CURRENT MISSION

to boldly go where fewer people than usual have gone before.

ABOUT ME

I recently finished graduate school, and am currently working at my first real job, monitoring human rights abuses using satellite imagery. In my spare time, I enjoy building and sailing small boats, taking pretty pictures, astronomy, and exploring this fascinating world we live in.

PHILOSOPHY

Live your life, be happy, and help other people?

Something like that, anyway. My personal philosophy is a perpetual work in progress.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've had several positive experience surfing so far, and it left me wanting to do it again! I'd love to host people too, but whether I can do so at a given time depends on a number of factors, some of which are beyond my control right now. Feel free to ask, though!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've surfed in the US and UK; it couldn't have gone better!

Interests

In addition to what was covered above, my interests also include hiking, cycling, and space exploration. At some point, I'd also really like to try hang-gliding and SCUBA diving.

• human rights
• boating
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• scuba diving
• sailing
• astronomy
• physics

Music, Movies, and Books

Though my tastes in film are broad, I have a distnict penchant for good science fiction, historical dramas, and adventure movies.

I tend to really enjoy works that create an immersive and self-consistent world with a high level of detail. In fiction, William Gibson's sprawl trilogy does this very well. Historical nonfiction, done in a narrative style, can also be good at it, e.g. "The Ghost Map", or "Nothing to Envy".

I also like quirky, surrealistic works like Amélie, XKCD, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as well as most of what Pixar's been putting out lately. None of these, however, will ever usurp the special place that Calvin & Hobbes occupies in my heart.

I read lots of travel essays.

My favorite music is so awesome that no one has ever heard it. Ever. Not even me. (Nah, seriously, I like a lot of stuff).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Well, I built a boat. It's a small one, but it floats. A lot of people seem to think that's rather amazing, but really it was mostly the result of a lot of work.

I did take it on an expedition to an uninhabited island and camp there once. That really was pretty amazing.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can build boats that don't sink! Well, I'm two for two, anyway! That's sort of a skill. I can also tell you all about astronomy and the night sky, as well as the physics of remote sensing. I can also help you practice your French, or to a much much lesser extent, Korean :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Gambia, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland, Rwanda, Senegal, Slovakia, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United States