CURRENT MISSION

To live without fear in a world of friends.

ABOUT ME

Hi! I'm James, or at least that's what people keep calling me. I doubt a single word meaning "he who supplants", or anything I write here, is really who I am. And what exactly am I supposed to supplant? The Man?

I have a bizarre love of almost everything. Variety is truly the spice of life and I like it red hot. The more novel the experience or person, the better. For example, I can find the same enjoyment in theater, jazz, and fine art as I can in a wild night (and morning) dancing in clubs. The same holds true for an amine convention or backpacking or tailgating at a Clemson football game or horseback riding or any of the other multitude of crazy things I'll get myself into.

PHILOSOPHY

I'm the sort of person that approaches life with a "If it's not illegal, why not?" policy. That's not to say I don't have inhibitions of any kind, but there's definitely no point in letting fear make your decisions for you. So, as you can imagine, I tend to get myself into all sorts of different things. From playing trumpet, to riding horses, to climbing, to hiking/camping, to military simulation, to travelling the world, you really never know. The more unusual it sounds, the more likely I am to try it at least once.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am new to CS, so I'm not sure how I'll fit into the tapestry.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I'm new to CS myself but some of my most treasured friends have been involved with CS as surfers and hosts for years. I am just now getting up the nerve to join in myself.

Interests

Random list:
trumpet, jazz, climbing, hiking, camping, horses, western riding, military simulation, airsoft, Star Trek, space, NASA, sci-fi, vegetable gardening, freestyle dancing, martial arts, world religions, unitarian universalism, craft brewing, tea, ethnic/folk music, puzzles, technology, anime,

DRINK:
I drink for the taste and craft, not to get plastered. If you know what the words hefeweizen, tripel, dopplebock, trappist, dunkel, and lambic all mean, you are a person after my own heart. I'll take a single glass of Koningshoeven Quadrupel over a thousand of Bud Light and it's ilk. I'm of German and Irish heritage, so I treat beer like the French treat wine. I'd love to get into home brewing at some point when I have the space.

I'm also partial to full-bodied red wines like Sangiovese.

• animals
• horses
• arts
• books
• theater
• dancing
• environment
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• red wine
• beer
• drinking
• clubbing
• gardening
• technology
• anime
• traveling
• puzzles
• music
• folk music
• jazz
• trumpet
• equestrian
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• martial arts
• rock climbing
• soccer
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

BOOKS:
Sci-fi genre books, especially Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy and the Ender series. I wish I spent more of my reading time on books for pleasure rather than papers and journals for research.

MOVIES & TV:
Action, Sci-fi, Thriller, and Epic movies. I really like movies and TV that are a visceral exploration of humanity. Top honors go to Batman: The Dark Knight and the new Battlestar Galactica. I'll pass on embarrassment comedy (Jackass) and gore for the sake of gore. I just don't see the point. I also have an appreciation for anime as an art form, especially the darker more psychological themes (read: more mature) like those in Ghost in the Shell and Death Note. The medium lets you do things you just can't in live action.

MUSIC:
When it comes to music, I'll listen to just about anything given the right situation. In general, I'd say rock for driving, country for riding, jazz for relaxing/expression, hip hop and techno for clubbing, etc.

Lately, I've been trying to find stuff that blends elements from all of these. Artists like Hesta Prynn, Hank & Cupcakes, Bond, Ronald Jenkees, Lacuna Coil, and Dynamik have been topping my personal charts.

Here are a few of my Pandora stations -
http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh371427470454066120
http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh436760644650044360
http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh446659775468178376

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

visited 11 states (4.88%)Create your own visited map of The World

Teach, Learn, Share

FOOD:
I'm a die hard foodie. I go gaga for good food and by "good" I mean good for the palette, good for the body, and good for the environment. I like growing it, cooking it, and eating it. I've taken to buying nearly all my produce and some animal products from the student organic farm on campus and the farmer's market next to my apartment. My garden currently has: tomatoes, strawberries, cauliflower, lettuce, oregano, cucumber, gypsy pepper, basil, eggplant, and corn. My personal cooking style tends to be Italian with herbs and spices (hence the basil and oregano is the garden). Interested in being a culinary guinea pig?

Countries I’ve Visited

China, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, United States

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