CURRENT MISSION

Keep learning, keep seeing new things, keep my coffee cup full.

ABOUT ME

I am a little shy at first, but once I get past the initial awkwardness, I love a conversation peppered with a lot of good-natured joking. I think my friends think I have a pretty good sense of humor, unless they are just laughing at my jokes to make me feel better.

I'm a little bit of a homebody, often preferring to stay home and work on a project than go to a big social event, but with the right company, I enjoy going out for a drink, a hike or movie. At 45, I'm middle-aged and sometimes act accordingly.

PHILOSOPHY

I say, "What's the worse that could happen?" Then you say, "it kills you." Then, I say, "Oh, yes, I suppose that would be bad."

Repeat regularly.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I want to surf in Europe. If I enjoy it, I will open my home to surfers, though I don't know if there are many people who want to surf in Madison, WI.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Never done it, but I looking forward to giving it try.

Interests

Riding on the metro, architecture, engineering, reading, and exploring the world.

• dogs
• culture
• architecture
• coffee
• drinking
• politics
• reading
• hiking
• engineering
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

How about what I don't like?

Sci-fi/fantasy
Country music
Trashy mystery novels

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I spend a lot of time in Mexico and I am constantly amazed by how hard some people work for so little reward. I have worked with a community in Mexico, building composting toilets, installing solar electric systems and developing a library and computer center. Men and women would show up early and stay late, hauling 40 kilo bags of cement up ridiculous footpaths all day long.

I have also been awestruck riding the elevator to the top floor of the Sears Tower in Chicago and then looking out over the city. Skyscrapers and the big cities in which they are found blow my mind on so many levels--the fact that so many people from different walks of life live together, the fact that they often live very segregated lives from the people from different walks of life, the fact that all that infrastructure is there to make it possible to live in close quarters with millions of others. This awe is colored with horror and sadness because many of the cities of the world don't have the necessary infrastructure to support the healthy and safe lives of many of their residents who eek out an existence in their outskirts and slums.

Teach, Learn, Share

Let's talk about sustainable building, the politics and culture of your home or mine, history, development work and dogs.

Countries I’ve Visited

Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico, Netherlands

Countries I’ve Lived In

Mexico, United States