CURRENT MISSION

To someday be so important to warrant my own Wikipedia page.

ABOUT ME

I'm a researcher in a blood coagulation laboratory. Before I die, I'd like to visit 100 countries/special territories. Places I've been:

01. United States - December 13, 1978 - I was born here. After 43 years, I've been to 29 of 50 states.

02. Canada - Early 1980s - I grew up about 20 minutes south of the border. I remember going up to Red Lobster up there when I was really young.

03. Spain - March 1998 - Went on a band trip with my college as a freshman. I think I was too young to fully appreciate it. Went back in the summer of 2018 with my wife and loved it.

04. United Kingdom - Summer 1999 - Did a 7 week project for my college in the London borough of Merton.

05. Denmark - Summer 2005 - Did some research work at a company for 2 months. Then brought my girlfriend over for 2 more weeks.

06. Sweden - Summer 2005 - Took a day trip over to Malmo while in Copenhagen.

07. Belgium - April 2009 - Presented a poster at a small conference in Leuven. Stayed there for a couple more days and enjoyed my first Couchsurfing experience.

08. Iceland - June 2009 - Took a two week vacation with my girlfriend. Went around the Ring Road.

09. Greenland - June 2009 - Flew over to Greenland for a few days because it's close to Iceland.

10. Netherlands - January 2010 - Went to visit my sister in Rotterdam.

11. Romania - January 2010 - Took a trip over to Bucharest and Transylvania.

12. Peru - August 2010 - Our honeymoon of sorts; we visited Lima, Machu Picchu, and the Peruvian Amazon.

13. Lithuania - June 2013 - Spent two days in the old town of Vilnius. Had an awesome time. Very underrated city.

14. Latvia - June 2013 - Had a wonderful time in Riga, Cesis, Rundale and Ventspils. My second time couchsurfing.

15. Puerto Rico - August 2013 - Rented a house in Luquillo with my roommates from college.

16. Czech Republic - July 2016 - Went to Prague with my wife after her successful PhD defense. Had a great time looking at old churches and castles.

17. Costa Rica - January 2019 - Hiked with my dad up Cerro Chirripo, the highest mountain in Costa Rica. Then spent a few days in the San Jose area.

18. Argentina - February 2020 - Went with my wife to Buenos Aires and Ushuaia. Ate great food and walked on an island with penguins!

19. Uruguay - February 2020 - While on the Argentina trip, took a boat over to Montevideo for 3 days to check out the city and do a wine tour.

20. Austria - May 2023 - Went to Salzburg for a couple of days. Took a trip out to Werfen to see a castle and a falconry demonstration.

21. Germany - May 2023 - Had a great time in Munich. Went to Neuschwanstein, drank beer, visited the world's largest science museum.

Furthest North - Grimsey, Iceland
Furthest South - Martillo Island, Argentina
Furthest West - Kona, Hawaii
Furthest East - Bucharest, Romania
Lowest - Rotterdam, Netherlands
Highest - Cerro Chirripo, Costa Rica

PHILOSOPHY

Enjoy life, and don't be a jerk.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I had a great experience in Belgium in 2009. Since then, I've hosted 13 times and surfed again in Riga. Pretty happy to host, but it's much easier on me the more notice I have.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Surfing Experiences:

1. Marijke and Stan - Leuven, Belgium - May 2009
https://www.couchsurfing.com/users/410913

2. Agnese/Uldis/Angelika Puceni - Riga, Latvia - June 2013
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/puceni/

Hosting Experiences:

1. Orsolya Molnár - Budapest, Hungary - October 2012
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/orsolyarita.molnr

2. Stephanie and Dan Craddock (with Brian) - Columbus, Ohio - May 2013
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/niftywoods/

3. Don and Kim Bills - Jackson, Michigan - October 2015
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/don-bills

4. Alexandra Martineau and Juan Arias - Saint-Jerome, Quebec/Guadalajara, Mexico - April 2016
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/alexandra.m
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/juanitowalker

5. Blažka Šubic (with Jaka) - Škofja Loka, Slovenia - August 2016
https://www.couchsurfing.com/users/2003064496

6. Nataly Londoño Ramirez and Liliam Karine Marin - Colombia - September 2016
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/nataly.ramirez
https://www.couchsurfing.com/users/2004029093

7. Virginia Semeghini (with Maddie) - Brazil - September 2016
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/virginia-semeghini

8. Marius Campean - Bucharest, Romania - April 2018
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/akhille

9. Edward Berr - Scotts Valley, California - June 2019
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/edward.berr

10. Peter Carney (with Lakan) - Sturgis, Michigan - September 2019
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/peter-carney

11. Mike Ring (with Natalie) - Watertown, Massachusetts - October 2019
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/lslsunblazer21

12. Kim and Megan - Montreal, Quebec/Los Angeles, California - January 2020
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/kimaza
https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/megan-aramanda

13. Anete Kalvāne - Riga, Latvia - January 2020
https://www.couchsurfing.com/users/1001732765

Interests

I like to play lots of games, even if I'm no good at them. My one claim to fame: I was the 1999 US National Monopoly champion. I also like trying new things, be they activities, food, or meeting new people.

• dining
• board games

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: I've become kind of a movie snob over the past few years. I usually don't go to a theater anymore except during Oscar nominations time, when all of the "good" movies come out.

TV: Mostly sporting events and pro wrestling (guilty pleasure).

Music: I tend toward modern rock, but I appreciate (and listen to) a wide variety of genres. Except country: I just don't get why people like that stuff. To each his/her own, though.

Books: I like short stories. They're much easier to commit to. Though I still do read novels and even finished War and Peace.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The most amazing sight I've seen would probably be the chalk cliffs of Møn in Denmark. The Amazon jungle in Peru was really neat too, as was walking with penguins in Tierra Del Fuego.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: Um...I could teach Monopoly strategy.

Learn: There is such a wide gap in everyone's knowledge base that it's not even worth mentioning where to start.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I like to think I'm pretty easy to get along with. I'm always happy to help out and enjoy new experiences.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Peru, Puerto Rico, Romania, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States