CURRENT MISSION

Finished my Graduate Degree in Exercise Science May 2016, AKA, Exercise Physiology; started a new job and career as a Clinical Exercise Physiologist at U of NM Hospital giving cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation in Feb or Mar
'17 ....got hired at half time job....more mission.....; Can I do another Marathon?, can I do a Half Ironman?...and, it would be a "life achievement to complete an Ironman distance triathlon before I check out from the earth. Want to cycle across the U. S. kind of northern route summer, wanted to try again (tried once and it was "practice" training summer 2012) some summer 2015 (keep moving it to another year..."things" keep happening and I keep putting it off...damn....almost 72 (Apr 2015) and gotta get it done before...you know...while I still can...). I also recently got my first motorcycle ever and want to ride it across Canada, Vancouver to PEI with some side trips. What to do?

ABOUT ME

Don't know what to say. Do know Life is Good and I have lived a charmed life. About age 62 the real morph started as I learned about endurance athletics, starting with training and doing my first ever Marathon that year. The discovered Triathlon and did my first Olympic Distance a few months later at Austin, TX. That caused me to discover cycling. Was encouraged to try a Century and did my first the fall of 2006. Been doing it all since. In 2011 made my cardiac rehab goal (mitral valve repaired..open heart surgery at Cleveland Clinic Mar 11th, 2011)...made my rehab goal to do a Marathon. 6 months after surgery three of my daughters did a Half Marathon with me...how proud I was they did that...and 7 1/2 months after open heart surgery completed the Marine Corps Marathon..yep...fully recovered from open heart surgery. Didn't succeed with an attempted solo cross county bicycle trip summer 2012, but keep training to try again, thinking summer 2017 or 2018??.can't put it off too long. UNM Advisor recently said "Man on a mission" My boy said "You inspire me".... Believe me, he is the inspiration. On Dad's Day he said a most important thing he learned from me was to help people when you can. He's not my biological son; he's the one I sorta adopted/he sorta adopted me...what a warm feeling the day he introduced me to someone as his American Dad, the one I started helping because I could, helping him to train for his World Olympic Games participation goal. And, I'm Dad to four of the most amazing young women there ever have been. These daughters are all strong, independent, productive, contributing to society women and I am so proud of them. Each of them is a special gift. I didn't know how to be a Dad when I started having them and they taught me as time went by. I can't emphasize how much I've learned from these wonderful women. Really, I learned more from them than I feel I could ever have taught them. After raising them and they are all adults, I only now feel I know enough to raise a child. I'd probably adopt more if I could.
Several Team in Training friends have said "..you're an inspiration". A couple or more have flatteringly to me said "...my hero". A young man told me one day "...my dad wouldn't even help me like you are"
...it is OK to check my facebook page and see for yourself what they say. The biggest reward is seeing someone succeed at a goal. I don't seek recognition for helping, but it happens. Believe it or not, I'm humble, but I'm also thrilled with life that has been so good to me. And,to learn about Santosha a few years ago and discover I had it. Can't get any better. Oh, BTW, you may see the chronological age of 73, but don't let that scare you that I'm an old guy. Well, I guess I am an old(er) guy, but, to me, 73 is the new 35 or 40 or 45 or so. When I was told I was acting like a kid, all I did was say "Thank you!" I did just get my first skate board in June 2013, but having trouble with balance on it. My grandkids and daughters are gonna help me with it.

PHILOSOPHY

Positive....Life is Good....Just do it...It is what it is....etc.

UPDATE SEPT 15 '18. Wife of 51 plus years is being evaluated for possible lesion(s) in her brain that can be markers for a cancer(s) somewhere in her body. So, for a bit, accepting guests will not always be possible.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

From about April 2012....just learned about couch surfing, so gonna look into it for my cross country bicycle trip this summer (2012). The trip starts soon. Believe I will offer a "couch" when I return home in the fall. Not practical to offer a couch while I am gone. (I wrote the preceding when I first joined CS. I had a great experience as a surfer in Oregon as I tried to do my xcountry bicycle trip last summer...didn't plan well and after a few days decided best to regroup..will try to do more this summer. When I returned home decided I should now return the hospitality and be a host. All the surfers that I have hosted have been neat to get to know and have made some lasting friendships. Participated in a local CS activity, a summer solstice camping trip to Chaco Canyon last summer with maybe 10 or so complete strangers to me, CS folks...what a great time and memory.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

...well, never thought about it as couch surfing; however, a lot of years ago when our VW bus broke down at Woodstock, Ontario, the young Canadian Forces lieutenant and his wife, who were taking care of our about 2 year old near where we lived then, Arvida, Quebec...they called their parents at Woodstock who kept me, the MRS, and our other two youngsters for nearly a week while the car was repaired...super time we had. Look at how I participate to see more about participation experience. & never thought about it as surfing but over the years have hosted many at our home. When my kids were in high school I used to wonder why they lost so many coats...later found out they were giving their coats to other kids that didn't have one. Lost count of the homeless kids my kids brought home with them. Some stayed quite a long time. Three foreign exchange students still call me Dad...and the young man from Belgium who wanted a place to stay to train at altitude...that one adopted me...I adopted him...he's my boy and I was so honored to cut the cord when his baby was born this year. My actual couchsurfing.org experience started in May 2012 when I first learned about it as I started my attempted solo cross country bicycle ride. I was hosted and treated so great. When I got home, I opened my couch (well, the spare bed rooms) and have hosted many super people. I am so impressed. You can see some of the comments in the friends and references area.

Interests

At this time, beyond my family and friends, I'm primarily occupied with being an Exercise Science Student (graduate) at U of NM...update June 2016....I graduated this May 2016. Then fitness...call myself a Triman wannabee. Summer of 2012 is tried to be the Just Do It cycle across the U. S., kind of a Lewis and Clark/Northern Tier route, and hopefully get to see my boy participate in the World Olympic Games. Added Jan 2013: Bike trip was not successful...decided to regroup and try it again...hopefully this summer, 2013 can work on it....well, staying around the homestead for a daughter's wedding summer 2013, so guess cross country cycling will be 2014. Taking the opportunity for having time to train to prepare and do the Air Force Marathon in Sept 2013. Cross country cycling didn't happen in 2014, maybe summer 2015, or maybe summer 2015 motorcycle across Canada??? ...update June 2016. I did complete the Air Force Marathon and did another in Richmond, VA Nov. 2015 as well as the 26.2 mile version of the BataanMemorial March in March 2016...and the Estes Park Half Marathon June 2016.

• acting
• fitness
• exercise
• triathlon
• marathon
• running
• flowers
• homesteading
• cycling
• camping
• surfing
• olympics
• track and field
• teaching
• emergency services
• science
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Pay it forward and such; Ayn Rand, easy listening music..50s and 60s now called oldies... Perhaps my favorite movie ever is One Week staring Joshua Jackson, a Canadian Film. I learned a lot from the main character, Ben Tyler (played by Joshua Jackson) about life....and..., well, amazing....the first person I hosted was riding a huge motor scooter (motorcycle size) across country...he arrives and he reminds me of One Week....and I mention it to him, tell him I don't remember the movie name, character names, and such.....and....my new friend, after just a few words about the movie...my new friend tells me not only the name of the movie and tells me details from the movie, but he starts out by telling me the main character's name is Ben Tyler and his name is Ben Thompson...wow...and I realize my new friend traveling on his motor scooter from from Chapel Hill, NC to San Diego....Vancouver, Canada...and back to Chapel Hill....Wow, my new friend Ben is sorta a living Ben from the character in the movie. How could One Week not be a favorite movie. Update June 2016. Just keep reading and learning new things all the time...my life is dynamic and a continuous morph.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Awesome moments....too many. Watch my kids succeed. Hear my kid yelling "That's my Dad". Watching a grandson carrying a big red flower for his teacher as he went into school on his very first day of kindergarten. Hear the boy describe his training run with Khalid Khannouchi. Running a couple track intervals last summer beside Henry Rono. Waking up from open heart surgery (OHS) March 11, 2011 without a breathing tube in my throat. April 17th 2011 completing my first post OHS Triathlon at Ft Lewis College, Durango, CO, starting the first bike loop, looking out over the snowcapped Rocky Mountains from that plateau and yelling "I'm alive, I'm alive". Completing the Marine Corps Marathon 7 1/2 months after OHS, my measure I was fully recovered from OHS. Saw the Marines drop out of a helicopter onto the roof of the American Embassy in Saigon during the Tet offensive of 1968 and soon heard they had retaken it back from the Viet Cong who had taken it over...what a view from my high rise quarters as an young Air Force Sgt. ...and so much more...no end. Added June 30, 2016...Wow, the best ever life reward...the other day, my son, again, told me I had inspired him, when he saw me graduate (again), inspired him to get on with his goal to become an immigration attorney. Is there a higher reward in life beyond knowing one has inspired others? To me that is the most amazing thing I have done.

Teach, Learn, Share

always learning...guess partly why my graduate advisor looks at me one day and says "..you're a man on a mission". Teach...gosh...try to be a good example..actually have taught a lot and so rewarded when I heard, multiple times, that I'd inspired young people...such as when they've said they wouldn't have made it without my help...that is a reward.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My home, maybe some local craft beer, and conversation if our free time matches

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Guam, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, San Marino, Switzerland, Turkey, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Italy, United States