I'm a Computer Science / Studio Art double major who hails from the lovely balmy city of Saint Paul, MN. I have a really hard time meeting people, I'm terribly shy at first, but I warm really quickly and love making new friends. I love snail mail, good food and wine, and drawing more than just about anything else in the world.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to see more of the world, to get to know people and share my love of art, books, and knitting. I love drawing the portraits of the people I meet and couchsurfing seems like a great way to find people and places to draw and paint.

Interests

I am a lover of art first and foremost. One of my majors is studio art and I specialize in acrylic painting. While in France, I'll be learning oils and how to be a more mobile painter. No better time to get started travelling and finding more subjects then, eh?

My other major is computer science and at my home university I'm studying how to be a software developer. I can talk for far to long about my deep and profound love for object oriented programming; you've been warned!

In my spare time I write and read. In another life I would love to be an author and I'm especially fond of good poetry. I also knit and crochet, and normally have a sack of yarn and spare needles/hooks around for anyone who might want to learn.

I've recently become very into yoga, meditation, and natural living. I'm not especially good at any of them, but they're rapidly becoming a big part of my life.

• arts
• writing
• books
• poetry
• singing
• modern art
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• yoga
• meditation
• traveling
• socializing
• crochet
• knitting
• painting
• drawing
• computer science
• science
• software

Music, Movies, and Books

Oh man! It always drives me crazy that they put these three things in one tiny section. How on earth am I supposed to choose?!
Okay, here we go.

Books:
Neil Gaimen, Clive Barker, Tamora Pierce, Elizabeth Kerner, Heinlein, Murakami. Essentially any truely profound fantasy, science fiction, or fiction that moves you and makes you think. I want to come away from a book feeling profoundly changed and stuttering a bit trying to synthesize what just happened. That, to me, is the mark of a good work of literature.

Movies:
I'm really weird about movies. Sometimes I want the profound moving experience I look for in books, other times not so much. I have to be in a really specific mood to want to watch a movie, otherwise I get distracted too easily. I really don't like stupid humour, it makes me uncomfortable. Here recently I really have enjoyed Le Cité des Enfants Perdus, The Usual Suspects, Memento, Chocolat, but also 27 Dress was great. Like I said I'm weird about movies.

Music:
I absolutely love going to live music shows, it's probably one of my favorite things in life. I'm caught between my three profound loves, Electronic, Metal, and Alt/Indie Rock. I can enjoy just about anything that isn't American style country music. That fake southern twang just kind of grates on my ears, sorry.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I left home by myself at 18 and moved across the country to go be a first generation college student. I've been on the move ever since. I'm the first of my family to leave my state, and now I've left the country!

Teach, Learn, Share

I would love to teach people how to draw, paint, knit, or crochet. I always have a sketchbook and pencils on me, just in case an impromptu lesson comes up. I know an absurd amount about modern art and will pontificate for far too long if you let me.

I really want to learn an instrument, cook regional dishes, and how to spin wool into yarn. I know, I'm a weird one.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I would be happy to sing for you, draw your portrait, and/or cook American food. I can do other things, but those are my specialities!

Countries I’ve Visited

France

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United States