I’m pretty easy to get along with, and love to talk. I also love photography, coffee, Frisbee, flying, traveling, and a bunch of other things. Curiosity and I are good friends, and autonomous is a word that describes me well. I know enough to realize I have much to learn.

As a guest, I'm clean, respectful, and I contribute. I don't drink often, and never to excess, and enjoy getting up early. As a host, my place is cluttered but clean, and I live with my girlfriend and two dogs. The apartment is small. One dog likes to cuddle.

I realize my account is unverified. When I first joined, I think verification didn't exist, and people still managed to be nice to each other. Please trust I'm a real person.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Connecting with other people, in short, is why I'm here, from a shared smile to a long conversation, or teaching and learning about a skill. Travel makes the world a smaller, friendlier, less scary place. In a time when fear is the dominant emotion of so many, and has been for a long time, meeting people has the sudden and wonderful impact of creating friendships, even if momentary, and reminding us that we have more in common than we may have thought.

Interests

My photography is mostly black and white, and lately on film. I hike, paraglide, run, cycle, snowboard, swim, and play Ultimate Frisbee for activity. I'm learning to fly helicopters as a career change, though I'll probably have to get another engineering-type job to pay for it.

• photography
• traveling
• cars
• music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• scuba diving
• snowboarding
• paragliding
• swimming
• helicopters

Music, Movies, and Books

Music varies, I don't watch many movies, and I usually prefer non-fiction. "Walden" is my favorite book, and "Fight Club" my favorite movie.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I don't have a trophy case, or a map of conquests, but I have done a few things. Most notably, I took on the challenge of knowing (and loving) myself and facing the parts of me I didn't like. Best, and hardest, continuous decision ever.

Teach, Learn, Share

What I know often surprises me with the brevity of its validity.

Love yourself.

"Lend all thy ear, but few thy tongue." - Polonious (character in Shakespeare's play Hamlet)

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx

Generic hosting requests will be denied without explanation.

"Don't fight the problem; decide it." - General George C Marshall

What I Can Share with Hosts

Conversation, a second set of hands in the kitchen, friendship, a love for coffee and food.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Canada, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, United States