1. What is your age range? 53 to 53. :-)

2. Gender? No, I never gend. (Okay, okay, I'm a female.)

3. Do you have a favorite color?
For T-shirts and such, I like bright colors -- in chartreuse green, aqua/teal, royal blue, indigo, purple, maroon, red -- and black. No brown, beige or white; also, yellows and oranges tend to make my pale skin look a bit sallow, so please avoid those.

4. Favorite authors/type of book?
Several, but if I generalize there's a danger that someone might give a book I already have, so please see #5.

5. What books have you really been wanting?
Oliver Sacks: "Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (revised edition)" or "Seeing Voices"
Daniel J. Levitin: "This is Your Brain on Music" or "The World in Six Songs"
Elaine Pagels: "The Johannine Gospel in Gnostic Exegesis: Heracleon's Commentary on John" (dry reading, I know, and out of print too, but I haven't given up hope of finding it).

6. What type of music do you like?
Humor, humor, humor -- the punny, the lyrically clever, the offbeat, the darkly strange (but not the profane). To give you a sample of my tastes, I already have the complete collection of Tom Lehrer songs, most of Lou and Peter Berryman's CDs (see #7), some Spike Jones and Stan Freberg, a CD of songs from Monty Python, and the "My Son the Box" collection of Allan Sherman songs. I'm not a big fan of modern jazz, rap, acid rock or New Age music -- I'm more of an "Old Age" type (Irving Berlin and Gershwin and Cole Porter show tunes, bluegrass, Appalachian). Sea chanties are great, too. I would be interested in acoustic-music CDs by singer/songwriters who are from your area and/or who you really like.

7. What CDs have you really been wanting?
Original songs by Mudcatters!!! (Nothing too bawdy, though, please.)
Any trad music that Mudcatters are performing/recording.
Lou and Peter Berryman: "The Universe: 14 Examples" (I have all the rest of their CDs)
Any Django Reinhardt.

8. What movies have you been wanting?
I'm not really a cinema-movie watcher. However, I'd like any DVD of the TV series "Monk" (in a format that will play in the US -- "region 1"). I'm also seeking VHS or DVD recordings of the "Postman Pat" British animated series in "region 1" format (which are hard to find -- everything seems to be in "region 2" or "region 4" format!!!).

9. What is your t-shirt size?
XL (if they "run large") to XXL (if they "run small").
Please, no designs with flowers. I used to work for a seed company, and I've OD'd on pictures of flowers.

10. Do you collect anything? if so, what?
Any kind of keepsake that has anything to do with CATS! Figurines, pins, Christmas ornaments, cat toys for my two kitties, etc., etc.
I'm trying to cut down on collecting other things, as my collections are themselves collecting (dust).

11. What are some of your other hobbies?
Songwriting (which is more of an avocation!), origami/paper crafts, drawing/cartooning, browsing at thrift stores and flea markets.

12. Do you prefer gold-tone or silver-tone jewelry?
Both are OK. By the way, my ears are NOT pierced.

13. Please include anything else you feel is important that would help your Secret Santa know what you would like.
I'm a sucker for stuffed animals!
I like Mary Engelbreit designs, especially those with mottos (unless the mottos have to do with parents, grandparents or children, none of which I have).
As others have said, it would be very nice to receive something from or about your area!

14. Remember that "negative hints" such as allergies might also be helpful.
I have several dietary restrictions, so no food, please. I have a respiratory condition (sarcoidosis) that is aggravated by fragrances, so no perfumes, colognes, incense, aromatherapy candles and so forth, please. My lungs are super-sensitive to newspaper-printing inks, too, so please don't wrap anything in newspaper.

Thank you! :-) :-) :-)