I work as a union organizer in Homecare, so my job is to have intimate conversations with strangers. I basically cold-call or show up at their house unannounced and build enough trust and rapport for them to invite me inside for a conversation about what it's like to care for their disabled loved one, how they struggle, where they find joy. I help them find the power in their story, a voice to better their situation and the hope that they often sorely need. It can be really stressful and really beautiful. I've had people scream and shove me, and I've had people hug and cry on me. It's like improv; every door/call is different and unknown, but for each my work is to meet them where they're at and love them for it. Not always easy, always fulfilling. I'm rather fond of it.

I have a houseful of critters; I've got a Newfypoo, 3 cats, 2 African Grey Parrots and 30+ houseplants.

I lead a mindfulness-skills group for caregivers at a local meditation center, and also serve on the center's advisory committee as a member of the local queer and disability communities.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Why not? New people can be fun and when I go places I tend to sleep. I assume others do the same.

Interests

• meditation
• reading
• live music
• hiking
• conversation
• bicycling
• community organizing

Music, Movies, and Books

Currently reading:
•Spirit & Reason, A Vine Deloria, Jr. Reader
•The Stranger, by Albert Camus
•The North Water, by Ian McGuire

Recent Reads:
•At The Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails, by Sarah Bakewell
•Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand (out of curiosity)
•Far from the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity, by Andrew Solomon
•Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Matthew Desmond
•38 Nooses: Lincoln, Little Crow and the Beginning of the Frontier's End, by Scott Berg
•Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin, by Timothy Snyder

Favorite Reads:
•Exile & Pride, by Eli Clare
•Constructing Normalcy: The Bell Curve, the Novel, and the Invention of the Disabled Body in the Nineteenth Century, by Lennard Davis
•The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander
•The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson
•Everything I've read by James Baldwin
•The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt

Generally anything that both challenges my basic assumptions and stands to reason. Disability Culture/Theory.

I mostly listen to Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Singer-Songwriter.
Lucinda Williams, Gregory Alan Isokov, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, The Mountain Goats, Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Banks, Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Ben Wendel.
Classic Jazz, or almost anything based around a piano or brass instrument.
Play me most anything and I'll find something I like in it, especially if I know where it's coming from.

Shows I keep up on:
Shameless, Insecure, Atlanta, House of Cards, Better Call Saul, Game of Thrones, Speechless, Modern Family.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Challenged my self-doubt repeatedly to provide intensive care to someone I loved for the duration of her life.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can dig deep into the confluence of Disability Justice, trauma processing and mindfulness, or any of the three individually. I've also just got a lot of odd stories that I've learned interesting lessons from. Its been a strange life, so far.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Some pretty weird stories. It's been an interesting ride, so far. I also like being tidy, so I can lend a hand in that department.