I was born in small town Indiana. My grandmother was James Dean's childhood neighbor. I graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Creative Writing - Poetry.

In 2001, I quit my job with no idea where I would go next. I told someone I barely knew to "take me to New York, San Francisco, or Los Angeles. Just don't tell me where we're going."

And that's how I made it to Los Angeles. These days, I'm a UX designer working to improve newspaper apps for tablets and mobile.

I've been doing a photo a day project since 2009. I'm also a saltwater fish hobbyist. I keep a reef tank filled with various corals, snails and other invertebrates, and one Banggai Cardinalfish.

I recently began researching my ancestry, and it has been full of surprises. My great-great grandparents were Lithuanian, and appear to have come to the U.S. shortly before WWI. My 23andMe DNA results also show DNA from Russia and Portugal, but I'm still looking for those links (though I suspect the Russian DNA is coming from the same ancestors from Lithuania).

I take pictures of my food. My pictures of my food have appeared on Gizmodo and LA Weekly.

I love traveling. Recently, I've been to Rome, Athens, and the Grand Canyon. I just completed the ultimate Southern road trip: Memphis, Nashville, Savannah, New Orleans, Houston, and Austin, and everything in-between!