Like most people, I'm a lot of things: a union stagehand, a California expatriate, an adopted northwesterner, an adventurer, a free spirit, a romantic, a sailor, a storyteller, a geek, a burner, a bibliophile, a jack-of-many-trades, a secular taoist, a recovering pessimist and a practical hedonist. And more besides.

I grew up between cultures and it shaped my life in a lot of ways. As a kid, I had a hard time resolving contradictions in the beliefs and attitudes of the people around me. As an adult, I embrace contradiction and human expression in all of its richness and variety. There are so many ways to live and I want to experience as many of them as I can in the time that I have.

I'm most comfortable in places of change, in what are sometimes called liminal spaces. I find a lot of beauty in things that can only exist for a little while.
I love to collaborate and be a part of things. I really love to help big, beautiful ideas come to life.

The idea of home is very important to me, both as a thing to have and a thing to share. I tend to live with other people and I like to follow the campsite rule: leave it better than you found it and make room for the next person.

On a practical note, I've been a house guest many times and I'm not bad at it. I'm engaging, relatively neat, respectful of other people's space, good with pets, and I'm happy to clean a kitchen after a big dinner. I snore sometimes, but nobody's prefect.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like to travel and people are the most important part of my life. After years of building a life in the Pacific Northwest, I'm finally able to go abroad again and I'm itching to make my world bigger. I want to find connection and community wherever I go; this seems like the place for that.

I'm pretty new to this website but I've heard a lot of good things about the Couchsurfing community and I'm excited about exploring it. If you have any advice or good stories, I'd love to hear from you!

Interests

I love things that engage the senses: food, music, art, theater, film, sailing, camping, singing, dancing, and even working with my hands.

I also enjoy quieter things like literature (particularly speculative fiction and Chinese philosophy), european board games, meaningful conversation, and the simple company of good people.

I'm here because I like to collect new interests. I really want to hear about what you're into and why you like it so much. Tell me a story. Share what you love.

• pets
• arts
• literature
• singing
• theater
• beauty
• dancing
• dining
• boating
• board games
• traveling
• music
• camping
• adventure races
• sailing

Music, Movies, and Books

I like books that stir the imagination, music that I can dance to, and movies that tell a good story.

In all of these, I like works that are beautiful and vibrant and rich with detail. Things that pull me into a different world, that have something thoughtful to say, that make the world more interesting.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once found myself standing atop the mast of a square rigged tallship (the Hawaiian Chieftain for you boat geeks out there), knees hugging the cap, hands free, care free, looking out at the horizon and feeling the boat sway underneath me. That was one of the best days of my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

Yes, please.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Just between us, my goal in life is to become an awesome old man with a million stories. The only thing I like to do more than tell stories is make new ones. I'm a skilled, enthusiastic activity partner and I love to help people do extraordinary things. If there's something you've been meaning to do for awhile but you haven't had the time or the motivation or a friend to bring along, let me know. I'm game.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, England, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, United States