CURRENT MISSION

To travel the world (or, parts of Europe and Australia) learning about and work in restaurants/bars so I can return to the states to open one of my own.

ABOUT ME

Until recently, I was living in Tacoma and working a soul-sucking IT job with an hour commute everyday. Then, after deciding this lifestyle was not healthy and that I needed to pursue my true passion (food), I quit and started travelling with my girlfriend of 4 years, Katrina. For all the nitty gritty on my past, we'll just have to meet over a few drinks.

In short, I am happiest when I am cooking or chilling with good people. I believe that being happy whenever possible is winning at life and I strive for that.

PHILOSOPHY

What a heavy question! This is changing constantly. Maybe that's my philosophy? Even though I can never quite get comfortable with it, maybe it's best not to resist the wind of change and instead be like a leaf on the wind.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've been in a transitional state for a while now, so providing a couch isn't exactly easy. Currently, I'm travelling in Croatia but when I get to Melbourne I may have a couch and I will certainly be down to grab a drink.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

After studying abroad in Prauge for a semester, I CouchSurfed in several countries with a friend. I would have to say my favorite story is the first one I had, and I'll make it short:

We arrived in Athens very early in the morning and took a train in from the airport and then a bus out to where our CouchSurfing host, Anastasia (she's awesome) lived. We sat at the bus stop for a while waiting until we realized that she may have not gotten the message about when we were arriving. So, after another hour passes, I headed off in search of a computer to use to contact her. I ended up at a Petrol station and an incredibly friendly Romanian family brought me into their home and let me use their computer to contact Ana. All told, we spent about 4 hours at the bus stop, playing cards, sleeping, and basking in the oncoming heat.

Eventually she came and found us, took us in, and gave us the best yogurt and honey I have ever had. The coolest part about this story is that we had only planned to stay one (maybe 2) nights in Athens before heading to Corfu. But, Anastasia and her friends were so cool that we dropped our original plans and stayed some extra nights to go to the craziest Communist party I have ever been to. It was amazing.

Interests

As above: cooking, climbing, brewing (and drinking =) ) beer, photography, bungee jumping (and other adrenaline sports), travelling, EDM, and the great outdoors.

• photography
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• partying
• drinking
• traveling
• eating out
• outdoor activities
• bungee jumping
• sports
• rock climbing
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Not necessarily the TOP favorites, but good ones for each category:

Movies - I love 'em all (mostly). From terrible B horror flicks (go Bruce Campbell) to a work of art, "The Fountian".

Music - Progressive Rock, Electronic Dance Music (EDM), and anything good. Above and Beyond, Ilan Bluestone, Tool, Solar Fields, Telefon Tel Aviv, Shulman, Hey Marseilles, RJD2, and Russian Circles to name a few.

Books - I like a lot of books but a few favorite authors are Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, Choke, Invisible Monsters), Philip K Dick, and Neil Gaiman (Stardust, Neverwhere)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hiked the sand mountains of Point Defiance

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Cayman Islands, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Czech Republic, United States