CURRENT MISSION

Re-estabilshing myself on Couchsurfing! See woeful tale below

ABOUT ME

Renaissance person (including the privilege that entails!) in the vaguely double-entendre sense that I'm massively and constantly reinvigorated through the wonderful, interesting, beautiful, kind people and thoughts of this world. Occasionally well-dressed feminist, happily exploring and (sometimes) subverting clothing. My theoretical mind and physical body are most comfortable on the dancefloor, or perhaps on the summery deck outside my apartment. Even though I adapt well socially, people tend to see through my veneer of straight quite readily. Plus, nearly all of my friends are women, which tends to raise suspicions. -_-

My life has often been on the move. My parents dragged me to Budapest, Dar es Salaam and Sundbyberg, and since I've managed stints in York and Umeå and Helsinki and even Falun, one of those typical "marginal man"-moves every three-to-five. Being of mixed origin – half Hungarian – probably is part of the reason I feel like I can make my home anywhere new things happen to me. Right now, I'm back in Stockholm's mixed suburbs and working with an African film festival and lots of writing projects.

PHILOSOPHY

I like happily jumping aboard all the metaphorical trains that pass me. Religiously oriented friends have nodded their heads in silent agreement when I've compared this life philosophy to a secular analogue of Buddhism – have no expectations or extreme desires one way or another, and life will flow (gently or dynamically) around you, usually taking you along for a great ride. Of course, that life philosophy has led me into a few cul-de-sacs, which probably means I should re-evaluate it. But it keeps me young at heart, I think, and helps maintain an inner calm.

All that doesn't mean I don't have definite opinions though! I can stand my ground when needed, especially when it comes to politics. I do, though, wish that politicians would get up on the dancefloor more frequently, and that the kind of fun jester-subversive movement found in popular culture (which I'll always, always defend!) would filter back into boring old parliamentary politics more.

Also, quite a lot of that classic Levinas/Arendt idea of doing your utmost to let others express themselves.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Once upon a time I used to be someone here. Or rather, two people. Me and my girlfriend at the time, convinced of our eternal relationship, decided to create a profile together. (You can see where this is going.) It didn't last. Of course. Now, five whole years later, I'm registering my own profile (our CS divorce dragged on until last year), so I can start travelling again. And hosting!

So, summa summarum, a lot of the references, friend connections and pictures over the years are in this profile, which I've officially given over to my ex, who is now my best friend: https://www.couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=D8NV30

Interests

Culture generally! Visual arts, fashion and dance/performance come close, but my greatest love is music, of many kinds, especially popular music from the Jazz era forwards: from gospel to disco, from power pop to Southern Rap. Christmas music has a special, slightly obsessive, place in my heart ;)

Specifically, the popular culture of Africa – I'm working as part of an African film festival's board, and separately supporting a project that aims to curate a catalogue of African creators, and I try to follow all the latest fashion, music, films and arts. The most dynamic continent!

Queer and feminist activism. Gender analyses.

Theory and philosophy, from Levinas and Arendt to post-structural, post-colonial theorists.

Clothes!

Dancing!

Human relationships generally.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• performing arts
• fashion
• festivals
• dancing
• clothing
• politics
• movies
• traveling
• music
• jazz
• buddhist
• visual arts

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC!!!: A constant pivot around which my life turns. Some people say I have no taste because I channel through anything, from feminine-coded music dismissed as sentimental trash (like lovers rock or kizomba) to a wealth of both functional and non-functional musics, in a loop from highway gospel to Kate Bush to floaty cloud R&B. Endless love for electronic dancefloor music from everywhere, all classes, all countries, your home-made teenage logobi and your sophisticated deep house at once, mixed together.

Here's a big ol' mixtape with faves. Don't take it as seriously as it appears to present itself. :) http://open.spotify.com/user/birdseeding/playlist/7q3gJWxfKIi6WsjrY1hiGr

Movies: Currently on the selection committee of an African film festival! But other than that, Solaris (by Tarkovsky, not Soderbergh), Barry Lyndon, Vertigo, Airplane!, classics like that.

...and Books. Yeah. Tricky area for me, I've read plenty but it's not really been a huge part of my life since my teens. I read maybe two or three works of fiction a year at the moment. I totally respect writing and have enjoyed everything from modernist poetry to Ray Chandler, but I guess art, dance, music, writing myself etc. etc. has tended to push it aside.