CURRENT MISSION

To make some money so I can go traveling again

ABOUT ME

Alex Johnson was born and raised in southeastern Louisiana in a major suburb of New Orleans. He attended public primary and secondary schools where he grew a fondness for learning in its many forms. Alex matriculated at a major private university in Connecticut in August 2004 and took a year long leave in 06-07 in order to, among other things, enjoy life’s subtleties before his obligations accumulated. Alex attributes his love for travel to his wonderful parents and their many family vacations throughout North America. Though some may find it unusual that this is written in the third person, Alex would like to point out that his blurb and life are a work in progress.

I will buy a couchsurfing t-shirt for the first person who finds the part of the above blurb that I borrowed. (Send me an email with the quote and its source.) Update: The answer is Wonderfalls. AMH1101 got it on 2/1/2010.

PHILOSOPHY

“Life is a banquet, and most poor sons-of-bitches are starving to death!”
-- from the play, Auntie Mame, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, based on the novel by Patrick Dennis.

Life has far too much to offer to let anything (including the biggest obstacle, oneself) get in the way of experiencing as much as possible. We’ll all have plenty of time to be miserable after the sun explodes in 5 billion years. Start the countdown.

This is my current life philosophy, which I picked up while performing the part of Adult Patrick in the previously mentioned play at a community theatre in my third year of high school. Previous life philosophies include “eat, sleep, poop” in my infancy and “the only way to not be worthless is to meet or exceed everyone’s expectations” for most of my primary and secondary education. There will most probably be more life philosophies to come, but I hope to stay with the theme of the most recent one.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I host, I surf, I enjoy CS meetings/gatherings.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Quite a bit of experience being a guest by now. Have hosted 10+ in New Haven, have just started hosting in Chicago.

Interests

SCUBA Diving, fromage, people, film and filmmaking, currency, perception, abnormal psychology, the societal desire for normativity, the role of physical appearance in interpersonal relations, The Food Network, Alton Brown, the power of information and misinformation, consumer electronics, you.

• books
• film making
• education
• dining
• electronics
• traveling
• scuba diving
• teaching
• psychology

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies and Series: Back to the Future Part II (1989), The Matrix (1999), Edge of Seventeen (1998), Wonderfalls (2004), La Veuve de Saint-Pierre (2000), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Twin Falls Idaho (1999), Northfork (2003).
Music: Switchfoot, Darren Hayes, Savage Garden, Paul Simon, Sandi Thom, Daniel Powter, All-American Rejects, Sum 41, Rufus Wainwright, Josh Groban, Enya.
Books: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. Currently Reading: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig.
Shows: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Music: William Finn; Book: Rachel Sheinkin; Lyrics: William Finn), Wicked (Music: Stephen Schwartz; Book: Winnie Holzman; Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz), Pippin (Music: Stephen Schwartz; Book: Roger O. Hirson, Bob Fosse; Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz), Sweeney Todd (Music: Stephen Sondheim; Book: Hugh Wheeler; Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim).

Note: This list is not and never will be inclusive. Items are listed in order of recall.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

-Been on a houseboat in Kerala India
-Swam with mantees
-Met some amazing people through couchsurfing!

Countries I’ve Visited

Cayman Islands, France, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United Kingdom, United States

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