Hi!

I am the husband of 1 wife, father of 2 adult children, grandpa of 3 munchkins, and servant of a clowder of cats. I earn a living as an amphibious time-traveling context-driven cyborg software investigator. When I'm not busy serving my family or helping make the software you use better, I enjoy exploring this planet I'm visiting.

Like the crew of the starship Enterprise, I like to explore strange new places, and seek out new life and new civilizations -- to boldly go where I've not gone before. In spite of being a bit of an introvert, I enjoy meeting and learning about new people and places.

As a practitioner of exploratory wandering, I often travel with general goals of things to see, learn, and do rather than schedule the details before I leave home. I use what I learn as I explore to direct the next steps in my adventuring -- concurrent doing, learning, and planning. Sometimes I even work from the road while vagabonding.

My Roadtripping Rules
1. No whining.
2. Enjoy the journey. Make the journey at least as important as the destination.
3. Take the road less traveled. Avoid freeways as time and destination permit.
4. Sample the local cuisine and culture. Avoid chain restaurants.
5. Take time to explore along the way. Seek out the new and unusual.
6. Practice just-in-time planning. Don't try to schedule everything up-front.
7. Be flexible. Adapt the journey based on what we learn as we go.
8. Don't run out of money. Roadtrip within our means.

Check out my Roadtripping scrapbook at https://roadtripping.outofoffice.us .

The most important things in life aren't things. People are the most important. Love them.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Hosting provides an opportunity to pay it forward; sharing life and home while making new friends of people we'd otherwise not encounter.

When traveling, I usually prefer an evening with friends over a night alone in even the nicest hotels.

And when I visit a place where I have no friends, I enjoy making new friends. Even when I don't need a place to sleep, Couchsurfing has provided a forum to meet other travelers and locals.

Interests

I am interested in many things. I tend to obsess about things that capture my interest for a while and then later abandon them when other shiny objects or the responsibilities of life grab my attention.

• photography
• bbq
• traveling
• software
• road trips
• mountains
• food
• wanderlust
• learning new things
• craft beer
• pizza
• exploring
• wandering
• exploring new places
• driving
• family
• nomad
• meeting new people
• deserts
• tacos
• software development
• vanlife
• quality
• arizona
• software testing

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite instrument is the digital music player. I use it to play all kinds of music -- most of which I like.

My favorite movies tend to be science fiction and comedy from the 1980s -- movies I first saw when I was young. Some of my favorites are: The Last Starfighter, The Empire Strikes Back, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Princess Bride, Back to the Future, A Christmas Story, Better Off Dead, Short Circuit, Rustler's Rhapsody, Die Hard, Uncle Buck, Planes Trains & Automobiles.

I don't read much fiction these days. Instead, I alternate between droughts of reading little to periods of indulging in a cocktail of technology and sociology books. My reading is usually driven by my professional interests at the confluence of people and the software systems that both simplify and complicate our lives.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Why stop at only ONE amazing thing?

Here are SEVEN amazing things. FIVE of them are true. TWO of them are lies. Guess which are which.

* I spent a summer practicing extreme telecommuting. I wandered nearly 10,000 miles while working from the road.

* I once had a death certificate. The hospital staff completed all but the time and doctor's signature as they waited for me to die.

* I received 5 separate traffic tickets in a single night. An accidental wrong way turn onto a one way street escalated quickly.

* I was labeled a "sort of skilled hacker" by a senior US Government executive. It all started with an attempt to buy health insurance.

* I paid a ransom to be rescued from a capsized boat. The rescuer's sales pitch included a explanation of how I'd die within the next 4 hours if I didn't pay up.

* I shattered my wrist landing a spontaneous high-speed bicycle dismount. I didn't win the race, but I did get to ride in an ambulance.

* I survived a head-on collision with a garbage truck while riding a motorcycle. The citation for wearing an improper helmet added insult to injury.

Teach, Learn, Share

Yes. I enjoy sharing my experiences and knowledge, and learning from others. :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share the stories behind the things in my amazing things list, and other life adventures.

I'm happy to help out in any way I can.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States