CURRENT MISSION

"To discover the mode of life or of art whereby my spirit can express itself in unfettered freedom." (from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)

ABOUT ME

I finished my PhD in physics in December 2014, after which I went and taught science/astronomy to elementary and middle school kids for a while. At the moment I'm searching for the next big thing.

PHILOSOPHY

I'll turn to a couple of my favorite quotes for this:

"The sight of the huge world put mad ideas into me, as if I could wander away, wander forever, see strange and beautiful things one after the other to the world's end." - Til We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis

"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being." - Carl Jung

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

The world is an enormous place, and since I can't possibly visit it all or live out every way of life, I get what I can from hearing the stories of people I meet. I feel that I can learn a lot from those whose experiences are so vastly different from my own.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Just getting started.

Interests

biking and working on bikes, trail running, climbing, exploring the natural world, reading anything I can get my hands on, photography (don't do it nearly enough), having a few beers with friends and solving the world's problems

• arts
• literature
• photography
• sketching
• cooking
• beer
• running
• reading
• painting
• cycling
• trail running
• rock climbing
• astronomy
• history
• languages
• mathematics
• physics
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Lots, but I guess these are the things that come to mind.

Books:
Vonnegut, Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, Jack Kerouac, Thomas Wolfe (Look Homeward, Angel), Emerson,

Movies:
Breaking Away, Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption, The Matrix

Music:
Pretty much anything, if the moment or mood is right. I appreciate Mumford and Sons, Avett Brothers, Explosions in the Sky, Jose Gonzalez, Iron and Wine, The Black Keys, The White Stripes, the Mountain Goats,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Watching the Perseid meteor shower out in the desert in Southern California with my family.

Biking from the Atlantic Ocean (in North Carolina) to the Pacific Ocean (in San Diego) as part of Bike and Build, raising money for affordable housing. Too many wonderful experiences to pick just one.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm pretty adept at math and physics (with some good knowledge about sciency things in general). I also try to stay knowledgeable enough about literature/history/other things to have a good conversation. And through a lot of trial and error I've taught myself a decent amount of bike maintenance.

If I find the time, I would like to learn:
languages, home brewing, cooking, painting and sketching

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom, United States