West Africa, with a special focus on Abrahamic mythology, Gnosticism, Zoroastrianism, Hellenism, and ancient Egyptian mythology.
- Favourite (Fiction) Authors: Favorite authors include Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Lewis Carroll, Beatrix Potter, L. Frank Baum, J.M. Barrie, Arthur Conan Doyle, A.A. Milne, E.B. White, C.S. Lewis, L.M. Montgomery, Agatha Christie, Astrid Lindgren, and Ursula Le Guin.
- Literary Analysis: Performing close analysis of classical literature, especially related to the works of the above-mentioned authors.
- Recommendations: Seeking heartfelt, evocative, imaginative, well-paced novels and short stories, especially from diverse authors representing marginalized groups.
- Storytelling Methods: Studying the principles of storytelling, story structure, and effective oration, focusing on the art of crafting compelling narratives.
Music & Ambience
- Favourite Genres: Favorite music genres include hip-hop, grunge, punk rock, folk punk, folk rock, hard rock, soul, jazz, electro-swing, and electronic dance music.
- Curated Playlists: Enjoying immersive, curated, well-mixed playlists featuring songs from the above-mentioned genres, creating an engaging auditory experience.
- Relaxing Ambience & Nature Sounds: Listening to ambient sound, soundscapes, and music designed for relaxation or study, including flowing water, nature sounds, and themed ambience tracks.
- Soundscaped Readings: Enjoying dramatic literary readings enhanced with sound effects and ambience, creating a rich and immersive listening experience.
- Video Game & Movie Soundtracks: Listening to soothing or energizing video game music and movie soundtracks, enhancing mood and focus.
Nature & Animals
- Animal Videos: Watching videos of cute and baby animals, as well as content on animal behavior and wildlife, finding joy in observing the animal kingdom.
- Behavioural Studies: Studying social behavior in animals of all kinds, exploring how different species interact and communicate.
- Favourite Animals: Favorite animals include domestic cats, wild cats, foxes, domestic dogs, wild canids, opossums, platypi, elephants, and primates, with a special interest in species native to Alberta, Canada.
- Gardening Tutorials: Learning about gardening tailored to the local climate and ground conditions of Alberta, focusing on permaculture and sustainable gardening practices.
- Outdoor Exploration: Enjoying outdoor activities like foraging and exploring the natural world, discovering the beauty and diversity of nature.
Other Personal Study
- Anthropology & Cultural Studies: Studying cultural anthropology, archaeology, and societal norms from various time periods, understanding human history and culture.
- History-Focused Content: Exploring content related to the Victorian era, medieval history, ancient civilizations, the early 20th century, and specific historical figures or events, including vintage advertisements.
- Medical Education: Studying neurology, psychology, endocrinology, dermatology, and the intersections of these topics, gaining a deeper understanding of medical science.
- Natural Science: Enjoying documentaries and educational content on astronomy, biology, and other natural sciences, with a focus on plants and animals.
- Walking Tours: Participating in first-person explorations of beautiful and interesting places, experiencing new environments and cultures.
- Media Critiques & Analysis: Analyzing pop culture phenomena, movies, and television shows from both historical and contemporary perspectives, offering insights and critiques.
- Propaganda & Media Literacy: Studying propaganda and media literacy, understanding the impact of media on society and individuals.
- Social Guidance & Educational Films: Reflecting on historical culture through social guidance and educational films from the past, considering the evolution of societal attitudes and norms.
- Mid-Century Propaganda: Exploring social and political propaganda from 20th century North America and Europe between the ‘30s and ‘60s, understanding historical contexts and influences.
Video Games & Gaming
- Game-Related Content: Enjoying tours of Animal Crossing worlds, residential and commercial builds in The Sims 3, and visual and story modifications for Stardew Valley.
- Video Game Play-throughs: Watching and participating in ‘Let's Play’ videos of classic, horror, and fantasy-themed video games, with a preference for retro adventure and role-playing games. Special fondness for King’s Quest, Conquests of the Longbow, Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon.