CURRENT MISSION

Enjoy life.

ABOUT ME

Dance. Grow things. Try not to be a jerk :)

Pretty much all my time is spent making and fixing things, cooking, gardening, and biking. If you want you can read all the rest of this jazz.

I'm getting my MFA in book arts in Tuscaloosa, AL. I co-founded an artist collective when I got there (Alabama Art Kitchen (dot com)) which has since become a more loosely based collective without a physical space. I am originally from a horse farm in PA and went to high school in NH but consider Oregon my home, where I've been for the past 6 years. I went to Reed for my undergrad and wrote my thesis on obscure and really intense comics (graphic novels) and I've had an internship with a comic book publishing company for 3 years. I'm their "submissions editor". I'm an artist who loves to garden, hike, camp, backpack, silversmith, play with clay, played rugby for 7 years (just tore my ACL), love love to cook and especially back bread, mushroom hunt, bike and bike tour, paint, fix things, read and travel. I like to listen to records and drink tea. I love to do yoga but that makes me sound like a cliche so I usually don't tell people and tend not to fit into the group when I go to classes. I love to have potlucks and dinner parties. I bike everywhere I go and only bought my first car (a truck) in 8 years to get to Alabama. I love the little things in life like crunchy leaves and bouncy balls and have little plastic dinosaurs I've hidden in all my houses in Portland. I've lived communally for the past 6 years and love to do things like compost. I'm pretty darn good at pool but have lost my stroke a bit. I tried to bike across the country but my knee gave out after 1000 miles.

PHILOSOPHY

Enjoy life and live fully.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love to host and surf! I think it's the best way to see a new city and I love to meet the people who pass through.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Always wonderful positive experiences with lovely generous people so far (knock on wood!).

Interests

(See really long rambling description above)...

• arts
• books
• dancing
• cooking
• baking
• yoga
• partying
• drinking
• gardening
• comics
• traveling
• billiards
• painting
• jazz
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• scuba diving
• bungee jumping
• rugby

Music, Movies, and Books

I grew up without a tv so am not very good at cultural references, but have always read a ton. I wrote my undergrad thesis on experimental french comics and adore comics (off the top of my head some favorites are Fables, Kabuki, Y: The Last Man, Persepolis, Bone, Essex County Trilogy, The Ticking, Maus of course, and many many more). I can't list just one book but a few favorite writers (again off the top of my head) are Nabokov, Henry James, Louise Erdrich, Dr. Suess, Antoine de St. Exupery, Angela Carter, Tom Robbins, Faulkner and so many more. This is not to mention my favorite artists and book artists or musicians!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Just one? wow. Actually one of my worst trips but watching the sun rise over the clouds on the top of a sacred mountain temple in China. Also been shark diving, bungee jumping in Thailand, in a small plane crash, but really enjoy watching plants grow and sitting in hammocks more than any of that.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm sure I'll give you one of my prints if you like any of them.
I am an excellent cook and like to show people how easy baking bread is. I'm also going to school for book arts so know how to bind books, make paper, letterpress etc. I've been silversmithing since I was 12 and love to fix things. I built my own bike trailer. I know a bit about edible wild plants and love love to learn more.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States, Vatican City State, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United Kingdom, United States

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