Meet Alexa

by Alexa Boyce Where are you from? Though born in Middlesex, New Jersey (no comments, please J), I spent 19 of my 23 years just outside of Detroit, MI. What's your sign? Aries--I'm VERY superstitious about my horoscope! How long have you been with AmeriSpan? Since March of 2006. What are your current favorites? Books: I just joined a book club with my roommate, so hopefully this list will be getting a lot longer. For starters: Kurt Vonnegut, Tom Robbins and Brett Easton Ellis are my favourite authors, so pretty much anything by them. Also: The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea, Guevara (Yes, a biography of Che written by Paco Ignacio Taibo II, an author of some…interesting novels I read in one of my many Latin American literature classes in college), Absolut: Biography of a Bottle (because I was a marketing major, I am OBSESSED with the Absolut ads). There are so many more but I get the feeling I can't do the list justice here. Movies: I love movies that are so terrible that they're hilarious. I highly recommend Don't Go in the Woods as possibly the worst '70s horror flick ever. Literally, the killer was a wooden spear-toting Viking who had amazingly good aim, as a 2" thick spear could send heads flying all over the woods. Cemetery Man was recently recommended to me by my brother-in-law. This is a mid-'90s Italian/French film starring Rupert Everitt, whose job is to kill the dead bodies in the cemetery after they re-awaken. As far as movies that are good because they are, well, good, I highly recommend Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Four Rooms, Jackie Brown (Yes, I am a Tarantino fan), and 24 hours on Craigslist. Music: I hate this question because I can't possibly list even a slightly comprehensive list. I love local bands, but I am more knowledgeable of local Detroit bands thanks to my good friends back home. Philly has a pretty good music scene as well. Currently on my iPod: Tally Hall, Duenow, Sublime, Goldfinger, Billie Holliday, Johnny Cash and Spacehog. What do you do in your spare time? Aside from the above-mentioned passions, I am still in the "infatuation stage" with this city so I like to do almost anything as long as it's here: Walk around, go to museums, concerts, festivals, cafes, bars, restaurants… Oh yeah, and read, watch movies and listen to music. What is your favorite place in the world and why? Though my worldly travels are quite modest in comparison with most of my colleagues (hopefully not for long!), so far my favorite place ever is the back patio of my host family's apartment in Marbella, Spain. I used to get up early, which is extremely rare if you know me, just to sit and look out over the Mediterranean in one direction and a majestic purple mountain in the other. Plus, the people I met on the Costa del Sol were so laid back and fun. It is just an amazingly relaxing place to be. What is your favorite food? I like to try new things, though I was a vegetarian until recently so strange meat still kind of freaks me out. My favorite food in the world is Greek food, because I grew up on Greektown takeout! Spanikopita, Falafel, Baklava, Tdzadziki sauce, Feta salad…. mmmmm I love it! What is your favorite drink? I survive on mostly water, coffee and tea. Though possibly the most delicious thing ever is this tea I had in Chinatown in San Francisco- White Jasmine Dragon Pearl tea. Smells like perfume and tastes like heaven. What is your favorite time of year? In Michigan it's springtime, because there is nothing better than the relief you feel after the 5-month sunless deep freeze is over. Here, though, I really enjoy the fall as well because it's really rainy! If you were stranded on a deserted island, what five things would you have to have and why? * Something to read. Ok, Lots of things to read. * iPod/Radio/Other music-making device. * Friends and family- to keep me company, and protect me from bears. You know, the tropical bears. * Burt's Bee's lip balm. I'm like a walking advertisement for them. * Some sort of unlimited source of food. I'm a city girl- I would die in the wilderness!