ABOUT ME

Do you have a hard time answering these questions? I'm horrible at it! Hello, my name is Jonathon and maybe the most important thing for you to know is that I really, really love life. I tried and tried to think of how to say that non-ridiculously, but still failed, I think.

PHILOSOPHY

Well, at least as a couch surfer, my philosophy is inspired by something I've heard comedians say. Apparently, in improv, you never say 'No'; you always say, 'Yes, and...'

I'm trying to do whatever I can as well as possible for as long as possible.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm hoping to couch-surf through Europe for the next month and a half. I'm looking forward to hosting couch-surfers in the US when I get back.

Interests

I really like to go backpacking and camping and hiking, to read books and write fiction, to run, to listen to music and also to make it (even though I haven't for a pretty long time), to have conversations, to follow politics, to see what I'm capable of. I like to ask questions. I like doing journalism, but also sort of hate it. I like food! And comedy, animals, art.

• animals
• arts
• books
• dining
• running
• politics
• music
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• journalism

Music, Movies, and Books

After finishing each of my favorite books I had to take a long walk, because I felt so excited. Like, the book was so good it was physically invigorating. For example: 'Moby Dick,' by Herman Melville; 'Infinite Jest,' by David Foster Wallace; Flannery O'Connor's collected short stories; 'The Brothers Karamazov,' by Dostoevsky; 'Gilead,' by Marilynne Robinson; 'Elizabeth Costello,' by J.M. Coetzee.

In general I'm bad at favorites. I really like movies but can't think of even one that I'd call my favorite. Not right now, anyway. Movies I'd recommend? Errol Morris's documentaries (for instance 'Gates of Heaven,' which is about a pet cemetery that had to change locations, and its owners; 'Fog of War,' a long long interview with Robert McNamara toward the end of his life). Actually, I really love documentaries, period. Another good one is 'Last Train Home,' about Chinese migrant workers heading home for Chinese New Year to see their children. I like Mr. Hitchcock, and the Coens, and P.T. Anderson. In the coming year I'm going to get a Netflix subscription, I think, and watch lots of stuff, and then maybe I'll be able to answer this part better.

Lately I've been listening to the National, Lambchop, and Smog. Sensitive but manly. But my all-time favorite band - even if I haven't listened to them in over a year(!) - is Boredoms.

Countries I’ve Visited

France, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States