CURRENT MISSION

I am interested in connecting with older couchsurfers and supporting the development of this kind of connection. I feel it opens up people in very good and special ways.

ABOUT ME

I work as a consulting hypnotist. I live in Toronto not far from Lake Ontario in the west side of the city. I have two sons. One is an officer in the Canadian navy posted in Vancouver Island. The other is an ardent couch surfer. He is currently working on establishing himself at IBM. I have lived in the same house for 23 years, and a have done a lot of renovating in that time on the house. Old homes never let you stay complacent about them. In the past I have sailed and played tennis. Currently, I am learning how to curl and have started meditation classes. Cooking is a passion of mine. When I want to cook, I know life is pretty good. I have decided to work on French cuisine, so am working through Julia Child's Art of Mastering French Cuisine. It's a really neat book. ( actually there is a second volume as well) . I find reading mysteries a lot of fun. Some of the authors I have read are Martin Cruz Smith, Dick Francis and Robert Parker. I listen to a lot classical music on CBC radio2 94.1, there is something about the wide range of things they play that is comforting and I guess I like it because for the most part the music is not predictable. I like experimental jazz a lot and go to The Rex Hotel in downtown Toronto to listen to live jazz. I hate wearing coats and love red licorice. Don't like curry but do like mussels.
The Toronto Maple Leafs I suffer for ... and don't like basketball.

PHILOSOPHY

I've come around to understanding that meeting and talking to people is pretty much the best way to live and to travel. People can give you such an incredible insight and understanding of themselves and related to that the places that they live in. So much of life has to do with having good conversations with people. And those talks open all sorts of fascinating doors into other worlds. And I really don't want to be traveling from inside a poster.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am keen to develop a network of older couchsurfers. I feel this experience does great things for you.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

New York State. I spent two incredible days exploring Buffalo. The Martin House, a Frank Lloyd Wright creation was outstanding. You must take the in depth tour witb a docent. You will not regret it. Buffalo has much more to discover. I will be back! British Columbia is heaven on earth especially Vancouver Island.

Interests

Conversations, conversations, and more conversations.
These are the things that make life good. I have begun to develop some interests in hypnosis and NLP. I think both have a lot of potential for helping people develop good qualities. As well, I have become a birder and as a result of that I have begun to take some interest in conservation. I do Tai Chi and enjoy the opera.Education is still an important interest for me but it has taken a different direction recently when I spent three months in Spain working as a teacher assistant in an English as a Second Language program in the region of Castille y Leon. Prior to that I spent a month in Catalunya working as a volunteer in an ecological reserve on the Mediterranean Sea.

• arts
• books
• education
• cooking
• meditation
• reading
• traveling
• music
• classical music
• jazz
• opera
• fishing
• basketball
• tennis
• teaching
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Jazz at the Rex, opera at the Four Seasons, foreign films ( loved Bossa Nova ) novels by Martin Cruz Smith, Broken Flowers, Murphy's Romance. Wade Davis and Richard Bandler. CBC radio. Bird songs of Eastern North America.
Boston Legal. And, cooking. I'm not that great at it bit I do it and think about it a lot.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Jazz at the Rex on Saturday night. The midnight sun in Sankt Petersberg. Expresso and italian pastries with friends at St. Philips. Fishing off the coast of Vancouver Island. Seeing Madame Butterfly at the opera.
Being driven to the airport in Moscow. Buying 19 watches in Asia. Crossing the equator twice. Discovering duck confit. Seeing a bird fallout at Point Pelee National Park.

Teach, Learn, Share

The best thing I can do is encouage people I meet to couch surf. Specifically older people. I find that this is a very youth based demographic which is great.
However, there are a lot of older folks who could benefit from this experience and give things back that really can be valuable.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Cuba, Japan, Philippines, Russian Federation, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada

• 

•