Well, since I'm hanging out with one of my best friends right now, I'm just going to let him fill this out. I figure it'll give a (somewhat) less-biased vibe of who I am:

"Well, what can I say. I suppose it doesn't matter, because regardless of what I write down it won't capture how truly awesome Jon is. When you first meet him he might entrance you with beautiful displays of magic... but if you go beyond the delicately choreographed routines of wonder, you'll find a caring, intelligent, thoughtful human being with a wonderful sense of humor. He has quite an open and adaptable mind, and enjoys a wide range of activities both indoors and out. If you're ever lucky enough to meet him, congratulations, he might just be one of the best friends you'll ever have. I know he is for me."

EDIT: Okay, clearly my friend talked me up way to much, so I guess I'll say a little something myself. "Easy-going", "mellow", "relaxed" are all key words. For me, good conversation is worth its weight in weightless gold. I think empathy is an extremely important human quality, and if someone lacks it, they're often extremely dislikable or a sociopath. Must say I do find sociopaths rather interesting though so...hm...going to have to do some re-evaluating on that one. I really like eggs. A lot.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I send out last minute surfing requests! And then regret my lack of foresight when no one can host me. But what else is new on couchsurfing =p

I went on a seven month road trip around the US (yes, I realize that is the traveler equivalent of name-dropping), and I couchsurfed for the last few months of it. My greatest regret about the trip was that I didn't couchsurf the whole time. The level of kindness I encountered, the intense and quick and ephemeral relationships I built with people and then gone the next day...there's something so wonderful and raw about these kind of interactions. I hate to say the cliche, but it's true: some of my experiences couchsurfing were some of the times in my life that I felt most alive--but even more than that--most connected to, dare I say it...human kind. So yes, that's why I'm on couchsurfing.

Interests

theater and magic (watching and performing), visual art (creating. Viewing...not so much), music (a lot of violin, a bit of stereotypical college-era guitar, learning piano), tennis (and by extension, ping pong), pool (or "billiards" if we want to get all fancy), food, card games, board games, puzzles, riddles, learning! (new ideas, new knowledge, new skills), exploring, beautiful days, rainy days, reading, writing

and worth mentioning again, I really love eggs.

• arts
• writing
• theater
• dining
• board games
• reading
• billiards
• puzzles
• magic
• music
• guitar
• piano
• violin
• surfing
• tennis
• table tennis

Music, Movies, and Books

favorite short story:
"On seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful April morning" by Haruki Murakami

two of my favorite movies:
"Her"
"Spirited Away"

three of my favorite songs:
"Manhattan" sung by Blossom Dearie
"Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service
"1000 Times a Day" by The Early November

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Made friends (plural) who I would probably literally give my life for.

I mean, if you think about it, that's mind blowing right? 6 billion people in the world. Out of that, you meet, what, like a couple thousand in your lifetime, if even that. I don't know, I'm just pulling numbers out of my...hat. But out of those people, how many do you actually really try to interact with and get to know? And then out of that small pool...you find someone--or some people--you connect with so strongly that you'd deny your biological imperative for them? Come on. That's mind blowing.

Teach, Learn, Share

I really enjoy teaching fun and generally mostly useless skills including, but not limited to, how to shuffle cards, a bit of magic, how to make a rubber band hot air balloon, etc. etc.

I'm always up for learning just about anything (with a preference towards hands on things and physical skills)

What I Can Share with Hosts

The pleasure of my company (like that joke's never been made). But I don't know, I have a lot to share I think. Just depends on how we jive together I suppose.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Taiwan, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States