CURRENT MISSION

I'm striving to solve this annoying global economic crisis! Other than that, I'm always on the lookout for a good coffee, a laugh and a cold beer (the order of those items is negotiable).

ABOUT ME

COUCHSURFING SEEMS TO HAVE CHANGED A GREAT DEAL SINCE SUMMER 2012. I SEEM TO BE GETTING BOMBARDED WITH REQUESTS FROM 19-23 YEAR OLDS WITH NO REFERENCES, LITTLE CS EXPERIENCE AND WHO SEEM TO BE JUST LOOKING TO PARTY AND GET FREE LODGING. I HAVE NO INTEREST IN THIS AT ALL. IF you are under 25 years old, please do not send me a request unless you are an experienced CS'er are willing to put time into writing a personal request clearly stating why we should spend time together. If you're under 25 and have little to no experience, I will not want to host you and will simply send you a 'NO'. READ MY ENTIRE PROFILE CAREFULLY AND DON'T WASTE MY TIME OR YOURS!!!!!!! THANK YOU.
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ATTENTION!!!! Please take the time to read the information regarding my couch specifics on the left side of the page. Generic, impersonal, cut and paste couch requests are a waste of time. If you're not polite enough to use my name in a request, don't expect me to treat your request seriously.ALSO, I CANNOT CONSIDER COUCH REQUESTS MORE THAN 1-2 WEEKS IN ADVANCE DUE TO MY TRAVEL SCHEDULE. I'm best able to react to either last minute requests or up to roughly 1-2 weeks in advance. ====================================================================
THE UNITED KINGDOM IS NOT PART OF THE SHENGEN ZONE! IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR ALL NON-BRITISH RESIDENTS TO READ THE LINK BELOW TO AVOID PROBLEMS AT UK BORDER POINTS!
http://www.couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=29811&post=11841644
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Ugh. I hate this! Isn't it a bit rude to be talking about yourself? OK, here goes. I'm a travel fanatic who grew up in the northeast of the U.S. and then spent some fantastic years living and working in Boston & Seattle before moving to Ireland in 2000 (which was meant to be permanent...) and then to London for work. I'm outgoing, capable, loyal, progressive and good humoured-I love a good laugh. I am not politically correct (if you were waiting for the 'rapture' or ever voted for George Bush-any George Bush, do not contact me. I'm not joking. Step away quickly if, for even a brief moment, you considered voting for Mitt Romney), am obsessed with walking/trekking and tennis and cannot understand why people watch 'reality' TV. I can be sarcastic, love people (from young to old), but hate crowds. I'm a news junkie and always keep up with politics and current events. I'm not a vegetarian nor am I mechanically inclined. I don't understand celebrity culture and avoid dancing (trust me, it's better for everyone).OK, that's just about enough of that!

I think the statement below is as true now as ever.

"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
— Samuel Johnson

PHILOSOPHY

We only get one go on this ride, so we'd better make it interesting.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I both surf and host. All the experiences I've had up to this point have been terrific.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've been formally involved with CS since the summer of 2011, however I've been a CS'er in spirit for years. In all my travels I've been constantly amazed by the kindness, warmth and openness of so many of the people that I've met. I've had the good fortune to have lived in in a number of beautiful places and have always enjoyed the opportunity to host locally myself.

Interests

Good conversations, current events, history, politics, music, culture, anything and everything having to do with Ireland and Scandinavia, film, travel (funny that eh?), reading, walking/trekking/hiking, skiing, running, cycling, tennis, fitness, socialising, trawling book stores, going to the pub or hanging out at a cafe.

• culture
• writing
• books
• dancing
• cooking
• beer
• coffee
• vegetarian
• fitness
• running
• walking
• partying
• pub crawls
• politics
• news
• reading
• tv
• traveling
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• skiing
• tennis
• business
• communications
• economics
• history
• business travel

Music, Movies, and Books

Favourite films include: The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen), Once, Europa/Europa, The Edukators, Kolya, Juno, Everything is Illuminated, The Intouchables, Lost in Translation, Michael Collins, Goodbye Lenin, Before Sunrise/Before Sunset, 12 Angry Men, Babettes Feast, Fearless, Central Station, Gran Torino and Local Hero. Also, anything by Woody Allen or Pedro Almodovar (even when their films aren't brilliant, they're at least interesting).I love to read and the list is too long to mention. A book I go back to all the time though is John Irvings 'A Prayers for Owen Meany'. For brilliantly sick and twisted essays that will leave you howling with laughter, you can never go wrong with anything by David Sedaris.My all time favourites include REM, U2, Natalie Merchant and the 10,000 Maniacs, The Cranberries, Damien Rice, Sigur Rós, Sinead Lohan and David Gray. Let's not forget bad 80's pop....or the really good stuff. (Anyone remember the amazing Irish band 'The Adventures'? What, you don't? Here's a sample-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buy4XYo_85Y How is it possible that they didn't become household names?). I've always loved classical music, and in the past few years I've become absolutely addicted. I'm also a big fan of traditional Irish, but cannot stand American country music.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've been fortunate to see a lot of the world both for pleasure and through business travel, but the most impactful thing I've done is trekking on the Camino Santiago de Campostela (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago_de_Compostela). I've done this trek twice (the Camino Frances portion-850km) and both times it made a huge impression on me. Seeing a side of Spain that most tourists never get to experience is wonderful, and the pleasure of walking everyday for weeks is fantastic. However, what really leaves a lasting impression is seeing random strangers from all over the world come together to share the journey. For many, the Camino can be very challenging-physically, mentally and emotionally, and taking care of one another in unexpected ways is what results. This illustrates that when given the chance to show it, we are an amazing species....despite what current events and the media would lead us to believe.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can offer a crash course on the best places to see in dozens of nations...especially here in Europe. Also pretty well versed in current events, 20th century European history and global economics (big fun eh!).Also, I'm a GREAT COOK! Sadly, I only know how to make about three things. I'm considering making efforts to expand my repetoire, but I've been saying that for years. O.K., new goal....master up to six edible dishes by 2025! Wait, forget that....that's ridiculously ambitious. Nevermind.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ireland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

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