CURRENT MISSION

To follow my dream to make a positive difference in the world. Starting a travel guide business at the moment.

ABOUT ME
Been a lot of places, worked a lot of jobs, figured some things out through a lot of successes and failures. I think a positive attitude and intentions make a huge difference in a person's mental well being and life direction. Nice deep breathing and an appreciation of any experience helps too. So, I try to live by this, and I'm carted around from place to place it seems, learning various lessons as I go.

I like doing a lot of physical activites - kung fu, jogging, skiing - but I'm not competitive at all. I prefer more relaxed interaction with people. A chat over a turkish tea makes me happy. I love those deep philosophical conversations where you get so excited you can't sleep. But I like to just know people, no matter the subject or level of philosophy.

PHILOSOPHY

It's all good.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love conversation, and I also love to cook. Cooking alone our as a joint effort is fine. I've been around the world, so I have ideas and tips from cooks and waiters I've known. I love jogging, if you want to have a jogging partner some evening. Mostly what I can offer is a positive presence. I love life, and I have no conflict within me.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've had a couple of chance couch surfing experiences. One was during a bicycle trip from Chicago to Michigan. My tent had flooded. I was planning on sleeping on a park bench for the night, but a Wal-Mart employee saw my condition and my dirty bicycle and invited me over. He ended up being kind of a pervert, but didn't try anything physically. He was otherwise pleasant and tried to make me feel at home.

Aside from that, I've done a couple of host stays in Netherlands and Germany during a brass quintet tour, prearranged. Not much else. I never really realized the concept as a possibility before, but it seems like a great idea!

Interests

Kung fu, Taiji, writing, philosophy, photography, jogging, skiing, cooking, fresh air, knowing people

• writing
• photography
• cooking
• traveling
• skiing
• mountains
• kung fu
• qigong
• eastern philosophy

Music, Movies, and Books

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Walden
Way of the Peaceful Warrior
In Search of Lost Time
Jitterbug Perfume

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Drove from Chicago through the Black Hills, Badlands, and Yellowstone to Seattle. Drove south from there through the sand dunes, Redwood forest, Hwy 1, and wine country down to San Diego. Drove up through Vegas to the Grand Canyon, across to Boulder Colorado, then North East to Boston, New York, D.C, up to Maine for some lobster, White Mountains of NH, Vermont, and back to Chicago....in a $500 Hyundai Accent with over 200,000 miles on it.

Teach, Learn, Share

I enjoy most everything. I'm spiritual in only a practical way, but I find spiritual people up to borderline hippies fascinating. I don't have an interest in joining a religion, however, and typically don't gain much from hearing of institutional beliefs. It doesn't bother me, but at the same time, it doesn't interest me.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Food, conversation, a place to sleep, information about places to go ad things to do.

Countries I’ve Visited

Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Oman, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin (French part), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Peru, South Korea, United States