CURRENT MISSION

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. - George Bernard Shaw

ABOUT ME

I feel very lucky to have grown up in Europe and had the opportunity to travel a lot as a kid. It's so great to be able to go a relatively short distance and experience a completely different culture, language, history, etc. I have a thirst to experience new things and see the world. I hope that feeling never dies.

PHILOSOPHY

Don't sweat the small shit. Don't plan too far ahead. Make the best of what you got.

That's pretty much what got me through several months of riding a bike solo through Europe in 1986. Most people I know wouldn't think of moving all their belongings into storage and just heading out with no plan but that made for one of the best experiences of my life. I just wish I could get away with doing that again. I'd definately be up for that.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've hosted two CouchSurfers so far and both were great experiences. Sometimes you just don't get around to the touristy things in your own city unless you have someone with you to show it off to. I thoroughly enjoyed showing Alex around Chicago and also rediscovering some things myself. Jeanette was on a life journey with her daughter and meeting her grandson and I was honored and thrilled to be able to help facilitate that and be part of that in even a small way. Certain things are just meant to be and her visit was one of those things that, I think, was predestined in many ways. Whether it be fate, karma, God's will or whatever you want to call it, CouchSurfing and the connections you can gain through it can be the best part of your trip as a surfer or an incredibly rewarding experience as a host.

Interests

I suppose I could count some of my college majors as interests so I would say that I love art, photography, architecture, and music. I love to ski and mountain bike (road bike too but that's boring and dangerous in the big city.

• arts
• culture
• architecture
• photography
• drinking
• traveling
• music
• cycling
• skiing
• tour de france
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite movie from the last couple of years was Shaun of the Dead. Let's go to the Winchester!!! I watch a lot of foreign and independent films for a different viewpoint on cinematography. Hollywood is fine but a lot of what they put out is commercial crap. I haven't had the time to read much lately but I enjoy reading about history and non-fiction. I also enjoy fantasy/science fiction but am usually too busy to get wrapped up in a story. I listen to all types of music. Mostly rock, blues, jazz, and classical. I'm a serious deadhead who has been to about 150 Grateful Dead concerts and I still have a few brain cells left.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'd have to say the most amazing thing I've done was my bike trip through Europe I mentioned before. There were so many amazing little events on that trip. I spent almost half my money for the trip in the first few days while in Amsterdam but I finally made it out alive. I finally got to Ireland to see where my family is from. I got to see the end of the Tour de France in Paris. I got to go back to the area I grew up in as a kid and realized how stupid I was to not recognize what a great opportunity it was for me. I got to work for Guinness for a few weeks and got paid to drink myself into a stupor every night. Ahhh...the good old days. I thought being on a submarine for three years would be pretty amazing too and I guess it was but they forgot to tell me that there weren't any windows on it so I could look out for giant squid that might attack.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States

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