CURRENT MISSION

Learning to enjoy the ride. In 2015-2016, I worked in McMurdo Station, Antarctica for the summer and winter seasons, traveled around Australia, New Zealand, Las Vegas, and Canada, and stayed in my old stomping ground Seattle for a few weeks. I was hosted in Minneapolis during Inauguration Day AKA Armageddon 2017 and moved to the Twin Cities not long after. In 2018, I enjoyed seeing Southern California (complete with a much-needed road trip up the coast), and I checked out NYC and Baltimore for the first time ever and hit Washington D.C. for the first time in 16 years.

ABOUT ME

I'm not quite six feet tall (but tall enough to look you in the eye), a country girl and a city slicker, a Midwesterner and West Coast girl mezcla. I'm an animal lover who is an ex-vegetarian. I'm a writer who sometimes can't stand the limits of language, an artist who can see the whole world in a stroke of paint or ink. I can be ambitious, restless even, but also very, very content.

PHILOSOPHY

"The world is like a ride at an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it, you think that it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills, and it's very brightly colored, and it's very loud and it's fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question - is this real, or is this just a ride? And other people have remembered, and they come back to us. They say 'Hey! Don't worry, don't be afraid, ever, because, this is just a ride.' And we...kill those people. Ha ha ha. 'Shut him up! We have a lot invested in this ride. SHUT HIM UP! Look at my furrows of worry. Look at my big bank account and family. This just has to be real.' It's just a ride. But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok. But it doesn't matter because: it's just a ride. And we can change it anytime we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings, and money. A choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourselves off. The eyes of love, instead, see all of us as one. Here's what you can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money that we spend on weapons and defense each year, and instead spend it feeding, clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, for ever, in peace." - Bill Hicks

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I want to explore the world, but obviously I can't do that on my own. It takes a lot of people to make your way, and I'm striving to build a circle of good people to make my journey (and theirs) worthwhile.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Had lots of fun hosting when I lived in Los Angeles. I had my first surfing experience in Vegas in '09, and it was great! Did it again in London during 2012 with two great gals I hosted, then again in Seattle and Alhambra (CA) in 2013, all around the state of Washington and the city of Portland, OR in 2014, and in 2016 in Australia, New Zealand, Las Vegas, and Vancouver. In late 2018, I met some wonderful hosts in New York City and Arlington, VA when I hit D.C. I've also met up with plenty of other CSers, so this site has been gold for me. For me, CS is not so much about finding a place to stay as it is about the relationships I make all around the world.

Interests

Writing, art, filmmaking, thinking, sarcasm, reading anything that interests me, films (anything from avant-garde to comedy to drama to foreign to whatever), occasionally bar and club-hopping, live theatre (plays, burlesque, circus, the like), traveling, enjoying good food and good company, taking in beautiful sights in the city and country.

Music, Movies, and Books

I was raised on 50's and 60's music (Buddy Holly, Beatles, Rolling Stones, motown, etc.), old-school metal and rock (AC/DC, Metallica, Megadeth, Ozzy/Black Sabbath, Zeppelin, KISS, Hendrix, Aerosmith, etc.) and country (Johnny Cash, Waylon and Willie, Highwaymen, bluegrass). On my own I got into classical, punk, Cuban, opera, spirituals, folk, techno, and anything else that's exciting. As for movies, I'd go for just about anything from Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Julian Schnabel, Luis Bunuel, Scorsese, Fellini, Michel Gondry, Henry Jaglom, Kieślowski, Kubrick, Kurosawa, David Lean, John Cameron Mitchell, Kenji Mizoguchi, Errol Morris, Monty Python, Francois Ozon, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Aleksandr Sokurov, Gus Van Sant, Hector Babenco. Books? Philosophy, spirituality, American history (esp. civil rights, LGBT movement, women's rights movement), poetry, humor.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Meditated on the edge of Point Dume overlooking Zuma Beach and watched a sunset on El Matador Beach, Malibu; seeing Aretha Franklin live on Valentine's Day 2008, John Williams live in 2010, and Peter Gabriel performing "So" in its entirety in 2012; watching my niece and nephew grow up; driving down the Oregon and Northern California coast in January 2012; seeing the Palace of Versailles, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, and the works of Dali, Picasso, Goya, Bosch, da Vinci, and more in person during my Europe excursion. Visited Discovery Hut and Terra Nova Hut (both occupied by Robert F. Scott and Ernest Shackleton during their expeditions) in Antarctica. Had a beer at Bon Scott's grave in Fremantle, explored the gorgeous Loch Ard Gorge and the Tasman Peninsula in Australia. Explored the Milford Sound in New Zealand. Worked at Paisley Park as a tour guide and meeting Prince fans from all over the world.

Teach, Learn, Share

When Minnesotans talk about the "STrib," they are referring to the Minneapolis "Star Tribune," a local newspaper, and not a bacterial throat infection.
Alcohol and stairs generally do not mix.
In Africa, the most dangerous animals to hunt on foot are known as The Big Five. They are, from least to most dangerous: the leopard, the African elephant, the lion, the cape buffalo, and the guinea pig.
What I would like to learn in this lifetime: how to improve my Spanish, speak another language or two (maybe Danish, Italian?), how to write a decent screenplay or novel, how to let go and get over a little more in life.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm always glad to bring a bottle of wine or whiskey along if you're so inclined. I also can bring my dry sense of humor and smart-alecky perspective in to pretty any subject in existence. If you need a little help around the house or a meal, I can help with that as well (just don't expect a live-in maid).

Countries I’ve Visited

Antarctica, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Antarctica, United States

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