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Overview
About Me
PhD, former expat, film buff, music fan, and avid reader mainly from Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland.
I am easy going, appreciate stimulating conversations and I am always looking to learn more about the world around us.
Why I’m on Couchsurfing
I am looking to connect with interesting folk who are optimistic and have a perpetual taste for adventure and travelling.
I want to hear about other cultures and to be dazzled by amazing stuff that I haven't yet gotten around to experiencing.
It would be a bonus if you are purposeful.
Interests
- coffee
- politics
- technology
- music
- atheism
- geography
- history
- science
- travel
- theatre
- learning new things
- outdoors
- people's stories
- america
- scotland
- finland
- honda
- northern europe
- driving car
- reading and writing
- sam harris
- richard dawkins
- northern ireland
- christopher hitchens
- lawrence krauss
- daniel dennett
Music, Movies, and Books
Music:
I like rock (art, alternative and experimental) folk, electronica, big beat, breakbeat rap, trip hop, downtempo and the various subgenres therein. Live gigs are where it's at for me. My current city has a great music scene so no wonder I am often spotted enjoying some quality band in one its many venues.
Movies:
I enjoy the movies of Stanley Kubrick, Clint Eastwood, David Lynch, Terrence Malick, Martin Scorsese and P T Anderson. I also appreciate goofy movies like "There's Something About Mary" and Ace Ventura. Since obtaining an unlimited cinema card, I have been watching a ton of different stuff these days.
Books:
I mainly feast on non-fiction. I have a big appetite for political memoirs. The last fiction books I read were "Fugitive Pieces" by Anne Michaels and "The Wolf Border" by Sarah Hall. Both were very good and full of astounding beauty and wisdom. I am fan of the late J. G. Ballard, Jonathan Raban - "Soft City" was superb - and Iain Sinclair.
One Amazing Thing I’ve Done
As a younger lecturer I helped a rather fragile student to believe in their own abilities. I really pushed them and they went onto graduate with a first-class Honours degree.
Teach, Learn, Share
I could teach you some things about cities, how they live, breathe, function and die a death (I shan't bore you here other than to say that, it's all in the movement of capital and then people).
You could learn how to make different kinds of soup, all of which are delicious. Your friends would be most impressed with your new culinary skills, guaranteed! I also make a mean Irish stew if you'd like to learn.
I could share the best of my upbringing and culture with you, a little something of myself if you will.
What I Can Share with Hosts
The throbbing cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh and the great Scottish outdoors - Glencoe and the Highlands are stunning during any season of the year. Then there are the Scottish islands.
Depending on our schedules I could chuck the north and south of Ireland in, too.
Countries I’ve Visited
Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United States
Countries I’ve Lived In
Finland, United Kingdom