CURRENT MISSION

To build sustainable communities in diverse future cities

ABOUT ME

I work on diversity in bicycling, currently for a national bicycle advocacy organization. I ride my bicycle and use public transit to get around at home in DC and when I travel. I like to make my own clothes, and I love making over old garments into new ones. I enjoy excellent conversations and unexpected adventures in urban space.
As an anthropologist, I question everything, and I believe there's good in the world.

PHILOSOPHY

Politically potent play

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

First off, I've been very bad about keeping my profile up to date, especially since I moved to DC and started working in November 2013. So my sincerest apologies to anyone who asked about surfing in Portland who I never got back to!
I've met really neat people through Couchsurfing all over the U.S. and in Bogotá, Colombia. I used to host when I lived in LA, but in Seattle my apartment is too small. Right now I'm embarrassed that my reply rate is so low...

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've had great times with other couchsurfers, and I really appreciate the openness and warmth of hosts and guests I've encountered. I recommend it to all my friends.

Interests

- Rock 'n' roll from here and there, especially music tied to or inspired by the psychedelic & garage era.
- Films that subtly convey the complexity of the world within a narrative format
- Experimental films and documentaries
- The written word!
- Bicycles, buses, and trains
- Museums and urban exploration
- Hiking, camping, not being inside
- Friendly people
- Creative people
- Intentional lifestyles

• documentaries
• clothing
• movies
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• anthropology
• urban exploration

Music, Movies, and Books

Neorealism, nouvelle vague, David Lynch, Paul Verhoeven, Werner Herzog, Terrence Malick, Kenneth Anger, Michelangelo Antonioni, François Truffaut, some Godard, Abderramahne Sissako, the Marx Brothers, Charlie "I like 'em young" Chaplin, nice landscapes, striking images, narrative, documentaries. I have a special place in my heart for "Midnight Cowboy" and "Rosemary's Baby"

Jeffrey Lewis, Jonathan Richman, Cafe Tacvba, The Shins, Velvet Underground, Nuggets and its legacy, the Flaming Lips, Soda Stereo, New Order, Jens Lekman, Modest Mouse, the English Beat, punk, new wave, psychedelic, garage, rock en español, shoegazer too. Stop Making Sense!

Ray Bradbury was my idol. I also like Faulkner, Nabokov, Pynchon, Fante, Cather, Lem, and books that describe my outlook (critical but hopeful). I'm familiar with social scientific canons as well.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I attended three ciclovías in Bogotá in summer 2008, and got to meet Jaime Ortíz Mariño, the man who came up with the idea back in the 70s. Thanks Jaime! Then I started a ciclovía in LA, CicLAvia.

Teach, Learn, Share

being-in-the-world: I'm pretty into holistic lifestyles and I'm always interested in learning more about sustainable practices

social/ cultural anthropology

bricolage: making new stuff out of old stuff

questioning assumptions

cross-cultural understanding

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Colombia, France, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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