CURRENT MISSION

Explore the world. Encounter the people that I would never think of encountering. Be true to myself.

ABOUT ME

I am a 25 year old Chicagoan. I appreciate and like to discuss all mediums of art. In my free time I like to write, shoot photography, and make short films, I have a vast appreciation of music. Believe me, a wide variety. I like to discuss philosophy, especially late into the night when people start to feel a little more confident and courageous about their beliefs. Even if we only have one thing in common, I think we could still be friends.

PHILOSOPHY

One of my favorite quotes by Robert Frost: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference."
Don't let anyone tell you how to live your life, be true to yourself. We are only here for a certain amount of time, so live the way you want to.
Sometimes you have to make sacrifices. The only thing we can truly own is time. You may have to sacrifice some of your time for someone else's, but just work toward having your own and being able to spend it the way you want to.
I don't believe in the everyday 9-5 to job, getting up going to work, come home, eat and sleep, and then do it all over again the next day. That's not living. That's being a machine. Do the things you would have never imagine doing. Take chances, be risky and try not to plan to far into the future. Life is a mystery to be experienced and for you to figure out along the way.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I first started while I was in Europe. I like surfing a little more than staying in hostels. But as soon as I get back to Chicago, I am definitely going to open up my couch to surfers! It's such a cool experience.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Prague, Bellingham, WA, and Toronto, Ont.

Interests

I am very passionate about film, nature, and traveling. I like the small things in life that most people would take for granted. I enjoy going out and having a good time and meeting new people. I love to hear stories, as everyone has one. Revel in spontaneity.

• arts
• literature
• photography
• beauty
• traveling
• music
• surfing
• buddhist
• philosophy
• food
• nature

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: 60s psychedelia, 70s rock and roll, 80s electronic/new wave, 90s grunge, to the culmination of what isn't played on the airwaves today. Big fan of garage/garage punk, such as Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, Parquet Courts. Timbre Timbre, Hundred Waters, Liars, Ought, jazz legends (Monk, Mingus, Parker, Gillespie, Davis, Coltrane, Hancock, etc.) etc.

Literature: The Beats (Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Snyder, etc.) Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, Bukowski, Kesey, Tolstoy, Huxley, Pynchon, James Joyce, Robert Frost, Thomas Wolfe, Classical literature...

Film: The Big Lebowski, Apocalypse Now, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, A Clockwork Orange, Goodfellas, The Departed, 2001; A Space Odyssey, Inception, I can go on an on

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I think the two most amazing things I have experienced in my life have both been in Mexico.
1. I climbed a mountain with my family and when we reached the top, the sun was setting, I saw two whales breaching the surface and spewing water from their blowholes. On the coast there were people surfing the tremendous waves. The horizon had no end. It was the epitome of beauty.
2. Again I was with my family, we took a car into the countryside on the recommendation of the host at our hostel. We were driving up a hill toward a volcano. About half way up, we threw the car in neutral. You would think it would roll backwards, but because of the magnetic pull, we started rolling upward toward the volcano. It was insane.

Teach, Learn, Share

We can never stop learning. You learn from every experience in life, no matter how trivial it may seem at the time. Every action has a consequence. Be open minded, listen to everyone's opinion. They are experiencing life the way they think it should be experienced and never disregard that.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, United States, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Spain, United States