CURRENT MISSION

I did a road trip across the U.S. for a book I'm writing with the help of Couchsurfing.

ABOUT ME

I'm a 62-year-old writer, mostly writing about computers and the Internet, with a nationally syndicated column and a book published by a Macmillan imprint used in college classrooms during the 17 minutes in which it was up to date. I also write about travel, politics, history, the environment, photography.

PHILOSOPHY

You have to go out of yourself at times to get into yourself. Simplicity can be voluntary. Being authentic is an individual thing. Taking reasoned risks can help you get you where you want to go even if you don't yet know you want to go there. Keeping your eyes, ears, and heart open can also help no matter where you are. But I don't claim any final answers, only questions.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Thus far I've only been a guest, but when I'm rooted again I plan to host. I'm quiet, clean, unassuming, and safe.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've been a guest with a diverse and fascinating array of people. Seeing a place through a local person's eyes, like I hoped it would be, has turned out to be a much more interesting way to travel than merely being a tourist, in a group or alone, and looking at sites from the outside.

Interests

Good talk, reading, Internet surfing, walks. I like talking about philosophy, science, history, books, movies, and lighter stuff too.

• writing
• books
• technology
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• surfing
• history
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

I really loved Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, not so much his To Rome With Love. Silver Linings Playbook was great, uplifting. Life of Pi was beautifully filmed but better as a book, I thought anyway. Lincoln was heavy and honest, like Abe. Music tastes are eclectic, liking a lot of different kinds though nothing these days that I'm passionately attached to. I've read (or reread) these books in the past year or two: The Omega Theory by Mark Alpert, The Pillars of Hercules by Paul Theroux, Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngard, Remembering Denny by Calvin Trilling, Ironweed by William Kennedy, The Ice Beneath You by Christian Bauman, Centennial by James Michener, Goodbye, Columbus by Philip Roth, Collected Poems by Theodore Roethke.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Helping to raise two children who I keep in touch with via cell talk, cell text, FaceTime, Skype, Facebook, and email. I previously lived and worked in England, Sweden, Finland, Greece, and Israel, and I spent more or less extended time living in Spain, France, and Tunisia. To give back, here in the U.S. I volunteered teaching English to recent immigrants.

Teach, Learn, Share

Practical skills include helping with writing or editing and helping to fix Windows computers (not a tech support person but I know more than the basics).

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Russian Federation, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia

Countries I’ve Lived In

Finland, France, Greece, Israel, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States

•