I like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain, but given the choice I’d take a bike ride, a pot of tea and a rambling, aimless conversation any day.
I’ve never been good at direct routes. Geographically, it looks something like this, and everywhere on that map has contributed a piece of me; even the short stays and the one place I didn’t like. These days I’m very much more conscious of the drawbacks of moving so readily, so I think I’m actually going to stay in Seattle for as long as I can foresee. I got here quite by accident—my love was hired by A Large Tech Company That I Needn’t Name—but felt at home with the culture and the weather, and fell in love with the mountains, sea, islands, wine, beer, mushrooms and oysters. Over time I even made some great friends, but that part took a while as it always does post-college. I’ve never believed in gods, but every time I see Mount Rainier I think I understand all the people who do.
Academically, I finished school studying nothing but languages and literature and then enrolled in a psychology degree thinking it was an extension of these, which was the best mistake I ever made. Three years later I had become such a rabid empiricist and so frustrated with the practical difficulties of experimenting on people that I was determined to only work with computer models. Through another degree and a half I learned enough about systems theory and modelling to become absolutely terrified of just how fast humanity is fouling its own nest.
I became convinced that nothing I could do would be more important than helping to turn back or at least slow that trend. I got involved with a renewable energy group, and then an environmental technical training program. 
I started to see that the real challenge was about values and human behaviour, more than about technology, so when I started a training program of my own it covered more about behaviour change, advocacy and working with people, and now I work with The Happiness Initiative. I’m still working out exactly how I fit in and where I can do the most good.
Oh, and my brain looks like this.
