CURRENT MISSION

To increase awareness of community togetherness.

ABOUT ME

Welcome to the Land of Oprah! I live and work in the great city of Chicago as a researcher. Chicago is a fantastic city and I love showing people around, especially the hidden crazy parts.

PHILOSOPHY

Avoid complacency. But do your laundry. And floss regularly.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I host, but have yet to be hosted. . . will you be the lucky candidate?

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have hosted a few people so far, and communicated with a few people. And I have hosted a celebrity couch surfer--John Doe (from "X") unofficially couch surfed at my house last summer. Unfortunately I was in Nicaragua at the time so I didn't get to meet him. But my roommate did.

Interests

Reading, music, cycling, history, architecture, theater, art.

I really enjoy showing people around my city.

Did you know that Chicago is the home of the original Poetry Slam? If you are here on a Sunday, it is great fun!

• arts
• poetry
• theater
• architecture
• music festivals
• festivals
• clubbing
• reading
• music
• cycling
• history
• public policy

Music, Movies, and Books

If you are coming here to Chicago (or Illinois in general)put your google/wikipedia skills to work and read/watch/listen to the following (Disclaimer: just because it is listed here does not mean that it's a personal favorite...):

Carl Sandberg (poet)
Gwendolyn Brooks (poet)
Nelson Algren (writer)
Dave Eggers
John Prine (my home boy)
Buddy Guy
Patricia Barber
Ferris Buehler's Day Off (Movie)
Love Jones (Movie)
Adventures in Babysitting (Movie)
R. Kelly's film "Trapped In The Closet"--a true Chicago classic from a true Chicago pervert
Vachel Lindsay
Liz Phair (why not)
Cheap Trick (oh yeah)
The Band Chicago (please no)
The Polkaholics ("They Play Polka on Guitar")
Shellac/Steve Albini
Upton Sinclair
Son of Svengoolie
Buddy Guy
The Weather Underground
Jane Addams
Oprah
Louis Farrakahn
Kanye! or even better. . .Common!
Al Capone
Larry Dean (My friend--singer, songwriter, poet)
The Dials (My friend's band--shameless plug!)
The Soft Targets (My other friend's band)

There's a lot more! I'll keep adding.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Honestly the Grand Canyon is a really amazing experience. I don't think you understand how overwhelming it is until you are there.

Otherwise, I've traveled a bit. And the most amazing thing I've seen has to be basic human kindness and compassion.

Teach, Learn, Share

We're lucky to host a couple of world renowned music festivals--Pitchfork, and Lollapalooza, as well as a great local festival at one of the US's premier rock clubs, The Hideout.

OK, other than that. . .as a social researcher I have some knowledge of public policy and in particular issues of poverty and racial disparity facing folks in urban areas. I also do a fair amount of work in child welfare and public health. If you are into that, great! If not, I won't bore you, we can just zone out and watch Seinfeld reruns. I like doing that too.

Here are some chicago sites you can take a look at:

Around Chicago

* chicago.metblogs.com
* ChicagoReader.com
* Chicagoist.com
* Coudal.com
* GapersBlock.com
* LTHForum.com
* Me3dia.com

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Nicaragua, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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