I live to surprise myself, and to be surprised by others.

I'm updating my profile for the first time in many years, but a lot of these things still hold true, so I'm leaving them unchanged. I've definitely read more books, watched more movies, and done more things -- for instance, I finished the novel I was writing, wrote another novella since then, and co-wrote two plays -- but we can talk about those when we meet!

There's a very good chance that I will be dressed like a cowboy.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I couchsurfed through Scandinavia -- my first couchsurfing experience, and a fantastic one. Now I get to host in New Orleans, and even got to host one of my hosts from Norway.
I am a very adaptable sleeper and I've slept in a variety of interesting positions/places. I'm renowned among my friends for being able to sleep comfortably in a full lotus position.

Multiple roommates has made hosting hard, recently, but I hope to contribute more in the future.

Interests

I am interested in everything. I'm probably most interested in people, though.

• animals
• writing
• books
• literature
• performing arts
• dancing
• movies
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
Blues - Skip James, Roosevelt Sykes, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Leadbelly, Blind Boy Fuller, Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Willie McTell, Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton
Rock - The Pixies, The Rolling Stones, They Might Be Giants, Led Zeppelin, The White Stripes, The Doves, The Violent Femmes, Beck, The Flaming Lips, Radiohead
Other - Moving Furniture, Johnny Cash, Yoko Kanno, and pretty much anything else.

Movies:
Breathless, The Third Man, The Double Life of Veronique, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Dead Man, He Died With a Felafel in his Hand, Faces, Sans Soleil, Chungking Express - and many others.
Anything by Orson Welles.
Anything by Buster Keaton.

Books:
Fiction - The Great Gatsby, Moby-Dick, House of Leaves, Call of the Wild, Le Petit Prince, Amphigorey, Waterland, The Canterbury Tales, One Hundred Years of Solitude; Terry Pratchett
Nonfiction - Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Pursuits of Happiness: The Hollywood Comedy of Remarriage
Poetry & Drama - The Tempest, Our Town, The Waste Land; Lord Byron, James Dickey, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The Epics - The Kalevala, The Odyssey, Mahabharata, Beowulf, The Iliad

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Once, I wore a white mask for the whole day and did not speak. At the end of the day, by a bonfire, I convinced a child (without saying a word) that the mask was my face and that I could not take it off.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know how to lasso and have taught at least ten other people how to do so. I try to bring my lasso wherever I go.

I know way too much about films, film history, filmmakers, and how to make films. I'm not sure how helpful it is, but it's there and waiting to be shared.

I'm a pretty reliable resource on literature, especially American literature.

I also have varying degrees of knowledge about (or opinions about) theatre, dance, performance in general, how to entertain children, how to entertain animals, the existence of UFOs, and what to do if confronted by a bear.

I don't have any practical skills. Except cooking.

Things I intend to learn:
Greek cuisine
Louisiana cuisine
Also want to start perfecting my French, which needs work.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can teach you how to do lasso tricks.
I'm good at telling stories (I'm a tour guide by trade).
If you have a kitchen, I can cook. My specialty is Louisiana cuisine, if we can track down the right ingredients (or at least approximate ingredients).
I'm always willing to return the favor, if you ever visit New Orleans (which, after all, is the best place to visit).

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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