CURRENT MISSION

assemble a team, find a place, live there

ABOUT ME

i've been a lot of things; now i'm learning to be myself. i've lived a lot of places; now i'm finding my place.

also, i travel with a wonderful four-legged friend who goes by the name of "bonzai." he's large and very hairy, but is possibly the lowest-key, calmest friend i have. he's probably an even better couch-surfer than i am. check out my pictures to see his undefeatable cute-ness.

PHILOSOPHY

we humans are extraordinarily clever little monkeys--very, very good at solving any problem put in front of us. i am a problem solver, and the most satisfying thing in my life is to identify, analyze, and solve a good problem. *but* as sherri s. tepper writes, "there are some problems with no solution that is acceptable to men." the world is bigger and more important than we are, and the humility to recognize and accept the problems we *shouldn't* solve is far more important than finding solutions

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

i've just become a member at the urging of a friend.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

for periods of my live, i've lived as a "professional house guest," going from town to town and friend's couch to friend-of-friend's couch. for other periods of my live i've been "that guy on the couch." long or short term, i'm happiest when i can imagine myself as a temporary roommate, but a neat and tidy one... give me a tour of the kitchen, and i'll buy groceries, cook a meal or two, and do your dishes every day.

Interests

skills for living; making things work for as long as possible--and the tools to do it; giving computers proper burials; giving bicycles a second, third, or fourth life; stripping civilization down to the bare necessities; remembering where i/we come from and where we're all going to.

• cooking
• traveling

Music, Movies, and Books

lately i've been listening to janelle monae, manu chao, la armada roja, and blackbird raum, in almost equal rotation.

when i sit myself in front of a screen, it's usually to watch something on the science fiction spectrum, but particularly stories that deal with the way people organize themselves and relate... i'm always down for a good (u/dys)topia.

in fact, my taste in books is largely the same, though my current read is a survey of the ecosystems of the state of vermont.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

done: i built a six-foot tall, eight-foot long bicycle and rode it from chicago to pittsburgh and back over the course of 19 days.

seen: sunrise over the pine-forested moutains of northern georgia while riding on the back of a mile-long freight train.

Teach, Learn, Share

i can teach how to fix and maintain--and efficiently ride--a bicycle, how to fix and maintain a computer (and do any number of questionably useful geeky tricks), how to organize and incorporate a non-profit in the u.s., and probably a bunch of things i've forgotten i know.

i'm always game to learn new skills, particularly the ones that allow a person to remove themself more and more from the cash economy and commodity civilization.