CURRENT MISSION

Finish my undergrad and travel more.

ABOUT ME

Hey all. My name's James. I'm an American, I grew up in Tennessee but was born in Boulder, Colorado and now I'm going to school in State College, Pennsylvania.

You can figure out a lot about me by reading the rest of the descriptions of me I've written in the boxes below. Suffice to say, there are many things in this world that interest me, and many things I can see or hear that will put a tear in my eye. I am open-minded and ready for virtually any possibilities and experiences. I try (not always succeed...) to take care of myself and the world around me.

I'm a strict vegetarian, a student of international relations, a decent cook, and a speaker of decent French that I am always looking to practice and improve. I will always talk politics with you if you want - beware!

I love my youth, and I'm very aware that it won't last forever!

I don't care who you are or what you do or what you look like, as long as you do no harm to anyone else. I like all types of people as long as they are open-minded. You can never ever judge a book by it's cover is one thing I've learned!

PHILOSOPHY

I find it pretty crude to sum up one's view on life in a short phrase or sentence, but I can try to do it in a few phrases and sentences! I try to tread as lightly on this planet/biosphere as possible. I believe that people are generally and inherently good as opposed to bad. I believe in the power of people, especially that of youth (the kids!). I love life, and even though I get depressed at times, I never forget that fact - this world is a beautiful place after all, and worth getting to know :-) I want to see justice - personal, environmental, social - globally, for all. Politically I think of myself as a democratic socialist with a green streak.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

By doing and acting as I always do when relying upon the hospitality of others - being courteous, humorous, kind, always doing the dishes, always finding something to contribute to a space and its inhabitant(s), and always being up for a good conversation!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Travelled through Europe for 4.5 months mostly through couchsurfing! Hosted some people in Pennsylvania.

Interests

Things I am interested in:

humanity, politics in general and international politics particularly, music, DJing, cooking, books, people, nature, life, climbing things, consciousness alteration, travel, good parties, art, things that send a shiver up my spine, chillin', YOU!

• arts
• books
• acting
• cooking
• vegetarian
• partying
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• bouldering
• music
• rock climbing
• international relations

Music, Movies, and Books

Music and books are my two big interests!

MUSIC: Anything leftfield, but electronic music first and foremost. Techno, house, dubstep, psytrance, electro, hip-hop... but especially ambient/experimental/IDM-ish music. However, I can get into pretty much anything. I also listen to a lot of indie rock and experimental pop stuff.

Some favorite groups: Bibio, Modeselektor, Belle and Sebastian, Aphex Twin, Four Tet, Gang of Four, My Bloody Valentine, Scuba, Radiohead, Plaid, LCD Soundsystem, Kettel, Ladytron, Shigeto, Sepalcure, Joy Division, Animal Collective, Boards of Canada, The Knife, Toro Y Moi, Caribou, Flying Lotus, and many many more!

BOOKS: Kundera, Orhan Pamuk, Vonnegut, Salman Rushdie, Oscar Wilde, Nick Hornby, "The Corrections" by Joanathan Franzen, lots of non-fiction/history/biography, many more!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Couchsurfing my way through Europe for 5 months.

The clouds on 5-HT2a serotonin receptor agonists.

Anytime I face life and its hard decisions confidently and with grace.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, United States

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