I was Skyping with a pal of mine who has been living down in Colorado for the past two and a half, almost three years now, and he was going on & on about how the mountains are just there and there's nothing magical about it anymore, nothing special, nothing worth talking about really because it's just the scene he's been set up in and so everything has lost it's luster. I didn't say it then but I couldn't help from feeling insulted. It was the nonchalance in his voice that drove me wild, really; his complacency for looking past all of that great, big beauty and seeing nothing was what did me in. It's just that I don't understand his perspective. Not at all. 'Cause I'll look around me and it feels like I'm living in one of those snow globes: A quiet little town with the church steeple, where all the little stores on the main strip start closing up shop by 5, and it's all bundled up tight by mountains. You know there's more beyond it because there always is and so you can recognize that and you can appreciate that, but for what it is, well, it just feels right and it feels good and everything just is and sometimes that's enough. How could you take advantage of that?

I just can't decide which song would play once you were to wind it up is all.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I don't think the wonder of this place will ever be lost on me, but I guess I gotta keep moving.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm headin' to Texas for a new job. Hotels are crazy priced and you don't meet as many interesting characters as you think you would. Motels are so sad and lonely. I had friends in Missoula who recommended this site. They're strange folks and they met a lot of strange folks and hell, I like meeting all kinds of people and trading good food and great stories.

Interests

Adventure of course (night hikes with the pup, live music you can boogie to, piercing somebody's something over a handle of whisky) or maybe I'm reeling it in and choosing to surround myself with seemingly beautiful, charming people, who inevitably reveal their dark, psychotic, twisted nature over a game of Cards Against Humanity. I'm in love with conservation and environmental education and working to better myself and the world around me. I've been a public servant for the last two years and it's my goal to keep on serving until the day my bones turn brittle and fall into the soil.

• beauty
• education
• dining
• cooking
• shopping
• magic
• music
• live music
• hiking
• teaching
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Truth be told, I've really been slacking on the literary front. Not at all proud, but hell, give me some solid fiction/poetry/personal essay recommendations. I love Vonnegut, Eggers, Sedaris, Mary Oliver, Snyder, Bukowski, and Mr. David Rakoff most of all.

Forrest Gump is the greatest.

As far as shows go, I am big on podcasts, that counts, right? Savage Love, The Moth, WireTap, Stuff You Missed in History Class... OH MAN--two shows that make me laugh like there's no tomorrow are It's Always Sunny and Trailer Park Boys.

I've been listening to Hozier lately. The pipes on that man, daaaayum. The Avett Brothers, Harlem, Mr. Johnny Cash, Josh Ritter, The Low Anthem, Built to Spill, Wilco, Basia Bulat, Geographer, The Growlers... I like lots of music and wish I could attend more concerts.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I worked for 24 days to help create a single, unified trail on Mt. Borah--Idaho's tallest peak.

Teach, Learn, Share

I speak relatively fluent Polish and am learning to read Tarot cards. Look, I don't know you and I don't know your take on tarot, but let me tell ya what I've seen so far: it's not magic, it's nothing dark or secret, it's just a way to validate another person's uncertainty. It's your own interpretation and don't we almost always know the answer to the "mysterious" questions we're constantly throwing out into the universe? I think so.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can cook up a mean meal or bake something reallll sweet like. Just tell me what you're into and I bet we can strike a bargain.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Germany, Poland, Romania, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States