CURRENT MISSION

Silliness, frivolity, and subversion.

ABOUT ME

I am recently married, recently moved to Aix, recently re-deciding where I want life to take me--astronaut, personal chef, ministry of education, espionage? I am excited about France, about having left the work-too-much-play-too-little mentality of America, and about cultivating non-work related interests. Learning French is pretty cool too.

For the moment, I am a teacher by day and basketball player, chef, and writer by night. Somehow I was duped into teaching IB Business and Management, and Technology in French and English (my French blows). Thankfully, the kids are cool and lunch is free.

Outside of the classroom, I love to cook. LOVE IT! Namely, as a practice of community. It's so easy to bring people together if there's food and libation. I also love to explore the world by bike. This summer I want to bike at least a thousand km of one of the eurovelo routes.

PHILOSOPHY

Road rash, gin blossoms, and glory!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have hosted and hung out with many a great couch surfer.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I spent most of 2006/2007 travelling by the seat of my pants around the U.S. I spent almost all of that time camping in people's backyards, sleeping on their couches, or watching their houses while they were away. I like to think of myself as a very considerate and pleasant couch surfer.
I joined couch surfing in 2008 and hosted probably a dozen people at my apartment in Rio de Janeiro. It was a mixed bag--some really amazing folks and some rude and obnoxious ones too. It´s always a learning experience. I've been a surfer myself in Minais Gerais and NE Brazil and couldn't believe how generous people were. I heart CS.

Interests

Pedagogy-- soon, very soon, I will work with other radical educators to open a school that brings out the greatest and most creative parts of young people.

Circus arts--juggling, acrobalance, and one day I will actually be able to unicycle for more than half a second.

Community organizing-- I'd like to think that I will leave the world a little better than when I arrived.

Bad Action Movies-- My sister and I watch ironically amazing bad action movies once a week together. It's mostly heckling and drinking every time someone explodes.

Witty banter- ...and the age old tradition of busting people´s balls.

Cooking--things I make better than Santa Maria herself: chile rellenos, pozole, feijoada, tiramisu, and much much more.

• arts
• writing
• folklore
• education
• dining
• cooking
• drinking
• technology
• movies
• traveling
• juggling
• dumpster diving
• cycling
• camping
• surfing
• basketball
• business
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

La Sombra Del Viento. Las Venas Abiertas De América Latina. The Revolution of Everyday Life. Killing Pablo. The Art of Critical Pedagogy. O Cobrador. The Irresistable Revolution. American Babylon. Bambi. Mexico Unconquered. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Globalize Liberation. Blessed Unrest. Giovanni's Room. If Beale Street Could Talk. The Discipline of Hope. A Course in Miracles. Favela Rising. The Freshest Kids. Jails, Hospitals, and Hip Hop. Can't Stop, Won't Stop. Beasts of Southern Wild. Seu Jorge, João Gilberto, Ghostface Killah, Dolly Parton, Operation Ivy, the Boss!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I floated down the Mississippi River, à la Huck Finn, on a 103 foot long raft made out of dumpster dived materials. The motley cast of characters that made up this raft and I performed a variety show on the banks of the river in towns throughout the Midwest. It was a spectacle of art and intentionality dressed up in impossible possibilities.

Teach, Learn, Share

Ha. Trick question. This is what I do for a living. Seriously, though, I have some sweet to mediocre skills in the following arenas:
Circus arts, bike repair, bboying, pedagogy, gender circles, community organizing, cooking, filling in CS boxes.

I want to learn: How to grow food, how to cook all kinds of food, building all sorts of stuff, circus arts, more Spanish, French, and Portuguese.

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