I spend a lot of time picking my guitar, and smiling. Out of that has grown a joy of singing. If I could do anything right now I'd be backpacking to an alpine lake in late summer with my guitar.

I love human connection, and need it too. Lifting people up is my mission but I often forget about it. I get off on silliness - in the right company, I'm loud and raucous and radiate lots of energy. Ask me a real question, and I'll listen very closely and give you a real answer.

I'm an avid backpacker, musician, and environmentalist. I'd consider myself a casual artist, bicyclist, runner, gardener, and cook. I aspire to be both creative and practical. My jokes are terrible, and I love my fans. I think capitalism sucks, though it has afforded me an adventurous lifestyle.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm spending this year travelling and exploring boundaries - geographical, and personal. Of course, I'd like to do this on a budget, but more importantly I'm interested in finding connection with strangers as I travel. Being both a person of color and gay, I have a lot to fear about travelling, but I don't want this fear to dictate my life, or preclude connections with good people in the world. We have the capacity to share and enjoy so much with each other, but that we are also very used to avoiding contact and pushing people away. I want to challenge my fears, meet amazing people, share my experience with others, and inspire and be inspired by those that live in this world.

Also - I'm new to CS! I'd like to host folks; however, I'm spending most of this year travelling! I'll be on the East Coast in Jan-Feb, and hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in Apr-Aug ish.

Interests

• dancing
• cooking
• running
• drinking
• gardening
• reading
• backpacking
• intersectionality
• acoustic guitar
• environmentalism
• brewing
• watercolor
• road biking
• community service

Music, Movies, and Books

Gillian Welch, Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, The Shins, Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire, Avett Brothers, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky

The Sound of Music, The Birdcage, The Royal Tannenbaums, Lawrence of Arabia, West Side Story, High Noon, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, North by Northwest, 2001 A Space Odyssey.

East of Eden, Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, Ovid's Metamorphoses, J.M. Laws,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hiked up Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States, from Whitney Portal in one day!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to play guitar! I can explain and share with you basic or advanced techniques you can practice from strumming, finger picking, chords, and music theory.

I'd love to learn about local history, whether that's the history of you, your home, or you community. How did this place come to be? Who lived here? Where did they go? How were they treated, and how does this play out in the modern day?

I can share with you stories about backpacking. Bears and mountain lions, altitude sickness, falling in love with the Sierras, and what I like to call "John Muiracles".

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share a personal concert in your home on guitar, and it can even be sing-along style, or if you play music it can be a joint concert, or even a collaboration! I play acoustic guitar, and love singing folk music. Think James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel, Avett Brothers, Gillian Welch, etc. I don't know a ton of songs, but I can look most of them up! And if you let me know in advance a song you'd like to hear, I can try to practice in advance. I do best with sheet music, chords, and lyrics :)

I can also share my cooking with you! Consider my cooking style Chinese-Californian cuisine. I'm no professional, although I did work at the family restaurant back in the day! I'm great at improvising with limited ingredients, and my style typically deviates from recipes. I love to think about the composition of a whole meal: flavor, color, texture, moisture, nutrients, dishes, timing, etc. Let me go to the grocery store and make you a meal!

Also, if your new year's resolution is to be more outdoorsy, I can share with you how to go backpacking! I'm an avid backpacker, and can walk you through how to plan a trip, from packing your bag to bagging a permit. It's surprisingly easy, you just have to want to get out there!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, China, Mexico

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States