CURRENT MISSION

To make a grand return to CS this summer in Europe

ABOUT ME

I'm a tall and boney man, prone to falling over. I was born with a dangerous amount of elbow and knee, and nothing is ever safe when my limbs are involved.

PHILOSOPHY

Whenever possible.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've been a member of CS for about eight years - since right after the infamous site crash back in the early days (at least it used to be infamous). For a few years I was even a Nomadic Ambassador (although I don't think those exist any more). Basically, when it comes to CS I'm an old curmudgeon.

The last few years in New York have left me very little opportunity to participate in CS, but I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things this summer.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My first CS experience was with an incredibly generous Slovenian family (2006). Since then I've couchsurfed across the US (2007), and stayed on most of the couches in Korea (2007-2008). I encountered some of the warmest people ever while couchsurfing in the Philippines (2008). Most of the hosting that I've done was in Australia and Bolivia (2008 and 2009). I've also surfed through South America and Mexico (2009-2011).

Interests

Second-hand books, Disney films, reducing the number of things in my backpack, increasing the number of things on my bookshelf, meatlessness, very large shoes, hoodies, old suitcases, silly hipster shit, football matches, Flor de Caña, mescalito, calimochos, noraebangs, Led Zeppelin, Futurama more than the Simpsons, moments of feline ungainliness, molcajetes, Vitaminicos, stinky cheese, jajjangmyeon, shopping at Costco with Jules and Viv, Sarajevo, art galleries that are free on the weekend (especially when its raining), jjigaes, micheladas, squirrels, manatees, the street dogs of Bolivia, taking off shoes before entering a house, the idea of hats, growlers, café de olla, Barcelona vs Madrid, taking bad photos, colourful underwear, old things, ruined things, abandoned things, dead things, mysterious things, forgotten things, murals, Don Quijote, doughnuts, pumpkin seeds, flow charts, self-indulgence.

• dogs
• arts
• books
• cheese
• shopping
• movies
• backpacking
• soccer

Music, Movies, and Books

Writerly types: JM Coetzee, Salman Rushdie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Milan Kundera, Halldor Laxness, Jorge Luis Borges, Jose Saramago, Malcolm Lowry, Graham Greene, George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, Bruce Chatwin. Special mention must go to Don Quixote and Moby Dick; without these none of the aforementioned writers would exist.

Film: Guillermo del Toro (currently under re-evaluation after Pacific Rim); Pedro Almodóvar; Wes Anderson; Isabel Coixet; zombie flicks; Penelope Cruz & Javier Bardem; In the Loop; the Squid and the Whale; Disney sing-a-longs. I'd rather watch Harry Potter than read him.

Music: Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Radiohead, Andrew Bird, Sufjan, anyone from Iceland, St. Vincent, Beirut, Junip, Grizzly Bear, the National, James Blake, Led freaking Zeppelin...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'm really, really good at falling asleep.

Teach, Learn, Share

Always always always carry toilet paper. By doing so you will never want for friends.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, France, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Bolivia, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, United States

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