CURRENT MISSION

... to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, And by opposing end them

ABOUT ME

quix·ot·ic (kwk-stk) also quix·ot·i·cal (--kl)
adj.

1. Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; idealistic without regard to practicality.

This is how my housemate described me the other day, and I suppose in many ways it's rather accurate. Don't get me wrong - I'm reasonably good at being practical, and have achieved some of my goals; but living without an overactive imagination just doesn't seem like living.

I'm a high school english teacher by trade, and musician / novelist by night. Or, as Chekov might have put it, teaching is my wife, and music is my mistress. If you're really that interested, you can check out my tracks on my uber-low-fi website (www.backtothewalls.com). I suppose checking up on someone's music taste isn't such a bad way of ascertaining important elements of their personality. Anyway, think your worst.

I've come rather late to travelling, so find myself in the position of being both highly organised, and extremely naive and excitable. This is not such a bad combination.

PHILOSOPHY

I must resort to quoting e.e. cummings here:

since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am an excellent conversationalist. I think. I love to cook for people as thanks for their hospitality. I may or may not be carrying a ukelele on me at any given time, and know some appropriate songs.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I haven't used this website before, but have always lived in a welcoming house which has had many travellers, heartbroken lovers, and itinerant workers through. I've always been thankful for the friends who have been able to do the same, and look forward to doing more of both here.

Interests

I think these are probably self-evident from the rest of my entries, but in summary, and in no particular order:

Playing musical instruments
Dinner parties
Ella Fitzgerald
Riding bicycles
Crossword puzzles
The crazy intersection between cosmology, philosophy and psychology
Poetry
Maple syrup
Dreaming big

• poetry
• cooking
• partying
• traveling
• puzzles
• music
• teaching
• psychology

Music, Movies, and Books

Oh, you know, like, everything:

Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Derrida for philosophy, FItzgerald, Woolf, Martin Amis for prose, cummings, O'Hara and Yeats for poetry.

Currently on high rotation: Joan Jett, Dylan, Elvis Presley, P.J. Harvey, a selection of Appalachian ballads, The Who, Paul Simon, Tony Joe White, Me'shell Ndegeocello, The Roots.

Recently celebrated "John Cusack Week" with a fine curatorial selection of excellent material (if you haven't seen Grosse Point Blank, then you really should). I have a weakness for sci-fi and zombie films, especially when they're either really generic (Day of the Dead) or kind of thought provoking (Gravity). On every other night, all watch anything by Woody Allen.

That's probably a very inaccurate summary.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'd like to be remembered for throwing some really great dinner parties. The dynamics of a successful one are inexhaustibly indescribable.

Teach, Learn, Share

You will have to meet me in person to get this, and then you'll probably get too much of it. Apologies in advance.