CURRENT MISSION

Explore. Escape Wisconsin winter.

ABOUT ME

2009 UW-Madison grad who just got her dream job as an advocacy journalist at a national media watchdog group based in Madison, Wis. Was hired the day the protests in Madison began. Talk about hitting the ground running...
When I'm not covering politics, finance and democracy issues, I investigate, report on and write about environmental, food, agricultural and small farmers' issues for the Food Rights Network, an arm of the Center for Media and Democracy (PRWatch.org).
Creative non-fiction aficionado. Environmental reporter. Green lifestyle enthusiast.

PHILOSOPHY

lists, alliteration, lively loop-de-loops, jumping through hoops, leaving town, bearing down, returning again, achieving Zen

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Surf 'n' host.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Have hosted surfers--usually really polite, fun foreigners. Loved all of our experiences!

Interests

publications. pop culture.
personalities. poking fun.
planning trips. pets.
problem-solving. pedaling around the town.
pragmatism. purple.
practicality. pastries.
progress. polka-dots.
pillow talk. pin-ups.
peanut butter. PBR.
particular-ness. poetry that doesn't suck.
procrastinating. post-its.
PigPen/Patty. please&thankyouma'ams.
produce. productivity.
possibilities.

• pets
• culture
• poetry
• polka
• dining
• running
• gardening
• politics
• jazz
• communications
• journalism

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Pixies, The Clash, The Pogues, The Smiths, Talking Heads, Violent Femmes, Ok Go, Cake, Spoon, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Miles Davis, Betty Davis, Sly and the Family Stone, Prince, Erykah Badu, James Taylor, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Daft Punk, The Flaming Lips, Neutral Milk Hotel, Regina Spektor, Mountain Goats, John Vanderslice, old Weezer, old Modest Mouse, Beck, Wilco, Johnny Cash, The Ditty Bops, The Shins, Cat Power, Jens Lekman, The Pipettes, Broken Social Scene, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Elastica, Melt Banana, Le Tigre, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Madonna, Billy Idol, Pat Benatar, The Strokes, Yelle, the occasional Britney, lovingly compiled mix CDs

Movies: Directors: Wes Anderson, Danny Boyle, Paul Thomas Anderson, Brad Bird, Pedro Almodovar, Alfonso Cuaron.
And Batman, in all of his cinematic incarnations.

Writers: Ernest Hemingway, Margaret Atwood, J.D. Salinger, Sylvia Plath, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Aimee Bender, John Marsden, Toni Morrison, Herman Hesse, Megan McCafferty, Betty Friedan, William Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf, William Langewiesche, Maureen Dowd. The list goes on.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Took a leap, moved to NYC for an internship one summer, never having visited before. Midwestern girl in da big city.

Teach, Learn, Share

Bicycle maintenance and repair (was a messenger for a year). Editing, of all sorts, of the English language--journalism, or otherwise. Wrangling small children. Tutoring and all that educational jazz. I'd like to learn how to start my own urban garden, and it'd be nice to also get some advice on starting my own compost!

Countries I’ve Visited

Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States