CURRENT MISSION

My girlfriend Shawna and I are celebrating the completion of our friend Don's PhD (aka Big Book) by traveling around Eurasia. Our tour so far has taken us to the heel of Italy, the back streets of Istanbul and the beaches of Turkey.

ABOUT ME

Shawna and I moved out of our Boston apartment in September 2006 and we have not settled down since. We have been housesitting, dogsitting, catsitting, fishsitting, mapmaking and just plain hanging out with friends and family all over the states and in Europe. It has been a wonderful adventure.

My best friend Don, my freshmen year college roommate who currenly lives in Rome with his Italian wife, completed his PhD in Amsterdam this February. Shawna and I attended the ceremony and are now traveling with Don to celebrate the completion of his studies (and book).

I have been wandering outside of the states for many years now. I lived in Kalmar, Sweden with relatives for one year as a teenager. I learned Swedish pretty well, as I had two younger brothers who kept me busy with ping pong and hockey games. I also lived in Geneva during college, where I learned French.

Don has of course learned Italian as well as Spanish during his travels. Shawna is from Washington State. She just began traveling to Europe when we met 5 years ago, but she has quickly become an adept backpacker.

PHILOSOPHY

Find the people and places in this world that are not part of the inferno and give them space and time.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We can provide information and contacts to many parts of the globe. We have built goodwill through our informal couch surfing adventure over the last 20 months and we could pass this on to other members of the community.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Shawna and I knew that our travels were charmed when we first drove west in the fall of 2007. Two days before passing through Colorado I called an old friend in Boulder. He was headed to the mountains to ski, but he agreed to leave his key under the mat and we crashed in his apartment. The next day, en route to the Four Corners area, I called some Maine friends who vacation in New Mexico for tips. They were flying to Santa Fe the next day for a week and invited us to crash at their condo. In short, we are very fortunate and grateful for our CouchSurfing experiences.

Interests

Hiking, kayaking, biking, sailing, seals (wildlife in general), maps, live music, fresh food and fun games.

• wildlife
• fish
• books
• dining
• flying
• trivia
• traveling
• bouldering
• music
• live music
• cycling
• fishing
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• surfing
• sailing
• skiing
• hockey
• table tennis
• cartography
• geography
• history
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

My favority authors are Borges and Calvino, although I have recently become enchanted by the writing of Orhan Pamuk.
Shawna and I love live music, particularly the independent music scene of the the last 15 years. She attended the Bumbershoot music festival in Seattle for 12 straight years (we missed it last year for a wedding in Maine). We particular enjoy Wilco, Death Cab for Cutie, Citizen Cope and Elliott Smith.
Don and I have loved the Pixies for two decades.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Shawna, Don and I went net fishing with a husband and wife from Bozburun, Turkey while staying in their family pension a couple weeks ago. It was incredible to see how hard they worked (both roughly 60 years of age), pulling up nets laden with fish and octopus. It was a daily ritual of devotion to an ancient lifestyle.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love maps and geography and history, and the interaction and influence these three elements have on each other and our lives. I would be happy to impart all my mapmaking knowledge, and whatever other trivia is rattling around in my head.

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