CURRENT MISSION

Learn unendingly, love unfailingly, and perhaps write a little along the way

ABOUT ME

The concise version for those that don't like reading much: In love with life; poet, adventurer, devout epicurean.

The long version is the reality that there's a million facets to me, much as there are to every one of you possibly reading this. I am everything from the guy in the dark corner with his nose in a book to the one at the gym lifting weights. I feel alive at night with a pen in my hand, whisky at hand (imaginary or otherwise) and reveling in the drama of a storm, but I love the scent of a fresh, crisp morning as a city or countryside comes alive in the sunrise. Oftentimes I feel more at home on the bow of a sailboat rocking in the waves than I do on hard soil - my life, despite all appearances, is never quite as stable as you might think. I will be the one to discuss what life was like as kids, contemporary and classical literature, socioeconomic ramifications of personal responsibility (a personal interest), poetry, cigars, religion and faith, political theory, wine, sexual practices, cartoons, and my favorite question to ask is "What are you passionate about?" just so we can have a conversation about THAT.

The only thing I'm really afraid of in this life is not living it - for those of you that say "What a cliche", I think you have some awakening to do. I don't live life like "I'm dying", I live with it with an absolutely unfailing love for the incredible majesty that it shows us and the unquestionably amazing people in this world - except when I'm not, I'm an exceptionally positive man..... think on that a bit, eh?

PHILOSOPHY

"The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea."
Yeah, that, and living and loving life's every moment.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

At this point I've hosted countless surfers (though always through the joint profile with my love), surfed quite a bit myself, and love meeting new Couchsurfers all the time.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Probably the craziest was a Pride weekend in San Francisco.... on the whole and in some way, shape, or form that weekend entailed hookers, public sex, spin-the-empty-Bacardi-bottle, Italian gangsters, driving through San Francisco at 90mph at 4am, ecstacy, cocaine (not me I promise! lol) Chinese gangsters, near-arrest, ghetto gangsters...but damn, I appreciated the couch to crash on!

(how's that for a story?! hahaha)

Interests

There is no conceivable way to encompass all my interests; I legitimately have a ridiculous number of things I'm passionate about, and I'm always finding more. I love CONVERSATIONS, so whatever the topic is usually pretty interesting to me - some starting points would be food, wine, spirits, wine, cigars, sailing, rugby (new interest), travel, writing, poetry, history, culture...

• culture
• writing
• books
• literature
• poetry
• dining
• wine
• boating
• cartoons
• reading
• traveling
• adventure races
• sailing
• rugby
• history
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

I have a huge collection of books in the States, and I'm an avid reader. My favorites tend to be classic and contemporary literature - currently rereading "A Tale of Two Cities", but as an example of what I have on my tablet right now: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Milton, Karl Marx (no, I'm not a Communist), Thoreau, Jack London, Aristotle, VonGoethe, Niccolo Machiavelli, Ezra Pound, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Victor Hugo, Ranier Maria Rilke..

Love film, intelligent comedy, drama, and art film projects, particularly Woody Allen and Mel Brooks movies... stuff like: The Invention of Lying, Vicky Christina Barcelona, The Departed, Shutter Island.

Music is probably my most varied interest: I love everything from American country music to rap to hard rock to classical music, but I guess I have a slight preference towards indie singer-songwriter type music depending on my mood.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I sailed in a race on San Francisco Bay on a 36' boat in sleeting rain and 30mph winds, with 50mph gusts - absolutely one of the most riveting and utterly visceral experiences I've ever known.

Teach, Learn, Share

I thrive on learning, sooo..Well pretty much I know a little about a LOT of things, and a LOT about a few things, and I would probably give you the idea that I'm a complete know-it-all...but I'm not, and I'm a BIG fan of admitting when I don't know something - how can you learn otherwise?

Countries I’ve Visited

Germany, Italy, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Italy, Spain, United States