HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING I like sharing. Whether it be picking up hitchhikers (or being one myself), organizing cooking collectives, or hosting (both couchsurfers and old friends). COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE I first surfed a couch when I was seventeen. I was stuck in an airport overnight, and I thought it would be boring to find a motel room. I was in Newark, and I didn't know anyone in the area. So I called a friend, who called a friend, and eventually I had a place to stay for the night in New York. And they even got me warm socks and my first authentic Chinese dinner. When I'm hosting, I can't quite make you an authentic Chinese dinner, but I can probably provide a place to stay and some warm socks.

On piano, I'm a pretty big Chopin fan. On guitar, I usually strum some chords and hopefully someone else sings. Catch-22 appealed to my cynicism and pacifism. The Little Prince appealed to my romanticism. A few works by Ursula Le Guin appealed to my queerness.