I grew up in Houston Texas but have been living in the Pacific North West for the last 20 years. I've traveled all over the USA and fairly extensively around the world. I spent my 20's working in kitchens and going to art schools. After graduating from the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque, I moved west to Olympia Washington and later to Portland Oregon where I now live. I always loved computers and got a job building web applications during the dot.com boom at the turn of the millennia. I'm still a programmer by trade but lately I've started making art again. You can check out some of my work on www.brocktopia.com. Lately I've been trying to strike a better work-life balance and spending more time traveling is a big part of that.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Traveling is always better when you have a local connection to help give you the lay of the land. I'm looking for those kinds of connections when I travel and I'm happy to provide those kinds of experiences for people traveling in my part of the world.

Interests

• arts
• photography
• cooking
• motorcycles
• gardening
• reading
• homebrewing
• painting
• woodworking
• hiking
• camping
• sailing
• snowboarding
• philosophy
• pool
• biking
• computers
• tinkering
• fermentation
• snowbording

Music, Movies, and Books

My musical taste are kind of eclectic, but most of it would be under the general umbrella of rock and roll. There's usually not much in the top 40 that I have any interest in. The stuff I listen to most is pretty dated now, but I'm always up for discovering something new. Books are kind of the same for me--best sellers generally don't interest me. I particularly like dystopian science fiction, but I always try to throw in one of the classics now and again.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I got a chance to decorate a New Years Eve party at the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong in 1994. I was in art school at the time so it was a pretty grand adventure and I made a nice bit of $ over the winter break. 2 weeks of building props for the party and 1 week to explore afterwards and a nice room at the Hyatt for the whole stay with a per diem at any of the hotel's 5 restaurants for meals. Probably the sweetest gig I've ever had.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Apart from just sharing time, here are some basic skills I have to share. I was a line cook for 10+ years so I know my way around a kitchen. I've owned a home for 10+ years so I've become pretty handy around the house with basic home repair projects. I make my living on the computer so I'm a pretty good generalist there as well.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Virgin Islands, British