CURRENT MISSION

Balance: knowledge with mystery, self with other.

ABOUT ME

I'm from Chicago, a city that has a thousand and one reputations--from Al Capone to Michael Jordan. These days, I like to bring up that it's where the President lives/lived. It's like the other big cities in the US--NY, LA--but the people are friendlier (or just less stressed out) and it's easier to get around. If you visit, you should buy a cheap bike--or at least rent one--and then let me know: if I'm not around to lead you around, I know of a fair amount of tours and rides organized by friends.
It's a decent enough place to make music, which is what I do. There are plenty of good musicians and plenty of places to play. Some day, I may have to go to New York, but for now I'm enjoying a more tranquil life.
I studied music composition but now find most contemporary classical music too stuffy and staid. So my own music ends up being closer to rock/indie/electronic mixed with classical acoustic instruments.
I play piano, guitar, drums, and am working on this singing thing.

PHILOSOPHY

on est ce qu'on veut.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I surf and host. First, I surfed for a summer but now I mostly host. I tend not to make plans, so I find it easier to host people at the last minute. If you send a request about needing a couch in a few weeks (or months!), I may have difficulty getting back to you. Apologies in advance.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have met great people through couchsurfing, whether it be through picnics, gatherings, or surfing. I've had great experiences surfing with people in Brussels, Luxembourg, and Freiburg

Interests

*music* (Classical, Contemporary Classical, indie rock, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Godspeed You!, Bang on a Can, eighth blackbird, Steve Reich, Arvo Part, The Mercury Program, Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver...)
*bikes* (fixies, distance rides, group rides, tours, races, cyclocross...)

• dogs
• singing
• dining
• music
• classical music
• guitar
• piano
• drums
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• tours

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: The Magus, Illusions, Foucault's Pendulum, The Razor's Edge, The Alchemist, Les Faux Monnayeurs
Movies: Sophie Scholl--the final days, 2001, Darjeeling Limited, What the #%@# do we know?, Pi, Life of Brian, The Fountain, Bleu, Eternal Sunshine, Wristcutters, Donnie Darko, Big Lebowski, Waking Life, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, Being John Malkovich, Dogville, Magnolia Little Miss Sunshine, The Men who stare at Goats, Mulholland Drive
music:
classical: renaissance counterpoint, bach, beethoven, chopin, liszt, scriabin, berg, shostakovich, john adams, arvo part, david lang, michael gordon;
rock: led zepplin, doors, jethro tull, emersonlakeandpalmer, pixies, nirvana, radiohead, tv on the radio, sigur ros, mogwai, tortoise, godspeed you! black emperor...
TV: Arrested Development, Lost, South Park. (Funny, I hardly ever watch tv on the tv...)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

doing a week-long hike in auvergne (france), staying at gîtes d'étapes, eating local food, befriending stray dogs

Teach, Learn, Share

music theory, piano, musical composition

Countries I’ve Visited

Germany

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United States

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