CURRENT MISSION

Travel, meet people, become a better person in the process.

ABOUT ME

Happy-go-lucky, considerate, generous, patient. I believe everyone has something good to offer, I'm open-minded and really enjoy meeting new people, it's a lot of fun, that's how I grow. I'm fairly creative and have an obtuse, dry sense of humor. I am very active and love the outdoors. I treasure my family and friends, life is about people, not things. I killed my TV years ago.

I'm a location independent software contractor, which means I can work just about anywhere, just as long as there's reliable Internet access. I've been chasing the good weather since the beginning of 2009.

2010/2011 Travel Schedule

Wellington, NZ - Nov 28 to Feb 24
Melbourne, AUS - Feb 24 to mid-May
Germany - Jul 1 to Sep 30

PHILOSOPHY

"Be active and adventurous, the world is waiting for you!"

Quotes from others:

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

-- Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945), 32nd US President

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

-- Mark Twain (1835-1910), Writer, Author, Satirist and Public Speaker

"Deprived of the freedom to wander, man often becomes frustrated, bored, dulled; a moron, a machine, an automaton".

-- Tristan Jones (1924-1995), Author, World Traveler

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Wish to both surf and host when possible. I belong to a few user groups and contribute information/help when I can.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Surfed 2 couches in Hawaii and one in Ireland. Very rewarding experiences all around. CSers are really wonderful people!

Interests

Hiking, biking, yoga, roller coasters, photography, writing, food, movies, music, cars, home remodeling and repair, web programming, friends, family, travel, meeting new people, making new friends, expanding my mental horizon.

I have a strong passion for travel writing and wish to record my experiences for sharing where possible, in sufficient detail, to make the reader feel like they've accomplished more than just reading travel blog. I wish to inspire curiosity in people towards discovery.

• writing
• photography
• dining
• yoga
• movies
• reading
• tv
• traveling
• cars
• socializing
• blogging
• music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• sailing
• software

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi, Foreign

Music: Rock, Alternative, Classical, Hip Hop

Books: Fiction, Humorous

Mags: National Geographic (my favorite)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

* Lived in a van for 6 months traveling the USA, 34 states, 18,000+ miles driven * Robbed at gunpoint * Jumped out a perfectly good airplane * Soloed a plane on my 16th birthday (no, that's not when I made my jump) * Hiked in and out of the Grand Canyon (Phantom Ranch) with bronchitis all in a day (ha, maybe this qualifies as one of the stupidest things I've done) * High speed car chase of someone who robbed a woman of her purse at knife point. I got the guys license plate, they tracked him down, he went to jail for a long time * The first person to see the sun rise above the horizon in the entire US of A one morning atop Cadillac Mountain * Experienced ultimate roller coaster, 0-120 mph in under 4 seconds, 420 foot vertical, Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point Amusement Park.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've been known to travel blog from time to time:

www.mybigadventure.com
jdsbigadventures.blogspot.com

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Fiji, France, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States

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