I'm currently writing my dissertation for my PhD in philosophy, so I'm interested in all those questions that everybody asks at some point in life. A lot of my research focuses on the contemporary relevance of Aristotle...I think he got a lot of things right.

On a different note, I really enjoy good craft-beers and microbrews. I'm also into Bourbon, Scotch, and wine.

I'm a fan of the KC Royals and KC Chiefs, enjoy sports, and like a lot of Foreign Films. The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) is one of the greatest films ever, and one of my favorite Italian films is La Meglio Gioventu.

I've started getting into a lot of DIY stuff and enjoy working on my house.

"An unexamined life is not worth living." ~Socrates

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

It's a great way to get to know different people, especially from different cultures, and hopefully stuff like this helps people restore a bit of their faith in humanity.

I stayed with a pretty cool guy in Germany and am just waiting to rack up more experience!

Interests

Philosophy,
DIY projects,
Sports,
Running,
Dancing (especially swing dancing),
Learning languages,
Good drinks!

• culture
• dancing
• swing dancing
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• running
• drinking
• movies
• cycling
• sports
• divinity
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

The Lives of Others (Das Leben Der Anderen), I Fiori di San Francesco, Cinema Paridiso, La meglio gioventu, La Vita è bella, Jean de Floret, The passion of Joan of Arc, The Departures, Napola, Into the Wild, Braveheart, Gladiator, The Green Mile, and so many more, anything by Terrence Malick...basically I enjoy films that makes you think and examine things, although every now and then you just need a movie where you can veg out.

Books:
Lord of the Rings, Les Miserables, Harry Potter, Brave New World, 1984, The Giver, Graham Greene, Brideshead Revisited, CS Lewis: especially The Great Divorce, Til We have Faces, and Out of the Silent Planet, Classic works of Philosophy, Dante's Divine Comedy, etc. I love the Great Books

Music:
I like most types of music, although I'm currently digging the indie folk scene, and jazz. I also enjoy classical, vocal, acapella, and go figure, music with lyrics that really make you think. For example, check out Josh Ritter's song "thin blue flame." I'm finding a lot of great lyrics that are coming out right now are in acoustic folk music.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've ran a mile in under 5 minutes and a 10k in under 36 minutes. I probably couldn't do that anymore, haha (Update: I definitely cannot do that anymore...perhaps someday I'll be back at that level of competition)

Climbed a 14er

Almost died mountain biking in Colorado and then the next day I almost died driving a 4 wheeler...it was awesome.

Lived on a Vineyard on the Tuscan Coast (Tenuta Guado al Tasso)!

Teach, Learn, Share

I TEACH philosophy to college students and I love it, so I would love to have any type of conversation with you. I'm pretty good at philosophy, theology, and culture stuff. I can teach you how to swing dance and do some pretty sweet aerials!

Would love to LEARN your story and your culture. It would be sweet if you could teach me how to cook some of your favorite food, too.

I would love to SHARE all of this over a good meal, with some beer/wine.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Ireland, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, United States

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