CURRENT MISSION

To live the paradox: travel the world but do so as lightly as possible.

ABOUT ME

Looking for the real, the joy, the meaning of it all. I am a teacher, which means I get paid to talk and read and write (and grade). I love to: travel (in US and across the planet); bicycle (road, commute); eat and cook vegan, local, fresh, organic food; climb mountains; ski; paddle; swim; run trails; read; attend live music concerts; oh, and I can't wait for the Revolution b/c this world could be SO much better, fairer, more just, more fun!

PHILOSOPHY

I religiously attend the Church of the Blue Dome as frequently as I can. That is, I love spending time outside, with the sky above.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I intend on building the human community by meeting other folks on CS and offering my humble abode.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Looking to payback and pay it forward via CS. Before a website like CS ever existed, I happily engaged in the practice as have humans for a really long time. Some years back, I stayed w/ a friend in Johannesburg for a month. In my early twenties, on my first cross-country roadtrip, I split my nights b/w camping in parks and surfing on friends' couches (Boston, CT, Seattle, SF, Marin, Boulder).

Interests

Sorta summed it up in "all about you," I mean "all about me."

• writing
• concerts
• dining
• cooking
• vegetarian
• vegan
• organic food
• running
• drinking
• traveling
• bouldering
• music
• live music
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• skiing
• swimming
• teaching
• history
• parks
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

The Late Greats: Fela, Cash, Miles, Coltrane, Jerry/G. Dead, Duke, Mingus, Beethoven, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Miriam Makeba, Lou Reed, Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Hugh Masekela, Pharoah Sanders, does Rage Against the Machine count for "late"?

The Live Greats: Wilco, Neko Case, Tinariwen, Seun and Femi Kuti, Dylan, Chance the Rapper, Ben Harper, Vusi Mahlasela, Radiohead, Decemberists, Sonny Rollins, Liz Phair, Stevie Wonder, Andrew Bird, Salif Keita, Manu Chao, Iron and Wine, Antibalas, Sigur Ros, Common, Oliver Mtukudzi...

Bookish but mostly academic histories. For instance, books on the tragic Staley lockout in Decatur, IL; a comparative history of black women's activism in Alabama and South Africa; collection of oral histories w/ the awesome US Pacific coast longshore union, a memoir of a white guy who grew up in a small town in the American South during the 1960s and 1970s when a racist murder happened and ripped apart his community.

For pleasure books: on people pushing the envelope, esp. mountaineering; David Byrne's memoir, The Bicycle Diaries, and sci fi, of course. Lauren Beukes' first two novels on near-future, kinda dystopic South Africa are amazing! Slowly working my way through James Corey's Expanse series and RR Martin's Game of Thrones.

Still trying to figure out how to teach the best American TV show ever, The Wire, but have written about it.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One amazing thing I've done? I've been fortunate enough to do lots, in my opinion. But the story that other folks seem to find most engaging is the time I was attacked by a pack of semi-wild, possibly rabid dogs in the mountains of Bolivia while the government was collapsing...and lived to tell the tale. Amen!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach all about the history of the USA; some of it even is "true"!

When I was about 40, I decided to start surfing as it seems like such an amazing sport! I wasn't wrong but don't get to do it nearly enough. So, I'm learning to surf.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I claim to be an excellent vegan cook, can tell tall tales, am a fine companion for hiking, biking, drinking and the like. I'm good at editing but please don't ask me to do so.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bolivia, Botswana, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Tanzania, United States

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