ABOUT ME

I'm currently living in the Birmingham area but have traveled most of the US and done some international travel. I'm really passionate about social justice issues and I've had the great fortune of becoming a part of the non-profit community in B'Ham. I'm absolutely lucky and happy that I have the opportunity to improve my community with the skills that I have and in ways I enjoy.

I'm an excellent Scrabble player, an active listener, and enjoy watching TV shows on Netflix. I love being in deserts, mangoes, and listening to music. I also love trying new kinds of beer and food and meeting people who can teach me things or who like sharing stories. I can be shy and tend to observe more than I participate at first, but I have a sense of humor and I'm friendly.

I'm a really genuine person. I can be funny and I've been told I put people at ease.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe that above all else it's important to live in a way that reflects a belief that human capacity for altruism, love, and kindness are just as powerful and impacting (if not moreso) than human capacity for violence, selfishness, and hatefulness. I think it's important to remember and value the former qualities, and to use them in place of the latter qualities. I'm also of the belief that you can learn something from anyone and any circumstance, if you can be still and quiet enough to listen.

Learn as much as you can. Embrace other people for who they are. Use the skills you have to serve others. Be mindful and try to filter all of your actions through the desire to be kind and understanding.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I can finally host, and I'd love to give other people a great CS experience like I've been given! I have a couch, a cat, an excellent roommate, a nice front porch, and I'm excited to introduce a traveler to the Birmingham I know and love.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've met up with and stayed with some really great people in different places around the US. It's been a really humbling, fantastic experience to travel and make friends and really be cared for where I've gone.

Interests

Learning about different places, learning about natural things, music, traveling, deserts, saguaros, book-making, book arts, poems, stories, psychology, social justice issues, studying communities and how they change, Myers-Briggs typology, archetypes, tarot, beer(!!!), new ideas, other people, other cities, the internet

• cats
• arts
• books
• poetry
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• reading
• tv
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• psychology
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

I don't watch movies often, but I do watch TV shows: Freaks and Geeks, 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, Arrested Development, I Survived, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Trailer Park Boys, wildlife, medical, and other informative TV programs.

Authors: Jack Kerouac, Riane Eisler, Toni Morrison, Mary Roach, Marianne Wiggins, Joseph Campbell, Jonathan Safran Foer, Wally Lamb ... the list is extensive and growing.

Music: I have some music I would consider "staples," but recently I've been hooked on Silver Jews and Foxygen. I like indie nonsense, bluesy or folksy music, 70s aesthetic, some 90s grunge, etc. I like a pretty wide (though specific) range of things, IMO.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My AmeriCorps service was really life-changing.

I camped in Joshua Tree National Park in the desert of California during a summer meteor shower. That was breathtaking. I think that's what's coming to mind right now.

Teach, Learn, Share

Things I can give:
A place to sleep
Guide/advice on what's up in Birmingham, things to do and see
I can teach you how to bind a book
I could give you a tarot reading (more the life-advice variety... not professional future-gleaning, just interpreting some symbols)
Share experiences with you
Share what I know and understand about particular social justice issues (which can be interesting, if you're into that sort of thing)
Do some Myers-Briggs typology talkin'
I can cook you something!

Things I'd like to learn:
I really love the opportunity to listen while someone shares about something they have a passion for -- anything from laying pipe down on the bottom of a lake, to building computers, to activism, to an art project. If you care about it, share it with me!

If there are special things going on in your community, tell me about those.

I'm generally open to learning new things -- if you have something to share, I'll take anything you're willing to teach me.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States