CURRENT MISSION

Forming positive relationships, promoting self-awareness and making things happen!

ABOUT ME

I'm personable, gregarious, and quickly befriend people but nonetheless retain a healthy introverted side. I'm a neophyte, I love the new and am optimistic about change in my personal life and in the world at large-- you probably have to be as a traveler! I'm mellow, stable, understanding, expansive. My stories aren't all that crazy, but many of them are pretty unique.

PHILOSOPHY

I've been curious about philosophy and religion even as a youth. Ones that have most resonated with me include Tibetan and Shambhala Buddhism, Quakerism, depth psychology and mythology, integral theory, existentialism and Taoism.

My personal philosophy has something to do with the present moment being the only one we can actually experience, so noticing being in the here and how and choosing how to relate-- relaxing, savoring, inquiring, challenging, confronting, creating, taking it in and letting it go...

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Couch surfing definitely helped me land here in Seattle and I look forward to more in the future.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

It's been great!

Interests

People, mostly-- psychology, groups, organizations, mythology, sociology, personal and professional growth and development, politics, philosophy, history and biographies, religion and spirituality, etc...

I'm all about being a part of and building community.

Other things: bicycling, volunteering, upright bass and bass guitar, singing, drinks, thrifting, prowling coffee shops, exploring new places near and far, etc...

• singing
• recipes
• coffee
• meditation
• drinking
• thrifting
• politics
• bouldering
• guitar
• hiking
• surfing
• buddhist
• history
• psychology
• religion
• sociology
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: string quartets, chamber rock, dream pop, shoegaze, chillwave, classical Indian, old school progressive rock and jazz/rock fusion of the 70's, folk, and plenty of stuff that's just hard to classify.

Movies: Historic epics, art house, eclectic, avant garde, controversial, morally ambiguous, and hard to decipher. I also like cheesy fantasy movies

Books: Classic literature, historic fiction, experimental prose, philosophy, religion, and some kinds of poetry,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I was sixteen I took a trip that led me to Xiahe, on the eastern border of what was Tibet, where Labrang Monastery is located. A couple of buddies and I decided to climb up a hillside. There wasn't a trail, and like you would think, it was pretty steep. Nearing the end of a solid hike we came to a thin forest, and through a break in the trees we saw strings of multicolored prayer flags that you find draped throughout the country. We had reached the crest of the hill, where we noticed a river cascade through the mountain pass and wrap around to caress the monastery. A huge boulder sat on the edge that had the perfect butt-shape groove on top for sitting meditation.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've been studying astrology since 2001. I would be happy to read your birth chart, cast your horoscope, or read the relationship between your chart and someone else's. We can even talk about astrocartography.

I'd be happy to teach anything I know about people-- what we think and believe, how we organize and relate, the ways and reasons why we act the way we do, and all of that good stuff. And, of course, I'd like to learn from you, as well!

Some things I'm interested in learning are new recipes, being introduced to a foreign language, and learning how to bow stringed instruments.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Mongolia, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States