Profile

The Basic Facts
My name's Alexxandra - I go by that, Alexx, and Sascha mainly, but I don't mind if you want to call me something else! An old friend used to call me Lexi, and once a stranger called me Sandra, which I hated, but it was mostly his presumption that got to me! Being called Sandra for short would be an interesting venture if it came from a friend!

I'm 22 years old, and live in Perth, Scotland, largely not by choice - it's a small place, but I can't afford to be anywhere else right now. I moved back permanently after I graduated university in 2012. I live with my parents, twin brother, youngest sister and nephew. I have three sisters in total, and four niecephews!

I graduated in classics from the University of Glasgow with a largely unexpected first class degree. It's not the most useful of subjects, I admit, and I had chosen to study it on a whim at 16 (actually, that's a long story, but I did apply to study Latin in the first place) so I didn't give much thought to the future. Now, I'm feeling pretty lost in terms of life productivity; I'm still trying to decide exactly what it is I want to do next. My options are restricted by my empty wallet, too. Right now I'm a sales advisor for Debenhams, a British department store, and trying to keep up with volunteering with a vet charity.

Hobbies
Aside from that, I have a lot of productive hobbies, which eases the guilt of having to neglect academia a bit. I've written for as long as I can remember, but I only recently (2012) completed a draft of a novel. My current projects are editing/rewriting that one, writing its sequel, and working on a short story. I read a lot - my favorites tend to be the classics, the Austen and Brontë-type as well as the Virgil and Cicero-type. I adore reading about British royalty too. I have a Goodreads account for those interested - links are all below.

I almost never stop listening to music. Ever.

I am also interested in photography, and although I have never been to a class or even read a guide, I've been told I have a natural eye for it. If we're friends, you'll be able to see some of my photography (the 'photo' tag on my entries include all photos I take, including 'unprofessional' shots of people!), or I believe some of my Facebook photo albums might be public if you're interested to take a look. It is only a hobby, but I enjoy it heartily. I'm never without my camera.

Talking of cameras, I also film videos. Not in the amazing filmographer sense, but I have two YouTube channels. One is a make-up and fashion channel, in which fields I'm largely actually a non-active participator, where I mostly film shopping hauls and outfits of the day. It was something I began just to conquer my fear of being filmed, and to combat the few self-confidence issues I still struggle with. My other channel, Fanciful Reality Vlogs, is, well, vlogs! I also put discussion videos up there. I haven't been doing YouTube for very long, so it should improve generally after a while!

I love learning. I have studied English, French, German, Russian, Latin, and Ancient Greek, but my Russian is basically non-existent. I want to learn Italian, Spanish, and Czech next, but the languages I've already studied are dwindling a bit, so I'm focusing on keeping them up for the moment (with the exception of Russian). My classical studies largely focused on translating and analyzing Latin and Greek texts, though I did study some texts in English translation too. I'm on Sporcle a lot, and a website called Funtrivia, where I play and write editor-approved quizzes.

The More Serious Stuff?
I don't drink very much, and I don't smoke or take drugs. I wouldn't say I don't judge the drugs thing, but I won't be openly judgmental about it unless it's a very serious issue or it comes between us. I'm not going to nag you if you mention that you smoke pot! I'm also perpetually single and a virgin, but only because I haven't yet found someone I feel comfortable with - I haven't even dated! I'm not in a rush though - I'm not looking for someone exactly, but I'm not 'not looking' either. I'm bisexual. I'm a feminist.

Family
I mention a lot of people in my journal, so it might be good to know who everyone is. I mostly talk about my family, though, because I have literally no friends in this city. I'm friendly with my workmates, but it's not the same thing.

Brother: Rich (22)
Three sisters: Tracy (33), Emma (28), and Kim (17).
Their children: Ellie (1); Danny (11) and Carly (4); Riley (born in August 2012).

I am a twin, and my brother, Rich, is here on DW too. I talk about him quite often, but mostly in conjunction to what I'm also doing. We're very close - we'd never been apart a whole 24 hours until very recently (April 2013). He feels like the other half of my soul. He's one of the people I most admire, because he's been through a lot of setbacks and hardships, yet keeps his head high and complains less than I do! He has lupus and depression, and suffers with self-harm - a fact that brought us much closer during our teenage years, as it was just between us for years, as was the first suicide attempt at 16. He attempted suicide again in November 2012. We understand each other perfectly, and while our interests generally match, they tend to do so differently - we like the same music, for example, but we order them from best to worst very very differently. We are always together, and nothing else can compare to the love I have for him. He is truly my hero.

Where You Come In
When it comes to potential friends, I don't need or want someone who is a clone of me, but for me, complete opposites tend not to attract. Above all I want someone who is interested in making a real friendship connection. If we can both handle any differences we do have, especially opinions of a controversial nature, in a civilized way, then I don't mind that. In my entries, I mostly discuss what's going in my life, and post some photos too.

In Conclusion
I find it difficult to keep these things succinct, but I promise I don't bite! I'm very friendly and happy and sometimes unashamedly 'girly'. I can be superficial one moment and profound the next; I believe all of us need such a balance. Above all, I want to make some lovely friends, so if you think you could be one of them, feel free to add me! :)

Links to where you can find me:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/schmetterling.x
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7310932-alexxandra
Email address: maskenball@live.fr
Personal Twitter: miracleofmind
Fanciful Reality Blog (blog for my YouTube channels): http://fancifulreality.wordpress.com
Fanciful Reality Vlogs YouTube channel (vlogs and discussion videos): http://www.youtube.com/user/FancifulRealityVlogs
Fanciful Reality Vlogs Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fanciful-Reality-Vlogs/186103518202644
Dance Of The Knights Channel (makeup and fashion): http://www.youtube.com/user/danceoftheknights
Dance Of The Knights Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DanceOfTheKnightsYoutubeChannel
Personal Blog: http://reconstructivedemonstrations.wordpress.com
Fanciful Reality Twitter: realityfanciful
Tumblr: realityfanciful.tumblr.com