User Profile

My name is Amanda and I live in the shark bite capital of the world, and what I understand is no longer the lightning strike captial of the world, as well as the home to Cinderella's castle. I find myself unemployed, so while I look for a job, I thought I would also practice my writing skills. If you stop by, feel free to friend me. I always appreciate constructive criticism.

I've decided that, since I've been using this thing for a few months now, it would be pertinent for people to know more than just that I am unemployed and that I am from Florida. That just doesn't seem like enough information anymore. So, let's see... what can I tell you?

I've lived in Florida for most of my life, and while I love the beach, I actually prefer swimming in pools. Sunflowers and lillies are my favorite flowers because I think they have personality. If they could, they would probably tell a great story. I like sunny days, but I also love rainstorms that last for hours. I love nights when you can see the stars and days when the clouds move faster than the cars on the street. I am not afraid of hurricanes when they head my way, but I am terrified of tornados. Stars are my favorite shape. They just look cooler than the rest of them.

Peter Pan is one of my favorite books because I wish I never had to grow up, even though I know being a kid forever would be unbelievably lonely. Speaking of books, although I usually abhor romance novels, I do like the occasional chick lit (Sophie Kinsella comes to mind), and I have found that I love Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. They might be predictable stories on occasion, okay, almost on all occasions, but they are endlessly entertaining.

I also have recently become a huge Sarah Dessen fan. She can do (almost) no wrong. My favorite of her books is The Truth About Forever, followed by This Lullaby, Along for the Ride, Just Listen, and Keeping the Moon. Yep. Those are my top five, which is half of her published books right now, but that's how good she is. If you want to read her stuff, but aren't sure where to start, I'd fo with This Lullaby. I think it's most representative of her style, even though it's my second favorite.

I love cats because they never want you to take them for walks and because they are really like miniature people. Every cat I've ever met has had a distinct personality, and I wish I could have had long conversations with them. Weird? Maybe. I like that they are independent and almost self sufficient. The ancient Egyptians were right to worship them.

Peppermint and vanilla are my favorite flavors, though not together. Cherry coke and Dr. Pepper are my favorite soft drinks, again, not together, but I try not to drink soda if I can help it. You know, that stuff is bad for you. Caesar salad is my favorite thing to have for dinner. The protein in my diet generally consists of peanut butter or black beans or chicken. I'm not a huge fan of meat in general. I don't have the discipline to be a vegetarian though. I hate seafood. I don't know why. I just don't like the taste of any of it. I hate white bread and whole milk. I think they taste weird. Frozen yogurt is fantastic. Apples are my favorite fruit. I suddenly realize that I have a lot of favorites when it comes to specific foods. Maybe I should move on to something else.

In high school, my friends used to refer to me as "the grammar queen," but I think there has been a lapse in my skills since I decided not to pursue a degree in English. I wish I had stuck with it instead of switching to a more scientific degree, even if it was a "soft" science. I also wish I had gone to college somewhere far away, just for the experience, instead of staying so close to home. I was not a social butterfly in college. I focused on school and work, and I made a few friends, but probably fewer that will actually be my friends forever. I have deleted my facebook account because I never use it. I don't keep up with the invitations to birthday parties or who's dating who. Somehow, it doesn't seem that important to me.

Paradoxically, I broke down and got a twitter account, even though social networking is not usually my thing. Maybe it's the idea of having to condense what you have to say in a specific number of characters that appeals to me. I tend to ramble. And I love a challenge. My senior year of high school, I had to cut my extended essay on choice in dystopic societies (it was an English lit topic that used the books Anthem, Brave New World, and 1984, but was really inspired by The Handmaid's Tale) by a couple thousand words. Yeah, I like to write when the subject interests me. I also like to talk when I know something about the topic. My final formal oral presentation for English was analyzing Robert Frost's Mending Wall, and I think I actually went over the alotted time.

On the subject of Robert Frost, I love him. Not all of his poems are nature poems, you know. They are about life in general, and some of his form and rhyme is pretty interesting. Mending Wall, the one I did my formal oral presentation on, is actually one of my favorites. After Apple Picking is really good. Related note: I also love John Donne, though I love his seducton writing, not his religious writing. I mean, who could make a flea bite sexy? John Donne, that's who. Full of awesomeness.

I need a day job, something that will keep me sane. Otherwise, my head would constantly be lost in fictional accounts and complicated plot points. I frequently find myself obsessing over plot holes and story inconsistencies in television shows and movies. I also find myself creating my own versions of fictional worlds that already exist. Songs get stuck in my head for days and inspire their own stories. I like to give my opinion on whether a movie sucked or not, usually to my mother first, and she almost always disagrees with me. I like poems that don't just sound pretty, but tell you a story, even if you don't notice it on the first time through. If I could get a job that actually utilized my obsession for interesting storytelling, that would be ideal. Florida is not exactly a hot bed for that kind of thing though.

And now, I think I should stop. I apologize to anyone who read all the way through and is now bored out of their mind. I also apologize if you failed to find the answer to some lingering question you may have had. But, if you liked reading this bio, then you're welcome. I just didn't know when to stop typing. I told you, I ramble, and I love to write.

One more thing. I write for Portrait, an online magazine run by young adults for young adults. You should check it out. It's a cool place to hang out.

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