G'day all,

• Australian - yes, with the accent (why does everyone ask me that? lol)

• Captivating collection of contradictions... Old fashioned in some values and tastes (especially fashion) - I would have fit in well around the middle of last century - but also very forward thinking with a keen interest in the technological & scientific advances we're making.

• A bit of a nerd. I like sci-fi. Star Trek, Marvel/DC super hero movies, etc. I look forward to future technology, space travel, time travel, etc.

• Friends describe me as genuine, kind, loyal, generous, cheeky, spontaneous, a bit crazy. ;-)

• Generally a nice guy, but no pushover.

• Ambitious. I try to reach for the stars and I believe that nothing is impossible. I've achieved many goals and I continue working towards others.

• To those in my circle of close friends I am fiercely loyal, very generous and tirelessly patient. Generally I'm given the same in return and for that I'm very grateful. One part of couch surfing I like is the idea that I might add to that circle with a few new people I likely never would have otherwise met. :-)

• Generally I'm an open book. I'll usually tell things how I see them. I'm opinionated, but always try to remain very open minded and rarely if ever judgmental. I love spontaneity, and to explore and learn new things.

• For work, I'm a self employed computer software developer and consultant. I'm currently partnering with a couple of other more established companies, working for their clients, but also working towards my own business doing the same thing for my own clients. I have the flexibility to travel and work from anywhere with an internet connection. It's a pretty good life really. :-)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm traveling round the US, with a friend of mine - Katie - both for work and for fun - networking to expand my business, while trying to meet new people, make new friends, and experience things we wouldn't otherwise.

We're driving (ROAD TRIIIIIIP! ;-) ) and we have no real schedule or time line, so we're pretty flexible with when and where we can come and go.

Obviously looking for affordable places to stay, but not just looking for a free bed/roof. We love meeting new people and making new and diverse friendships. We hope that at least some of the hosts we stay with might become long term friends we'd keep in touch with.

I'm working on this trip (mostly just phone and computer stuff) so sometimes I don't have a lot of time, but around that I'd love to hang out, etc. of course. And Katie's time is much more free and she's hoping to do the same. That said, we don't need babysitting and can be completely independent if our host prefers.

We don't smoke or do any kind of drugs. We both barely drink. As guests we're clean, respectful, friendly, and pretty adaptable to most situations, which is another part of what makes couch surfing appealing. We'd love to find ways to give to or help anyone that hosts us. Partly because we believe in karma, reciprocity, etc, but also because we're just both really nice people. ;-)

See under "Teach, Learn, Share" below for what we might be able to offer. If there's anything we can offer you, please do tell us. Don't hold back!

Interests

Driving, especially BMWs, and even more especially BMW convertibles lol.
Poker, 500, other card games.
Pool/snooker.
Dancing (especially ballroom and latin).
Skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, basketball.
Almost anything to do with water including the beach, boating, swimming, etc.
Models (eg. railroads).
My Mac/iPhone/iPad.
Computer/console games: Starcraft II, Star Trek Online, Star Wars BattleFront.

• dancing
• boating
• traveling
• poker
• piano
• drums
• skiing
• basketball
• tennis
• volleyball
• swimming
• business
• software
• snooker
• beach
• pool
• bmw
• ipad
• mac
• iphone

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite movies and TV are mostly Sci-Fi, aliens, super heroes, etc. blockbuster type things, although I like some of the off the beaten track and indy ones too. Other than that I like action, comedy, romance, some foreign films, occasionally some horror.

Books: I don't really read much, but when I do it's usually some sort of self help or educational material.

Music: Favorite all time artist: Billy Joel. General tastes include standard popular rock and pop music. I like orchestral movie soundtracks, some blues, jazz, classical. Don't really like genres like rap or heavy metal.

And while we're talking about favorites... food: Seafood, Italian, a nice slab of "meat (eg. steak) and three veg". Favorite dessert: Pavlova. If you don't know what that is, look it up. Awesome Australian (and Russian) dessert. ;-)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Crossed the Pacific to come to this great land (USA) from Australia and then structured my career to accommodate this road trip.

I guess in a community of travelers and hosts, maybe that's not such a big deal, but I consider it quite the achievement. :-)

Teach, Learn, Share

If you have any software needs then who knows, I may be able to help. Or even just general computer help (especially Apple stuff - I'm kinda useless with Windows and Android).

I'm a pretty good problem solver in general, so if you're struggling with some difficult challenge in life, I may have some insights...?

I have a fair bit of life experience, I like to think, and I've traveled a bit (and hey, I'm from the other side of the world), so I consider myself fairly open minded, compassionate, understanding, nonjudgmental.

I consider myself pretty skilled behind the wheel of a car, including manual/stick. I'm no professional, although sometimes I wonder if I'd like to be. If you host me, I'll be driving, so I can drive you around a bit while I'm there if that's any use. Or if you're learning to drive, I could definitely give you some lessons.

I play piano (although very rusty now) and basic drums. My favorite artist is Billy Joel and I've taught myself a few of his songs. If I can remember any of it and if you're into that sort of thing, maybe we can jam together.

I also used to be very good at ballroom and latin dancing, although it's been a while since I did any of that - and I've had some challenging lower back problems that slow that down also - so I'd have to work at it to get that back.

As for Katie... she's really good at a whole slew of general things. Very good at researching stuff, also a good problem solver, very resourceful. She has a passion for ocean life and marine life, so she'd be very happy to discuss any of that with you! Haha.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I guess I've kind of covered that above under the Teach Learn Share section. See there. :-)

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, United States