CURRENT MISSION

Being helpful, new friends, good travels

ABOUT ME

If I think it's awkward to have to describe myself, then does that describe myself? I'm a 28-year-old evolutionary biology graduate student from Saint Louis. I study species boundaries in plants, that is, where the line is between one species with lots of variation and two separate species, and all of the subjectivity that entails. After I finish my program though, I plan to get back in to sustainable agriculture. I don't like sitting at a desk and working on a computer, but much prefer working with my hands and being active. I think of myself and respectful and responsible, somewhere between shy and outgoing depending on the situation, a concerned citizen, and very adaptable/flexible.

PHILOSOPHY

CS tells me to state why I live my life. Because it's right in front of me, of course...

"Anyone who relies on his resume is a failure." - Kodo Sawaki

"You're worried about death? Don't worry- you'll die for sure." - Kodo Sawaki

"When you travel far and wide to meet with masters, that means that you travel far and wide to meet with yourself. When you pick a hundred weeds, you are picking yourself a hundred times. And when you climb ten thousand trees, you are climbing yourself ten thousand times. Understand that when you practice in this way, you are practicing yourself. Practicing and understanding thus, you will let go of yourself and get a real taste of yourself for the first time." - Dogen

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've hosted a number of times. Yay!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

See above :-)

Interests

As a biologist, I'm a pretty big natural history buff; I like getting out into natural areas and looking around for plants and animals of all kinds. DIY of all kinds: I'm currently working to restore a brick house built in 1893. Gardening and farming are maybe my two biggest interests. Creating a semi-natural landscape that wildlife appreciates is an amazing thing to me. I've also been trying to grow more and more of my own diet over each year. And of course, I wouldn't be very good at any of the above if I didn't read about it all the time; I also love literature and have recently been on a Haruki Murakami kick. I could go on and on about other interest, but to name a few more quickly: Zen, things German, things Japanese, music of many genres, politics (though I'm trying to be less interested in this), cats, mentally accumulating random facts, bicycling, and of course traveling, among others.

• animals
• cats
• wildlife
• literature
• coloring
• diy
• dieting
• gardening
• politics
• traveling
• music
• buddhist
• rock climbing
• agriculture
• biology
• history
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: eXistenZ, House of Games, the Royal Tenenbaums, 3 Iron, Spring Summer Fall Winter and Spring again, Jackie Brown, Tie Me Up Tie Me Down, Dreams, Dersu Usala, Fight Club, Videodrome, Nausicaa, Grizzly Man, Chungking Express, Fist of Legend, Wet Hot American Summer, Being John Malkovich

Music: Throwing Muses, Morrissey, the Smiths, Richie Hawtin, Patti Smith, Belle and Sebastian, Broadcast, the Clientele, Crystal Castles, Satie, Dvorak, Elliott Smith, the Shins

Books: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle (Murakami), My Name is Red (Pamuk), Guns Germs and Steel (Diamond), People's History of the United States (Zinn), Opening the Hand of Thought (Uchiyama), You Have to Say Something (Katagiri), the Stranger (Camus), Notes from Underground (Dostoevsky), Waiting for Godot (Beckett)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Watching the super slow motion sunset over the ocean in Trondheim, Norway, which lasted from something like 9 pm to 1 am. The turtle-paced modulations in color were one of the subtlest events I've ever witnessed. It was over 10 years ago but it's still fresh.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've traveled quite a bit (I think over 20 countries the last time I checked) and am happy to share my experiences with hosts and visitors. I like to think I have a decent set of skills in a fairly wide range of areas (see interests), so I'm happy to impart any wisdom I can in those spheres. I have also been practicing Zen Buddhism for a while, but I tend not to talk about that unless people are specifically interested. As a recovering religion hater, I was attracted to it precisely because they aren't preachy, so I won't be either!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Peru, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela

Countries I’ve Lived In

Chile, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, United States