CURRENT MISSION

To improve my language skills, meet new people, make new friends, help out fellow travelers, see and learn new things and get out of my comfort zone. Self improvement and continual learning are two of my core values. I try to set various travel and self improvement goals for myself. In 2017 I challenged myself to read 52 books and I read 53. My new reading goal is to read a biography of every US president. Some of my current travel goals are to visit every state capitol and visit a brewery in every state. I would like to see all states by age 50 and I'm on track so far! I try to visit at least one new state and new country per year.

ABOUT ME

I'm a solo traveling concert goer, craft beer enthusiast and vegetarian. I center almost all of my travel around concerts I want see while still attempting to soak in some of the local flavor. Concerts are a great way to meet locals who you already have something in common with and it's how I've made most of my lasting friendships. My favorite genres of music are darkwave, electronic, synthpop and industrial.

Breweries and beer bars are another way I've found to meet locals with similar interests and have found several good tips and experiences from these visits. I also like visiting distilleries and have seen a decent bit of the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky. Lately I've been enjoying getting into cocktails.

History and film have been travel motivators for me as well. I'm particularly interested in American Civil War history, but some of my favorite history travel involved exploring several Lewis and Clark sites in Oregon. Some of my favorite film locations I've visited include the cemetery in Evans City, PA where Night of the Living Dead was shot and Cherokee, NC where the end of Werner Herzog's Stroszek was filmed.

I speak conversational German while my Spanish is more on the survival level. The French I know is almost totally from Duolingo.

I've been a lot of places and seen a lot of famous sites that many people would love to check off their bucket list, but my favorite memories are of the people I met along the way and the stories we made together. People are what make travel fun and addictive.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

While traveling, I have experienced so much goodwill and kindness from total strangers and I am more than happy to have the opportunity to pay some of that back. I love showing off Austin and I have good knowledge of state and local history that I can readily share. I also happen to know a bit about the local breweries, cocktail bars, and distilleries.

I'm mostly interested in hosting travelers. Please let me know draws you to Austin and why you are excited to visit.

Interests

Music, concerts, history, language, anthropology, culture, film, craft beer

• culture
• performing arts
• concerts
• beer
• vegetarian
• traveling
• music
• anthropology
• history
• solo travel

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC

Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Rammstein, Seabound, TR/ST, Austra, Diorama, Mind.in.a.Box, Das Ich, Neuroticfish, Crystal Castles, Ladytron, And One, In Strict Confidence, Caribou, Phantagram, Heimataerde, Röyksopp, Amon Amarth, Ghost, ionnalee, Heilung, Wardruna

MOVIES
Blade Runner, Dune, The Lives of Others, Run Lola Run, The Little Mermaid, Requiem for a Dream, Nosferatu, Night of the Living Dead, Inglorious Basterds, Conan the Barbarian, The Last of the Mohicans, the movies of Werner Herzog

BOOKS
Slaughterhouse Five, Catch 22, Something Happened, House of Leaves, Atlas Shrugged, Jane Eyre, The Conquest of New Spain, Master and Margarita, How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed, Fierce Conversations, Desert Solitaire, Walden on Wheels, Into the Wild, Assassination Vacation (love, love, love Sarah Vowell), Grant, Undaunted Courage, anything by Poe or Vonnegut, travel writing, memoirs, biographies, and other nonfiction.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I went to Vienna to see Kraftwerk perform their entire catalog in the original German versions in a concert series spread over four nights. I waited in the lobby for hours before the show began so I could get tickets to shows I was unable to purchase online and by doing so got to meet Ralf Hütter... twice! I'll never forget those four nights in Vienna!

What I Can Share with Hosts

SURFERS
My fridge is always stocked with local beer that I'm willing to share. I have lived in this area for several years and have lots of local knowledge and tips. ***I work overnights and cannot host if I have to work. Please be night owl friendly.

HOSTS
I'm always tidy and respectful, and I usually have some local brews from Austin packed with me, especially if it's a road trip. Let me know if you have any special requests - like Jester King! Of course, I'm always up for telling stories!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States