CURRENT MISSION

Finding the nooks and crannies of the world

ABOUT ME

I'm a phd student, examining the ways different ethnic groups in society interact and get along. I spend a lot of time thinking about why cross-ethnic friendships start and end, how people deal with experiences of racism and how it affects their future interactions with members of other ethnic groups, and related questions.

I spend as much time as I can outside, whether that's taking midday walks, weekend hikes, lying on the beach or, most recently, learning to snowboard. I love socal for its warm weather but miss the crisp mornings I had back on the east coast.

Apart from school and outdoorsy stuff, I'm pretty involved with the local LGBT scene, both on the fun side and the do gooder non profit side. I also read lots of politically responsible science fiction--the type of stuff that deals with feminism and reproductive justice and things like that, all couched in awesome stories about aliens and battleships.

PHILOSOPHY

The best places to camp aren't accessible by car. [adapt metaphor as needed for other contexts]

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Unfortunately, I can't host at my current apartment, due to roommates who aren't comfortable with the concept. I'm looking forward to surfing in other places, though, since I think the only worthwhile way to travel is to really talk to folks who live in that place.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I made a habit in college of doing long road trips to random friends' houses. Along the way, I ended up crashing with friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends, and so forth.

Perhaps less conventionally, I've couch surfed all up and down mountains in the southwest, and by that I mean thrown down a sleeping bag on the ground in a whole lot of crazy places. I've done a lot of backpacking in New Mexico and Utah and have found myself sleeping in everything from canyons pumping with the vibrating sounds of a rave nearby to deserted mountain sides.

Interests

Young adult scifi, backpacking, softball, psychology, race in pop culture, used bookstores, unused bookstores, coffee shops

• culture
• womens rights
• coffee
• traveling
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• surfing
• snowboarding
• softball
• psychology
• science
• road trips
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Folk, rock, top 40s.
Movies: Heavyweights, Clueless, Dead Poet's Society
Authors: Octavia Butler, Orson Scott Card, James Baldwin

...and many others. I'm terrible at making these sorts of lists.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

A sunrise hike to the tallest mountain in New Mexico, Mt. Taylor. You can see in all directions from the summit, and we watched the sun literally light up the land before us.

Teach, Learn, Share

-Solving a rubiks cube