CURRENT MISSION

Finding passion.

ABOUT ME

Condensed me = explorer and somewhat outdoorsy type, connoisseur of the lazy day, or week, movie- book- animal- and travel- lover, skeptic, cook & baker, great sleeper, small town East Coast native.

PHILOSOPHY

Quotes explain this best for me....

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

"You can't be brave if you're not scared."

"No need to hurry, no need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself." ~ Virginia Woolf

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I haven't participated since I started grad school, but am looking to surf again. Unfortunately, I can't host at the moment since I'm renting in someone else's place, but hopefully soon!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Awesome. What better way to see new places than through the eyes of the cool people who live there? I've met a bunch of really great, trustworthy individuals, and hope to meet many more.

Interests

Oh boy.....travel and exploration, reading, being with good people, hiking, ice hockey, food and cooking, reading, movies, relaxing, playing with animals, movies, deep discussions, sometimes shopping or treasure hunting or thrifting, road trips, just driving around, throwing pots on the wheel, trying new things, kayaking, trying to learn to knit, trying to learn to play my unused guitar, singing loudly in the car, having a good drink, sleeping very late....

• animals
• books
• singing
• dining
• cooking
• drinking
• gardening
• shopping
• thrifting
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• knitting
• music
• guitar
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• camping
• hunting
• hockey
• sociology
• road trips

Music, Movies, and Books

Love! All!

Well, I guess if I had to be more specific...I enjoy action movies as well as rom coms. I love period films, and comedies, preferably somewhat intelligent ones. Sometimes independent or foreign films (I LOVE Amelie). War movies depress me.

I like lots of music, but I think I tend to gravitate toward different forms of rock...alternative, southern, classic, even pop rock. Some of my favorite groups or singer/songwriters are Death Cab for Cutie, The Black Keys, Keane.....but in the car, I usually have the radio on. I've become addicted to NPR/WUNC. I also enjoy singers like Grace Potter, Brandi Carlisle, Adele, Lorde, etc and bands like Young the Giant, Foster the People, and more.

I haven't had much time to read for pleasure in the last several years, but I used to be a voracious reader. Sometimes, in the midst of a good book, I would have to remember to do things like shower or go to work. I love fiction and non-fiction. For fiction, I enjoy reading classics, because they become so ingrained in our culture, but I also like reading newer things. For non-fiction, I tend to read sociological stuff, about food or culture or people. One of my all-time favorites, cliche though it may be, is Pride and Prejudice. My second favorite Austen novel is Persuasion.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Ooh, this is hard! Well...I spent some time in Biloxi, MS after Katrina....what I saw there was pretty amazing, in both good and bad ways. The devastation was incredible, and so was the way people came together to help each other. My experiences there taught me a lot about both the fragility and resilience of the human spirit. I went from never having done construction before, to putting up walls and ceilings and vinyl siding. It showed me that I had the ability to be a leader, but it also showed me how much there was to know about the world and that one person could never know it all. The fun in life is trying anyway ;)

Teach, Learn, Share

I suppose I could share:

Intermediate Spanish skills
The game of ice hockey
Sociology
Public health knowledge
Microsoft Excel!

I would like to learn:

How to play my guitar and make music
How to knit
The potter's wheel! Love it...need more experience
Better Spanish communication skills
Cooking or gardening skills
Green living skills - reducing footprints, etc.
Backpacking, camping, non-intrusive hiking skills
Better kayaking skills

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Czech Republic, United States

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