CURRENT MISSION

To explore the nether regions of the Americas, from Mexico to Bolivia (at least) and much in between.

ABOUT ME

I could try to analyze my entire personality in this box, but I prefer to let you do that in person instead. I will say that I'm curious about everything, relish conversation, and am known everywhere I go by my laugh, which has been compared to the sounds of a bird , a horse, an opera singer, and who knows what else. I utilize it often. When I return to Seattle next spring, I will hunt for and hopefully obtain a teaching job at an alternative high school.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love meeting new people, especially those who also like to meet new people and explore this miraculous globe. Hospitality, I believe, is one of the highest callings in which we as humans can participate. It simply makes life much more interesting. What is more, I thoroughly enjoy falling asleep on couches (don't know why I own a bed).

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I'm new at this game, but hopefully not for long.

Interests

People: talking with them, watching them, laughing with them, reading about them... I'm especially partial to my family. Literature, poetry, movies, plays, discussions about these. Listening to many types of music, singing. Cooking, tasting new and different food, drinking wine and microbrews. Dancing (even though I'm not great at it), running, hiking, cross-country skiing. Teaching, which automatically implies learning much. Just sitting and thinking and praying.

• literature
• poetry
• singing
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• running
• drinking
• movies
• reading
• music
• opera
• hiking
• scuba diving
• skiing
• boxing

Music, Movies, and Books

I love much literature, but right now Jonathan Safran Foer's most recent novel "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" is a favorite, as well as Li-Young Lee's poem "The City in Which I Love You". I think the film "Crash" is well worth seeing, and I always go back to the French film "Amelie". As for music, I oscillate from Chopin to Counting Crows to Over the Rhine to Red Hot Chile Peppers and everything in between, although I tend to steer clear of country pop and heavy metal bands.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Recently, I've experienced the entire other universe of the ocean via scuba-diving, and I tried milking a cow (the poor beast).

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States