Extroverted introvert. I've traveled: 35+ countries on 4 continents, including living in Thailand, Bolivia, and The Netherlands. Cooking makes me happy, and even doing dishes is zen. I'm from Alaska, and it's not what you think. In a rare fit of patriotism I applied for the US Foreign Services in 2008, aced the exams, but was secretly relieved when I didn't get my security clearances. I worked for the first Barack Obama campaign, in Virginia and Colorado. I'm a clumsy but earnest surfer. People tell me I'm a good gift-giver. I have one scar.

PHILOSOPHY

Live and let live. Grow deep.

"The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers..."
- William Wordsworth

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've surfed around a bit, mostly in South America, and look forward to being part of the hosting side of the community!

Interests

Surfing, paragliding, snowboarding, skiing, hiking, biking, camping, trekking, urban planning, film, art, wine, beer, dancing (usually after wine and beer). I also really love the radio show This American Life, which doesn't quite fit into "movies, music, books," but it's an interest of mine I guess.

• arts
• books
• dancing
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• movies
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• skiing
• snowboarding
• paragliding
• business

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
Bob Log, Cold War Kids, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Atmosphere, Florence & the Machine, The Pixies, The Killers, The Strokes, The White Stripes, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Jack Johnson, G Love, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Dandy Warhols, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Tool, Gorillas, Ben Folds Five, Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Beastie Boys, Sublime, Jurassic 5, Blackalicious, Spoon, Modest Mouse, Smashing Pumpkins

Movies:
Pretty much all the Cohen Brothers movies, I Heart Huckabees, Quintin Tarentino stuff, The Shining, Memento, documentaries 'cause I'm a dork

Books:
Kurt Vonnegut, David James Duncan, Haruki Murakami, David Sedaris, The Giving Tree. Loads of non-fiction.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Met a 103 year old Indian widow in a village outside Varanasi, who told me she cooks with cow dung because gas has "no taste." Climbed the Himalayas. Lived in a Karen village near Mai Sot, Thailand. Shoveled salt with the workers of the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia. Made s'mores on lava in Guatemala. Loved and been loved. Oops, that's several things.

Teach, Learn, Share

My Spanish is pretty rusty but I'm happy to teach - or learn! I love being in front of a crowd: I was on one of the top-ranked US debate teams in university, and when I pitch business ideas people tend to give me money. So if you're stage shy (like I used to be) or want to learn how to be an effective public speaker, let's talk!

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Morocco, Nicaragua, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Bolivia, Chile, Netherlands, Thailand, United States

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