CURRENT MISSION

Taking the scenic route

ABOUT ME

Quirky, introverted Chicago aficionado. Aspiring renaissance man with a twisted sense of humour. Feline-fancying philatelist. Disillusioned ex-family physician. Rabid Mac fanatic. Passionate educator. Tireless social justice advocate. Lover of art, music, nature, photography, planes, trains, and automobiles.

PHILOSOPHY

Hard to describe right now, as it's in flux. Mid-life crisis? Hate that term, but definitely in a mode of re-assessing life's priorities and my direction in life after having quit medicine after fourteen years of practice. Feel defeated by the American health care (non-)system. BUT, it's the system's loss since I left, not the other way around - trying to keep things in perspective that I made the right choice in leaving when I did July 2006. Definitely cynical at times, but not jaded. Being a good listener is a learned art; making someone feel listened TO is an even more difficult skill to master, but one which others told me I did quite well as a physician. I'm looking now to take the best of what I learned and did as a doctor and use those skills in whatever the future holds for me with the same passion I used them while in practice.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Newbie here as of late April 2007. Wow, what a site, something that feels like being in the right place at the right time to have discovered it. Entropy reigns in the flat I share with a roommate, so allergies to cats or clutter would mean you'd hate staying here, even though Steve and I are both pretty interesting people with diverse interests. Will definitely toot CS2's horn with others whenever travel conversations come up with friends and colleagues. I enthusiastically support this effort. Fits right in with my sense of how being in a community provides a framework from which one can more confidently pursue the dreams s/he has.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Locally showing a CS'er around my fine town here as well as staying on two couches on a recent road trip. Had one host show me around his city as I did here. Both experiences very positive.

Interests

Hmmm, lots... Stamp collecting, cats, Macintosh computers, travel, photography (taking and viewing), cars, trains, planes, geography, maps, foreign languages, Internet, politics, social justice issues/activism, teaching (tutoring/proctoring), nature, day hiking, road trips, flying, music, public health advocacy, preventive health education, beach time, and more...

• cats
• arts
• photography
• education
• flying
• politics
• news
• traveling
• cars
• stamps
• music
• hiking
• cartography
• teaching
• geography
• languages
• law
• medicine
• road trips
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Numerous... Movies - tend to favor older films, foreign films, some comedies, mysteries, etc. Music - classical, opera, alternative rock, jazz, blues, gospel, most anything except country and rap/hip-hop.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

That would have to be visiting Guangzhou, China the day after the Tiananmen Square massacre. The tension in the air was palpable, and my brother-in-law and myself were effectively caught in a people traffic jam trying to cross a bridge there. Enough news had filtered in from Hong Kong that people in Guangzhou knew what had happened in Beijing and were horrified, yet scared to protest. It was a day I'll never forget.

In the late spring/early summer of 2007 I hopped in my '97 VW Jetta (a.k.a. VW Bora) and drove throughout northwestern Canada, up the Dempster Highway past the Arctic Circle, then over to Alaska and home again. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Total distance was 25,000 km (16,000 miles).

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Haiti, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, United States

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