CURRENT MISSION

AROUND The WORLD IN 80 DOGS -- 10 Years, 5 Continents, 31 Countries, and 1 Very Bad Dog

ABOUT ME

For 10 years, Monster (my dog) and I had floated around this world (5 continents, 31 countries) making friends and seeing amazing sights! Now I'm continuing my travels with my chinese soul-mate and our kick ass daughter! Besides that I've got a couple of very cool projects going on. The first is a new and very potent psychological method I created which combines Dream Interpretation with Travel. (CSers outta love that!) There are over two dozen other psychologists (some of whom are quite accomplished!) who support my method. If you are curious you can read more about it and them at www.dreamtraveltherapy.com

PHILOSOPHY

Buddha said practice compassion for all creatures.
Jesus said Love thy neighbor. Is there a difference?

I have been truly blessed in my life, and I have always tried to take advantage of the opportunities
which I've have. During my travels, I have seen many wonderous things, and made some good friends. But as a Buddhist I cannot ignore those less fortunate than myself, and so, I have done volunteer work with a variety of NGO's around the globe, including animal shelters, Indigenous rights groups in Mexico, environmental groups, and an organization that sheltered homeless Gypsy children in Romania. In the Philippines, it took just a few hours to go down to an orphanage to hand out stickers and play a few songs for the kids there. It was enough to bring some smiles.
In keeping with this theme, I want the band to be continuously connected with one good cause or another. I have zero interest in getting rich, but only to help others through my music. It is not my ambition in life to have 2 fancy cars or a life size TV. I want to act help those in need, promote peace and religious tolerance, and work to save the environment. I want to leave the world a little better off when I leave it, than it was when I arrived here.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We've been hosting these years and met some very cool folks who wrote some nice things about us below. Now it's our turn!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I want to see the wild elephants in Kruger National Park in South Africa(before they're gone) and I also dream to check out the Pyramids in Egypt. (Though I suppose those aren't cs experiences yet)

Interests

My main interest is spending time with my wonderful family and helping folks by interpreting their dreams while they travel about. (See above for more info.) Besides that I like reading and being in nature. Now I'll tell you about my band.

The ROBOT BUDDHA ROCK OPERA

I wrote the story and am directing it (even though i dont know how) my songs are based in rock but combine all forms of music (Latino, country, jazz, traditional, opera, rap, world music, punk, the blues, experimental, heavy metal, folk etc.) I am a Buddhist, and my music reflects my views of tolerance and peaceful co-existence. The stage show is multi-media and includes shadow puppets, dancers, and audience participation-

-folks must step over an actor playing a vampyre in order to enter (as if to challenge death or there own dark nature.)

-We project the Mona Lisa onto a screen and audience members are invited to paint over it as they like. Later we remove the original and see what's left when a single artistic concept is replaced by a group vision.

-Similarly, we pass out mints at the start of the show and instruct people not to eat them until we give the signal. So what is usually a isolated personal event becomes a group experience.

-Each show we use someone's dream as the lyrics to a song, so that at least for one night their dream becomes more real

- the story told by actors and shadow puppets, is about a rich, powerful man who is unhappy with all his women, wealth and power and builds a giant robot which everyone is afraid of. He becomes king of the world but still isn't happy until a faerie comes to him in a dream and he gets the idea to program his robot with ancient Buddhist wisdom. A happy ending as it changes from a weapon to a teacher of non-selfish lifestyle. During the stage show an audience member can ask the robot a question or advice etc and the answer is some piece of wise philosophy, anecdotal story, or from the bible or a sutra.

- We are also turning it into a comic book to sell online and at our gigs, so if you are an artist and want to illustrate it you can contact me here.

• animals
• dogs
• acting
• environment
• reading
• traveling
• volunteer work
• painting
• music
• jazz
• blues
• world music
• skiing
• buddhist
• communications
• teaching
• volunteering
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Books:
The Interpretation of Dreams - Sigmund Freud (these are the two most
Living Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh important books ever written!)

Fiction:

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho (if you read one story in your life, read this one!)
Veronika Decides to Die - Paulo Coelho
Foucault's Pendulem - Umberto Eco
Robinson Crusoe - Daniel DeFoe
Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
Harlot's Ghost - Norman Mailer
Candide - Voltaire
The GunSlinger - Stephen King
The Arabian Nights
The Prisoner Of Zenda - Anthony Hope
Eugene Onegin - Pushkin (all his stuff)
Doctor Faustus - Christopher Marlowe
Tartuffe - Moliere (all his stuff)

Buddhism:

Thich Nhat Hanh (All his stuff is great!)
On the Road n Dharma Bums-Jack Keroac
Tao of Physics
Buddhist Sutras
Bertrand Russel
Alan Watts
Osho
Sadhguru
Krishnamurti

Music:
My favorites - Janis Joplin, the Sex Pistols, the Dead South, Voodoo Glow Skulls, the Butthole Surfers, the Dickies and Mozart!

Movies: (I dont watch many)
Gone With the Wind
Dances With Wolves
the Untouchables
Into the Wild
the FisherKing
As Good As It Gets
Fight Club

Theatre: The Importance Of Being Ernest- O. Wilde
Anything by Moliere or
Christopher Marlowe

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Ive had some great experiences - Skiing in the Rocky Mountains, Escaping from Bandits in Mexico, Burning arrows in a Shinto Temple in Japan, Riding a camel in Morocco, White water rafting down the Missouri River, Lodging next to a couple of murderers as the police raided there flat in Bohol in the Philippines, Seeing the Big Buddha in China, Cruising the Black Sea on my friend's yacht, Kicking back in Colombia, Nannying in Europe, Living with Buddhists in Tibet, Pumping air into a man's lungs with a bicycle pump until the doctors returned with equipment, Visiting the spectacular Grand Canyon! But having a daughter tops them all!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can interpret your dreams or teach you about buddhism Ha!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Greece, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Philippines, Romania, Ukraine, United States

•