CURRENT MISSION

Taking steps to ensure I will be a badass elder one day.

ABOUT ME

I asked a best friend how they would describe me, and this is what I got: "You have a dynamic personality that can be both very harsh and very gentle." I'm trying to shape this towards the gentle side. I generally feel much older or act much younger than I am--child-like, not childish. I'm generally introverted, but still quite friendly. I enjoy adventures, shenanigans, and making plans. I prefer person-to-person learning over formal education.

PHILOSOPHY

Better myself, better the world, don't sweat things I can't change (still working on that last bit).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I haven't had the opportunity to travel since joining couchsurfing, but I enjoy hosting. I love to help people out however I can, and even when I can't help with a place to stay, I like meeting new folks.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I haven't traveled using CouchSurfing (yet) but I did travel for about two years all over the U.S., sleeping in a tent or on people's couches. Hitchhiking restored a lot of my faith in humanity. All the folks I've met hosting have been lovely people.

Interests

I spend a lot of time crafting, reading, and hanging out with my dogs. (McGregor is just a baby in that picture up there--he's now knee high and four years old.) I spend an inordinate amount of time with dogs and thinking about operant conditioning. I'm a healthy sort, into bodyweight calisthenics, rediscovering my childhood love for circus tricks. I'm studying ASL, Spanish, and fine woodworking (my newest love) at the community college. The things that make my life engaging are the interpersonal connections--I'm not the type to have an overwhelming number of them, but they do tend to be intense, in a positive and mutually beneficial way.

• dogs
• education
• dining
• reading
• traveling
• woodworking
• economics
• teaching
• science
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

I read compulsively. I prefer poetry and novels that other folks deem "sad." I like a lot of different bands/genres; I think it can best be summed up as sad, pretty music (Sufjan Stevens, Regina Spektor, Liz Phair), weird music (Deerhoof, Animal Collective, John Webster John), and fun music (TLC, The Sugarhill Gang, Razbari Sumthing). I'm also big into riot grrrl.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Being on top of a mountain. Exploring the sequoias. Holding a brand-new baby. Hearing/seeing that I'm loved at just the right moment.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have some skills I can teach, mostly relating to food or yarn, and a trove of odd bits of information I've picked up from reading so much.

Lately I've been learning things about Science! from my lover and dog training/behavior shaping in general from working with dogs, but I'm interested in learning all kinds of things. Anything that I don't know about, I want to (except maybe the more intricate workings of economics).

I share whatever I can.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States