*Profile needs updating, this was all written when travelling across America. Ignore the references in relation to the USA - I'm in Saigon and, should I be free, happy to host!*

Hello!

My name is Blue - I share it with a colour!

I'm an easy-going, happy go lucky kinda guy, who very much subscribes to the mantra; treat others as you wish to be treated. Don't get me wrong, I'm no deep thinking hippie, more just one to point out the obvious. I mean, people are amazing, who wouldn't want to learn, share, and make new friends...all that comes with being a nice person. It isn't too much to ask, is it?

I'm of average height, 5'10 or there abouts, two arms, two legs and a mouth that is used for witty banter, general inquisitivity (how is that not a word?), and to ask my host if they'd like me to make them a cup of English tea!

I have hair, am yet to decide if it's slowly receding or not, and much like other people of my age, am 29.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've always found the idea of Couchsurfing exciting. Whilst familiar with the concept for some time, I've never had reason or just opportunity to utilise it until now.

I've always loved traveling but most of my experiences to this point have been shared - either with friends or when in past relationships. When you are in that comfort zone of knowing people you're traveling with, consciously or not, you don't mix with others as much as you may when flying solo.

I'm currently - or as the case may be, about to - embark on a cross country tour of America. More specifically, I'm going across the U.S in order to watch sport. I'm planning on watching an NBA game in all 30 arenas (well, technically 29, I guess, seeing as the two L.A teams share) blogging about my experience. The blog isn't about sport pur se, but more so the culture behind it. You see, without going on a complete tangent, American sport culture has always fascinated me. From the spectacle, the delivery, the fans behaviour; it's so so different to how us Europeans consume the very same thing. I want to immerse myself in all of this; the people, the places, and what sport means to them. I'm not an anthropology expert but do feel, especially in some states, that sport is viewed as an habitual religion; the stadium being peoples' place of worship. The games are 'do or die' rather than a fun pastime. I love this, and want to find out more!

So, to answer the question, 'why I'm on couchsurfing?, the answer wouldn't be, 'to find people who love sport', not at all. But more so to find adventure. To find like-minded people who can enrich and make my travels more memorable than what I hope they'll already be. Traveling alone daunts me - for all that I've done, I've never done an extended period, like I'm planning to, on my own.

Couchsurfing seems like the perfect way to maximise my experience To share stories and how our lives differ. I want to spend time with enthused locals who are excited about helping me out with 'the dos and don'ts' of their local area, the best hole in the wall to find good food, the best places to venture off the beaten track....all this, whilst not having to ask the same humdrum, cliched questions to fellow travelers - 'hey! where are you from?' 'been traveling long?' - would make for one bloody good road trip. The American Dream, isn't that what they call it?

Interests

I love my sport.

Football - the one where you can only use your feet and not your hands - is my first love. Your kind of football - the NFL - is one game that I've tried so so hard to appreciate but can't get my head around. Anyone who can convert me, and convince me it isn't just a drawn out chess game played by over-sized bulky men, wins extra brownie points and an English crumpet!

I also enjoy, in no particular order:

- traveling

- meeting new people

- getting excited about the small things (lunch time, that extra ten minutes in bed before the alarm goes off, going from the cold of the bathroom tiles to the warmth of the steaming hot shower)

- proboscis monkeys

- maps

- walking/trekking

- trying ('trying' being the key word) to eat well.

- film trailers

- my pet dog

• pets
• dogs
• culture
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• walking
• drinking
• flying
• chess
• traveling
• blogging
• sports
• soccer
• track and field
• anthropology
• cartography
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Much like anyone's Ipod, my music taste varies. I enjoy acoustic music - especially female vocalists. I think Jagged Little Pill is one of the best albums of all time and would love to see Fleetwood Mac live. I also have a soft spot for mid-nineties dance music and, strictly in the file, I shouldn't listen to but I do, I have the Backstreet Boys secretly stashed away for whenever a good karaoke sing-along is required. Being a kid who grew up the 90s, you have to, don't you?

Movies: Anything that can make me laugh and keep my attention for it's duration. In that sense I enjoy a good thriller; a film where all the biggest plot stories will (hopefully) reach an exciting crescendo in the final scenes of the movie. My favourite movies of all time are Shawshank Redemption (also a fantastic book), a French movie called the Intouchables and, even though I'm not a big Jim Carey fan, I love The Truman Show. The concept freaks me out. Great movie and even better soundtrack!

Books: Love my Kindle, it goes everywhere with me. Sadly though, I will confess to being a little one dimensional in my consumption of reading materials. As an enthused kid or even as an adult working in the sports journalism industry, I've always read autobiographies. More to the point, autobiographies about sportsman and women. Which is a shame, because most of them tow the line and simply go through the motions with no real story to tell. That being said, I do enjoy reading travel books and learning about the world. All my fiction reading seems to have been done pre-adulthood. More effort needed.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Teaching English in Vietnam. Never have I enjoyed and found a job more gratifying than this. The country, the people, the whole experience is - and hopefully, in the future, will continue to be - amazing!

Teach, Learn, Share

Just stories. I want to be able to make friends and connections for life when I'm traveling. I want to be able to sit on someones sofa and have a conversation that sees the hours just drift past. I'm hoping that couchsurfing will be give me the opportunity to not only meet like minded people but also people that are the polar-opposite of what I am. i don't think it's a case of teaching and learning, more so just sharing.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'll make sure I'm always carrying some English tea! I don't drink the stuff but can make a mean cuppa! Bar that, I'm really not sure. We can share stories and hopefully share some good laughs, too. I fully understand that someone is sharing their living space with me, making sure I'm warm and comfortable even though I'm a stranger. In return I'll happily buy you a beer, cook, clean, and be your house bitch!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Viet Nam