I'm a writer and high school English teacher from the United States. I love to hear stories and new ideas, share music and food, and make new friends.

I'm really into cycling, literature, backpacking, urban exploration, art, movies, armchair psychologizing, and good food.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Looking to make friends, share cultural impressions, learn more about the world and the people in it

Interests

• literature
• music
• hiking
• art
• food
• bicycling
• bicycle touring
• utopias

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: The Savage Detectives, The Rings of Saturn, Speedboat, Pitch Dark, Slouching Toward Bethlehem, The Quick and the Dead, Cadillac Desert, Outline, The Path to Power, Veronica

Movies: Sans Soleil, 12 Monkeys, Sorry to Bother You, Inherent Vice, Heart of a Dog, Mulholland Dr., The Long Goodbye, Sherman's March

Music: Bill Callahan, Laurie Anderson, LCD Soundsystem, Radiohead, David Bowie, Joanna Newsom, Brian Eno, Roxy Music, New Order, Bob Dylan, William Basinski

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've seen a lot of things that were amazing. Things that I do don't typically amaze me, just because I find it hard to be amazed by something when I'm in the process of doing it and figuring out what it will take to do it. Amazement, to me, applies more to something witnessed than something performed.

One thing that amazed me to see was when I came out of the subway station in Seoul, October 2016, to find the streets filled with protestors marching against the sitting president. I somehow found my friend in the crowd and we found a building with roof access to watch the march from. They were holding candles and signs and chanting the president's name, Park Geun-Hye, and words in Korean that translated to "get out of the country." I was living in Seoul, working as an English teacher at that time.

One amazing thing I did in Seoul was hike to the peak of Seoraksan from 3 a.m. until sunrise. My friend and I just barely missed reaching the summit as the sun came up. We got there maybe a half hour after it had risen, and joined the crowd of exhausted climbers lying on the grass field. Then a security guard came and started yelling in Korean at everyone who was taking a nap. We weren't supposed to be there on the grass. It was off limits.

Teach, Learn, Share

talk about literature, talk about writing, talk about behavior, talk about the future of the planet and shifting paradigms of labor and consumption, talk about the English language

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can cook something with a really nice marinade, or a great pasta carbonara, or a laksa, which is a spicy Malaysian noodle soup with a coconut milk broth. I'm also a good listener. I'm always up for sharing impressions and stories, but also totally respect other people's space and privacy.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, France, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Spain, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, South Korea, United States