CURRENT MISSION

I came here to explore Africa and chew bubble gum, and I'm all out of bubble gum.

ABOUT ME

My life took a turn for the semi-nomadic about ten years ago when teaching in China and developing an extremely rare auto-immune disease. Before crawling into my death bed, I flew to Sweden (literally crawling through the Beijing airport on the way) for medical treatment. I survived and lived in Stockholm for two years. Since then I've lived a couple of years in Florida, a couple of years in France, couple years in Colombia, and now I'm working in Africa for the next year or two.

Big Goals
1) Build a boat and float/sail/propel it from Florida to Venezuela via the Bahamas and all the Antilles.
2) Learn to surf.
3) Cycle across America.
4) Hitchhike across America.
5) Unicycle across the Netherlands, Denmark, or Estonia.
6) Finish section-hiking the Appalachian Trail.
7) Thru-hike one long long-distance trail of the world.
8) Learn to idle and ride backwards on the unicycle.
9)
10) Learn Esperanto.
11) Learn to play an instrument.
12) Learn to dance...anything. I'm really awful.
13) Start a street-performing troupe. Or a jugband?
14) Learn to knit and/or crochet more than just scarves.
15) Learn to rock climb and technical mountain climb.

PHILOSOPHY

Philosophies & Quotes...

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. - Mark Twain

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. - St. Augustine

Every country has something unique and beautiful to see; every culture has knowledge and wisdom to impart; this is why I travel. - A. Feldt

Never get involved in a land war in Asia. - Fezzini

When you travel, you leave your comfort zone; when you leave your comfort zone you discover truths about yourself. - paraphrased from Michael Crichton

If I can live a healthy life without causing the deaths of any animals, then why should I eat meat? - A. Feldt

Without deviation from the norm, progress is not
possible. - Frank Zappa

The less money you spend in a country, the more fulfilling you can experience that country and its people. - A. Feldt

Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them. - Eeyore (A.A. Milne)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Some memorable CS Experiences:

During my first couchsurfing experience, Sommer Gray
and I stayed with Kevyn, Max, and Sarah in Taos, NM. They took us to see a heavy metal band from Kansas play in the desert next to an Earthship. Alright!

Organized a Raft Build on Little Lake Harris, FL, December 2007

Organized a Cardboard Boat Race & Battle, twice !, Montpellier, France, Oct 2010 and Apr 2011

Organized Rafting Trip on homemade raft (The SS Howey), Little Lake Harris, FL, June 2008, 5 days

Organized a Raft Build and Raft Trip on the Aude River, France, July 2010

Organized CS Tricycle Racing Series, Lake County, FL, Spring 2008

Organized CS Tricycle Racing Series, Montpellier and Montferrier, France, 2010

Organized European Trike Racing Championship, Montpellier, France, Feb 2011

Organized CS Canoe/Kayak trip, Withlacoochee River, FL, March 2008, 2 days

Organized CS Canoeing/Kayaking/Swimming/Camping trip, Caladesi Island State Park & Dunedin's Spoil Islands, April 2008, 2 days

Organized Canoeing/Camping Trip, Suwannee River, May 2008, 3 days

Organized Canoeing/Camping Trip, Ocklawaha River, November 2008, 2 days

Organized River Float on Gardon River and Hérault River, France, June 2010

Organized Human Foosball Tournament, Montpellier, France, November 2010

Organized CS Paratrooper Invasion, Orlando, FL, July 2008

CS cycling Trip across Denmark, Copenhagen to Ribe, August 2008, 10 days

Organized Cross-France Hitchhike in Disguise, Biarritz to Nice, December 2008, 17 days

Organized Childish Village Hitchhiking Race, Montauban, France, April 2010

Organized Childish Village Hitchhiking Race #2, Haute-Savoie, France, March 2011

Organized Hitchbusking Race from Montpellier to Avignon, France, January 2011

Founded Montpellier Cake Club, March 2009

Founded Les Assassins de Montpellier, April 2009

Interests

My interests include traveling (long-distance hiking, hitchhiking, or the usual methods), juggling, unicycling, sewing, knitting, reading, the Rubik's cube, soccer, jogging, racquetball, languages & linguistics, camping, and couchsurfing.

• running
• reading
• traveling
• juggling
• hiking
• canoeing
• kayaking
• camping
• soccer
• racquetball
• track and field
• languages
• hitchhiking
• squash
• unicycle
• rubik's cube

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: City of Lost Children, Harold and Maude, Delicatessen, Napoleon Dynamite, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Bad Taste, Dead Alive, Yellow Submarine, Princess Bride, Dr. Strangelove, Edward Scissorhands, Life is Beautiful, The Big Lebowski, Zoolander, Ed Wood, Rushmore, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Alien(s), Midnight Run, Back to the Future, Sin City, The Wedding Singer, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Life of Brian, Juno, Cool Hand Luke, Buckaroo Banzai, The Man Who Wasn't There, Black Cat White Cat.

Television: Simpsons, South Park, MST3K, Seinfeld, Family Guy, Daily Show, The Tick, The Muppet Show, Strangers with Candy.

Music: Beatles, Beck, Belle & Sebastian, New York Dolls, Beastie Boys, Bob Dylan, Clash, David Bowie, Elvis Presley and Costello, Feist, Flaming Lips, Joanna Newsom, Joy Division, The Knife, Led Zeppelin, Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Pavement, Blonde Redhead, Ramones, Rolling Stones, Yo La Tengo, Velvet Underground, Smiths, Tom Waits, Paul Simon (& Garfunkel), Animal Collective, Cat Power, Devendra Banhart, Anna Maria Copeland.

Books: Slaughterhouse-5, Animal Farm, Great Train Robbery, Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman, Guns Germs & Steel, Jitterbug Perfume, The Dwarf, Little Prince, Clockwork Orange, The Lorax, The Sneetches, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Microbe Hunters, Lord of the Flies, Catch-22, The Collector, Power of One, 1984, Venus on the Half-Shell, Cat's Cradle, I Claudius, Shogun, Little Big Man.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Done:
Organized the Jason Seijas Memorial Run, in honor of a deceased friend from the high school cross-country team, in which contestants eat food between laps on the track in order to vomit (I assure you, there's a good story behind this).

Ran five kilometers nude in blue body paint and antennae (obviously to look like the superhero The Tick). The next year, I was The Incredible Hulk.

Teach, Learn, Share

Given enough time, I can teach the Rubik's Cube, how to juggle or unicycle.

I want to learn how to knit more than scarves, how to speak Esperanto, and how to play an instrument.

I will share my home, my adventures, and my stories.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Argentina, Bahamas, Belgium, Bolivia, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Laos, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Colombia, France, Sweden, United States, Zimbabwe

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