CURRENT MISSION

I want to see the world and meet its people--and go on a few literary pilgrimages along the way!

ABOUT ME

I love fireflies, pumpkins, and Christmas lights. I'm a touch odd, a touch old-fashioned, and more than a touch nerdy.

PHILOSOPHY

Walking Home from Oak-Head

There is something
about the snow-laden sky
in winter
in the late afternoon

that brings to the heart elation
and the lovely meaninglessness
of time.
Whenever I get home - whenever -

somebody loves me there.
Meanwhile
I stand in the same dark peace
as any pine tree,

or wander on slowly
like the still unhurried wind,
waiting,
as for a gift,

for the snow to begin
which it does
at first casually,
then, irrepressibly.

Wherever else I live -
in music, in words,
in the fires of the heart,
I abide just as deeply

in this nameless, indivisible place,
this world,
which is falling apart now,
which is white and wild,

which is faithful beyond all our expressions of faith,
our deepest prayers.
Don't worry, sooner or later I'll be home.
Red-cheeked from the roused wind,

I'll stand in the doorway
stamping my boots and slapping my hands,
my shoulders
covered with stars.

~ Mary Oliver

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've only just recently discovered CouchSurfing, but think it brilliant, and my first few experiences have been lovely.

I'm ready to meet you, world!

Interests

• performing arts
• walking
• music

Music, Movies, and Books

I am always thrilled to talk about literature. Some of my favorite books (of the moment) include in no particular order /Brideshead Revisited/ (Evelyn Waugh); /If on a Winter's Night a Traveler/ (Italo Calvino); /The Sevenwaters Trilogy/ (Juliet Marillier); /Heart's Blood/ (also Marillier); /Anansi Boys/ (Neil Gaiman); /The Thirteen Clocks/ (James Thurber). My movie taste mostly falls into artsty-but-not-too-artsy and my music taste is a somewhat embarrassing mix of showtunes and J-pop.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I spent a month studying at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, culminating in a showcase performance on the actual Globe stage. Our rehearsals were often late, late at night, and I will never forget my first night before rehearsal, as I lay on the stage, looking up at the stars, listening to Big Ben chime 2am in the distance, and thought how amazing it was that the world had led me -here-.

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Ireland, Italy, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom, United States