CURRENT MISSION

To leap tall buildings in a couple of bounds

ABOUT ME

My mind is usually going 100 miles an hour (I don't know what that is in kilometers), and running on at least 4 topics at once. I call these my 'musings', 'thought exercises', or when appropriate 'all the bills I have due'. Anyhoo, I'm the type who remains quiet & observant when in a new situation - you might say slow to warm up. But, once I do warm up I really dive in. I'm happy to say I have a few very close friends whom I've kept for many many years. Some I've traveled the world with, some just around the U.S., and some, we just hang on the couch.

PHILOSOPHY

"Ever notice that 'What the Hell?' is ALWAYS the right decision?" - Unknown

"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person." - Mother Teresa

"If you're not part of the freaks, you're part of the boredom." - Perry Farrell

And, "Ask Anybody Anything" - Me

Pourquoi je suis sur Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I participate by surfing unsuspecting people's homes and hosting just as innocent and unsuspecting surfers. Then, I do my best to corrupt them to my evil ways by whatever means possible. That means, make them laugh till they cry, or think 'til it hurts - whichever comes first.

Local Couchsurfing get-togethers are also great, not only for socializing, but also for the Couchsurfing Project itself. We get to network, and then can fall back on each other if we promised to host someone, then can't at the last minute. Or, we can just back each other up in many different ways by getting to know each other in person. I highly highly recommend getting to know the surfers in your area.

I love couchsurfing because despite my ardent claims of being a misanthropic anthropologist (aren't they all? wink wink), I am quite fascinated by people (I guess the two don't have to be mutually exclusive?...). So, I love meeting new ones everywhere and all the time. Couchsurfing widens my opportunities for this.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Unofficial Couchsurfing: I literally couchsurfed across the USA in 2002, with three cats and a car full of my worldly belongings in tow. Some of the friends I stayed with let me bring the cats inside, others were not so cat-friendly so the beasts were living in the car. When I visited Rome, I stayed on the couch of a friend of a friend. I can't remember her name now, but I can say that the experience was great even though we didn't speak each other's languages. She had a 7 year old son who thought something was "wrong" with me (like I was stupid) because I didn't speak Italian. He'd never met anyone who didn't speak Italian. But, he endured my presence nonetheless.

Centres d'intérêt

Animals are a huge interest for me, and I usually exhibit this through volunteer work with rescue organizations, by healing them, or simply by paying attention to my own two dogs and various kitties.

Another passion is for alternative medicine, or as some would say, the esoteric healing arts. That is to say, I am a healer, but my type of healing isn't called "energy" healing but more of a quantum type of healing. It's highly effective and I've used it mostly with animals over the past few years.

• animals
• cats
• dogs
• arts
• running
• traveling
• volunteer work
• socializing
• surfing
• anthropology
• languages
• medicine
• volunteering

Morceaux de musique, films et livres

The Tao te Ching (Stephen Mitchell favorite translation), Chomsky, Joseph Campbell, Buckminster Fuller, "Cultural Creatives" by Ray & Anderson, almost anything Peter Russel or Peter Singer (http://www.princeton.edu/~psinger/books.html)

Une aventure extraordinaire que j'ai vécue

Survived this long!

Enseignez, apprenez, partagez

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I can't stress this enough. Listen to your Couchsurfing elders and ALWAYS HAVE A BACKUP PLAN!!!!!

That means: Do not budget your trip for couchsurfing only. THAT MEANS: ALWAYS have enough money to stay in a hostel should your Couchsurfing stay go sour. For example: If you are planning a one week Couchsurfing visit, bring SEVEN NIGHTS worth of money to stay at a hostel - just in case. That means: Look in Lonely Planet at an average/cheap hostel rate in that area. Say, it's $20 USD/night. So, if you are planning a 7 night Couchsurfing tour in X country, you need to have AT LEAST $140 USD AT HAND to cover a hostel should: 1. your host become unavailable or 2. you need to leave your hosting situation.
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Women: Honestly, in a perfect world we could surf with anyone and life would be great. But, my personal suggestion would be, if you are a woman traveling alone, if at all possible choose to surf with another female or surf with a couple and/or family.
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Pays que j'ai visités

Canada, Cook Islands, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Vatican City State, Venezuela, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Pays dans lesquels j'ai vécu

Mexico, Puerto Rico, United States

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