OK, before you go any further, please don't contact me if you are more than one person. Also, please try to avoid sounding like you're doing me a favour asking to sleep in my flat. It's up to me to decide whether my life would be enhanced by your presence in it. You saying "Hi Karl! I come on Friday with my best friend. You show me around is great!" is just really irritating.

Oh, and also, I don't have a cat anymore. Please don't tell me you want to meet my cat because - *sniff* - She's not with me anymore.

Thanks!
...

I'm a writer and an English teacher. These days I work online, which has allowed me to come and live in Amsterdam, the best city in the world (IMO).

I love to travel and have a crack at new languages. I also love cinema, cats, chocolate and sunlight. I also play guitar. If you want to know more, my website is the first result if you do a search for my name.

And I do have a motto, yes. I made it up. It is this:

'Being is other people.'

Also: I believe the meaning of life can be summed up in four words. Here they are: 'Be kind. Be creative.'

Oh, and don't get stuck in a routine that doesn't fulfil you, because before you know it, you'll be old and tired and wondering what you did with your life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm a people person. And a places person. Couchsurfing is a great way of combining both people and places.

I tried to host couchsurfers while I was living in the middle of nowhere in France a couple of years ago but nobody wanted to stay. Now I'm in Amsterdam, I suspect more people will want to stay. Much of the time I have people here though, so don't get your hopes up. Oh, and also, if there is even a hint of entitlement in your voice, you can bugger off.

I surfed around Europe a few years ago while I was trying to go around the world in 80 festivals. Met some cool and lovely people. But only managed 4 festivals.

Interests

Everything. More or less. I love books and films. I love writing. I've had a couple of books published but none of them have sold very well (yet).

• cats
• writing
• books
• festivals
• chocolate
• gardening
• movies
• traveling
• blogging
• music
• guitar
• teaching
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

First things that come into my head....

Magnolia. It's a Wonderful Life. Cinema Paradiso. Withnail & I. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. The Philadelphia Story. Goodfellas. Taxi Driver. American Beauty. Donnie Darko. Adaptation. Singin' in the Rain. Fight Club. Milk. Secrets and Lies. Birdman. The Apartment. Pride. Sunshine On Leith. Good Vibrations.

The The. The Pixies. Elbow. Ella Fitzgerald. Talking Heads. Adam Green. Andrew Bird. Beatles. Gomez. Leonard Cohen. Manu Chao. The Smiths. Morrissey. Carmen Consoli.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Catch 22. The Catcher in the Rye. To Kill A Mockingbird. A History of Collective Joy. The Cider House Rules.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The first time I went up in a plane, I jumped out.

Once I was hung by my ankles out of a 13th floor flat window by two men on acid. I was also on acid. (That was pretty stupid actually, but probably amazingly so. I wouldn't do it again.)

I once pretended to be slightly physically deformed. For two years. On a blog. It got turned into a book. Some people think it's a bit weird. Me included. But it's probably best you know.

That's three things. No extra charge.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've always wanted to write. Consequently I've given up lots of opportunities in terms of jobs and even relationships in order to pursue my dream. I'm proud of the fact that I've never given up, and although I don't have the things that my friends have at this time of life (wife and kids, house and garden, high-pay job, 4-wheel drive), I do have a fairly interesting life, I've lived in quite a few places, and I don't know where I'll be this time next year. (Hopefully Amsterdam. I want to stay here forever. This has changed since I first wrote this profile.)

Um... is that what I was supposed to write here? I'm not sure. I can also teach English, speak Italian and play guitar.

What I Can Share with Hosts

All of the above. And big laughs. And music.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Cabo Verde, Croatia, France, Gambia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Senegal, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, France, Gambia, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey