I'm politically liberal with strong libertarian leanings. My religion is agnosticism, but I do not ignore spirituality. I have studied everything from Buddhism to Haitian Voodoo, and I take wisdom wherever I can get it. I was raised Lutheran and I do attend Christian churches occasionally, but you're more likely to find me at a Buddhist temple, a Unitarian Church or a Quaker meeting place. I think there is something very special about mysticism. If the experiences are not objectively real, then they are at least a subjective opportunity for self-reflection and growth as explained by Julian Jaynes in his book about the Bicamerality of the human mind.

I attended College at Point Park University and the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh. I have a B.S. in Biotechnology and I've done graduate study in immunology and human genetics. My last job was at the center for Vaccine Research working in a BSL3+ containment laboratory. I primarily worked with influenza, but I have also done work with Dengue Virus, Rift Valley Fever, Yellow Fever, HIV, and SIV.

My interests are various. My friends and I put together a website at www.cognitivejourneys.com where we host a small forum and share links to our radio show Out of the Box which airs on offthecuffradio.net. I spend most of my time reading and writing articles for our website, but I like to do a wide array of things: anything from camping to watching movies to listening to music to talking about interesting topics. I used to play D&D and Magic the Gathering, and I still get into games like Munchkin and Risk when I have people around to play with.

I was an avid video gamer, but I sold my consoles and my gaming computer in order to bring more focus into my life on responsible things. I still love gaming and could easily get sucked into any of the Elder Scroll titles, but I choose not to for now, because while sinking 1200 hours into a game as wonderful as Skyrim is fun, it takes away from every other aspect of your life and gives very little in return in terms of personal growth and achievement.

I was a very heavy individual, but through diet and daily walking, I have gotten my weight down to a more reasonable level and am taking supplements now, eating better and doing some light weight training to try to build muscle mass so that way I can lose even more weight. I am interested in HST training and will likely begin a regiment of that as soon as I get set up somewhere.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I just got a job at ASC Group, Inc. as a wetland technician helping to identify the boundaries of wetlands so that way companies building new construction projects can remain within compliance of Ohio environmental laws. I start on the 14th of April 2015. Unfortunately, I am running incredibly low on funds and cannot afford the relocation costs, but I will be making money, so as soon as my first paycheck comes in, I will be able to find a roommate situation or something of the sort and move out on my own.

Interests

Philosophy, Science, Technology, Small Business, Aquaponics, 3D Printing, the Internet, Gaming, Social Media, Podcasting, Liberty, Responsible Government, Dialectical Synthesis, NPR, Exploring New Ideas

• writing
• books
• dieting
• running
• walking
• technology
• movies
• reading
• magic
• music
• camping
• buddhist
• boxing
• biology
• business
• chemistry
• communications
• genealogy
• mathematics
• religion
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Nahko Bear, Of Monsters and Men, George Ezra, Mumford and Sons,

Movies: 47 Ronin, Trailer Park Boys, Comedies, Horror, Sci-Fi, Adventure,

Books: Nan-Domi, The Fourth Way, The Book of Five Rings, Cloud Atlas, Pillars of the Earth,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Traveled the Country Living with Punks and Anarchists. Most of my friends from that era live along the West Coast now. Seattle, Portland and Norther California are awesome. Someday, I will be retiring to Covolo, CA and just living the hippy life, but for now I am doing my best to be a productive member of society.

Teach, Learn, Share

Biology, Mathematics up to Calculus, a General Overview of Philosophy and Mysticism, Environmental Science, Proteomics, Genomics, Signalling, Drug Development, General Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Administering a Ruby on Rails Forum, a General Overview of Aquaponic Farming,

What I Can Share with Hosts

Life, Love and Illumination

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Mexico, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States