CURRENT MISSION

Do something important

ABOUT ME

I took a backpacking trip through Europe in 2009 for six weeks. I didn't know about couchsurfing yet so I spent the whole time in hostels. One of my roomates at a hostel in Prague told me about CS and how much fun it is, and on my next trip overseas I would like to try it out.

A while back I moved into a larger apartment with a living room, so I decided to sign up and offer to host. I hope to meet a few travelers here in Chicago and build up some reputation so I can do some surfing on my next trip.

Personally, I'm a contract computer programmer. I've been building up my practice for several years now and things have gotten busy for me (which is why it's been so hard to travel!) I work from home and take client calls all day so I need quiet during work hours, but the living room is separate from my office so guests should be able to hang out without disturbing me.

PHILOSOPHY

Mainly I don't want to ever quit learning, experiencing new things, and growing as a person.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I would like to meet up with and host people here in Chicago so I can make some connections and get settled into the site. On my next adventure, I'd like to do some surfing!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Just hosting for now, but it's been a lot of fun!

Interests

As I do it for a living, I spend a great deal of time thinking about computer programming.

I also love bicycling. Architecture and urban planning. I love making things out of steel, wood and fabric (as such I have welding, wood working and sewing as hobbies). I'm currently building a table from wood and steel.

• culture
• architecture
• traveling
• backpacking
• surfing
• history
• software

Music, Movies, and Books

Way too many to count! I love old Charlie Chaplin movies and the like. I love Westerns, classic French films. Anything good, really.

I like older, upbeat jazz like Cab Calloway or Ella Fitzgerald. I like listening to music on vinyl. I also love people like Johnny Cash, some of the rock standards, Dylan, etc. I also like house and techno when I'm in the mood (Moby, The Prodigy, etc).

For books, it'd be easier to list things I don't like, which would be.. ones written poorly, I think. I don't have much preference for genera, I just want the book to do something profound. Right now I'm reading The Annotated Alice, and interleaving that with some non-fiction books.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Amazing things I've seen? The Grand Canyon. Probably the craziest experience I've had was getting left on the ferry while trying to cross the North Sea by train.

Teach, Learn, Share

I took French in College and was able to practice it a bit on my Europe trip. I'm still horrid at it but I never pass up the opportunity to try a bit when I meet French speakers.

I would also like to learn Spanish but.. first things first.

I'm a Chicago nerd. I love this city's history, architecture, culture, everything. And I'd love to share what I know with visitors.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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