I'm a Canadian-American, semi-vegetarian, extreme reader, weight-lifter, shape-shifter, writer, friend, human being.

(Just kidding about the shape shifting part, but that would be great).

I was born in Canada, raised in Cleveland, and spent my troubled teen years in Florida. Love to travel, laugh, and experience life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Inspired by a Ted Talk by Amanda Palmer. It might sound cliche, but her speech about trusting people made me realize how important it is to connect with others and expand our circles of comfort. Technology brings us together, but it often pushes us further apart into isolation. I'm excited to use Couchsurfing as a means of technology in which I can connect with other people--people who most likely share my love of travel and are courteous and kind to other fellow beings.

Interests

Cooking, dancing, running, weight-lifting, reading, psychology, photography, painting, starry nights, nature, music....there's a lot to enjoy and every day is an opportunity to take up an interest in something new.

• arts
• writing
• photography
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• vegetarian
• marathon
• running
• technology
• reading
• traveling
• cars
• painting
• music
• swimming
• entrepreneurship
• psychology

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: I'm what you call a compulsive reader. If there are words on any surface, object, nutrition label--I have to read it. I even get distracted while driving from scanning signs on the road (I'm a safe driver, though, promise!). A few favorites of mine include: Ready Player One, Pure/Fuse/Burn trilogy, Game of Thrones series, The Beautiful Miscellaneous, Death with Interruptions, and Three (Ted Dekker).

Movies: Memoirs of a Geisha, The Tenth Kingdom, Rat Race, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Paycheck, Gladiator

Music: The Used, Dirty Heads, Armin Van Buren, Cosmic Gate, Imogen Heap, I'm pretty open to any kind of rock, electronic, instrumental, rap--everything but country.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I hiked the Incan Quarry Trail in Peru, passing by the rock quarries where the Incans mined for materials to build Ollaytaytambo and other sacred sites, going as high as 13,000 feet in elevation back down to 1,700 feet in three days (this was the most physically challenging and rewarding experience of my life).

I have successfully convinced at least 10 people I can speak Lord of the Rings Elvish (I can't).

I wrote a screenplay for a children's fantasy movie (unedited and not produced--yet).

I drag-raced a 1989 Corvette one eighth of a mile and won two races; snorkeled with string rays; ran a half-marathon in a decent time for a vertically challenged person; and interned in Dublin for a quirky entrepreneur to help him develop his ideas for initiating a private partnership with the government in exchange for the use of his amphibious emergency vehicles (massive trucks that can swim).

Teach, Learn, Share

Experiences, food, compassion. Maybe a joke or two.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I make some awesome pancakes and vegetarian dishes.
I'm a writer, so by nature, I love to participate in the exchange of stories and ideas :)
I will make you a fine looking squiggle art original, share music with you, and hopefully get a few chuckles out of you with my awful puns.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Costa Rica, England, Ireland, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Peru, Scotland, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, United States