CURRENT MISSION

To conquer my fear of heights and eat a lot of burritos in the process.

ABOUT ME

I have lived in Los Angeles for four years (too many), and I currently reside in the Bay Area. I love writing almost as much as I love reading, and I like to think I look at the world with a critical eye. I feel guilty if I don't recycle and I can't draw. I do like to do paint-by-numbers, and I am always interested in expanding my creativity. I used to not eat fast food because it is evil. But then I drank a few beers and went to KFC in Christchurch by accident. Now I've come to terms with it.

PHILOSOPHY

I try to get myself out of my comfort zone as much as possible. I also think every experience we live through is valuable, especially the challenging ones. These challenges can range from getting lost in the woods, to losing loved ones, to surviving without a burrito for a few months at a time.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have just learned about Couch Surfing here in New Zealand, and all of my experiences have been so wonderful. I'm still in awe that something like this exists. When I get back to California, I promise to host and give back!

Interests

Books, cheese, open spaces, new music of all kinds, pastries, kind strangers, kitty cats (especially really fluffy ones, but I'm not prejudiced), photography -- I like to pretend I'm a photographer with my Nikon DSLR. I'm really not. But I will probably take a picture of you anyway.

• cats
• writing
• books
• photography
• dining
• cheese
• beer
• fast food
• reading
• painting
• drawing
• music
• surfing
• skateboarding

Music, Movies, and Books

Woody Allen is my favorite director. William Faulkner is my favorite writer. Radiohead is my favorite band. All of these things are subject to change, though I doubt they will.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I drove across the United States and back in six days. There's a whole lot of nothing in the middle of this country. There's also a lot of fried food.

Teach, Learn, Share

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

I can probably teach you how to speed-read. I know some Bay Area and Southern California lingo if you're ever in need. I edit things obsessively, so I could probably share that passion with anyone who writes anything at all. I take pictures, but I want to learn more about photography. I can teach novices about DSLR's.

I would like to be taught how to surf, how to skateboard, how to windsail, and how to act smooth (this last point may be un-teachable or it may just not be in my DNA).

I'm ALWAYS down for a book trade. Just ask me and we can switch!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom, United States