CURRENT MISSION

To travel as far as possible, learn as much as possible, and overall stretch my soul until I fit more comfortably inside.

ABOUT ME

Google "Good-bye to All That" by Joan Didion (oddly it's one of her essays which is widely available free online) and know that I read that essay at a very impressionable time in my life, i.e. my first trip outside of the U.S. to do an architecture internship in Tokyo.

These days I'm slightly more cynical about the potential to generate amazing literature from moderately unpleasant life experiences, but I'm still pretty much excited to meet people and try to find out all the things I don't know.

I am the kind of person who compulsively apologizes, loves to talk about the connotations of similar words in different languages, can easily drink two liters of caffeinated beverages a day, and who will walk four miles rather than take the bus. I keep making mediocre watercolor sketches in my book and occasionally I get one that's not too bad.

PHILOSOPHY

I want to learn everything and travel everywhere.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am currently trying to participate by surfing; when I am more stable, I probably will try to contribute a couch. I also am happy to share my limited knowledge of whichever town I'm living in at the time.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I still think of myself as "just beginning," but I guess I've couchsurfed with seven or eight different people through the website.

Interests

sooo many.

Painting in watercolors, acrylic, and oils; linocuts; drawing; architecture; architectural history; sustainable design and construction; daylight; baking; making pastries; making cheese; cooking; making pasta; tea; knitting; walking/hiking; bicycling; public speaking; writing fiction, poetry, and essays; wheel-thrown ceramics; spinning; learning languages; history; sociology; gardening; reading fiction; theater; tap dance.

Things I hope to take up at some point: sailing, beekeeping, weaving, sewing, making better cheese, typography, teaching art, ice skating. Also I want to finish my damn book.

• pets
• cats
• dogs
• arts
• culture
• writing
• books
• literature
• poetry
• singing
• theater
• architecture
• design
• dancing
• cooking
• cheese
• baking
• walking
• drinking
• pub crawls
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• pottery
• knitting
• painting
• drawing
• survival
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• sailing
• muslim
• buddhist
• agriculture
• animation
• art history
• biology
• history
• languages
• religion
• sociology

Music, Movies, and Books

Last watched/listened/read:

No Country for Old Men, Rushmore, The Grand Budapest Hotel, August: Osage County, Bright Star, A Man for All Seasons

The Noisettes, V.V. Brown, Daniel Merriweather, Ray LaMontagne, Joy Kills Sorrow, Adele

Cities Without Cities by Thomas Sieverts, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Gone Girl by Gillian Flyn, Pegasus by Robin McKinley

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

A few summers ago, I climbed Mt. Fuji with a friend from work. I apparently DO NOT have a head for heights. Nevertheless, I broke no bones and did not throw up from altitude sickness.

Yay survival!

Runners-up: biking a hundred and twenty miles in three days, starting the day I turned in my master's thesis, to leave Switzerland; sleeping on a bench outside a pub during one night in Ireland when I couldn't find another place to stay that I could afford; singing a capella during a traditional music session in a (different) Irish pub; making hummus. HUMMUS IS AMAZING.

Teach, Learn, Share

Things I can speak knowledgeably or semi-knowledgeably about (and enjoy conversing about, should I be able to learn more things about them):
* Natural daylighting in homes
* General concepts of architecture
* Architectural history
* Various oddments of history

Things I know how to do and can teach:
* Bake (bread, cookies, pies, cake)
* Make soup
* Use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
* Use AutoCAD
* Basic watercolor painting

Things I know a little about and like to talk about:
* Languages
* Sustainable agriculture

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, Spain, Switzerland, United States