CURRENT MISSION

Finish my PhD!

ABOUT ME

I've always found it hard to talk about myself because I tend to get drawn to specifics. I think this is useful - so here are some specifics:

I'm really interested in theatre and performance, and how that connects with politics, community and technology. My PhD is about participatory art, which combines all of these things. I see a lot of theatre and performance, visit many galleries and read a lot - both within my field and around it. I enjoy talking about these things a lot.

Of course, all this is very cerebral, and I to get away from it, I enjoy doing things with my hands - predominantly cooking and building/fixing things. As far as cooking goes, I love trying new foods, and eating with friends (new and old). I am passionate about coffee - and have combined my joy of food with my joy of fixing things by repairing a beautiful and huge espresso machine, and building my own coffee roaster. I usually host a 'coffee sunday' once a month with friends as a way to catch up (and as an excuse for having such a machine).

Another passion (but not profession) is music. I really like listening to music and making music. I've been playing guitar and other fretted instruments for years, but lately I've been learning to play the trumpet. It's hard!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Host, be hosted. Talk, share, travel. You don't always have to be a part of CS website to be part of the philosophy.

As the app based economy grows, and apps like airbnb and uber find new and amazing ways to monetize our personal time and space, I'm drawn back to couch surfing after a while away because of the focus away from money. Hospitality is a special thing, and the more it becomes a paid service, the less we understand why sharing our world with each other is important.

Interests

Food. I really like eating.
Art. Thinks that are beautiful, challenging, intriguing.
Nature. It's wonderful to see the natural world, and also to have a garden growing things to eat.
Frisbee is a lot of fun too.

• arts
• performing arts
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• gardening
• politics
• technology
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• trumpet
• cycling
• surfing

Music, Movies, and Books

I like all sorts of music. My first interest was the Australian indie-rock scene of the 90s, with bands like You Am I, Custard and Regurgitator.

Then, listening to a stuff like Pulp, Belle and Sebastian, The Shins, Sufjan Stevens. Wilco, The Magnetic Fields.

Got really into Elvis Costello, and still enjoy listening to his ridiculous recording career (not over yet either) and then into roots and country Gillian Welch, Damian Jurado and Patsy Cline.

I've been on a recent turn toward pop - of a kind of high modernist flavour, usually led by women. El Perro Del Mar, Julia Holter, The Bird and Bee, the last few records by Architecture in Helsinki.

Books is hard, but on the bookshelf which I keep emptying because friends need books I've already read, I keep:
Life after God by Douglas Coupland (I've got a long, but good story about lending somebody this book)
Archie and Mehitabel by Don Marquis
Bliss by Peter Carey
The Corrections by Jonathan Frazen
Choice Cuts: A Miscellany of Food Writing.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Agreeing to get into a car to drive hours during the middle of the night in central Turkey was pretty surreal. I had been travelling around with a woman who I met on a bus, and we were posing as a married couple, because it made everything easier. We met a security guard at a open air museum who offered to take us to a hot spring that evening, so we met him and got in his car. Ask me about it! It's a good story.

Teach, Learn, Share

Always carry a spoon. Its the one thing you can't use something else for or get by without. At least I can't.

And don't ever wait for that person to talk to you. Talk to them.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I've travelled a fair amount and can share a great many stories, and I'm really happy to pass on knowledge or skills that I have. Of course, the other side of this is listening, and that's something I'm always striving to get better at.

Sharing my hands on skills is something that gives me satisfaction - cooking a meal, fixing a bike, repairing a table...

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Estonia, France, Netherlands

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