I'm Conrad, 28 - born, raised, and now returned to Oakland, California. I work as a UX designer at Google in the SF Bay Area. Prior to that, I worked on a food truck in Portland, Oregon making grilled cheese!

Paying off student loans right now and saving up to buy a house, so although I can't host for the forseeable future, I'm happy to show you around the Bay if you stumble across my profile and ask. And next time I do have my own place, my couch will be open!

In 2014 I became the youngest American to win the US National Scrabble Championship. I guess you could say I'm a man of many words...?

My life is ruled by food. Food brings everyone together. So does a local beer or three. Sours are my favorite. I also love cooking - let's make dinner! Working on a food truck changed my view of the world (mostly for the better), and my love of food only grows with each passing day. I love cooking with hosts/surfers.

I can be shy at first, but I love getting to know people, and having meaningful interactions, conversations, and experiences. Through my travels I have outgrown some of that timidity, but sometimes I still need a bit of prodding. Especially when it comes to practicing Spanish and Japanese!

Pansexual, down with 420, won't judge you for who you are. :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love meeting locals when I travel, so CS is a great way to meet people in otherwise foreign cities!

I've met other CSers on four continents, and have surfed couches in Austria and Switzerland.

I've hosted a number of people at "Scrabble House" in SE Portland, OR.

Interests

- I was the 2014 National Scrabble Champion! If you're interested in learning more about competitive Scrabble, PM me!
- I'm a UX designer. In other words, I love solving problems and finding cool solutions.
- I love eating and cooking. Food brings everybody together. And beer!
- I love road trips, and my friends are often surprised that I can be a bit of a human direction machine. I have a 2007 Honda Civic hybrid that gets good gas mileage, and one day I'd love to take an international road trip. In 2016 I drove 8000+ miles by myself around the US seeing friends.
- Always up for a racquet sport, or throwing a frisbee around.

• dining
• cooking
• beer
• traveling
• socializing
• sports
• road trips
• food

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I've been a drummer for 16 years. I love metal and EDM (and fusions of those two genres!) My favorite band is Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas (Japanese deathpopnintendoelectronicore?), and my favorite DJ [duo] is Mako.

Books: Kafka on the Short by Haruki Murakami. Number9Dream by David Mitchell. Andy Ricker's Pok Pok cookbook.

TV: I mostly watch TV instead of movies. Masterchef Australia is such a kick! I also love shounen anime (favorites are Hunter x Hunter, Hikaru No Go.)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

330 km of motorbiking in Ha Giang province of Viet Nam. No tourists, no English, and landscapes that defied my own vision system (see photos - you'll guess the one). Truly life-changing experience. (5/13)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to beat your friends at Scrabble! Even if you don't aspire to be a national champion as I did, a little effort and a few helpful tips go a long way to helping you take down your friends and enemies at Scrabble or Words With Friends! Or, you know, you can just hand me your iPhone and I'll make your best play...

What I Can Share with Hosts

My guacamole recipe. Good local beer. The secrets to being a world-class board game player...? Yeah, sure.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States