CURRENT MISSION

I want to be the best husband, father, son, teacher, friend, and human being that I can possibly be.

ABOUT ME

I grew up in Bethesda, Maryland near Washington D.C. My mom was an artist, so I grew up around art which I still continue to appreciate and enjoy. I am a voracious and compulsive reader, and a news junkie. I am somewhat of an introvert, but I do enjoy good conversation. I teach Spanish and I love language and languages. Even though it is not my field, I find science fascinating so long as it doesn't get too technical and over my head. (I did teach 5th grade science one year because I needed a job.) My taste in music and literature leans toward the darker side of things (I fell in love with Russian literature in high school, especially Doestoevsky; some of my favorite songs are "In my time of dying" by Led Zeppelin, "Ghost Story" by Sting, "Mad World" by Michael Andrews, "Empty" by Ray LaMontagne, "Carolina Drama" by The Raconteurs). I was raised as a Baptist and converted to Orthodox Christianity as an adult. I was very liberal in college, very conservative in my 30s and 40s, and now I am deeply skeptical of politics, political philosophies, and especially politicians.

PHILOSOPHY

I want to do as much good for others as I can.

Perché sono iscritto su Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have hosted couchsurfers and I hope to be a couchsurfing guest this summer during a trip to Europe.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My wife and I have been couchsurfing hosts for two people.

Interessi

Languages other than English, books, music (blues, rock, alternative, whatever is new), dogs, movies. Interested in politics and religion, but I hate debates and arguments. I write poetry and I am working on several outlines for books. I have also written lyrics to a song or two, all of which are and probably will ever only be satisfying to me and friends and family who are kind enough to humor me. My wild fantasies include getting published and becoming a famous, but controversial author. My really wild fantasy is to become the official biographer of Robert Plant, so Percy, if you are reading this, I'm your man.

• dogs
• arts
• writing
• books
• literature
• poetry
• politics
• news
• movies
• reading
• music
• guitar
• blues
• christian
• teaching
• languages
• religion
• science

Musica, film e libri

Movies: The Lives of Others, Billy Elliot, El Norte, I Robot, Shawshank Redemption, the Green Mile, Forest Gump, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Dead Poets Society.
Books: Crime and Punishment, the Lord of the Rings, Islandia, the Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Cry the Beloved Country, Harry Potter, The Pearl, The Hobbit, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.
Music: Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Muse, Audioslave, Adele, The Black Keys, Lynrd Skynard, Robert Plant, Queen, Jimi Hendrix, Lucinda Williams, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, J.S. Bach, and lots more.

Una cosa incredibile che ho fatto

I drove from Kingsville, Texas through Mexico and Guatemala to Tegucigalpa, Honduras and back again, and lived to tell the tale. (It wasn't nearly as dangerous back in the 1980s when I made this trip.)

Insegna, impara, condividi

I can teach English and Spanish. Spanish is my second language, so I always enjoy learning new words, expressions, or even grammatical details of Spanish. I play guitar a little bit and I would like to learn more, but I probably could not teach anybody very much about guitar. I am interested in learning more languages including, but not limited to, French, Italian, Portugese, German, Greek, and Russian. I don't think I will get enough time to do all that unless I live to an exceptionally old age, but one can always hope.

Paesi che ho visitato

Aruba, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom

Paesi in cui ho vissuto

United States