CURRENT MISSION

Trying to becoming educated through reading, teaching, traveling, writing, speaking, building, expressing, and making mischief.

ABOUT ME

I'm fairly laid back and understanding. Occasionally people find me a bit of an ascetic, but a calm demeanor just makes sense to me. I like to be around loud people, but rarely make a lot of noise my self. I go to bed most nights hoping someone will wake me up at an odd hour with an interesting question or adventurous proposition. I'm a morning person, but I also love to stay up all night talking, especially if I should really be working on something else. Exercise is important to me, especially when it's group play; I wish I had found Yoga and Pilates years earlier than I did. Such was life in rural Wisconsin.

PHILOSOPHY

Tolerance above nearly all else, but I'm not a relativist. When one disagrees with the actions of others, one should enable them, but encourage reflection. A secular Humanism is probably best, but it probably has much to learn from mainstream religions and our pagan past. The mind is probably irreducible to brain mechanics. Strong AI is nevertheless probably possible. In rare moments of lucidity, all other people merge into one human project and become absurdly and tragically, beautiful. I sense this is important and would like to write a paper about it, but find myself working on simpler projects instead. Public property/spaces and Open source yes; paid politicians and private property no.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

When I found out about CS, it was an: "Oh, right, obviously something like that exists and I should do that" sort of moment. I'm looking to surf and host a bunch where ever I am, and I plan to make a point of continuing to live in places I can do both.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've had nearly two dozen experiences now, most of which have been great. Sometimes one makes new and lasting friends, sometimes it's just perfect to crash somewhere or help someone else do the same.

Interests

More than perhaps anything, I am interested in character development. My own character, the characters of the students I work with, my friends' characters, the character of my society, whatever. I love to question habits, feelings, intuitions, interests, and goals, because I suspect applying reflection to these aspects of our lives is the best way to improve the world. I also love to read philosophy, cook, paint, travel, run, bike, rock climb, snorkel, talk, listen, role play, and make music.

• writing
• cooking
• baking
• exercise
• yoga
• pilates
• running
• reading
• traveling
• knitting
• painting
• music
• piano
• trumpet
• cycling
• snorkeling
• languages
• mathematics
• physics
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: American Beauty, anything by Tarkovskiy, Donnie Darko, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being There, The Corporation, Food Matters, Why We Fight, and Blade Runner.

Music: I like to improve on piano alone. When I listen, it's often Cake, Styx, The Who, or other things that rock without being too metallic or punkish, Jazz Classics, Funk, Reggae, and some piano stuff. I will not tell you "dude, this is the coolest thing ever" and inflict strange music upon you, but I'll be interested to hear what you like and share what I have upon your request.

Fiction Books: Anything by Frank Herbert, Robert Heinlein, Bill Ransom, Jules Verne, or other scifi people from back when it was literature and not mass media.

Non-Fiction Books: Anything by Sartre, Husserl, Hegel, Heidegger, Dewey, Gilligan, Freud, and Mill, as well as anything thoughtful on relationships, history, ethics, the mind, and the cosmos.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hitchhiked from NYC to Seattle.

Teach, Learn, Share

Very cool. I would love to teach:
Introductions to most figures in continental philosophy
First year university physics
Math until Calculus II
Cooking/baking/bread-making
Piano and Trumpet
Computer languages: JAVA, Pascal, and VB
Vagabonding as a way of Life
Relationship skills and analysis
Advanced writing and grammar skills
Repair/Craft Skills such as: knitting, sewing, chain mailing, soldering, instrument-making, and small-engine stuff.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Peru, Spain, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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