I’m an educator, an entrepreneur, a storyteller who loves working with kids...I graduated from a small 'liberal artsy' college (Pomona college) and have spent the years since graduating teaching preschool and fifth grade, starting my own business running birthday parties and treasure hunts, running a summer camp and backpacking through China! Creativity and education are my passions, and I'm currently working with a group of educators and designers to re-imagine the K-12 classroom experience and how we can bring creativity and fun back into learning!

In the interest of full disclosure, and because everyone loves a good list, I offer the following quick facts about myself:

* I drink my OJ straight from the carton
* Friends have told me one of my greatest strengths is my genuine warmth and kindness. Cheesy? Yeah, but I'll take it :)
* I'm currently doing a MA program in Education focusing on learning, design, and technology
* I'm working on writing my first kids book- a mythological adventure in China...
* I've run two spontaneous marathons
* I like to make treasure hunts for friends around the area. (Think Amazing Race on a local scale.)
*Amazing Race is the one reality show I would love to be on. If you're good at traveling in foreign countries and problem solving under stress, contact me and we can plot out our audition video and a good back story to how we know each other.
* I know Kung Fu. Actually, I'm pretty rusty now, but I spent 6 months living in Beijing training daily at one point.
* After a hiatus, I'm looking to get back into indoor rock climbing (and could use a bouldering partner!)
*I love soccer and play three times a week with indoor and outdoor teams.
* I can be equally engaged going to a modern dance performance or catching a Giants, Earthquakes or Sharks game.
* I am a huge movie nerd and try to go to the theaters at least once a week and love lazy weekends of movie marathons. I get overly excited for long awaited indie movies to release. I'm an equal fan of finely crafted dramas, foreign flicks, popcorn action movies, B/W classics at the Stanford theater and all things Judd Apatow.
* Connected to the above fact, my home dvd collection has grown to the point where my friends have nicknamed it "Benflix"
*I don't eat my vegetables. Seriously. Maybe a baby carrot for a special occasion :)
* Vegetable intolerance aside, I love eating and exploring both new restaurants and returning to favorite haunts, be it a hole in the wall dumpling shack or a fancy steakhouse.
* I absolutely prefer cafes, hikes, and eating out over evenings clubbing or partying.
* I love traveling, both near and far. Have lived in China and backpacked through it, Eurorailed through Europe, road tripped through the American SW, kayaked around the NaPali coast in Hawaii and am currently planning a trip from Paris to Japan via the Trans-Siberian railroad. I have lots of stories, and am always up for swapping funny travel adventures...ask me about the time I hitchhiked to the Great Wall.
* I played Apples to Apples for the first time on Thanksgiving and am officially hooked. Big fan of all board/card games.
* I like to frisbee golf around Stanford. Mock me if you'd like, but be warned I'll try to talk you into trying it out.
*I had a brief stint as a dancer and choreographer in college, much to the surprise of friends and family (and myself). Now that I'm old and stiff ;) I'm still fascinated by movement and am always game to check out local dance shows and performances.
* I'm slowly getting into letterboxing
* I love filmmaking and have a dream of a second career as a screenwriter.
* As a summer camp director, I firmly believe we've never too old for a game of capture the flag or a treasure hunt, and hope you do too!

Who would I like to meet? I hate to set strict limits and have had great connections/chemistry in the past with women from a variety of different backgrounds and walks of life- . I suppose in an ideal world, my ‘perfect stranger’ would be educated, athletic, creative, liberated, open minded, passionate about whatever it is they do, sexual, be curious about the world around them and eager to explore it! If you agree that we're never too old for a game of Capture the Flag or a treasure hunt, I'd like to hear from you!

Currently doing a MA program. Running a summer camp and my own business running unique kids birthday parties. Writing stories. Working at the intersection of design thinking and education. Trying to travel more.. I love every moment of what I do, the people I work with and the lifestyle it allows me.

Making treasure hunts and clues
Making up stories on the spot for large audiences
Making things happen
following through on my passions
Being creative
putting my foot in my mouth
being patient
sex

I am creative, quirky, passionate about what I do and have an unusual accent for a West Coaster

Films-Too many to list, but include Memento, To Live, Without Limits, Black Orpheus, Chasing Amy, all things foreign and indie.

I'm a sucker for a good mystery or historical fiction novel.

Other faves include: Chinese food, the Office, 24, the Wire, dumplings, sushi, football (college and pro), a good sports bar, road trips, U2, Bruce Spingsteen, John le Carre books, too many others to list.

Books
Friends
Movies
Chinese Food
Travel
creativity
Sex

education, creativity, stories, how to bring design thinking into K-12 classrooms, riding the Trans-Siberian railroad, sex, soccer, movies

Playing indoor soccer. Catching a movie at the Stanford theatre. Recovering from a week of classes and HW.

Given my wholesome line of work and appearance, I have a surprisingly dirty mind. I'm also willing to acknowledge that my true self isn't always in line with my vision of who I want to be- working to reconcile the two. Finally, I was kicked out of my own birthday party two years running in the 2nd-3rd grade years. Ask me for the stories...

you agree that we're never too old for a game of Capture the Flag or a treasure hunt