CURRENT MISSION

I can always get more toast.

ABOUT ME

All about me? Probably not, but I'll do my best.

I realized this section desperately needed updating based on the couch requests I've been getting. First, the good news: while I'm still not a hardcore all-night party girl, I do drink the alcohols and socialize with the peoples. Then, the bad: My stint on funemployment had to come to an end, and I have returned to the world of schedules and offices and adult responsibility. I work almost an hour away from Philadelphia, which means that I have to get up very early to commute on weekdays. I would hate to foist this tragedy off on unsuspecting surfers; if you would rather not be ousted around 7:30 in the morning--and I TOTALLY understand, because honestly, I'd rather not as well--my "couch" might not be the best fit for you, at least during the week.

On to the generic stuff! I enjoy books, movies, music, art--the usual. I really enjoy nerdy things like economics and sci fi, as well as inappropriate humor and tattoos. I am an avid vegan cook. I love animals but I don't own any. I smoke, but only outside on the deck. I am tidy and low-key most of the time, but enjoy an evening of wild revelry as much as the next girl.

Despite my unfortunate return to working life, I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

PHILOSOPHY

You're right. All I have to do is remember that I can always get more toast! (Bonus points for those who know the context of this reference.)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

To the best of my ability. I would like to get more involved, so maybe you can help with that.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Two summers ago I took a road trip to Missoula to help a friend move out there, and we couchsurfed to save money on the way. It was a beautiful and surreal range of experiences. My favorite way to travel is visiting friends, but I'd never made friends along the way; it was really fun and made each stop a destination rather than just a place to stop and sleep.

I also lived in a shared house in North Philly last winter that participates in couchsurfing, although we didn't have any couchsurfing guests while I was there. This is probably because Philadelphia hibernates in the winter or people preferred pitbull-free accommodations.

My friends who participate in couchsurfing have (almost) nothing but positive things to say about their experiences hosting and surfing. I've been a little reluctant to hostess because I live alone, but have been persuaded that profiles, reviews, and correspondence should be sufficient to weed out any creepers that might want to rape and kill me or vice versa. If that is what you're into in a couchsurfing experience, please let me know before you get here.

I think host/essing is an important part of the reciprocity of couchsurfing. Yes, I want to travel Europe cheap and meet amazing people who will give me tips and maybe even show me around their cities. But I also want to extend that hospitality to others who might want to stay with me on their trip to Philadelphia. I have a beautiful and clean, if small, one-bedroom apartment just south of South Street, known for it's plethora of bars, restaurants, sex shops, and tattoo parlors (Philly is classy!). Everything in Center City is accessible by foot, and I'm only 2 blocks from the Broad Street line to South Philly or free interchange at City Hall for Fishtown, Northern Liberties, Old City, and University City/West Philadelphia.

Interests

Reading, writing, story-telling, conversation, science, economics, vegan cooking and baking, film (independent, slasher, documentary, action, horror and gore, etc.), art, music (folk, punk, hip-hop, funk, pop, etc.), long walks, running, siestas, animals, plants, and, oh yeah, travel.

• animals
• pets
• arts
• writing
• books
• design
• documentaries
• beauty
• tattoos
• dancing
• cooking
• cheese
• baking
• vegan
• running
• partying
• drinking
• news
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• metalworking
• music
• surfing
• economics
• science
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

I am just started Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Paulo Friere). It's nice to feel like I'm in back in my social policy and advocacy classes in grad school again.

I like music. Lately I've been interested in lisening to something different than my usual alt-rock, punk, and indie stuff. Zoe Keating, Florence and the Machine, and Amanda Palmer are some recent favorites.

Favorite movies include I Heart Huckabees, Thank You For Smoking, Labyrinth, White Chicks, Ma Mere (based on Georges Bataille's novel), and Zombieland.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In Fargo, ND, I got ridiculous at a kareoke bar and then decided that I wanted to wear Sparkles' pink taffeta gown. Our surfing host was so tickled that he played "I Feel Pretty" on the old phonograph in his garage, at which point I began to dance like... a drunken fool in drag queen finery. The pet of the house, a skittish mutt named Skipper, found this behavior unacceptable and bit a whole in my hand that left me with no feeling in my pointer finger for six months. I did not, however, get any blood on the dress, and my host offered to help me fill out some disability paperwork.

Or maybe it was the Bauble (alias Pearl Tower) and all the tiny hooker boats on the Pudong River below as seen from a 50th story rooftop bar in Shanghai.

Or maybe it was the brutal endless beauty of the Badlands, slowly burning into themselves at 1/100th the speed of curling linoleum.

Or maybe it was the east coast of Saint Lucia and the Pitons from the window of the plane as we landed.

Or maybe it was the masterful mood lighting of the bridges spanning the Pest River, rows and rows of pillars and suspension cables and intricate metalwork illuminated with romantic precision.

Maybe it was the Sarajevo roses.

Or maybe it's something I haven't seen or done yet.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you about comparative social policy, research design, or several other things that you might actually enjoy, such as how to make cashew cheese. Maybe you'll introduce me to an author or musician that I'd never heard of before. While staying with a friend at the beach, we taught each other how to pick a lock with the straightened metal hinges of three clothespins after locking ourselves out of her trailer. Who knows what can happen!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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