CURRENT MISSION

To experience new cultures, cuisines, languages, and meet interesting people

PHILOSOPHY

I would say that the most important thing in life is realizing that there is no one answer. If you are reading this, we can certainly agree on some basic principles: generosity, honesty, compassion, love. But when you get into the devilish details people differ on how we go about our lives. This is a good thing. A world where everyone only believed the same things, only sang the same songs, and only found beauty in the same wonders, would be a truly terrible place.

This is ultimately why I love to travel. I am not just changing my physical location - I am changing my essence. I see consciousness as a continuum - a rope woven from the fibers of experience. Every time you go somewhere new, meet someone different from yourself, do things other than your daily routine, you are adding a new and beautiful thread to your consciousness. Whether we are aware or not, these threads are woven each and every time we step outside of the known, the routine, the comfortable. These special threads are what allow us to appreciate just a little bit more of the overwhelming beauty that surrounds us every second of every day. That, as far as I can tell, is what life is all about.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Keeping active in the Austin CS group; spreading the word about CS to friends. CouchSurfing is one of those ideas that when I first heard about it I was simultaneously overjoyed and dumbfounded. How come no one thought of this idea before?! It really is such a great way to travel and meet friendly, open-minded and interesting people.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've been too busy to do much travelling lately so I've been taking part in local CS meetings and groups in lieu of hosting/surfing. I have only been a member for a few months and I have already met so many fantastic people - CS is definitely my kind of party. Once my life slows down and I get some vacation time I plan on trying out hosting and/or surfing. If my experiences thus far are any indication I am going to love it.

Interests

Music, Cinema, Literature, basically anything to do with the arts is my biggest passion. I am a geek and an optimist: I hold out hope that the software I write (well most of it anyway) makes the world a better place.

I love that feeling of excitement and potential that rushes over you when you first step off the plane/train/bus in a new place. I love the feeling of freedom that comes from floating on your back in the middle of the ocean and staring up at the moon. I love those conversations where someone realizes that the sun is coming up but everyone hangs out just a little bit longer, to drink the night down to the last drop.

• arts
• literature
• beauty
• perfumes
• partying
• drinking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• surfing
• languages
• software

Music, Movies, and Books

Authors/Books: Kurt Vonnegut (Mother Night), Neal Stephenson (Baroque Cycle), William Gibson (Pattern Recognition), Philip K. Dick (The Man In The High Castle), Charles Stross (Accelerando)

Directors/Movies: Akira Kurosawa (Rashômon, Seven Samurai, High and Low, Ran), Jean-Luc Godard (Alphaville), David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Lost Highway), David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club), Ridley Scott (Alien, Bladerunner), Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain)

Bands/Music: R.E.M., Tool, Radiohead, Björk, Cat Power, Aphex Twin, David Bowie, Miles Davis, Johnny Cash, PJ Harvey, Massive Attack, Depeche Mode, Iron and Wine, Nirvana, Grupo Fantasma, Jurassic 5, Portishead, Tonolec, Willie Nelson, Prefuse 73, Charles Mingus, Quannum, Boards of Canada, The Cure, Belle & Sebastian, Blackalicious, Sufjan Stevens, Autechre, Sonic Youth, The Notwist, Dead Can Dance, RJD2, Stereolab, Beck, Cocteau Twins, Clinic, The Velvet Underground

Countries I’ve Visited

Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Japan, Mexico

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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