Bay Area, CA native and student of Zen Buddhism who's pretending to take a break from that but in the true spirit of Zen, finding it wherever I go. I'm on a kind of pilgrimage (slash 90's-movie-style self-discovery road trip) after having left the Zen Buddhist monastery where I lived for a year-and-a-half. I've been enjoying the challenges and joys of diving into new experiences as I travel the country; visiting friends in different states and entering strange and beautiful new worlds; encountering a variety of people, places and practices for the first time.

More about me:

I like hippies, artists and comedians, and cringe a little around business casual. I also like intellectuals, but with a grain of salt. I'm a lover of literature, music, film, and television (not necessarily in that order) and find myself increasingly drawn to improv (as a fan—but who knows?). I may have a problem with parenthetical remarks. I'm working on it.

I'm avoiding gluten right now because it's been giving me joint inflammation, but this makes me sad as pizza, cheeseburgers, and other bread products are among my favorite foods. (I'm deeply grateful we live in an age of convincing gluten-free alternatives.) I'm also A-OK with vegetarian and vegan food. Overall, I have zero expectations of special food (or any food) being provided for me.

I'm learning how important community is to me. I recently spent a couple of weeks on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota helping out on some projects for the Olceri Foundation with a small band of like-minded folks (progressive, holistic, spiritual, seeking). It was an enlivening experience. I'm a person who needs down time and alone time, but I'm realizing that connecting with people—learning about their lives and their experience—is essential for a balanced sense of myself and the world. Working with my hands is also proving to be important, though I'm new at that.

I don't need people to be just like me to enjoy interacting with them, but I always appreciate openness and curiosity. I'm ready to learn and I enjoy mutual exchanges.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I discovered Zen Buddhism a couple of years ago and was inspired to move to the monastery. It was a life-changing experience, and now I'm exploring the U.S. to see where I'd like to live, what I'd like to do for work, and how I'd like to practice spirituality as this new, unexpected manifestation of myself. (Forgive the phrasing—I'm still trying to find appropriate but non-trite language for what I experienced. Spiritual cachet dropping is one of my least favorite things.)

I'll be visiting friends and practice centers in cities across the country for the next few months, but I'll need some additional places to stay along the way. A Zen Center friend of mine who traveled the U.S. on his bike recommended this site. I thought it'd be a great way to connect with people along the way and learn about the places I'm in and how different people are living. That kind of exploration is one of the main aims of my trip. I'd love to share my experiences, too, and offer whatever I can to my hosts.

Interests

• arts
• literature
• movies
• board games
• music
• art
• food
• spirituality
• storytelling
• dance
• buddhism
• television
• wandering
• comedy
• tarot
• dance parties

Music, Movies, and Books

Every time. I cannot choose, but here are some samples:

Beatles
Stevie Wonder
Classic soul and yacht rock
And so much more

Breakfast Club
Big Lebowski
Manhattan (it's a problematic movie, I know)

Vilette
LOTR
Harry Potter. (All of them. ALL OF THEM, you guys.)
To Kill A Mockingbird

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'll let you choose between 1) driving across the country alone twice and 2) living at a Zen monastery for a year-and-a-half.

(While driving across the country the last time, I rescued a stranded trucker on I-40 just west of Albuquerque as a snow storm was starting, and helped him get his semi running again. You'd have to ask him if he found that amazing or if he's been rescued before.)

Teach, Learn, Share

I do not know what this category is for, but fortunately I've been embracing uncertainty for some time now.

These are things that are important to me, things that I expect in my relationships and interactions, and gladly do myself.

I can teach you grammar and, if you have a Latin textbook, Latin (I don't remember much of the vocab, but I do remember the grammatical systems. I think we'd need the textbook.) Also algebra. I like algebra (and logic puzzles, which seem related). Also a little bit about Buddhism. A lot about critical reading and essay writing. A good amount about life.

I'd love to learn to do more things with my hands—gardening, building, needlepoint, cooking, what have you. I'd love to learn a great many things, I don't imagine there are many limitations on that for me.

I'd love to share my music (I have a good amount downloaded on my phone), my books (I brought some with me), my experiences, my empathy, and my laughter. Share with me whatever you like. Come as you are.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Oh, k. See "Teach, Learn, Share."

But also: shells from the shore of the Pacific Ocean, quotes from my favorite Zen books, any episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer you feel like watching (I can make recommendations, I got Hulu almost exclusively to rewatch the series), a smudging with California sage, a tarot reading from my Motherpeace deck (read: goddess and indigenous oriented). I can also help you finish a New York Times crossword, I have a lot of experience in that area.

Countries I’ve Visited

Italy