CURRENT MISSION

To enjoy summer 2014 creating art and relaxing

ABOUT ME

UPDATED MAY 2014!
I think every person would add a different part of the puzzle, no one person knows me totally! I'm a complex person who is constantly changing. From hating school as a teen to getting 2 masters degrees I'm never the same person I was last year! I've changed a lot in the last few years after dealing with terrible things & events. Life is too short to be worried about the little things. Small minded people have no place in my world. I like to discuss possibilities rather than problems!

-Meanwhile I've been actively creating art with my glass skills and am anxiously waiting for the day when I can fire up my new kiln.
-A new assignment since Sept 2013 allows me to teach math to elementary school children. Quite a big change after teaching Industrial Arts (wood shop) for 22 years!
-I've taught myself how to read sheet music, so I get to jam on the fiddle and even the banjo.

-Did I mention change is the color of my shadow???

PHILOSOPHY

This is from Sy Syfransky, Editor of SUN magazine: I changed a few words but the net belief is the same:

WHY IT MATTERS TO ME THAT I CREATE EVERYDAY;

-1. Because creating is hard, but not as hard as not creating.

-2. Because a good creation can rise from the ashes of a bad idea,

and
someone needs to make those bad ideas,

and who can come up with bad ideas better than me?

-3. Because when I sit down to create, a door inside me opens.

-4. Because sometime I walk through that door.

Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

So far I have surfed thru Europe once and hosted 3 times. I am embarking on another sojourn this summer (2014).

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I joined CS 2 years ago and have been very fortunate to have only positive experiences. I surfed across Europe and the adventure is still alive inside me.

I have stayed with wonderful hosts in London, Bern CH, Krakow PL, Prague CZ, Berlin and finally Amsterdam NL. In every case, there is a certain tension when arriving in a new city and I have always left with a positive feeling. I have met many new people and shared in their life, food and culture.

Some hosts provide directions, some provide tours and some provide me with a quiet place where I can seek shelter after a long day of touring or traveling.

I have met many people and I explain the complexities of CS to them. I hope I can continue to share my experience with my family, friends and students when I return.
-I now realize traveling makes you an ambassador to your home country. I've become very effective in this role and enjoy the ability to communicate the universal human struggles that span oceans and cultures.

Interessen

I love to work with stained glass and have recently begun to learn the many methods of moasic. It is a great diversion and I am finally learning to go with the flow and be more creative. I have many glass projects I've started but need to complete. In theory I enjoy daily exercise & create excuses to do something else Also I like to travel. I started to ski last year after an 18 year absence. I enjoy listening to really smart people discuss politics, and I happen to be good at fixing things, but I prefer to spend my free time staying healthy. I spend some time with photo-shop and images. I collect old tools and can see value in a pile of stuff. I can play the violin but I have only played alone, boo hoo. Update: I finally learned to read sheet music and even take lessons. I now know the key of D!

• arts
• culture
• contemporary art
• coloring
• dining
• exercise
• shopping
• politics
• traveling
• music
• violin
• skiing
• mathematics
• tours

Musik, Filme und Bücher

so many books, often the choice is sleep or reading! ugh. I like a simple list of characters so I can keep them organized! Movies:madmadmadmad world b/c the crazyness of people when given a great opportunity. Otherwise movies are too difficult to understand bacause I can't understand the dialogue b/c they over-do it with sound effects. If I can't watch it on a dvd, I'll pass.

Books, I loved WORLD MADE BY HAND, ARTIST'S WAY, ROAD LESS TRAVELED, YOUNGER NEXT YEAR, and most Phillip Roth, the way he gets in the characters' mind is weird. I love SUN magazine, Sy is a great editor, no ads make the stories wild and provocative. I'm currently reading THE TIME IN BETWEEN, about a seamstress who lived in Spain during the 1930's. This story has influenced my itinerary.

MUSIC: I'm a real die-hard Neil Young Fan, but I'm evolving away from him a lot as I age. My interest is towards fiddle solos, blue-grass style and anything scratchy. I really enjoy local singer-songwriters such as Melissa Ferrick from Mass, Randy Morning,NJ, Mike & Ruthie, Elizabeth Mitchel NY.

Generally, I think music is so personal that it's hard to share, who has the time? I've learned to enjoy hip-hop b/c I hear it at the gym so much, but don't ask me anything about it. I thought I am in control was Twinkle with your toes!

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

Traveled in Europe using a rough outline but no specific plans.

Visiting the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art (Praha CZ) retrospective of Karel Nepraš.

Hanging with dolphins with my brother Tom (rip).

Being on a Russian train for 24 hours and having sea-legs.

Driving thru Northern Cascades Nat'l Park Washington State.

Being able to sight read sheet music.

Entering my art-glass in a group showing and getting complimented!

Lehren, lernen, teilen

I dispense knowledge ALL YEAR long!!!!!!!
Now on weekends & summer breaks I need to refill MY brain with hope & inspiration from humanity.

Länder, die ich besucht habe

Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

United States