I'm a freelance copywriter, blogger, and wannabe novelist. I get writers block if I sit still too long. I made a radical lifestyle change in September, and now I'm taking as much time to explore as I can afford.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I don't travel to see things — I travel to meet people. Tourism is great, and I'm always down for checking out the 'big things' wherever I go, but what I like the most is seeing how people inhabit these amazing places.

Interests

Hiking, backpacking, hammocking, bouldering, bicycling; most gerunds, really.

Wherever I travel, I have to taste the eggs. Everyone cooks them differently. EVERYONE. Beijing? Best. Eggs. Ever.

I run a productivity blog in my spare time (which is funny, because I swear I'm a really unproductive person) and my travels always influence my writing. You learn a lot about how your mind works when your entire life fits into a backpack.

• writing
• design
• baking
• running
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• blogging
• bouldering
• hiking
• backpacking
• rock climbing
• freelancing
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

Hipster moment: I was into Tycho WAY before he was cool. Atmospheric electronica, soundscapes, and post-rock accompany almost everything I do. I spent a 13 hour train ride listening to stockfinster through a pair of airplane earbuds once. No regrets.

When it comes to books, I have a serious soft spot for Russian literature. Crime and Punishment is my current glovebox book, and Chekov is my soul food author. My excitement for The Bricks That Built The Houses is physically indescribable.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I picked up three peanuts at once with a pair of chopsticks.

Honestly, I don't think I've done enough to call any of it amazing. I've had the opportunity to do a bunch of really awesome, cool, fun, creative things, though, and I'm using that as a baseline. I've been to China, I've explored Southern Ohio on motorcycle, I'm self employed in a career field I love, and I've uprooted my entire life to move to a new city and try a new lifestyle JUST TO SEE.

But really, that peanut bit is the amazing part.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a writer, despite the informal tone (and language) that I'm using here (really, though, when you write 2000 words about vacuum cleaners each day, stuffy language gets boring), and I LOVE reading manuscripts. I'm doing my best to break into the blogging world, too, and I have a bunch of information I can share on SEO, social promotion, and general bloggy-ness.

The short version is, while I don't know the full list of what works, I can tell you what doesn't. I'm decent with web design, I write copy and SEO for a living, and I'm more than happy helping anyone with website critiques, blog rolls, and similar.

What I Can Share with Hosts

An unbridled enthusiasm for baking, basic car maintenance, and the meanest country omelet this side of Paris.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States