CURRENT MISSION

My mission is to live wholly in each moment!

ABOUT ME

The most defining feature of mine is that I thrive within human interaction. My biggest passion is the people I am surrounded with everyday. I am a percussionist and string musician, and play over a dozen separate instruments. As in all realms of my life, I make a concerted effort to stay open to all types of music, having found only a few genres undesirable. I am an Eagle Scout and a naturalist, and am currently in the process of constructing a ~100 square meter, lofted structure using primarily recycled materials on land owned by friends of mine. I work with children, and very much enjoy spending time with them. Generally speaking my hobbies are obscure and varied, so I'll present you with an abridged list: Juggling, Snowboarding, Biking, Baking, Playing Music, Climbing, Traveling, Teaching, 3D Art/Building, Disc Golf, Musical Theater, Fire Staff Spinning, Quiet Walks, and Loud Concerts.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe that the quality of one's life is directly related not to the assets or circumstance surrounding it, but rather by an individual's ability to access joy. Joy is not a firm concept. Joy cannot be measured, confirmed by others, or proven. Joy is the tendency to accept negative circumstances as facets of a larger, more perfect existence. The cornerstone of my personal philosophy is that existence is inherently perfect, and any lack of joy we feel is a result of a temporary absence of clarity -- a distorted view of an otherwise marvelous world. My goal is to experience perfect joy in all moments of what I feel is a perfect existence. (For Clarification: This is easier to say than it is to do)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Writing these entry's is the deepest I've participated in Couch Surfer, but intend to host in the future and utilize this great program on my Trip to Europe (Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Czech Republic) this summer which I am experiencing with my lovely girlfriend of 3 years.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I haven't had an 'official' couch surfing experiences so far, but I've slept on a couch before, and I just loved it!

Interests

Music, Food, Theater, Visual Art, Philosophy, Hiking, Nature, Performing, Circus Tricks, Metal Work, Politics, People, Organic Foods, Travel!

• arts
• writing
• theater
• concerts
• dining
• baking
• organic food
• politics
• traveling
• juggling
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• snowboarding
• rock climbing
• golf

Music, Movies, and Books

I enjoy most types of movies, but do not enjoy overly violent, or testosterone-driven plot lines. I like comedies generally more than I like dramas, but both are necessary genres. I enjoy television, and prefer well-written cult comedies like Arrested Development, Archer, and 30 Rock. I prefer nonfiction books, but Vonnegut's "Breakfast of Champions" just blew my socks off. I don't read as much as I think I should, but I am working on it!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Two summers ago I embarked with my girlfriend and a 1.5 meter stuffed giraffe on a 5000 mile road trip across the western United States. We camped, and hiked, and laughed, and sight-saw our way across a country we had never intimately known. If it sounds like an average trip, please allow me to assure you: It was AMAZING.

Teach, Learn, Share

I believe that I have never had a conversation in which i did not learn something. Whether it's something about the individual to whom I am speaking, or some fact, small or large, that they knew but I didn't. I do not believe that I will actively try to teach anyone anything during my travels. Instead, I plan to keep my heart open to the venture of constantly sharing whatever it is I have to offer in any given situation. Through this uninhibited sharing is how I hope to teach others, by allowing why I have to offer to flow from me naturally.