CURRENT MISSION

flying in my mind and trying with my body

ABOUT ME

Just moved to the Philadelphia area in Jan 2013 from Indiana to take a job in biopharmaceutical development.

I enjoy stimulating conversations on topics where where I can learn new things or rethink my current perceptions/beliefs. Science, philosophy, critical theory, psychology, literature, art, culture, and humor (at least certain types) are all attractive for these reasons, as are people who can share and learn with me.

I live an active, healthy lifestyle. I'm a vegetarian, try to find as much sustainable grown food as possible. Love being outdoors: I try to lift, run, bike, snowboard, wakeboard, canoe, hike, etc. as much as I can.

PHILOSOPHY

“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common — this is my symphony.”
— William Henry Channing

"In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."
— Mother Teresa

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library."
— Jorge Luis Borges

"So many books, so little time."
— Frank Zappa

"The more knowledge we acquire, the more mystery we find. A human being is part of the whole, called by us the Universe, A part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest, A kind of optical illusion of his consciousness. This delusion is kind of a prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but this striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security."
— Albert Einstein

"Life is available only in the present moment."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
— Albert Einstein

"Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos — the trees, the clouds, everything."
— Thich Nhat Hanh

"They say that every snowflake is different. If that were true, how could the world go on? How could we ever get up off our knees? How could we ever recover from the wonder of it?"
— Jeanette Winterson

"A concept is a brick. It can be used to build a courthouse of reason. Or it can be thrown through the window."
— Gilles Deleuze

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."
— Mark Twain

"I believe that truth has only one face: that of a violent contradiction."
— Georges Bataille

"A critique does not consist in saying that things aren't good the way they are. It consists in seeing on just what type of assumptions, of familiar notions, of established and unexamined ways of thinking the accepted practices are based... To do critcism is to make harder those acts which are now too easy. "
— Michel Foucault

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm always happy to host travelers or at least help them find someone who can if I'm unavailable. I'm relatively new to Indiana, so it's exciting to explore with others who wander through.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've mostly explored locally with CSers, and have explored many lands with them, it's always a pleasure to help or host fellow travelers.

Interests

art, beaches, camping, canoeing, environmentalism/sustainable living, exploration, health/fitness, hiking, literature, meeting people, poetry, philosophy, running, spirituality, travel, words

• birds
• arts
• culture
• books
• literature
• poetry
• fashion
• beauty
• dining
• vegetarian
• fitness
• running
• meditation
• flying
• traveling
• socializing
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• canoeing
• camping
• snowboarding
• wakeboarding
• psychology
• science
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Baraka, Qatsi Trilogy, O Brother, The Fall, Across the Universe

Music: I like all genres, live music is great, but I most frequently listen to rock such as: Audioslave, Deftones, Queens of the Stone Age, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime, Weezer, etc.

Books: one of my favorite novels is Rayuela, my favorite work of philosophy is A Thousand Plateaus, I'm currently having a blast with Oulipo (Queneau, Perec, Calvino). Godel, Escher, Bach and I am a Strange Loop are immensely fun to think about.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach: philosophy, science, meditation, parallel parking, many other random things.

I'd like to learn more about: almost everything.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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