CURRENT MISSION

I'm looking to meet new and exciting people from all over the world to help me expand my world view. I like thinkers, poets, artists, musicians, language lovers, and fellow SWING DANCERS!

PHILOSOPHY

" The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles" - Jack Kerouac, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. DISCOVER!" - Mark Twain

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I haven't had many, but as a swing dancer I have crashed at people's houses, and the best one of all was in Florida for SOFLEX 2007! I stayed with 14 other people and it was the most fabulous weekend ever! Everyone was so nice and by the time we left we were like family. Our host had a big house and she bought us all air mattresses, sheets, pillows, and at every meal, she would serve us gourmet food and treat us like kings!

Interests

Theatre, movies, music, photography, drawing, canoeing, swing dancing, trading cultures, meeting new people, social outings/gatherings, languages(German, Spanish, Japanese) and cultures, traveling, decorating, the men's retail industry, custom clothing and tailoring, vintage clothing, 1920-1950's history, WWII and German history, helping others improve their outlook and self esteem, teaching English, etc etc! I'm sure there's a billion and one more things!

• culture
• photography
• dancing
• swing dancing
• dining
• clothing
• movies
• traveling
• drawing
• music
• canoeing
• sailing
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Anything that has soul and heart I truly enjoy! For Music: Pre-Swing and Big Band Jazz Era - I am somewhat of an amateur Jazz historian. I love much of the music from this era and pride myself on my DJing skills at various dances all over the country. Bop and Hard Bop Jazz - This hard hitting, emotional music is the best music for me when I'm in the mood to think, reflect, and mellow out. Blues - I enjoy Jump Blues, Chicago and Delta Blues, and love anything that really moves me. Funk - What can I say about this kind of music? It just makes you want to grooooove man!!! Indie - I love the Decemberists, The Old Ceremony, Pete Krebs and the Gossamer Kings, as well as a bunch of other bands who I'm sure you've never heard of! The music is mellow, chill, and has a positive message and really makes me feel good! Classical - Who doesn't love classical music?...'Nuff said. Hip Hop/Reggae/Dancehall - It truly takes a master to rhyme like some of these guys do; freestyle or otherwise. I love Seeed (Deutsch), Blumentopf (Deutsch), Immortal Technique (Master of Political theory), Blackalicious (Master of geeky-chemistry-and-alphabet-rhyme schemes!). I Am truly a lover of international music: Steel Drums, Japanese Drums (Kodo), African Drums, and anything in between! To sum it up, the music I like takes skill, mastery, heart, soul, and true talent! Pop music, and anything manufacturer and frivilous I can mostly do without!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I traveled to Japan when I was 17 and met my family for the first time. Before that I hadn't ever known my family there; not even their names. I got to compare and contrast our cultures and was thoroughly intrigued!

Teach, Learn, Share

I LOVE to learn about new cultures, languages, and beliefs. There is so much out there to do and experience I'll take all comer. I love to share my culture, it's nuances, it's idioms, and all of its intricacies; and in turn, learn about other's cultures!

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Chile, Japan, Peru, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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