CURRENT MISSION

Self-improvement, inner peace, and staying the f*ck in Germany!!!

ABOUT ME

HI THERE! PLEASE READ MY COUCH INFO BEFORE REQUESTING ME (even if you don't have the time to read the rest of my profile.) I will accept your request if you have read my couch info! I won't if you haven't! :D THANKS!

I am a tall brunette who wears contacts occasionally but generally prefers glasses. I have some fashion sense, but not too much. I am always looking for the best deal. I can be ditzy but this only adds to my charming humor, which is somewhere between witty and dark. I like talking, hiking, teaching, candles, books, people, animals, running, creating and consuming the culinary arts, quotes, writing, being madly in love, Germany, Poland, Northern Cali, Southern US, Latin America, Rome, and the North Fork of Long Island, New York. I am a travel and language nut. It takes very little to make me smile, and I love making other people smile. I can be a nice person, but friends come up with more colorful adjectives to label me than just plain old "nice." I am considerate and opinionated, I respect and trust everyone until I'm given a reason not to, and I try to always assume the best.

I believe in humanity - that means, I believe in the powers of change, love, insight, inspiration, education, and cooperation. I'm an idealist who firmly believes she is a realist.

I hate academia and am struggling to escape this spedial kind of hell . . . Uggh.

PHILOSOPHY

Life is good so try to be happy as much as possible! Always be thinking. My Dad says, "Worry more about doing right than being right," and my uncle says, "Never lose sight of your objectives" both good ideas. :D

Here's one more to help navigate personal politics, aka interacting with other people: In every situation, there needs to be at least one adult. Take a look at the other guy; if he's acting like a child, you better make sure you're not. ( <- that's also from my old man, who is very wise)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I surf and host a LOT. Since moving to DE mid-2012 I've surfed maybe a half dozen couches and hosted nearly a hundred surfers. Also, there are sometimes cool meetings in my area, and I go to them occasionally! The Le CSers are cool beans. :D

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

A lot. See my track recond for the last 12 months above . . . In my life I've surfed well over 500 nights, and hosted hundreds of surfers! Love it.

Newbies are always asking "But is it SAFE?!" or "Is everyone really that nice/good of a person?!" The best reply is: No! CSing isn't magically inherently safe, and CSers aren't magically all the same person with identical personalities to suit your taste! BUT: Outside of CouchSurfing I have been in dangerous situations with strangers about a half dozen times in my life, and within the CS community I have never been in a situation that was dangerous for me. Outside of CS I meet at least one asshat per week; within CS, in probably over 1000 contacts, I've met less than 10 douchebags.

Couchsurfing, like most worthwhile things in life, gives you what you put into it. Be mindful of yourself, your vibe, your emotions, and your body, and you will be good at couchsurfing. And life.

Interests

(See "About Me" section!)
and also . . .

Political: I hate politics. I'm a liberal thinker with the commitment of a conservative. I'm not a tree-hugger (OK, maybe a little!) and I'm *really* not a Bible-thumper. I don't belong to any political party - I am interested in some of the core principles of almost all the main parties. I voted for Gary Johnson in the US Presidential election in 2012, though I seriously considered voting for Jill Stein as well.

Religious: Spirituality is important to me; religions scare me pretty good. I believe in people and our potential. Knowing that this is all we've got helps me keep a healthy, optimistic perspective on life and makes it easy to be so loving and trusting toward the other lucky humans on this planet. I am a fervent atheist, and while religious tolerance is something I value, it can be hard for me. The best thing you can do to help me become a better person is to be a religious person and NOT sexist/heterocentric/racist/close-minded . . . Meeting people who both believe in some kind of mass-subscribed God-entity who are also generally good human beings helps me become more tolerant, which is important to me.

Artistic: I like the visual arts and have a minimal talent with layout-design projects. I do have a good eye for what looks interesting, balanced, and appealing. I enjoy photography, paintings, and 3D art. I also like performance arts, but I can only express my enjoyment in terms of observing them as I am absolutely devoid of talent in this field.

Athletic: No talent here, but I thoroughly love throwing a Frisbee around, tossing a baseball back and forth (usually with at least one dog running from person to person waiting for a miss!), and walking or hiking for hours on end. I hate running and only do it on rare occasions, but I have a tremendous respect for people who run regularly. (Update: I'm a runner now! I started in April 2011, and now I run a few miles every day.) Because of my lack of self-inhibition, I am happy to play any sport, regardless of inability to do well. This makes me a wonderful asset to any picnic or camping expedition - the humor of watching me try to play some soccer or basketball is quality entertainment. :D One day I will get SCUBA certified. (Update: I took the SCUBA class this past December! I passed the written exam and the closed water dives, and now only need to wait for warmer weather so I can do the open water dives and be certified!)

• animals
• dogs
• arts
• writing
• books
• performing arts
• design
• fashion
• photography
• acting
• beauty
• dancing
• education
• picnic
• running
• walking
• partying
• politics
• traveling
• socializing
• origami
• hiking
• camping
• scuba diving
• atheism
• sports
• baseball
• basketball
• soccer
• track and field
• teaching
• religion
• visual arts

Music, Movies, and Books

Oh God this category is too big. I like classic books and classic rock, and I like every single genre of movie available. I especially enjoy psychological thrillers and scary movies. I like Mark Twain and the Beatles and Stephen King and Muse. Carole King and Robert DeNiro are on my YES list, too. I'm leaving this list short, and I hope you understand that this is one granule of sugar from the cake's icing. :D (Update: I'm slowly beginning to realize that I don't really love movies. I'll happily watch one if someone else invites me, and I'll enjoy myself, but I don't really watch them of my own accord. Too long. Eek!)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Once, I was walking in the evening in a small town in the middle of nowhere, Alabama. As I came up over a small crest in the dirt road, I noticed what I recognized as a lake reflecting moonlight behind a row of trees to my left. I smiled at the beauty of the millions of little reflections of the moon only to realize that the flecks of light all belonged to lightning bugs! There was no lake after all - I was looking at a field totally aglow with what must have been millions of lightening bugs. Cool, huh? :D

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to make a pizza from scratch, and you can teach me something about a part of the world I haven't been to yet. I want to learn how to sew and bake with yeast. I can also teach you how to make an origami Christmas stocking and how to fold a letter so that it becomes its own envelope. Maybe you can teach me about classic philosophy? One day I want to learn how to dance salsa, too. If you know a lot about environmental veganism or locavorism I want you to teach me everything. :D Also, I can teach you about interpersonal communication and relationship care, and you can give me tips for coping with emotional downpour.

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