CURRENT MISSION

Never hold back

ABOUT ME

I'm an English teacher who just got done with my first year of teaching. This does not mean I am "grading" your profile. Please don't grade mine. "Gotcha!" is far from the best first line.

I'd like to think I'm witty, intelligent, and charming. Who wouldn't like to think that about themselves though?

According to all the professional development sessions I've been doing lately, my personality has been distilled into the following categories:

INFP
Green but not too far from an Orange
Shark followed closely by Owl
Musical, Linguistic, Intrapersonal

If any of this stuff means anything to you, more power to you. Maybe you can explain it to me sometime.

I've been told I'm a passionate person. Not in the Harlequin romance novel sense. I get deeply into things. I care deeply about topics. I plan amazing trips where I do amazing things (big trips, small trips, trips that ride on bikes). I care deeply about my profession and want the best for everyone. Many people tell me this is a good thing. I hope so because I don't think I'm going to change.

PHILOSOPHY

"Knowledge without mileage equals bullsh!t" - Henry Rollins

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am just dipping my feet into the surfing game. Although I have yet to host, I do plan on hosting on weekends in August and so-on. I'm a teacher so unless you want to be out of the house at 5am everyday, you might want to just wait and come on Friday or Saturday. I'm a bit more fun those days too. :)

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

About to surf for the very first time!

Interests

I absolutely love music. My tastes are very eclectic. One moment I might be listening to John Coltrane and then the next I will have on Velvet Underground. Then... 80s era Ice Cube. I try to go to as many concerts as possible and many of my travels will bring me there.

I also love to write. It has been too long since I've written. I'm looking forward to writing over the summer.

• writing
• books
• concerts
• music
• surfing
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Anything by David Sedaris, Chuck Klosterman, John Green, Chuck Palahniuk, and Henry Rollins. I'm currently on a nonfiction kick. I've also been reading a lot of Young Adult Lit. No it isn't "high-art" but I need recommendations for my future students. I'm not going to be able to recommend "American Psycho" by Bret Easton Ellis to a 6th grader. I mean... I could... but I probably shouldn't.

Movies: Almost Famous, American Psycho, Batman (1989), Bronson, Control, Die Hard, The Fountain, Ghostbusters, High Fidelity, It's A Wonderful Life, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Me You and Everyone We Know, O Brother Where Art Thou, Purple Rain, That Thing You Do, There Will Be Blood, Troll 2, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Vampire's Kiss, Videodrome, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Many others.

I recently saw "Our Idiot Brother", "The Future", "Drive" and "Tree of Life". They all could easily be on my list of favorites.

Music: So many. Off the top of my head: Arcade Fire, The Avett Brothers, Bon Iver, Broken Social Scene, David Bowie, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, The Damned, Funkadelic (although I still haven't warmed up to Parliament), The Gaslight Anthem, Billy Joel, The Joy Formidable, LCD Soundsystem, Land of Talk, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, Mclusky, The Misfits, Modest Mouse, My Bloody Valentine, Nine Inch Nails, Of Montreal, Radiohead, Phoenix, Prince, Slowdive, Smashing Pumpkins (everything before they broke up), The Smiths, The Stooges, Spoon, The Strokes, Tom Waits, Wolf Parade, Pete Yorn. I know I'm forgetting quite a few. I'm always looking for new recommendations. I'm in a place with my musical interests where I don't care what people think about what I listen to. It is pretty nice to get over that hangup.

Currently I'm addicted to Henry Rollins radio shows, Pandora, and Rhapsody. I'm constantly trying new bands and genres. I've been trying to get into jazz recently. I find it is the only thing I can listen to while writing lesson plans. When I'm not writing lesson plans, I have been listening to a lot of 70s punk and 80s post-punk. It just fits with the chilly weather.

TV: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Arrested Development, Breaking Bad, Chopped, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Daria, Extras (Gervais show), Freaks and Geeks, Human Giant, The I.T. Crowd, Life and Times of Tim, Mad Men, Metalocalypse, The Office (UK), Parks and Recreation, The Simpsons (mostly just the first 10 seasons), Tim and Eric Awesome Show: Great Job.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington. The concert stage is located on the edge of a river gorge. It is absolutely breathtaking.

I've also been to Bonnaroo three times. Seeing amazing bands play until 4am in the morning is one of my favorite experiences.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you all about... well... teaching! I just got done with my first year as a teacher in the metro Detroit area. Boy do I have stories!

I can teach you about music. I can teach you about Michigan. So exciting, right?!

Countries I’ve Visited

United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States