I haven't updated this in ages -- going to leave the stuff from ten years ago up for posterity.

I'm a freelance writer moving from Salt Lake City back to Austin, where I lived from 2016-2018. I spent a few years teaching in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City and I absolutely loved it! But long story short, I had to leave Saigon due to very stringent lockdowns and I moved to Salt Lake City for no good reason at all. But it wasn't really for me, and Austin really is, and I'm nothing if not mobile. So I'm going back by way of a few corners of the Southwest. And next month I'm spending a month in Costa Rica!

I really love connecting with people and seeing the world through their eyes in whatever way I can -- a conversation, a good story, a memoir. I've been on Couchsurfing for the better part of 11 years now and it's opened the door to so many incredible people and experiences. So yeah, it's a nice way to travel on a budget, but it's so much more than that!

CURRENT MISSION

I want to make a lot of friends, a few acquaintances, and just enough money. I want to learn as much as I can in this eyeblink of a life and maybe leave it a little better than I found it.

ABOUT ME -- from ca. 2012?

This is the complete list of things I like, no more and no less - spontaneous order, chaos, the smell of lavender and the smell of gasoline, concrete humanhives and rolling hills with dancing clouds, cobblestones to look at but not walk on, driving, funny accents, generalizing, splitting hairs, dictionaries, old pictures of long-dead people, Scrabble, debating, peoplewatching, cloudspotting, stargazing, other ings and a handful of isms.

PHILOSOPHY

"Free your mind and your ass will follow." - George Clinton

"A day without fun is a day that eats shit." - Hunter S. Thompson

"It's a fool who looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart."
- O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Hosting and surfing when I can. I used to run the Weekly Meetup in Austin and helped organize our Couch Crash!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've hosted in Atlanta and Austin, and I try to surf and find meetups when I travel.

Interests

I like reading, writing, listening to and playing music (badly), exploring unknown corners of wherever I end up, daydreaming, dancing, generally taking advantage of twentydom. [editors note: i did a great job taking advantage of twentydom; I'm now onto thirtydom] Of course, I like traveling. All of these activities are especially wonderful when complemented by good drinks and good company.

Music, Movies, and Books

Rock n roll, pop, funk, folk, bluegrass and blues. A little bit of everything.

Books, TV, and movies: Anything that makes me laugh, cry, or think.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Went to the same spot in Trieste, Italy where my grandfather had been photographed 68 years earlier when he was stationed there after the war. Possibly the best moment of any trip I've ever taken.

Teach, Learn, Share

Whatever you can teach, I'd like to learn. Everybody I meet knows something I don't. I'm always interested to hear other perspectives on things - it's really freeing to give up a belief, actually. Feels good.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Music, cooking, wine, lots of stories, traveling tips and tricks.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Saint Lucia, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

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