CURRENT MISSION

Stepping it up.

ABOUT ME

I have two basic directions in my life that run in parallel.

First, I'm a PhD student in cultural anthropology, and I study Russia. I've been living in Moscow for the past 1.5 years doing my fieldwork. So I spend a lot of time reading, and when I'm not reading I probably want to talk to you about books. I'll leave my academic interests off the profile.

Second, I've been living in Philadelphia in a big house with five friends and two cats and shows in the basement. My life in Philadelphia revolves around the art and especially the music scenes. I'm interested in music that is either highly composed -- math rock, prog rock, tech metal -- or is highly chaotic and that explores timbre -- noise and noise rock, free jazz, free improv. Oh yeah, and East coast 1990s hip hop. I also really love my community, my neighborhood, and all the solidarity and friendliness it has.

I really can find almost anything fascinating. Hearing about something new, anything new, is my favorite activity, from esoteric science to pop culture minutiae to personal stories to art and literature to simply jobs or lifestyles I don't know anything about. I also love to talk. I think of myself as an information relay.

As a couchsurfer you should know that I can be very independent and take care of myself and make as little impact on your home as possible, but I also love company and am very friendly. (I *always* do my dishes, and probably yours too.) I can just as easily spend an entire day reading as I can an entire night dancing.

PHILOSOPHY

Try to be as mindful as I can about the choices I make. Suspect my own motives, narratives, justifications. Remember that life is very difficult for everyone and they're just trying to get by too. Don't waste time, there isn't much of it. Try to leave things a little better than I found them, every day. Recreate community in a society that dissolves it.

Por que estou no Couchsurfing?

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm always willing to meet up and show people something good about wherever I am living. If I can't manage the time, I can definitely provide some good information on things to do and see.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Just getting started with couchsurfing -- I don't know what took me so long!

Interesses

I spend a lot of time thinking about: the social sciences, ethics both personal (how to live a good enough life) and collective (how can we live together), feminism and gender, economics, community, culture, aesthetics and creative communities, democracy and political action, urban politics geography and history, (anti)consumerism and diy.

I spend a lot of time doing: reading, bike riding, seeing music, book clubs, talking over beer, living room dance parties, sitting in the cafe and waiting for people to talk to.

• cats
• arts
• culture
• books
• literature
• diy
• dancing
• womens rights
• ethics
• beer
• running
• partying
• clubbing
• politics
• technology
• reading
• music
• jazz
• cycling
• anthropology
• economics
• geography
• history
• mathematics
• science
• social science

Músicas, Filmes e Livros

Yes please.

Uma Coisa Incrível que Eu Fiz

Being in the Philadephia New Year's Mummers Parade -- weeks of sewing costumes, three sleepless days of making sure trucks, generators, PA, beer, etc. were in the right places, and then one morning-to-night party in the streets wearing spandex and glitter in the dead of winter with 100 great friends and ten thousand strangers.

Países que Visitei

Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, United Kingdom

Países em que Morei

Germany, India, Russian Federation, United States