CURRENT MISSION

Live conscientiously and love passionately

ABOUT ME

I have a propensity to make life-changing decisions on a whim and it hasn't yet backfired. Although I like to fly fast and loose with my choice of environment and obligations, I nurture a self-created matrix of values that circumscribe my actions and keep me true to myself. I need to create in order to feel alive. I've lived on communes and I think grassroots self-governance needs to be a big part of the solution to our socio-environmental crisis--or at least my own feelings of alienation. I like to intellectualize, I have a habit of overgeneralizing, and I'll continue to romanticize my human experiences unapologetically.

PHILOSOPHY

How can I avoid turning personal philosophy into rhetorical advocacy?

I know, I'll just wait to have a scintillating conversation with you in person.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I want to meet people whose curiosity would be piqued by the phrase "informal diplomacy". I want to offer my couch to and bum on the couches of people who can have a conversation about Socrates, fascism, urban agriculture and composting toilets in the same evening. I want to meet people who believe in sharing and live a lifestyle that matches that belief: sharing their ideas, passion and experience with someone willing to do the same.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've surfed a couple of couches in Taiwan; I have nothing but incredibly positive experiences to relate, and I'm eager to give back to the community. Although I currently cannot provide a couch for visitors to Taipei, I would love to show you around my favorite parts of this sprawling beast of a city. Need some advice regarding setting up shop in the vicinity, the expat scene, finding work, or culture shock? Drop me a line and I'll do what I can.

I'll keep my profile updated in the event that my hosting status changes.

Interests

Guitar and vocal performance; figure-drawing and portraiture; Bechdel's "Fun Home"; the life and times of Ludwig Wittgenstein; Leonardo daVinci; sustainable engineering and what that "s" word actually means; reasoned political dissent; books that make you think; other intellectually or emotionally provocative cultural artifacts; horizontalism versus hierarchy; Etta James and Buddy Guy's "My Love is Real."

• culture
• books
• singing
• performing arts
• education
• environment
• dining
• marathon
• flying
• shopping
• socializing
• drawing
• guitar
• agriculture
• business
• teaching
• engineering

Music, Movies, and Books

Charles Bukowski. Martin Eden by Jack London. Marquez' 100 Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera. Wild Swans, three daughters of China. Beyond Good and Evil. How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. Leo Tolstoy's story about the Christian monk that hacks off a finger to stave off his temptation.
Joel Wagner, Johnny Cash, the Beatles, Fleet Foxes, Be Your Own Pet, Jeff Buckley, Etta James, John Lee Hooker, Fiona Apple, Buddy Guy's My Love is Real

Lover, you should have come over.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Crawled through a tight passageway into the inner sanctum of a great pyramid, Egypt. Later, getting lost in the marketplace and making out with the boy selling silk scarves.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know a little bit about raising your own food organically, and I'm learning more about Masanobu Fukuoka's no-till "do nothing" methodology. I know how to play guitar and the flute, and I can sing a tune or two. I can draw your portrait and write you a poem on the fly, if I'm so inclined, and I often am. I can teach you "how to do the splits" and how to train for a marathon. I can spout the salient details from my college education in Western philosophy, and I'm generally not adverse to discussing these topics in depth.

I want to know about business models in the social entreprenuerial sector. And self-publishing. Grassroots marketing and generating powerful memes. I want to know advanced skills in optimizing time management, to have the most time and energy possible for squeezing every possible ounce of life out of each day. Is it true that Benjamin Franklin only slept 30 minutes at a time?

Mostly, I want to know how to have my cake. Oh, and eat it, too.

Countries I’ve Visited

Czech Republic, Egypt, Indonesia, New Zealand, Russian Federation, Taiwan

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Taiwan

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