CURRENT MISSION

... reaching out to embrace the random, reaching out to embrace whatever may come ...

ABOUT ME

I like to travel, dance, read and learn new things. I hope to travel the world, and paradoxically love both nesting and not staying in one place for very long. I will never turn down a good gin cocktail.

PHILOSOPHY

Life is what you make of it.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Surfing and hosting, meeting new people, seeing new places.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

As I've primarily been travelling for work the past few years, my experience so far has mostly been through surfing. Whilst living in Romania my locations didn't get too much traffic, and what traffic there was usually came when I was away myself. I've had some wonderful surfing experiences, some of which have resulted in great friendships, and once I'm settled more permanently in Reykjavík I hope to be able to experience more of the hosting side of things as well.

Interests

I do a lot of travelling, cooking, reading, and poking about to find new and interesting things about places and people. I take long, aimless walks while listening to music or nerdy podcasts, go wandering in the woods, have long conversations over bottles of wine, diligently hammer away at language study and make a fool of myself daily as I navigate the treacherous waters of Icelandic grammar. Before left the US I did a lot of dancing (primarily lindy hop), but haven't had much opportunity of late -- for the moment that's been replaced with hiking, cycling and calisthenic training at the local gym. Environmentalism and sustainability are subjects I'm always eager to learn more about, and find ways to put into practice in daily life. I've been known to travel slightly ridiculous distances for a good classical recital or chamber music performance. Meeting new people -- especially those with different cultural backgrounds and experiences -- and talking about life, perspective and interests is something I'll never say no to, particularly if it's accompanied by a good drink. Any opportunity to learn something new is welcome! A day that does not include a cup of tea is a day not worth living.

• performing arts
• festivals
• dancing
• cooking
• wine
• cocktails
• sauna
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• podcasts
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• swimming
• physics

Music, Movies, and Books

::Books::
Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson
The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco
The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon
The Fall of Yugoslavia, Misha Glenny
The Great Railway Bazaar, Paul Theroux
Neuromancer, William Gibson
Steppenwolf, Hermann Hesse
The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan
Skylark, Kosztolányi Dezső
Sherlock Holmes stories, A.C. Doyle
The Pale King, David Foster Wallace
Anything by Colin Thubron

::Films::
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Withnail & I, Dr. Strangelove, In the Name of the Father, Hawking, Apocalypse Now, Grey Gardens (the original, of course), La Haine, Rengeteg, Titus (Andronicus), THX 1138, Tulitikkutehtaan tyttö, Ran, Heima, Food Inc., Dark City, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Hunger, Szabadság Szerelem, Dallas Buyers Club, Only Lovers Left Alive

::Television::
Deadwood, The Wire, The West Wing, Firefly, MST3k, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Daily Show, Alias, Jeeves & Wooster, Fringe, A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Mad Men, Sherlock, Breaking Bad, The Thick of It, Arrested Development, True Detective

::Music::
BB King, Morphine, Apocalyptica, DJ Shadow, Firewater, sigur rós, Jurassic 5, Tool, Leonard Cohen, Terrafolk, Massive Attack, Elastinen, Van Morrison, Etta James, Skinny Puppy, Johnny Cash, The Cat Empire, Lemon Bucket Orkestra, Dead Can Dance, Gogol Bordello, Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Ligeti György, Buena Vista Social Club, Shurik'n, Luminescent Orchestrii, Venetian Snares, Prefuse 73, Kronos Quartet, Billie Holiday, Édith Piaf, The Herbaliser ...
::Dancin' Music::
Lou Rawls, Eva Cassidy, Sam Cooke, Zuzu Bollin, Nina Simone, Little Milton, Shuggie Otis, Lavay Smith, Muddy Waters, Otis Redding ...

...a lot more, but that's a fair representation.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Attending a small chamber music festival in the Finnish countryside, then retreating to a summer cabin with a friend to drink lonkero, talk life and physics in the sauna and swim in a chilly secluded lake during a thunderstorm.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm always happy to share stories and experiences, preferably whilst preparing a nice meal, enjoying a drink or having a wander. I would love to see some of the places and things that make a host's city special to them, though I realise schedules do not always allow for this. Any inquiries or insights a host may have regarding places I've lived or visited, or things I've done will be happily fielded.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Finland, Iceland, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

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