About Me

Me, Amanda Phifer!

Who am I?

My name is Amanda Leigh Phifer. I’ve only been in one class my entire life that I was the only Amanda! My Mom calls me “Priscilla” and “Drucilla”, my friends call me “Manda”, and my dogs call me “Mom” (well, it sounds like “errrrgh” but I know what they mean!)

I was born on May 20, 1983 and have lived in Hickory, NC all of my life. In fact, I’ve lived in the same one-story red-brick house my entire life. The only time I moved was from the bedroom at the end of the hall, to the one beside it, when my sister, Allison was born.

View of the back of my house from the pool...in Winter! Yay!

My parents’ names are Rob and Laura Phifer. My mother is a teaching assistant in a local middle school and she has all of the qualities I hope to have as a teacher. She is playful and mindful of the childrens’ needs at the same time. My mother has never taken life too seriously! I have only a single sibling, my younger sister, Allison. She is 3 and a half years younger than me and is currently living in Cullowhee, NC where she is studying Foods and Nutrition at Western Carolina University. I really love my family! Here is a picture that we recreate every year at my Grandmother’s house at Christmas. Every year myself, my sister, cousins, parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents get together to record the year…only my Uncle Bob is never in it (he’s a professional photographer and is always taking the picture!). I think he may have been in this years picture, but I don’t have a copy of it!

My family (minus Uncle Bob!)

What I look like

I look like Fred Weasley, Minerva McGonagall, Emmett Cullen, Violet Baudelaire, Domovoi Butler, Georgia Nicholson, Jane Eyre, Nan St. George, Soames Forsyte, Becky Sharp, Guinevere, Merlin, Anne Elliott, Elinor Dashwood, Amelia Bedelia, the Grand High Witch, Josephine March, Thing 2, Cotton Tail, Anne Shirley, Edmund Pevensie, Pippi Longstocking, and all of my other favorite characters that I’ve spent so much of my time with…people see who you are on the inside shining through, and inside, I’m a piece of all these characters.

I think I look like a perfect blend of  Hermione and Geraldine Granger…a bodacious babe with unruly brown hair and a passion for parchment!

Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)

Geraldine Granger (Vicar of Dibley)

I look like anyone else I suppose. I don’t really pay attention to looks that much, that’s why I said I look like the characters that I love. If I had to describe myself I’d say I’m a short brunette with green eyes and a plump frame, but that tells you nothing about me. I could be anyone! I prefer to describe people’s actions or character. Or describe their clothing, if I have to describe physically. Unfortunately my clothing ranges from sweat pants to dress pants, so, not that exciting either! I’d rather be clever and imaginative. I wake up each day and see myself as a reflection of how I feel.

How I act

How I act depends on who you ask!

• My Family- I’m sure my family would say I’m bossy, stubborn, and messy. My Mom likes to say I’m like Hyacinth Bucket (Bucket is pronounced “Bouquet”),  a character on one of my families favorite shows, Keeping Up Appearances. If you haven’t seen Keeping Up Appearances, click on the Hyacinth link to get a taste of who I’m compared to! I suppose they’d say I’m a little conservative, not necessarily in my politics, but defiantly in my behavior! They’d definitely agree that I’m a home-body. As soon as I get home, I change into pajama pants and bedroom slippers. I’m also very partial to naps!
  

  Hyacinth Bucket (Keeping Up Appearances)

• My Friends- My friends might say I’m silly, loud (at times), over-reactive (at times), and a procrastinator…but I hope they also believe that I am caring, thoughtful, and would do anything I can to help any one of them. My mom would think that I have no friends because I’m not out every night, but that’s not how I see friendship, I’m a home-body! I appreciate friends who value me and enjoy my company…people who appreciate the same things I do, like my “movie-trivia” buddy (you know who you are!) My friends may say I’m opinionated, which I don’t see as a bad thing. I hope they would also say that I at least make an attempt to see other sides of arguments as well.
• My Teachers- I hope my teachers see in me my determination to do well. My willingness to work hard and participate fully. My desire to enjoy education, even though I’m usually overwhelmed! As an adult student I have never put forth less than my best on any given assignment, and I hope that comes through. I believe (now, maybe not so much as a child) in the importance and imagination of education, and I enjoy hearing from teachers who are also dedicated to their craft. I hope my teachers would say that I act interested, independent, and invested.
• My Dogs- Right now, my dogs would probably say that my attitude sucks! I’m always working on school work or at school. However, when we get a moment, I think they’d agree I act silly, sweet, loving, creative, and caring. Unfortunately the most quality time we get to spend together right now is our afternoon naps when we can!
• Me- I think I act strong, imaginative, and logical. I am a classic dreamer. I’m at my best when I’m lost in my own world with my head-phones on and alone. I love being playful and silly. One aspect of me that many may not know is that when I listen or watch something where the people are speaking in accents (British, Irish, Australian, ect.) I will think in that accent for at least 2 days! I don’t know if that’s how I act, but your thoughts definitely effect that! I get caught up in make-believe very easily. It was one of the hardest things for me to deal with as a child in school, but is now one of the things I cherish the most about myself. My mom says I’m a loner, but the wonderful thing about me is that i’m NEVER alone. I am always dreaming and scheming.

What I like

I love to read, especially children/young adult books.  Some of my favorites are:
- The “Harry Potter” Series
- The “Artemis Fowl” Series
- The “Series of Unfortunate Events” Series
- The “Twilight” Series

Most recently (this semester) I have begun reading the “Percy Jackson” series (at Leslie’s kind recommendation), and I LOVE THEM! Not only do they really get kids (and adults like me) interested in Greek mythology, but they make kids who have learning issues (such as dyslexia, ADHD, ADD, ect.) the special heroes. In a day like today when everything is supposed to conform, these are books that celebrates kids standing out!  The movie of the first book, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is coming out on February 12, 2010! Whoo hoo! Class trip 2010′s?

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Movie Still)

Can you tell that I adore perusing books from a series? I get so rabidly caught up in books that I’ve learned series are necessary for my sanity! I hate being left hanging or mourning the loss of a great literary adventure with no hope of a reprieve.

What I really love, are my dogs…my whole family loves animals! All of our dogs are from rescue shelters and all but one of our cats were rescued as well. My Mom says that rescued animals are the best because they can sense who rescued them and always remember. They are more grateful and loving. Much of my creativity as an adult comes out through the care and interaction I have with my dogs. My mother, sister, and I come up with endless, nicknames, stories, and anecdotes about our dogs (and from our dogs). I know it sounds strange, but, in the moment it feels like my dogs are communicating with me, not that i’m making up a story. I suppose that’s because I know their personalities so well and they inspire me!  Living at my house are 6 dogs and 4 cats.

• 2 dogs are mine (Winnie and Bitty)
• 2 dogs & 1 cat are my sister’s
• 2 dogs are my mom’s
• the 3 remaining cats are everyone’s

Winnie, aka "Winifred SnowHelen Smooter", "Hamster", "Hamster-dam", "Don King", "Super Frump"

Bitty aka "Beanie", "Beanie Phelps", "Light Bright", "The Can Opener", "Thai Chi"

I love all things England! I love the architecture, the countryside, the people, their accents, but most of all, I love the books and TV shows/movies from England. All the entertainment allusions I’ve made in this post, as well as many of the book characters I’ve mentioned are British. There is just something about England, especially the period in England that Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, Edith Wharton, and John Galsworthy wrote about. That feels like home to me. Devonshire, Hertfordshire, and Bathe, are places I’ve been to 100 times in my mind’s eye. One day, before I die, I will see them.

A Country House in Devonshire

What else do I like…well, I like Winter! I love being cold and drinking rapturous hot chocolate wrapped up in a fuzzy, fluffy, sweater! That is nirvana to me! I hate being hot and sweating…yuck! If I could live in Alaska, I would…except for the mosquito’s! Plus, I’m not really an “outdoorsy” girl, so Winter, inside by a roaring fire suits me just fine!  Also, if you have asthma, like I do, the less blooming outside, the better! But, the number one reason may be all of the wonderful holidays in Winter! I see more of my family in Winter than I do when I’m out of school in the Summer, and I enjoy spending time with my cousins and extended family!

Lastly, I love playing on the computer! This is a recent realization (aided by the sage advice of one, Miss Jennifer Swanson). One day I realized that if I put a PowerPoint or Wiki together for a project, it’s much easier for me to wrap my head around, and as Ifer says “It calms you down!” Even typing a paper on the computer is more relaxing to me than writing it out…it’s what i’m comfortable with. Guess that makes me a millineal, huh? Also, last year my laptop died and it was horrible. Even though I could still use one of the other 2 computers that are always in the house, it wasn’t mine! I don’t mean that to be bratty, it’s just that, i’ve become used to my computer and my way of saving things. When that’s taken away, it’s unnerving, to say the least! Plus, I check Facebook and Socialite’s Life.com religiously…really, it’s terribly sad!

What I Dislike

• Worrying- Even as I write this I am wondering about the people who are reading this and what they think about me…am I too loud? Do I complain too much? Am I annoying? Do my cohort mates want to kick me off the Island? I could go on all day, but the bottom line is that all I can do is trust in the people that I love; my friends, family, and cohort. I must trust that they like and accept me for who I am, as I like and accept them for who they are. Worrying is a plague that will come and goes as steadfastly as the tide throughout your life.
• Not Being Taken Seriously- Although I may seem happy all of the time, it’s not because I have a charmed life or are insipidly oblivious to things going on around me…oh no, I am happy all of the time because I choose to be. I wasn’t always this way…I used to sit in the back of classrooms and pray that I would disappear. Now, I make myself interact, which can sometimes make me seem overzealous or flighty, but really, i’m just trying to fight the voices inside of me that would rob me of the chance to know and share my life with other people. I’m calculatedly kind, not laughable (except when I accidentally make a joke that is funny!).
• People- I know this is strange coming from a future teacher, but I don’t really care for people. Of course, there are qualifiers to this. I don’t like large crowds; I feel rushed, uncomfortable, and lost in them. I don’t like rude people; manners are so simple to learn and can go a long way to changing your own, or someone elses, day (elevator etiquette is real, people!). When I smile at someone and they smile back, I feel like Mother Theresa. I know I am far from perfect, but at least I have the decency to chastise myself silently in my head for failing to uphold proper social etiquette!
• Summer- I hate being hot, sweating, and getting dirty, so…Summer pretty much is torture to me! When we put a swimming pool in our backyard about 5 years ago, that was nice, but still…if you need to go anywhere you have to shower and everything, so I don’t really swim that much. The rest of my family is my complete opposite, and let me tell you, the fights over the thermostat are legendary!
  

  Yuck...Summer

• Cough Medicine- Is there any worst taste in the wold than cough medicine? Urrrr lack-a-pongos!  I know it works, and all, but, really? Does it have to taste like radioactive cow snot? Seriously? If Dimatapp can taste sooooo good, why can’t real cough medicine? I’m just saying…

What You Should Know About Me

• I’m re-reading one of my favorite books, The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton and there are a few small quotes that I really feel embody me. Both quotes are said by the books heroine, Nan St. George, who I identify with in many ways. Nan states that she feels a sense of a “beyondness” of things. That the world is connected in ways we don’t initially see. She’s not only talking about people, but of animals, buildings, and land. Also, along the same lines, she talks about “feeling a house in your bones”. This sense that your love of the house unites you until your connected at the skeletal level. I know these quotes sound strange, but I feel the “beyondness” and “bones” feelings when I go to historical places. I have a deep (and often uncomfortable) sensitivity for the past (sometimes more than the present). I don’t mean that i’m psychic, I just mean that I “Feel” the age/history of things. My mother says she hates “anything old” but i’m the complete opposite. I love getting lost in the history and grandeur of things.

• I have at least 2 fans running in my bedroom all year long! Okay, this relates to my hatred of Summer and love of Winter. I always have my ceiling fan running (I can’t stand the quiet any more!). I’ve become so used to moving air that stagnant air really bothers me. And I always have at least one other fan going, although in Summer I have 2 other fans going. As I said before, the thermostat fights can get pretty brutal and I’m a spoiled princess when it comes to a lot of things, like physical comfort!

• My dogs are thieves! There, I said it. They never want anything I give them, they just want to steal it from the other dog! WHY!?! It’s the SAME BONE! Really??? Also, I own a Snuggie…and I’m probably going to get one for each of my dogs…even though my chihuahua is the ONLY chihuahua in creation that loathes wearing clothing. She tries to walk backwards out of the clothes…it’s funny, but heartbreaking for me, because I can’t dress her up! And she’s cold all the time…well, serves her right, I say!
  

  A Dog wearing a Snuggie! NOT Winnie!

• My favorite place in the world to go is a library! Well, my town’s new library is good, but it’s new and not very “library-like”. I love old libraries with rows upon stacks of books! I like feeling lost in a sea of books. Whenever i’m bored I just go sit in the library, there’s always something there to entertain you. Plus, you may accidentally learn something, which is the best way to learn, in my opinion!

• Another thing you should know about me is my full name which is Amanda Leigh Phifer.

The name Amanda means “lovable or worthy of love”. I think that’s a lovely meaning for a name, even if I don’t particularly like my name because it doesn’t sound graceful and everybody and their brother is named it. My mom said she named me Amanda because she liked the name, nothing grand or exciting, just a connection. Amanda is used in England, Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavian Countries, and Portugal, which is kind of amazing! I had no idea how many Amanda’s there were roaming about the world! Another interesting thing I learned is that it is the feminine form of Amandus…I’d never even heard that name before, let alone known I had a counterpart! Colley Cibber (whom I don’t know) named a character in his play “Love’s Last Shift” Amanda. Only once in my life (that I can remember) I have been the only Amanda in a class, and that was this summer!

My middle name, Leigh, means “Meadow” (like the Sopranos!) and is a feminine form of Lee. Again, my mother just liked Leigh with Amanda. Strangely enough, many of the Amanda’s I’ve known have had the middle name Leigh!

My last name, Phifer, is of Swiss and German descent. My mother’s maiden name was Huffman, which is also German. For many generations on both sides my families are German, which isn’t unusual for families that settled in this region.

I have a sweatshirt that says this...funny story.

There are only 12 people in the United States with the name “Amanda Phifer”. There are 620, 834 “Amanda’s” and 6, 124 “Phifer’s” but only 12 just like me!

Some nicknames I’ve had (the ones I can remember-I have a terrible memory!) are…

• Manda (just slightly shorter than my real name…probably came out of laziness! My friends, mother, and sister often call me this)
• Mander (southern form of Manda- High school best friend called me this)
• Panda (rhymes with Amanda- mostly high school friends)
• Pander (Mander+ Panda- my high school best friend- until we were in senior English and realized it meant to cater to lower class individuals and prostitute one’s self- never felt the same about the term again!)
• Priscilla, Drusilla, and Twyla (I was/am very prissy in some ways- don’t know about Drusilla other than it rhymes- have NO IDEA about Twyla- all of these are my mother’s nicknames for me)
• Turtle/ Big Turtle (my sister and I were watching “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” and Gene’s wife calls her sister “Turtle”- we liked it and adopted it)
• Blond Amanda (had a teacher who wouldn’t take the time to learn the difference between myself and Amanda Scoggins, so she referred to me as “Blond Amanda”- which I’m clearly not!)
• A-Man-Duh! (the brilliance that comes from elementary aged boys mouths- probably meant as an insult or to be clever but I always took it as a sign of mental softness!)

Okay…really quickly…the Sweatshirt Story- I was wearing my German Princess sweatshirt, that I got at Oktoberfest, while riding around all of North Carolina with my Uncle a few years ago. We stopped at a cafe where he said he knew some people. When I walk in, I realize, it’s a WWII Veterans Cafe! And I have nothing on under it, so I can’t take the sweatshirt off! So, of course, a veteran walks up to me and asks if I’m German. I said, “Well, um, kind of, but not really.” I’m so articulate under pressure! It turned out alright because the gentlemen had been stationed in Germany in the war and really loved the country and it’s people. He just wanted to know what it was like there now. Needless to say, I’m very careful about when I wear that sweatshirt now!