Hai, I'm Brian. When I think back as far as I can, the first memories that come to mind are of laughing. At what? Who knows, that was years ago, decades even. Is that really important? Usually it is, maybe, the what, but I don't think it is for this. What's important is that I was laughing. I was set in the little backyard, stumbling about in the grass by the orange tree, and I was laughing. My dad was sitting in an old fold out chair on the porch, reading a book. First memories can be very telling. It let's you know where your focus is.

Nowadays, I sit in a little hotel office by the beach in Venice, and when it gets dark (I work the night shift so I can go surf in the day), I write. My roommate Max and I both ride our bikes to work because we live close. He works at restaurant take-away counter down the street. Simple means, simple living. Maybe I can show you sometime.

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Now it's Brian and Mike and ANOTHER Mike living in the Marina del Rey. (2013)

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That was then, this is now; It's just Brian, but ditto to all the above. (2012)

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Who us? Well, us happens to be Brian Absher, Grant Grezeka, and Max Szenderski, and Michael Killam. We all just graduated from UC Santa Cruz this spring and jointly decided that traveling through Europe would be a necessary and perspective broadening venture. Between the four of us, we have bachelor degrees in Economics, Film, and Sociology. Intrigued? You should be. We are quite the picture of intellectual diversity. But really, we're just a bunch of chillers who like to live life, laugh, and have a good time. (2010)

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Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

When I was in college, we had buddies surfing our couch all the time for a couple days if they're swinging through Santa Cruz and need a place to crash. We've had multiple people pitch tents in our backyard for month-long spells. Same concept? Anyways, it's rad.

Interessen

I try to surf as often as I can. I take in live music whenever possible. The outdoors are great, the indoors too, dancing late into the night never gets old. I love good conversationalists, and people's opinions. Something about taking pictures assuages my anxiety. And I write.

• literature
• photography
• music festivals
• festivals
• dancing
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• surfing
• economics
• sociology

Musik, Filme und Bücher

I like impressive movies.

I like music I can dance to, or hum to, or smile to.

If I like a book or not entirely depends on how it sounds when I read it aloud.

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

I wrote some books.

Lehren, lernen, teilen

I was in Amsterdam for the World Cup Finals in 2010.
I was in Buenos Aires for the World Cup Finals in 2014.

It's a feeling I'm becoming familiar with, but I'll never lose faith.

*****

Never hold onto the meaning of things too much though. Just be cognizant of the fact that it all means something. Or it all means nothing. It's up to you, but it's one of the two. Meaning is one of the few absolutes in life. Love is another. My dog taught me that.

Was ich mit Gastgebern teilen kann

I love to share stories and music and food. They're what set each of us apart and makes us different; the music we love, the stories we have, the way we make food, but at the same time they always bring us together.

Länder, die ich besucht habe

Argentina, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

Argentina, France, Indonesia, United States

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