CURRENT MISSION

Hitchhiking Across The United States In Search of the American Dream.

ABOUT ME

I'm spending one year hitchhiking across the United States in search of the American Dream. Visiting all 50 states, asking the general public, "What is your American Dream?". I'm blogging about it at http://www.americandreamorbust.com I hope to publish a book when it's all through. Here's to hoping and dreaming!

PHILOSOPHY

If you pursue a path that serves something greater than yourself (and if you're willing to move forward and accept the consequences), then everything will happen in your favor. Things might not be ideal, but life will be more rewarding than you could have otherwise imagined. I call it providence.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Most nights I don't do Couchsurfing. I camp outside. Sometimes I meet random strangers who let me shower at their place, do laundry, and even stay with them overnight. A few times I've gotten a hotel room, and twice now I've done Couchsurfing. I'm really hoping to find hosts in the big cities such as Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., New Orleans, Houston, Phoenix, Las Vegas, etc. My primary purpose in Couchsurfing is to stay safe and clean. I connect with a lot of people already, but I also really enjoy Couchsurfing.

If you're interested in hosting me, please let me know. I spend several days in each town...It would be nice to spend three nights at your place if you host me.

On average, I spend about a week in each state. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I just wish it didn't take so much effort to organize places to stay all over the country. I started July 1st, 2010 in Seattle, and I'll be on the road until Summer 2011.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Two CS experiences so far, and both were great! You can check out my references for further info.

Interests

Pursuing ideas. Thinking big, crazy, out-of-the-box thoughts, and then figuring out how to make it a reality.

• arts
• books
• festivals
• blogging
• camping
• boxing
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Radiohead, Paulo Coehlo, Peaceful Warrior, Children of Men, Three Cups of Tea, sophisticated musical compositions, music that is pensive and emotionally insightful, books that inspire without being cheesy, movies that are character-driven, especially stories with a heavy or tumoltuous plot where the character has to overcome enormous odds, and then their only reward is in knowing they've achieved a purpose. Dang, I love those! But nothing cheesy.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Last year I traveled the country in a van, collecting stories from people affected by the recession. In three months, I drove 15,000 miles and collected over 2,800 written stories from across the United States. I put it on display at an art festival in Michigan as a "memorial" to the recession. You can read the blog here: http://www.themaninavanproject.com I did all of this while driving a van I bought for $350, and I started with only $300 in my pocket! 2009 was probably the most memorable and defining year of my life. Until this year...

Teach, Learn, Share

The most important thing I've learned is the power of listening. When you truly listen, you start to understand. With understanding comes empathy, and with empathy comes the gift of compassion. When a person has compassion for others, the world becomes a better place.