CURRENT MISSION

Spend every dollar, every moment and every smile wisely. They all count.

ABOUT ME

I'm a thoughtful, educated person who loves Portland OR. Seriously, it's the prettiest city on earth. I'd love to show you around. Take you to some cool dive bars, eat some good local food with you, take you for a walk in the U.S.'s largest city park.
I currently work in an office but love dogs and nature. I've played with both of those things for money in the past, but it just wasn't enough to pay the bills.
These days I seem to be working on "home" quite a bit. I enjoy cooking and crafting and just spending time at my lovely little place. I share it with a man friend and two black dogs. They are all housebroken and pleasant to be around. You should come check it out :)

PHILOSOPHY

My personal philosophy is that I need a personal philosophy :) I have spent many years being idealistic about "saving the world". I have a degree in environmental science/geology and spent 2 years doing environmental service as an AmeriCorps member. My focus these days seems to be a bit "smaller", though I don't think that's a bad thing. Food and food issues, home and consumerism in my personal life, my dogs, my friends, my family.. these things seem to be taking up more of my time. But those are important things too, right? :)
Maybe my personal philosophy is this: Everything you do counts. Every weed you pull, every tomato plant you plant. Every dollar you spend, every smile you extend. These all make a difference. So let's do it right.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Currently I am offering my couch up to travelers. We've got room for two or three on couches and lots of floor space.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've never surfed a couch through couchsurfing.com but I've spent plenty of nights on other folks couches.

Interests

*Local food, farming, cooking
*Brewing and drinking beer
*Dogs! Positive reinforcement training, understanding canine behavior and just taking walks with the pooches.
*Hanging out with my friends - they're loud and crazy, but I think you'll like them.
*Playing board games.. ever played Apples to Apples?? I also like Sorry, Backgammon and Scrabble.
*Budding interest in photography. Check out my flickr account here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alyssssyla/
*Naturey stuff. I love birds, have a degree in geology and get totally psyched about any sort of bug/bird/critter/plant like thing I come across.

• dogs
• birds
• photography
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• drinking
• board games
• camping
• geology
• science
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

I have a soft spot for "easy" books and movies. I love The Princess Bride, Muppets Christmas Carol, A Bug's Life, Fantasia :) Not simple movies, they have layers, but easy. Ditto with books. All my favorites are my childhood favorites: My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara, Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell :) Not to say I don't read or watch more complex or difficult stuff, I just like to come back to the familiar. I'm kind of a hobbit in that way :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In the fall of 2004 I needed to get myself from Cape Cod MA to Portland OR. I chose to take the Green Tortoise Bus tour, a bus trip that includes camping, adventures, cooking together and sleeping on the bus some nights. The Green Tortoise has a reputation for being a hippy tour but turns out the cross country trips are mostly foreign travelers these days. Of the 30 folks on our trip I was the only American passenger.
I hung out with some Irish girls and got kicked out of bars in New Orleans, got trashed in hot springs in New Mexico and Utah with a pair of Kiwis, watched the sunrise over Canyon de Chelley and watched in gawking awe as we drove through a classic car parade in Gaitlinburg TN. America is amazing, man.

Teach, Learn, Share

Wanna learn how to brew beer? My boyfriend was trained in Berlin. Lets get brewing!
Want to learn about positive reinforcement dog training and/or operant conditioning learning theory? I didn't think so, but it's fascinating.
I also love playing tour guide to my favorite city in my favorite state. Come learn about Portland, Oregon!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Germany, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States