CURRENT MISSION

Clear eyes, full heart.

PHILOSOPHY

Be happy.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Starting out by putting one foot forward in this community initially as a surfer, but hope to contribute to it more when I return from my travels. I plan to serve as a host and return the generosity and selflessness that others are offering myself and other surfers every day.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

This is my first time!

Interests

First and foremost, interacting with people. I love good conversation. I'm very passionate about music: discovering new music, losing myself in old music, venturing to see live music, though not too talented in creating music. I love all forms of entertainment and pop culture, as well as all types of art. I love socializing, learning new things, interacting and encountering new experiences, ideas, and people.

• arts
• culture
• coffee
• drinking
• movies
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• live music

Music, Movies, and Books

here's a sample from a piece i wrote on my favorite albums from last year (i truly love everything):

My Top 20 of 2010 (or "The Year Rob Lost All Credibility”)

20. Rihanna – “Loud”

All-natural pop the way it should be: Ridiculously sticky melodies accented by hooks galore and an undeniable sex appeal. This is what I was hoping the new Katy Perry record would be.

19. Nicki Minaj – “Pink Friday”

A bit too light on her signature schizophrenic raps in favor of more radio-friendly R&B jams, but Minaj’s delivery and swagger still packs more personality and theatrics than any other female hip-hop artist playing the game.

18. Surfer Blood – “Astro Coast”

If the Beach Boys put out a rock and roll record and plugged in some fuzzed out riffage, they could have written “Astro Coast.”

17. Local Natives – “Gorilla Manor”

The rare record that encapsulates how it feels to wake up in Los Angeles every morning.

16. Arcade Fire – “The Suburbs”

While I’ve always enjoyed Arcade Fire and hold “Funeral” in high regard, I’ve never found their music to be the Holy Grail that many have. Regardless, “The Suburbs” is a sprawling and reflective first-hand narrative of suburbia that evokes a specific time and feeling in a way that Arcade Fire has perfected, an accomplishment that has contributed to them becoming one of the rare bands adored by critics and the popular masses alike.

15. Band of Horses – “Infinite Arms”

“Infinite Arms” is a coming out of sorts for Band of Horses. While they still sound like Band of Horses, they managed to become a much more accessible and radio-friendly band with this record. It’s not that they digressed, but they didn’t mature either. Instead, they honed in on a specific, alternative sound that they touched upon in their previous records. “Infinite Arms” is the sound of Band of Horses leaving the woods and taking a 9-5 in the city.

14. Laura Marling - “I Speak Because I Can”

Laura Marling has grown old before her time and sings with a burden well beyond her age. The 21-year-old singer-songwriter matured and transcended into a sort of singer-songwriter-superhero with her new record, at times emulating a new-school Joni Mitchell. But Marling has grown far beyond the standard singer-songwriter fare, and with “I Speak Because I Can,” she is quickly making a case for herself as one of our generation’s most prominent and introspective female musicians.

13. Beach House – “Teen Dream”

There’s no denying that this band has consistently written beautiful, albeit a bit boring, pop music. On “Teen Dream,” Beach House stepped in front of the curtain and placed gorgeous arrangements, pitch-perfect production, and previously understated pop-sensibility at the forefront of the glass trophy case for everyone to enjoy.

12. Taylor Swift – “Speak Now”

Another masterful piece of country-tween-pop, no one does this better than Swift. She speaks to her audience in a more relatable way than the majority of artists today, even when she’s dating the biggest stars in the world. On “Speak Now,” she completely nails that untouchable feeling of naivety and hope when falling in love for the first time. And, even though she should know better by now, I can’t blame her because the songs are so damn good.

11. Blair – “Die Young”

Somehow this record has slid completely under the radar. Blair writes some of the most beautiful, somber, melodic pop I’ve heard in a long time. “Die Young” sounds like the less complicated, more literal record Beach House would make if they wanted a radio hit.

10. Vampire Weekend – “Contra”

Vampire Weekend is quite possibly the most underrated and overexposed group band the world. With “Contra,” they once again justify the hype. Super literate, privileged, and doused with a new school romanticism, Vampire Weekend write what they know, and they do so beautifully.

9. Drake – “Thank Me Later”

Documented proof that rappers have feelings, too. A wonderful record about the trials and tribulations of being young, famous and thrust into the spotlight. Like Swift, Drake wrote a record that us normal folk have no business relating to. But his struggle between conforming to expectations and staying true to who he is a universal struggle we’ve all dealt with on one level or another.

8. The Gaslight Anthem – “American Slang”

Nostalgia-drenched, old fashioned, sing till you lose your voice and then scream rock ‘n roll. The Gaslight Anthem is that tattoo-covered, hard-nosed and intimidating barfly who is dying to drown you with stories of “the good old days” and show you his surprisingly eclectic vinyl collection.

7. The Tallest Man on Earth – “The Wild Hunt”

Stripped down, bare-boned folk storytelling the way it should be: a man, his voice, and a guitar. This record is beautiful in its simplicity.

6. She & Him – “Volume Two”

There’s something to be said about a record where every song sounds like something you’ve heard before until you realize you haven’t: the songs are just that good. She & Him takes the A.M. radio pop from “Volume One” and finds a deeper, more consistent focus, highlighted by M. Ward’s patented production and a more confident and comfortable vocal performance by Deschanel.

5. The-Dream – “Love King”

No one in R&B is making smarter, catchier, sexier slow jam gems than The-Dream. The prolific singer-songwriter embodies self-confidence and swagger and continues to improve exponentially with each release.

4. Kanye West - "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy"

Call it overrated, overhyped, overdramatic, over-whatever - Kanye’s mastered his game. A power point presentation of the inner-workings of an image obsessed, hyper-aware, heart (and dick) on the sleeve, bat shit crazy genius who has nothing to hide, this record reinforces Kanye as the villain-by-way-of-hero that everybody loves rooting for.

3. Kate Nash – “My Best Friend is You”

“My Best Friend is You” is, at it’s core, a celebration. A celebration of love, of life, of (in)fidelity, and of the insecurities and baggage we carry in and out of relationships. It’s about commitment and the choices we make as a result of that obligation. And, of course, it’s about love. With something for everyone, from 60’s doo-wop to Brit pop to spoken-word poetry, Kate Nash wrote and recorded the biggest surprise and most consistently enjoyable record of the year.

2. Los Campesinos! – “Romance is Boring”

Los Campesinos! have released three full lengths and three EPs in just under four years, and have miraculously managed to mature and grow considerably with each release. “Romance Is Boring,” like a great film, has ingredients from every genre: comedy, action, romance and drama; on this record, the band emphasizes and reaffirms the exclamation point in their name.

1. The National – “High Violet”

Sadness can be beautiful, too. Self-proclaimed “Dad Rock,” this record takes a gorgeous and profound look into a comfortable but potentially numb existence that surrounds middle class suburbia. It is an argument against contentment, but it finds beauty in the quickest moments and most delicate memories. It’s a fragile record that builds itself up to a breaking point in nearly every song. No strangers to the nighttime, “High Violet” shines like a constellation at the darkest midnight hour.

Albums that didn't make the list but I enjoyed: The Walkmen, The Black Keys, Best Coast, Big Boi, Steel Train, Karen Elson, Avi Buffalo, Frightened Rabbit, LCD Soundsystem, Magic Kids

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In late September of 2009, folk artist Bon Iver (Justin Vernon) played a sunrise show at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. A close group of friends and I sat out in the cemetery (there's a plot of land with no gravestones) from 11:30 p.m. the previous night until 5 a.m. the next morning. Throughout that time, there were DJs, free coffee being brewed, snacks and drinks passed around, movies projected onto a large white building and, at 5 a.m., a group of Buddhist monks blessed the ceremony. As the sun started to rise and the mist swept over the crowd, Bon Iver performed a 90 minute acoustic set, embedded forever in my memory.

Teach, Learn, Share

I look forward to sharing experiences, ideas and adventures with countless people over my next few months of traveling. I can only hope that I am an equal giver in any relationships I encounter, giving as much as I am receiving.

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