CURRENT MISSION

Become a better person through meaningful experiences with exciting, interesting people.

ABOUT ME

I am a musician and a scientist. I have spent months of my life on charity and have hiked over mountains in seven feet of snow.

While in a crowd of people I tend to be quiet, but in smaller groups my personality really shows. My friends would characterize me by my goofy (sometimes corny) sense of humor and my readiness to get out and do things.

As for the smaller things, I love cooking creative, international cuisine. Some of the more enticing dishes I've made include Porterhouse steak in a pomegranate red wine marinade, burgundy beef stew, mediterranean tuna antipasto salad, coconut chicken tikka masala, mushroom chicken adobo, and my signature zucchini meat sauce. I love to experiment as a chef, and I am always inventing and trying out new recipes. Also, I love residing in New York City, where great music, delicious food and beer, and interesting people are never difficult to find.

PHILOSOPHY

I like to make memories. Playing music, traveling, cooking, etc. are great, but what is even greater is experiencing these activities with interesting people under unusual circumstances. Once I was stranded in a train station in Southern Germany with seven strangers and had one of the best times of my life navigating home. Now that I live in NYC, I frequently attend tea-times, picnics, and parties with total strangers to make new friends and have diverse experiences. I am excited to meet you in your home or mine, and I hope we learn a little bit (or a lot) from each other along the way.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I last CouchSurfed during one summer in college when I traveled through Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. I think hosting and surfing are excellent ideas and I hope to continue to meet great people through CS.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've had five highly positive CouchSurfing experiences, and I'm looking forward to making more memories!

Interests

Besides being a scientist, I am a musician in every sense of the word. I love listening to music as much as I do making it. I have played piano for most of my life and recently I was extremely involved in my college percussion group. Check us out! http://www.youtube.com/user/HarvardTHUD/ These days I am still drumming and I'm volunteering to teach kids in Harlem percussion through a new nonprofit called "Drumming on Everything."

As mentioned I'm also a scientist. I love physics and chemistry and these days I spend most of my time doing computational and theoretical research in condensed matter physics. I'm studying the highly-correlated dynamics of electrons in the fractional quantum Hall effect. If you're interested, I'd love to tell you about my research!

• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• wine
• red wine
• beer
• walking
• partying
• traveling
• music
• piano
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• chemistry
• physics
• science
• volunteering
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Artists: Adele, Maroon 5, One Republic, Matchbox Twenty, Led Zeppelin, Train, Aerosmith, B.o.B., Barry Manilow, J. S. Bach, Jason Derulo, Ace of Base, Jason Mraz, Barbara Streisand, Billy Joel, The Script, Beethoven, Boston, Chicago, Christina Aguilera, Deep Purple, Earth Wind & Fire, Flo Ri Da, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer

Movies: King Kong, Spiderman, Harry Potter, Mrs. Doubtfire, Bicentennial Man, Man of Steel

Books: All Dan Brown books, Harry Potter series, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Walking out on a frozen lake, "Avalanche Pass," in seven feet of snow two days into the Adirondack Mountains of New York was definitely a view that I will never forget.

Also, I will never forget my opportunity to play beautiful music on a stunning Steinway piano at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Teach, Learn, Share

I always a love a chance to jam with other music-lovers. And I say music-lovers instead of musicians since I believe even people without official training can really appreciate the rhythms and colors of music.

I also have a lot to offer when it comes to camping and exploring the outdoors. As an Eagle Scout I love pitching a tent, building a roaring bonfire, and hiking to the top of mountain peaks for dazzling views, and I would love to help others have the same memorable experiences.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Great stories and good company!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States