CURRENT MISSION

To collect and share stories

ABOUT ME

I'm a bit of a nerd about a lot of things, like stories, music, jewellery, beer, food, and ROCKS. I'm very laid-back, very mellow, but I love to try new and unusual things. I love to laugh--my sense of humour can occasionally be caustic or dark, but always with good intentions!

In 2012 I completed my dream trip, spending 4 months traversing Russia, Mongolia, Ukraine and Romania by train. Since then I've made a new home for myself in Vancouver, working at an AMAZING job as a marketer for an animation studio. We make kids' cartoons! But I've been feeling the itch to travel again, so I'm off to Iceland for a few weeks this summer.

In my spare time I write stories and make jewelry. I'm a huge dork for geology and space. I like to cook, make things, be outside in all kinds of weather, and to listen.

PHILOSOPHY

Everyone has a story

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Avid surfer, hopefully one day I can host.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Couchsurfed through Siberia/Russia, Ukraine and Romania, and loved every minute of it.

Interests

Writing, reading, making jewelry, minerals, rocks, gems, volcanoes, geology, lapidary anything. Old art, new art, weird art. Animation, cartoons. Feminism! Drawing. Playing, singing and listening to music. Delicious food and drink made with care. Grammar, words, syntax. I'm a beginning but addicted jeweler, so I love to hammer, saw and solder. I love family history--yours and mine. I like to know how things are made. Sailing, hiking, skiing.

• arts
• writing
• singing
• womens rights
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• drinking
• boating
• cartoons
• reading
• traveling
• drawing
• music
• hiking
• sailing
• skiing
• animation
• geology
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Classical, old and new, from Albinoni to Xenakis. Jazz. Anything good and honest: Bjork, Rufus Wainwright, The White Stripes, Frank Zappa.

Books: Infinite Jest, The Metamorphosis, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, For Whom The Bell Tolls, The Master & Margarita, Dune, The Black Prism.

Movies: the really good and the really bad. I like to laugh at horror movies and I love a long, slow Tarkovsky. I'm a huge fan of sci-fi shows, movies and books.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In the South Pacific I sailed a big wooden schooner from Hawaii to Tahiti, and spent 16 days at sea without a speck of land or another boat even on the radar.

In Mongolia I bounced in an old Russian van across the Gobi desert.

In Russia I swam in Lake Baikal.

In all these places I found people who went from being strangers to friends in minutes, inspired by sharing an adventure, music, vodka, or just curiosity.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can make some jewelry for you, talk about grammar, draw your portrait, write you a story, play you some Chopin. And as for learning, I want to learn everything! But to narrow it down a bit, I want to hear your stories, learn more about metalsmithing, and anything else you have to share.

Countries I’ve Visited

Barbados, Dominica, French Polynesia, Ireland, Mongolia, Netherlands Antilles, Romania, Russian Federation, Ukraine, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada