CURRENT MISSION

To see the world, to share the world, and share experience with others

ABOUT ME

Hi,
I'm a 30 something guy living in Seattle, WA USA. I would say I'm a typical Northwest guy, but that might not mean a lot to most people. I'm an outgoing, outdoorsy individual who likes to hike, snowshoe, bike, camp, and backpack quite a bit. Though I live in the city I spend a lot of my free time outside of the city when I can. I also enjoy ocean kayaking and am getting into that as well. Though in the day-to-day you'll find me in the city meeting up with friends for a meal (out or made at home), grabbing a drink or seeing live music. I also like to take walks through the neighborhoods and try to find places I haven't seen or that seem less travelled. I've lived in Seattle for ten years and am a native of Washington. I love Seattle and think people should visit it (best weather is after July 4th through to the end of Sept).
I've travelled around a lot of the U.S. as well as a couple trips to Europe. I've been to a number of countries, but spent the most time in Italy and Germany (my oldest sister lived in Heidelberg and I loved it there, enjoyed wandering about the markets, riding a bike along the Nekar). I wish I'd been more places and been more adventurous, but find myself doing more and more of that. I will be going to Italy in May 2008 for a wedding and am looking forward to seeing the country again, especially Rome which marvelled me when I was there last time.
I'm a pretty easy-going guy who likes most people, but can be a little shy at first (though my friends are always baffled when I say that:). Anyway, my friend Brad referred me to couchsurfing and I'm excited to try it (both hosting and visting) as I love the concept as a wonderful way to reach out and meet new people. If someone is looking to stay in Seattle let me know. I'm about 5 miles from downtown and have a bus 1/2 a block from my house (takes 15 minutes to get downtown).

PHILOSOPHY

I don't know that I have one distilled philosophy or idea that guides my life. I'm working to try and not let fear or comfort be the boundaries of my experience. I think it is important to try new things. Recently I decided to quit my job and will be taking some time off and going back to school to try new things. I'm working to align my profession with my interests

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am looking to meet new people both in visiting other place and am offering my place as a place to stay and am happy to show people around the sites of Seattle and the surrounding areas as I'm available.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I'm a rookie and new to this at this point, but hope to change that soon.

Interests

My interests are fairly varied. As mentioned above I love to get outdoors and in the summer tend to a lot of hiking and backbacking (and kayaking when I have enough time). Locally I'm a bit of a homebody, but like to go out to eat, catch a beer with friends, or watch live music. I also enjoy downtime with a movie, going out to throw the frisbee or walking around the parks with my dog Kelsie

• dogs
• beer
• walking
• drinking
• juggling
• music
• live music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• camping
• snowshoeing
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Movie: The Sweet HereAfter, Farewell My Concubine, Volver
Music: Lots of bluesgrass and alt-country, and "indie" such as Gillian Welch, Neko Case, Wilco, The White Stripes, The Shins, Josh Ritter, Sufjan Stevens, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and on and on and on
Books: My personal favorite is The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, but I'm also a fan of Steinbeck and James Joyce. I like a lot of books so it is hard to name them all. One of my recent favs was Mountains Beyond Mountains

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I went kayaking to the Broken Group Islands located in the Vancouver Island area and watched whales pass within yards of me. I've watched a beggar juggling for money and radiate a smile beyond that of all the people passing him by.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to camp and am happy to promote that interest with people.
I'm a techie and am always willing to help people with computer problems...
I'm interested in learning about more cultures and gaining a wider view of the world. I like to thing of myself and educated, but feel like there is still a lot I don't know and can stand to learn.

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