CURRENT MISSION

Lead a lemur invasion of Africa and Asia. It's about time the Strepsirrhines struck back

ABOUT ME

I just finished my Masters at Stony Brook University last year and am a soon to be PhD student at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst with an interest in the evolution of primate social systems, particularly in lemurs. When all is said and done (god knows when that will be) I want to work as a professor and spend my life travelling and researching lemurs in Madagascar. Other than that, I really love music, a good drink, good company, and being in nature.

PHILOSOPHY

To live is a willful act

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Staying and hanging out with locals is a way better traveling experience than just staying at a hotel in my opinion. Before you accuse me of it, yes I am cheap, graduate school is a euphemism for voluntary poverty. However, I can guarantee that I'm much more interested in getting to know you than just finding a free place to stay (seriously)! I also want to be there for other people in my situation though I don't know how many people have the desire to explore central Long Island...

Interests

-Science
-Nature
-Music
-Whether or not there are absolute truths (life, love, etc.)
-Driving around with the windows down and the music up
-Food

• dining
• drinking
• traveling
• music
• ecology
• teaching
• history
• physics
• psychology
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Music
The Black Keys
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Jack Johnson
Daft Punk
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Pink Martini
Led Zeppelin
Queen
Santana
Blue Man Group
Thievery Corporation
Tom Waits

Favorite Books
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Life of Pi by Yan Martel
The Lord of the Rings
The Chronicles of Narnia
His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman
The Fountain Head by Ayn Rand
Sum by David Eagleman
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
Sherlock Holmes
Most stuff by H.P. Lovecraft

Movies
Star Wars (yes, even the prequel trilogy)
Forrest Gump
Aladdin
Indiana Jones (yes, even Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)
Monty Python and the Meaning of Life
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Lord of the Rings
Singin' in the Rain
Most superhero movies
The Princess Bride
Stardust
Grand Budapest Hotel
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Get Him to the Greek

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've spent a total of nine months in Madagascar following around sifakas. :)

Teach, Learn, Share

Primate behavior and ecology, evolutionary theory, psychology, the brain, physics (no personal expertise but great to talk about), social systems and complexity, philosophy (the Stoics are my personal favorite), and history (particularly pre-industrial age)

What I Can Share with Hosts

A place to sleep, a drink, and if you're willing to take a train ride a fun night out on the town

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Honduras, Jamaica, Madagascar, Mexico, Peru

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States