CURRENT MISSION

To see if the West is still Wild

ABOUT ME

I think I've got gypsy blood. Or so I've been told. I was interested in painting and drawing all through grade school. Then, I graduated and focused on writing and philosophy instead. I went to community college for a bit and then decided I'd had enough. After I dropped out, I hit the road and went west, which is where I am for now.

PHILOSOPHY

A major part of my current travels is that I hope that they help me develop this personal philosophy. After awhile, I realized that a college classroom is not the best place to learn about the philosophies of the world, and a college professor is not the best person to teach about them. Why not learn about the world from the world? I firmly believe in the value of first-hand experience, and I hope that these first-hand experiences will help me get a look at the bigger picture.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have just started using the Couchsurfing site. I hope to use it as I move about the west part of the U.S. this winter.

Interests

I've been traveling around the U.S. by train, and love it. I'm convinced it's one of the best ways to travel. I write as I go, keeping a travel journal in my back pocket that I can use for all kinds of notes and experiences I don't want to forget. During the long trips I also read Whitman's poetry, play a lot of card games, and (if I'm lucky enough to have some) sip a bit of moonshine to keep myself entertained.

• writing
• books
• poetry
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm a big fan of spaghetti westerns, road movies, and werewolf flicks. Many films by Jarmusch, Polanski, Romero, and Tarantino. I'm an avid reader, and a lot of it involves the Beat Generation, the Lost Generation, and the Transcendentalists. Quite a bit of Thoreau, Whitman, London, Kerouac, and Hemingway, among many others. I've got a wide range of taste in music. A lot of folk, blues, garage and psychedelic rock, grunge, punk, etc. Some favorites include Deer Tick, Nirvana, The Pogues, Neil Young, Tom Waits, and who knows what else.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I was in high school, a friend and I spent a lot of time exploring the small city I'm from, focusing on abandoned buildings where there used to be a lot of furniture industry. There was one particular building that I remember, where we had to start at the basement level to get in and then work our way to the upper floors by navigating a maze of different rooms. Once we got high enough, though, the building opened up into an area with a high ceiling, railings that circled the large open area in the middle, and many rooms with large wooden doors. It was just a plainly beautiful sight, and it showed me that you never know what you'll find or where you'll find it. But if you're going to find anything you've got to do some exploring, and that's not something you can do through computers or books.

Countries I’ve Visited

United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States