Note: Currently living in Ho Chi Minh City now...

CURRENT MISSION

enjoy every sandwich - 46 countries and counting...

I sold my Chicago condo in Nov 2021, so I am now officially "homeless by choice", "location independent", or "geographically fluid", whatever term resonates best with you.

I retired early last year, but still pursue photography, art and investing to keep me creative and nimble minded.
I have no particular plan these days, traveling wherever the mood strikes me and/or COVID restrictions permit.

Let's hang out and compare passport stamps...

ABOUT ME

I have a never ending internal struggle going on between my right brain and my left brain. Left Brain likes to pay the bills, so I was a software architect at a mobile application development
company by day (I created enterprise apps for iphone/android), but Right Brain wants a piece of the action too - I am an avid photographer (faces/figures/fashion/fine art/fetish are my main interest, but I like abstracts and macros too - check out my stuff in my main gallery - https://modelmayhem.com/dsa157) .

I am also a fractal artist - I take math and I turn it into staggeringly beautiful and complex computational art images.
http://www.dsa157.com/april/gallery/fractal/

I love to see the world - I participated in Remote Year in 2018 traveling and living in 12 cities over 12 months with 45 other digital nomads. I have been living out of my suitcase since then. Before Remote Year I was been exploring Germany, Brazil, China and India, surfing in the Dominican Republic, diving in Cozumel and Thailand, catching sailfish in Guatemala, volcano hiking in Costa Rica, backpacking to Machu Picchu in Peru, and paddling in the Boundary Waters. But the places I haven't visited vastly outnumber the places I have seen, so there is plenty yet to explore and I can't wait to see what's next and learn about other cultures.

I was involved in FIRST Lego League for about 10 years - it is a program designed to get middle school kids, especially girls, interested in science and engineering as career choices. The kids build autonomous robots (not some candy-ass remote controlled ones) and investigate how technology can help with modern social problems. Ask me about it and I'll talk your ear off. :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have enjoyed all my hosting experiences and love meeting people from all over the world and making new friends. I think the couch surfing philosophy is inspirational and valuable and it has affected me very positively.

Interests

travel, photography, geocaching, great food and drink, scuba

• arts
• architecture
• fashion
• photography
• dining
• drinking
• remote control
• technology
• traveling
• socializing
• hiking
• backpacking
• surfing
• scuba diving
• engineering
• mathematics
• science
• software

Music, Movies, and Books

I don't read as much as I used to because I am an internet junkie with a short attention span (I'm talking to you, Reddit...) , but my favorite authors include Tom Robbins, Ken Follett, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett (RIP).

I love movies. Let's go see some movies. I like something with great cinematography. Like "Hero" or "No Country for Old Men" or "Kill Bill". Oh, and violence. Cinematography and violence. :) Oh, and quirky, right? Cinematography, violence and quirky. So Tarantino, Coen Brothers, Wes Anderson et al. Loved Moonrise Kingdom.

TV - Better Call Saul, Episodes, Walking Dead, Firefly, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, Doctor Who, The Wire, Game of Thrones, Modern Family, Breaking Bad, Orphan Black, Fargo, Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia. I have found since moving back downtown I watch a lot less TV though.

I am all over the board with music too, but my favorites are mellow, acoustic singer songwriter stuff like Martin Sexton, Patty Griffin, Dar Williams, Indigo Girls, Jack Johnson. But throw Transglobal Underground, William Orbit, Lemon Jelly, Los Straitjackets and Jonathan Richman/Modern Lovers into the mix as well. also the XX.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

work and travel with Remote Year, scuba diving in the cenotes of the Yucatan Pennisula, hiking up a volcano in Guatemala, hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

What I Can Share with Hosts

travel stories, photography tips and tricks, love of food and drink, love of people, love of Chicago

Countries I’ve Visited

Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S., Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam