CURRENT MISSION

Meet people, offer up a cozy place to crash, and travel between figuring out what I'm doing.

ABOUT ME

What to say? I'll have to think about this, I suppose.

Short and spunky! I'm generally pretty cheerful and friendly. I'm honest, for better or worse.

WARNING to Potential Couch Surfers: I have a cat in the house, so if you have severe allergies it may not be your best option.

Now that that's out of the way... I love people, music, books, the outdoors, my cat, my bicycle. I want to travel much, much more.

I am an emotional optimist. Though I get down sometimes, I seek out joy and silliness and the little things that make it all worthwhile. I have a sense of humor, and I also have a hard time turning it off.

For the most part, I have a pretty easygoing live-and-let-live attitude, but I can get fired up about social justice. I spend a fair bit of time reading and signing petitions and whatnot. I could definitely see myself being more involved.

Ultimately, I want to get involved in conservation work, though I'm not sure how just yet. In the meantime, I am a volunteer with a technical Search and Rescue team in Santa Fe. It's all hiking and drinking buddies and helping people out. I used to be very involved, but after I broke my leg a couple of years ago I had to step away for the most part. Now that I'm out of school and my leg is stronger, I'm really looking forward to getting back into it all the time!

What else to say? Cliche though it might be, I work hard, and I play hard. I keep a full schedule, because I like to be DOING, but I'm trying to learn to find the balance. I need to appreciate some good ol' downtime. I like to be active, and that comes in the form of cycling, hiking, Iron Bookworm (oh god) and yoga when I have access. I'd like to be doing all of those things more! Hooray for summer, and the end of school! I recently saw a show put on by Wise Fool, a local acrobatics troupe, called Flexion. It BLEW MY MIND. Saw it twice in one day. Took different friends both times. I know they do classes, so that would be a cool thing to do once I'm all settled in again.

I have many plants. I like them. They soothe me. A dear friend recently told me that walking into my room felt more like the outside than the outside, 'in a good way.' I don't know what that means, but it made me happy all the same.

In short, I'm just hanging out, looking for more friends beyond the college community I am leaving. I'm seriously considering the Peace Corps, and welcome any thoughts from RPCVs! :D

PHILOSOPHY

Love those who love you, be loyal to your friends until they turn their backs on you, and don't waste time on the people who treat you poorly. There are plenty of good ones out there to enrich your life, and in turn, you can enrich theirs.

In short, do something worthwhile, and have fun in the process.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've intermittently had a couch to offer, though the only time I've hosted was before I had my own account. Surfing will hopefully give me a better idea of how to be a better host.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I first encountered CouchSurfing when a roommate and I hosted a young Canadian couple in 2011. They found us through his account, and it was a fun experience, so I decided to make my own when I moved. I've intermittently been able to offer a couch, though I'm hoping that by the end of this summer I will always have a spot to offer (or at least for the next couple of years).

I recently surfed for the first time while in Ireland, and it was a great experience. My host was generous with his time, and we stayed up long into the night chatting. He was great about showing me around the area. CouchSurfing is such a great idea!

Interests

I just finished school, and am looking to stabilize and downsize my world so that I can travel and enjoy life more! I am also seriously applying to the Peace Corps.

I love to cook, but don't do enough of it. Can we cook together?! FYI, I'm a long-time vegetarian.

I love music, the outdoors and having fun. I'm on a volunteer search and rescue team. I was a commuting cyclist for years, and I still love my bicycle even though I can't ride it as much right now. I've recently discovered a love of dance and hula hooping, even if I'm a complete noob.

I took five years of French in high school, and am refreshing it and learning to use it again. I'm also trying to start learning some Spanish since I live and work around it!

• cats
• books
• dancing
• cooking
• vegetarian
• yoga
• walking
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Pretty open to music. Indie rock, classical, electronic... If it's good, I'll keep listening. I do actively avoid contemporary country-pop. It's just not good. :| Some of my favorite bands include Beirut, Beats Antique, The Decemberists, Rilo Kiley... But I like hearing new stuff, so feel free to make suggestions. :)

Love movies and books of all kinds. Suggestions welcome there, too.

I, among many others, have been bugging out over the Song of Ice and Fire series for several years now. So good, so good. I read a LOT for school, so I don't seem to have gotten much reading done for pleasure in the past few years.

Movies? Does Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog count? :D

Alice in Wonderland. Blood Diamond. Brick. The Constant Gardener. Beijing Opera in general. House of Flying Daggers! Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Hero. Dead Poets Society. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Ladyhawke. The Motorcycle Diaries. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Shaun of the Dead. Sin City. Snatch. What Dreams May Come. Yojimbo. Across the Universe. Boys Don't Cry. City of God. Goya's Ghosts. Jakob the Liar. Ikiru. Kids movies. Documentaries. Beautiful movies.

This could go on a while.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Yellowstone National Park! It's a beautiful place, and one of the most cleansing and fun weeks of my life was spent there.

I love watching the sky. Clouds, sunsets (or rises if I can get up that early), the moon and stars. They leave me awestruck all the time.

In May 2012: coming to the British Isles with absolutely no plan beyond visiting my sister and her family sometime in the middle of it. That was definitely the most exciting thing I've ever done.

Teach, Learn, Share

I want to meet all of the people! Even the grumpy ones might have something to share.

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Ireland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States