CURRENT MISSION

I recently put my notice in at my full time job in order to devote a year to continuing education in the fields of fitness, wellness, and mindfulness. During that time, I'm looking to travel extensively, expose myself to countless foreign/uncomfortable settings in order to spark personal growth, and forge wildly transformative connections with wonderfully kind strangers.

ABOUT ME

Hello! I'm from Charlottesville, Virginia and studied English Literature at the University of Virginia. In my adult life, I have been mostly preoccupied with advancing my career in the hospitality industry, hopping from one management position to the next, and finally working as the General Manager of a social club called Common House. However, I feel like I'm primarily shaped by my early 20s when I experienced a kind of show stopping depression which led me to become interested in fitness, yoga, mindfulness, nutrition, and other wellness subjects. I'm now inspired to try and become a professional in one or more of those areas and I'm planning to study one subject at a time until I can call myself a member of the industry.

PHILOSOPHY

Having compassion and empathy for any person is important to me. No matter how strange and different a person can seem, I try to treat everyone with kindness. Having a career and a decent income is important, but my greater goal in life is to develop worthwhile relationships with amazing people. I want to be guided by the pursuit of deep connection, meaningful interactions, and generosity of spirit. Cultivating that kind of energy isn't necessarily natural, so I won't to practice that this coming year.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

So far, I haven't hosted anyone in Charlottesville, Virginia but I'm hoping that I can start this year and add a little bit of generosity to the world.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I stayed with a wonderful new friend in Lyon who introduced us to her friends and showed us around the city. I would like to host someone in Charlottesville someday.

Interests

I like to think I'm an excellent vegan cook. Complex curries, intricate Mexican chile sauces, umami packed vegan tomato bolognese, and flavor bomb salad dressings are the tools I use to keep my vegetables interesting.

I'm also a fitness junkie - I love running, road biking, practicing yoga, lifting weights, nerding out on the subject of mobility and range of motion, and I'm open to all types of exercise.

My artistic pursuits include singing and playing piano - I love jazz, broadway, Romantic era classical composers, and some trashy pop stuff. I'm also into serious film watching - short films are always fun because it's a whirlwind story in 15 minutes. As a gay man, I'm always on the lookout for a gay story to see myself reflected in. I love dancing with abandon - I'm not trained, but dancing to music is true medicine for the soul. Sometimes, I'll even dance while running if the feeling strikes.

• literature
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• cocktails
• baking
• running
• clubbing
• movies
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• guitar
• piano
• cycling
• hiking
• swimming

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies - Call Me By Your Name, Brokeback Mountain, Spirited Away, And Then We Danced, Angels in America, The Hours, Richard Linklaters' "Before" Trilogy, Mother by Bong Joon Ho, movies about gay people, movies about people with mental health issues, movies about dancers, Wall-E,

Books: Angels in America, Michael Cunningham's novels, Maus I & II, Night (Elie Wiesel), Harry Potter, A Little Life,

Music: There's too much good music in the world to pick favorites. Rufus Wainwright, Duncan Sheik, Rachael Yamagata, Faye Webster, movie soundtracks. Jamie Cullum, Claude Debussy, Helado Negro, Anaïs Mitchell, Fiona Apple, Alabaster Deplume, Anderson Paak, Hana Vu.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Beating depression into a back seat companion after feeling like a hostage for years. It took a while to get here and I don't think it'll ever be firmly in the past. Instead it feels like an old friend that has shaped me positively into the person I am today, but we only say hello once in a while. I like to stay in touch, keep my on her, but maintain a safe distance.

A second more uplifting thing, if that's allowed, is becoming a certified yoga instructor and feeling empowered by that accomplishment.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can knock your socks off with a great meal. I have a few dessert tricks up my sleeve as well.
I teach yoga and fitness professionally!
I can teach you how to meditate and calm the nerves.
I'm good at facilitating connection and vulnerability, listening, getting to the heart of things.
I could share my singing and piano playing ability after we make dinner together.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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