I grew up in what is essentially Lake Wobegon, but I have adopted Crown Heights as home for now. Over the past 3 years, I have become (irrationally?) loyal to Brooklyn.

My first big concert (age 7) was Willie Nelson; my second (age 12) was Bob Dylan, and I pride myself on my ability to make wicked mix CDs à la 1993. When I'm not aggressively Googling panda videos, I am asserting the inherent superiority of South Dakota over North Dakota (Naturally.)

For sure I was that kid who was STOKED for the first day of school every year. Ultimately, this explains a lot. I was raised by a single dad, who was also a teacher. This definitely instilled in me a profound respect for education/educators and shaped my view of who the "good guys" are.

I am idealistic and trusting, almost to a fault. Predictably, I have a huge soft spot for bleeding hearts. I'm a proud education activist and the quintessential Midwestern girl (except for my penchant for caffeinated everything and fast walking).

I will always be a student. And probably an underpaid public servant of some kind. Cheers to paying things forward.

I finished undergrad in May 2010. I majored in comparative religion (specifically, Christianity's role in the forced assimilation of native people), but spent the majority of my time working on social justice issues: homelessness, civic engagement, indigenous rights, housing issues, immigration, classism, education inequality.

My postgrad employment has run the gamut of super-liberal jobs, including legal assistant to a police misconduct lawyer; third grade teacher in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn; and jack-of-all-trades at an education nonprofit. (I cast off lucrative professions a long time ago...)

In short, I'm trying to figure it out.

-doing the little things
-convincing people to come to yoga with me
-finding free things to do in the city (which is not that hard...)
-being the resident "mom" of my apartment
-editing

My "Fargo"-esque pronunciation of the long "a" sound. Bay-gel. Bayg. Tayg. It's endearing. Or awkward. But it's the most obvious remnant of my prairie upbringing.

Condensed "Best of..." List:

MUSIC: Ani DiFranco

BOOKS/AUTHORS: Gilead (Marilynne Robinson), In Spite of Everything (Susan Gregory Thomas), The Road to Wigan Pier (George Orwell)

MOVIES: The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman (http://vimeo.com/41994760)

YOUTUBE VIDEOS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X21mJh6j9i4,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMvARy0lBLE

POLITICIANS: Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-MN), Jim Abourezk (D-SD), George McGovern (D-SD) <- I'm VERY serious about the last one: http://www.policymic.com/articles/17227/george-mcgovern-remembering-the-politician-who-won-south-dakotans-over-by-a-landslide

1) Coffee (My time in Boston made me a serious Dunkin' fan. Go ahead. Judge. I'll just be over here sipping my iced coffee that tastes like candy.)
2) The library
3) Public broadcasting
4) A job that allows me to live my ideological beliefs
5) Long bar conversations.
6) CAMPING

In a high school graduation card, my uncle (a public defender/renegade idealist) advised me to "Do well, and do good." I've spent the past six years trying to figure out the best way to do that...

Rounding up people to wander around the neighborhood/this mega-city with.

Drifting to the super low-key bars in my neighborhood.

Watching a documentary about labor, education, activism, etc. and plotting how best to fix EVERYTHING.

I also throw a pretty great holiday party. (Just saying.)

I love cooking and belong to a food co-op, but I'll always have a soft spot for single-dad food: Velveeta Shells & Cheese, Manwich, Hamburger Helper.

I probably listen to more folk music than your mom.

you are laid-back and genuine and committed to leaving the world a little (or a lot) better than you found it. Also, if you think it's cool to talk about class inequality, education issues, indigenous rights, or your favorite NPR personalities. It will help if you are reminiscent for the America that brought us Roseanne, Mash, and Cheers and/or you believe George McGovern would have been the best president of the 20th century.