Finance guy turned social worker. Quit my soul-crushing bank job to travel the world at the start of 2015. Fast forward to 2023, and I currently work as a mental health counselor at a high school in Oakland, California. I live with my girlfriend, Elizabeth, who is in my profile pic (that's us in Puerto Vallarta). We travel together quite a bit. She's great!

I'm a Kansas native, and I lived in San Francisco for 13 years (and hosted many people during that time), then moved back to Oakland at the beginning of 2022. If you need advice on the SF Bay Area, feel free to ask.

Way back in college I lived for a year in Japan (Fukuoka) and WAY back in high school I lived in Brazil (Campinas).

Also, FWIW, I don't drink. I'm 100% fine going to bars and hanging out with those who do (and enjoy talking about sobriety w anyone who wants to talk about it).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love what Couchsurfing stands for, namely, that it's a worthwhile gamble to assume the best in others. The community has provided me with some great experiences, most notably a great night in Nairobi, killer company for a Scissor Sisters concert in Portland, super canoe trip through southern Missouri, and many others.

I got off of Couchsurfing for a while after it went for-profit, but would love to get back to it in a meaningful way.

Interests

Interests: Exploring nature, meeting new people, going to museums, drawing, gardening, reading, dancing, comedy performance (I have done stand-up, sketch and improv off and on for a number of years now), camping, picnicking, watching the World Cup in my 20+ year-old Brazil jersey, building or fixing anything, ESCAPE ROOMS.

I really love sitting around campfires. And I also really like looking at big, classical paintings. I can do either one for hours and hours and hours.

• dancing
• picnic
• bouldering
• hiking
• camping
• rock climbing
• mushrooms
• standup comedy
• campfires
• sobriety
• carpentry
• masonry
• home improvement

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies - Goodfellas, Pan's Labrynth, Avatar, anything Studio Ghibli, Dr. Strangelove, Murderball, World's Greatest Dad, The Godfather Trilogy, Life is Beautiful, Fight Club, Old Boy, The Fog of War, King of Kong, City of God, the whole Bourne trilogy, Ken Burns' WWII documentary, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
TV - The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Barry, Atlanta, 30 Rock
Music - Aimee Mann, Chromeo, Scissor Sisters, Mika, Tom T. Hall, Willie Nelson, Todd Snider, Oasis, Stone Roses, Def Leppard, Madonna, Yelle, anything danceable.
Books (authors) - John Irving, Philip Roth, Kurt Vonnegut, Michael Lewis.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Gray whale calving lagoons in Baja, running with the bulls in Pamplona, Yosemite Valley, mountain gorillas in Rwanda, watching a young elephant nurse from its mother in Tanzania, polar bears in the wild in Manitoba, tigers in the wild in India, the Paris catacombs (Pro-tip: get there very early, be the first people in line, see them in quiet).

Also I went to Iran and I met several people for whom I was the first American they'd ever actually met. That was really special for me.

Teach, Learn, Share

Can teach you how to properly tell a joke in front of an audience and how to build a campfire that lights reliably and quickly.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I make excellent scrambled eggs and am glad to make them for you. Other things as well.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, Japan, United States

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