CURRENT MISSION

I am backbacking through Europe with the intention of adventure, experience, and self discovery.

ABOUT ME

I am a 27 year old actor from Chicago who firmly believes that each day offers a new opportunity to learn and experience. I believe strongly in the power of human will, as well as the importance of taking ones self out of their comfort zone in order to expand their horizons. I believe honesty, focus, and patience are three of the most important attributes in life. I love meeting new people, and sharing experiences and knowledge. I find even mundane activities in foreign lands or with foreign people to be enlightening and unforgivable. Each new experience offers a new opportunity to give the gift of ones self, and receive the gift from the other.

I am easy going, fun, and passionate about life and what I do.

PHILOSOPHY

Nothing is stronger than the will.
Love the things you do, and do the things you love.
Surprise yourself... you must.
Live in the moment.
Nothing that is easy is really worth doing.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

At this point, since I am over seas, my participation is strictly as a surfer. As a surfer however, I respect my hosts, and almost always will repay them with at least a meal. A roof and a warm place to sleep is such a kind gesture, that really anything I could repay my host with is not enough.

When I return to the states however, I will begin to host surfers!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

All the couch surfing I have thus far done has been with people whom I have met in person along my journey. But every city I have stayed in with a person from that city has always been made exponentially better. Even cities, which on the whole were mediocre, have been elevated to something special by the wonderful people I have stayed with.

While on a bus in Iceland, a woman accross the isle from me struck up a conversation. She was from Haarlem, Holland, and was very interested in my travel plans. I told her that my plans were all up in the air, and before I could even say that she offered me and my companion her home in Haarlem to stay at. Haarlem was not originally a town I was going to visit, but I did, I stayed with her, cooked her dinner, and we had an outstanding time in her quaint little town. That was not the first experience of the kindness of strangers over seas, but it was the one that made me finish this profile, and begin preemptively searching for couches to surf on.

Interests

I work in live performance as an actor, writer, and director. I also dabble in film from time to time. I am very drawn to live performance of any kind, as long as it is good, especially music and theater.
I think best on my feet, so I'm pretty active. I like playing games, whether it be videogames or a sport of some sort. I like engaging my body in physical activities. I exercise regularly. I specifically enjoy biking, running, hiking, rock climbing, and pretty much any game with a ball.
I love movies and music of all kinds, and could easily spend an entire night discussing, quoting, and singing... but I also understand when that is not desired or appropriate.
I'm not much of a drinker, but I'm good company, and when in Rome, I do as the Romans do.
I'm very interested in furthering my studies in theater and expanding my abilities. I love taking theater workshops, especially those centered around physical work such as Clowning, mime, mask, acrobatics, and viewpoints. One thing I would love to do is work and train with a theater in Europe for a year or so.

• writing
• singing
• theater
• performing arts
• acting
• polka
• exercise
• running
• movies
• traveling
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• sports
• rock climbing
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies - Ran, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Big Lebowski, Se7en, Fight Club, Network, Rashomon, Man Bites Dog, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Taxi Driver, Alien, Aliens, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, No Country For Old Men, Fargo, Blood Simple, Brazil, Hoop Dreams, Gimme Shelter, The Life Aquatic, Memento, Aguirre the Wrath of God, The Fugitive, Raging Bull, Naked Lunch, Oldboy, The Exorcist, Twelve Angry Men, Dancer in the Dark, Team America: World Police, Being John Malkovich, Schindler's List, Wet Hot American Summer, Rescue Dawn, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, Unforgiven, Touching The Void,

Music - The Beatles, The Mars Volta, Giant Squid, Soil & PIMP Sessions, Tool, Joanna Newsom, Can, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, Radiohead, Beck, Iron and Wine, The Black Keys, Bjork, At the Drive-In, Foxy Shazam, Opeth, Fleet Foxes, Talking Heads, Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Le Butcherettes, Yes, King Crimson, Jeff Buckley, System of a Down, Hella, Zechs Marquise, Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz, The Dear Hunter, Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Battles, Fiona Apple, Stevie Wonder, Portishead, Isaac Hayes, John Coltrane, Led Zepplin, Less Than Jake, Lagwagon, Kyuss, Nirvana, Queens of the Stone Age, Pink Floyd, Patti Smith, Portugal. The Man, David Bowie, Queen, Rising Appalachia, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, TuneYards, Yeasayer, !!!

Books - The House of Leaves, Fight Club, Night, Lord of the Flies.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have been to Iceland. Every corner you turn in Iceland is an otherworldly expericence. From the never ending fields of pourous, cooled volcanic rock which also serves as a natural rain water filter, to the natural hot springs polka dotting the island, to the oceans of ice floating in the mountains, Iceland is nothing short of jaw dropping. If you are looking to see some nature that is truely awesome... Iceland is the place to go.

I used to play Laser Tag on a competitive level. One of the largest tournaments in America is the Las Vegas 5 man tournament, all the best players from all over the states and Canada, form the best possible teams they can to hopefully take home the gold. One year I went with a team assembled of players from Illinois, Texas, and (Me) Virginia. Finals of the tournament was comprised of three teams, of arguably 15 of the best laser tag players in the world. This one year, my team won! But not only that, I managed to rank first in all three of the games of finals. Something nobody had ever done before, and something nobody has done since.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States