CURRENT MISSION

Learn everything, meet everyone.

ABOUT ME

I was born on a farm in Fresno, grew up in Southern California (L.A.), Oregon (just outside of Portland) and have lived for a few months or longer in several other states. Now I'm back in L.A.

I was a high school science teacher for two years, and an art teacher for a year and a half before that. Now I do a mix of stuff, primarily real estate inspection for potential buyers of real estate (basically telling them if they should buy the property or not).

My pet peeves are people who don't put DVDs back in their cases and people who text message constantly. Also, people who leave doors just a bit open (it should be open or closed). Other than that, I'm very easy going and generally laid back.

And finally -- I'm mad crazy good at stuff, especially walking, breathing and sleeping. People always ask me, "Binge Monkey -- how come you are so crazy good at breathing?" Unfortunately, it's a family secret passed down from the beginning of time. I'm not allowed to tell anyone. Sorry.

And lastly -- very few people know this, but I am member of the secret society of super-mega ninja-pirates. I just attended the school for this (7 years of training, but it was worth it) and let me tell you (no, not how you can attend) that I can vanish into thin air and re-appear at will, with a parrot on my shoulder, an eye-patch and a peg-leg. I may be able to show you if you know the secret handshake dance, but who knows.

PHILOSOPHY

Nobody's going to live your life for you, so man up.

Что привело меня на Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm just getting acquainted with it right now. Once I get a feel for how I can contribute then I'll be helping out more.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've only couch-surfed with family and friends, though I've had a bunch of friends couch-surf at my place.

I live in downtown LA, in an awesome loft/apartment building. Everybody here is awesome and there's tons of couches, beds, foutons, etc. here.

Интересы

I'm interested in literally ANYTHING fun. I can't stand being bored. I love doing everything except watching TV (of course, sometimes I mess up and watch some TV now and then).

My main hobbies involve things outdoors. Here is a short list:

Spelunking (cave crawling): I have this overwhelming fear of small spaces, so usually I get really freaked out, but every time I come out I know I'm alive. It's an incredible feeling.

Rock Climbing: I also have -- well, at this point had a fear of heights. But that adrenaline rush is just amazing, and even better are the views from the tops of the mountains I climb. My favorite right now is Point Dume in Malibu, CA. It's pretty easy now, but an incredible view and place to relax.

Swimming / snorkeling / body-surfing: C'mon, how can you not love the Ocean when you live in L;A. Oh yeah, and own a wetsuit (the water off the California coast is prety darn cold). Favorite places on snorkeling and swimming so far, you ask? Definitely Klein Bonaire, in Bonaire. Just incredible, especially the night snorkeling when you see all this plankton discharging light. Incredible.

Bicycling: Fun no matter what, except going up hills. The benefit of the uphill? The downhill. :)

Taking things apart: Just always fun seeing how things work. Don't worry, haven't taken apart humans yet -- that takes a couple years of med-school. Soooo, maybe in a couple years.

Partying and/or meeting new people: Hanging out with friends, meeting new people, drinking. Crikey, how much more fun can a night be. Unfortunately, sometimes you don't remember parts of the night.

Skiing AND snoboarding: I know, I know -- I do both. They both have their fun parts, and I just kinda like doing both.

Reading: Not too physical, but it's fun seeing things from other people's viewpoints. Plus, you learn -- sometimes. Not too much from "Calvin and Hobbes", but still fun.

Quadding and motorcycles: This is 4-wheel drive motorcycle racing. Exhausting, incredible and just a blast all around. Downside -- I don't own a quad yet. But I DO own a motorcycle, and that is just fun all around.

This is getting pretty full, but basically anything outdoors and/or physical makes me happy.....literally, anything fun.

• pets
• arts
• dancing
• walking
• partying
• drinking
• motorcycles
• gardening
• reading
• tv
• outdoor activities
• kayaking
• spelunking
• surfing
• snorkeling
• bungee jumping
• skydiving
• skiing
• rock climbing
• swimming
• teaching
• science
• mountains

Музыка, кино и книги

I love reading. I primarily read comics, like "Calvin and Hobbes" and college textbooks, but every once in a while I go on a historical fiction or fiction binge. I love learning, so if you got something you can teach me, throw it at me.

Movies, eh? My favorites are random, such as Reqeium for a Dream, Boondock Saints, Supertroopers, Memento, Tigerland, etc. I like movies that entertain me and don't seem to be too regurgitated and redone material.

Music. Crikey. Look at my Ipod -- it's got everything on there from Metallica to Johnny Cash, from Credence Clearwater Revival all the way through Arctic Monkeys. I am one of the few people you'll ever meet who likes practically all kinds of music. Unfortunately, I have very little classical music or opera music on my Ipod, but I do have some.

Классная вещь, которую я сделал(-а)

I got lost spelunking in a cave a few weeks ago. I've done the skydiving and bungee jumping things.

I have to say one of the funnest things I've ever done was go ocean kayaking / surfing on waves taller than my kayak was long. It flipped my kayak (10-12 feet long) lengthwise, so I gave up with the kayak and just went body surfing.

Yeah, when I got out of the ocean finally, my face had blood dripping down it from crashing in these gigantic waves. Man, that was fun.

And then a few months ago, I found this huge underground structure that was completely abandoned, complete with an old church, bar, school, everything. Kinda trippy (in the middle of downtown LA -- who'd've thought?), but really really interesting.

My favorite place in the area where I live is this Japanese rooftop garden, with ponds, waterfalls, etc. It's just beautiful.

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