After 27 years of generally happy chaotic living, I think I've finally cracked the list of what's truly important: love, family, friends, experiences, and protecting the environment and each other. I try to live with all of these in harmony. It's sometimes hard, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it one of these days.

Background: born and raised in Miami. Spent three of both my craziest and the city's craziest years in New Orleans from 2004-2007 (pre- and immediately post-Katrina). Even though I fell in love with that place, I had to get out when things got too hectic and I learned a much greater appreciation for my hometown when I got back (didn't hurt I was over 21 finally too). I'm always excited for a chance to show someone my home, especially since it's been constantly improving for the past decade.

I'm a people person even if I'm still figuring them out. I love meeting new folks and trading stories, or just keeping my mouth shut and learning about fascinating new topics. Regale me with your stories of glory!

You could call me a rational optimist because I think people will generally do the right thing when informed correctly (and it's made convenient enough). I want to be the conduit of that information, since I think I'm a pretty good writer who can break down intense environmental topics into easier-to-digest/use bits. I also want to devote my life to this as we have to get our act together real quick on a global scale, otherwise we're not going to have much of a globe to enjoy (seriously, it's getting that bad).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Even though my profile says I'm a new member, I used to have an account on here a couple of years ago. I've been living with my folks on and off since then so I've unfortunately never been able to host (nor have I ever crashed anywhere), but I always wanted to meet up with a CS group to take them out and show them the best parts of Miami. As soon as I am secure in my next new place though, I'll be happy to welcome all of you to my humble abode :)

I also love the community sentiment behind CS. My brother was a host numerous times in L.A. and always had great people crash at his place. CS allows you to feel at home in a strange place and maybe meet some wonderful people who will tell you how to do their town smart (and might even show you). My fam's never been fans of hotels and we've always tried to book apartments on trips. CS seems to offer that and a little more.

Interests

I'm an environmental geek who doesn't preach. Happiest with good conversation based around concert experiences, crazy stories, music/book/movie recommendations, and mad science.

Made the decision to stop going to my bars here recently and instead I get my kicks from going to shows. I love almost all types of music and can appreciate a great performance from someone I'd never normally listen to. This isn't to say I don't love a good dive in a strange locale, so if you want to show me one in your 'hood, I'd be happy to buy you a beer :)

• writing
• books
• performing arts
• concerts
• environment
• beer
• traveling
• music
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Top Three:

Music: Pixies, Modest Mouse, The National

Movies: Goodfellas, The Big Lebowski, Fight Club

Books: Jurassic Park, Anything Vonnegut, World War Z (please, please forget they made a movie with the same name, because it shares a four line monologue with the source material and nothing else).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Ascended the peak of Mt. Kenya, the second highest mountain in Africa, without training or prep. That's not to say I'm just naturally awesome (I may be a little), but I really had no idea what I was getting into. It was by far the scariest thing I've ever done in my life, and I would absolutely do it again.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm no expert, but I'm happy to teach the crazier, lesser known details I'm learning about science. Generally open to learning anything and everything, except for 19th century quilting patterns. Let's share some good stories of travel, concerts, scariest moments, and general shenanigans.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Pretty happy doing dishes and general tidying up. And I'm always generous with consumables.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, England, France, India, Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, Tanzania