CURRENT MISSION

making up space for the time we've got

ABOUT ME

My sister Laura says I could make friends with a wall. I think its cause I find myself very much in the moment quite a bit, with all of the attendant pitfalls and benefits of being there. So but once I'm gone I tend to have a hard time keeping up with what happened, so I use a lot of written words to capture the feelings.

Family is very important to me. Mine has been through quite a few shit storms, as I'm sure yours has as well. I heard a quote from a friend from Guillermo Del Toro (pan's labyrinth, etc.) responding to why none of his main characters ever have any family and he was like (approximated): well its just too messy, I feel like our families are the source of all of our happiness and pain. Insofar as they frame the rest of your life, I'd go with that too.

I push myself really well, maybe a little too hard sometimes, but I'm working on knowing my limits. Smiling at the same time as pushing seems to really remind me how far I wanna go.

PHILOSOPHY

give like the sun

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Well, I'm brand new. I've hosted a few surfers at my house in Blacksburg, but only through a friend's profile. I'm of course enamored of the idea, and was hoping I might be able to use it on my current move out west. I'll be relocating to LA so I've currently got a ton of stuff with me, but if you'd be willing to host, I'd be much obliged.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Save for the hosting via my friend (see above), not too much. Like, none actually. We're working on that.

Interests

Most everything. People mostly, bouncing off their electrons and seeing what energy they've got in store. Music is a great way to feel this connection I think, whether through performance or sharing appreciation for it. But also trees, I wish I could feel the kind of connection with trees that I do with people cause I just know they've got some knowledge in there. I love cooking, too. But I love eating more. Basketball, soccer, lacrosse, biking, running, those are good ones. I guess just sweating in general, but sports are pretty cool as a way to put yourself in a competitive box without too much social repercussion. In my more participatory moments I'll even yell at the tv while I watch the 49ers. I love talking, I probably do it too much. We're working on that as well.

• dogs
• singing
• performing arts
• cooking
• running
• tv
• music
• cycling
• sports
• basketball
• boxing
• soccer
• lacrosse

Music, Movies, and Books

Dilla, royal tenenbaums, oscar wilde, lao tzu, tribe called quest, art blakey, hook, dustin hoffman, mr. robert marley, jeff mangum, david foster wallace, buddy rich, irvine welsh, john irving, rumi, radiohead, richard linklater, wu tang, these lists we know they could go on...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I built a school in rural Ghana last year. That was pretty intense. I helped run a student microfinance initiative in college. Lately I'm pretty impressed with myself for getting on stage to sing (without a drum/s in between my body and the crowd).

Teach, Learn, Share

If you are able to curl your tongue into a little hot dog bun shape (like a U) and breathe through it slowly, you can slowly lower your body temperature. It takes a good five minutes or so, so have patience.

If you're not able to curl your tongue into a little hot dog bun shape, then you should get good at making friends. Drip water on your neck at the carotid artery and then have them blow on it. Its kinda intimate though, so be ready for that. Auto-cooling methods would also work on your wrist, but I would just buy a slurpee at that point.