CURRENT MISSION

To boldly go.

ABOUT ME

I grew up in the desert southwest. After college i worked as a seasonal field biologist for five years in Maine, California, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and Australia. I then moved to Ohio for grad school and haven't left yet. Columbus is a great town and it's been good to me, but it's official: i'm now on the 4-month GTFO plan.

At any given moment i am either moving very quickly (i.e. "scurrying"), or sitting very still. I'm mellow and easygoing and even reticent at times, but the right people or music (and also booze) will transform me into a total extrovert. I have even been known to frolic from time to time.

I use foul language fairly often, but not compulsively. I do have a filter that works, but prefer to be around people who don't give a shit if i drop the occasional F-bomb.

Really dumb things will make me laugh, including nerdy puns.

Lolspeak amuses me, especially when used facetiously by intelligent people. And i have a thing for internet memes.

Once you get me going i can talk in detail and at length about sciencey blahbeddy blah, especially if it's biology or natural history related.

MOAR ADJECTIVES: Quirky. Independent. Blunt. Sincere. Affable. Crass. Goofy. Genuine. Affectionate. Irreverent. Guileless. Nerdy. Sentimental.

PHILOSOPHY

For self-actualization I only need 2 things: Science, and Peeps. I can go a long way with only one, but life is way better with both.

Life is about discovery and learning, and making connections with people and other living things. Pretty simple, right?

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Joined Couchsurf as a means to explore new places and meet new peeps!

Interests

I'm kind of addicted to biking but mediocre at it, so i feel like a poser when i wear those tight biker pants.

I studied wildlife ecology in grad school and i enjoy doing outdoorsy things: backpacking (pretty serial about it), climbing rocks, camping, hiking, and swimming. I also enjoy sliding on hard floors in my socks.

• wildlife
• birds
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• rock climbing
• swimming
• biology
• ecology
• history
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Anything--fiction, nonfiction, sci-fi/fantasy. I get a kick out of George Washington's "Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour In Company and Conversation". Love David Sedaris, of course.
I do pick up nerdy books about neuroscience or theoretical physics from time to time. Sadly, academia may have ruined recreational reading for me forever, and i rarely have time to read nowadays.

Movies: Goofy comedies, drama, some foreign, and sci-fi. I'm pretty easily entertained and a terrible critic, and it's rare for me to truly hate a movie.
American Beauty, Wes Anderson, Spaceballs, Star Wars (pre-Lucas fuck ups), Star Treks II-IV and VI, Alien(s), Labyrinth, Legend, Anchorman, the Xmens, Napoleon Dynamite, Office Space, the Kill Bills, Clerks, Bill and Ted, Fido, Trollhunter, etc. And i adore Plinkett's reviews.

Shows: Dark, gritty and/or funny and smart; sci-fi; and nature documentaries.
Dexter, Six Feet Under, Breaking Bad, U.S. of Tara, The Office, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Star Trek (TOS and TNG), anything with Sir David Attenborough, Nova, Nature. Just started watching Wilfred and Californication.

Music: I dabble in a variety of genres but seem to prefer songs that are in F minor. I just started learning piano, which adds a whole other level of enjoyment to music.
Most-played artists this week: Radiohead, Damien Jurado, Junip, the Eels, Drew Smith, Home Video, Beck, Roisin Murphy, and Scott Matthews.

Food: Food and eating are the best things ever. I enjoy all cuisines i've tried thus far, and there's almost nothing I wouldn't eat again. Generally vegetarian, i try to buy local when i do eat meat.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've handled one of the most endangered birds on the planet, the 'Akiapola'au, when i lived and worked in Hawaii. They are mega awesome.