Hi, I'm a 31 year old single male standing at 183cm with blonde hair and blue eyes. I'm fairly apolitical, with a trend towards "all politicians are bastards so you might as well just vote for whoever is with you on a few important issues,".

I'm a Calgarian born and raised, but I spent a fair amount of my 20's travelling around small towns and in isolation in Western Canada doing Legal Surveying. Which to be fair was awesome, it's like getting paid to camp. Also, I discovered during this time that I have a deep and abiding love for cutting down trees. Not sure why, but using a chainsaw and an axe and tossing around branches all day long is like a little slice of heaven to me.

Anyways, that means that yes I do own a pair of cowboy boots.

I'm kind of a dabbler. I dabble in a little bit of painting here and there, some technical projects, I used to play bass and then dropped it, I usually try out a different sport each year, and I have an off and on again relationship with the gym. Currently, since I have a desk job now, I'm trying to have more of an "On" relationship but eeeecchhh. I mainly just try to stay active enough to be considered in shape.

I am ambivalent towards drug and alcohol use. It's not so much the drugs themselves, as much as it is the lifestyle around it. It's 2015, we've all smoked a joint here and there, but there's no excuse for letting your life fall to pieces because you're too busy getting high.

Anyways, I currently have a roommate so having anyone stay would probably only be a short term over the weekend thing since I work nights. Which for me is like Thursday to Sunday. But I DO have a Hide-a-bed couch. So, uh, there's that then.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Well, I like to meet people and save money. I don't really have anything against Hosteling since that's one way to do it, but I really want to spend some time getting to know the actual people in the foreign countries I visit. I mean, I can get trashed just as well at home for cheaper than doing it in another country.

So yeah, I want to meet the people who actually live there and see what their lives are like. Go down to the pub and have a pint while watching a game or playing cards. Go to the shopping mall or equivalent market. Maybe get a tattoo. I want to feel like I've actually made a connection with the place, as opposed to just breezing through in a drunken haze while being too busy taking pictures of art instead of appreciating it.

I figure that trying out Couch Surfing might be a fun way to do that. If I really hate it, I can always go to a hostel/hotel.

Interests

I honestly am pretty interested in everything. No, seriously. I will take your interests and make of them my own. I'm willing to try anything once, usually twice just to be sure.

• arts
• dining
• cooking
• breakfast
• pub crawls
• shopping
• traveling
• socializing
• painting
• camping
• surfing
• sports
• law
• mathematics
• medicine

Music, Movies, and Books

Wow. Uh, I have a lot of books. Mostly Sci-Fi and Fantasy books for escapism (yay! Escapism!) but I also really enjoy Historical novels and experimental books.

Some of my favourite authors would be Terry Pratchett, Christopher Moore, Tom Holt, Mark Childers, Steven Erikson, Ian C. Esselmont. Then of course we have all of the Science Fiction greats. Roger Zelany, Larry Niven, Asimov, Ben Bova, Dan Simmons, Jerry Pournelle, Harry Harrison, Robert Heinlein.

We'll be here all day if I keep naming them off.

Anyways, I love metal and synth for music. And grindcore. And Aqua. As well a large amount of Japanese anime music. Also I'm 50/50 on Indie and Folk music. For some reason when metal bands go over the top it's funny and something I get caught up in, when indie & folk music bands go over the top they just seem to be pretentiously serious about it.

But fuck, it's just music preferences. I can't stand people who bitch incessantly about music they don't like. Get over it already.

As for movies, I like b-horrors (for instance, RetarDead or ThanksKilling) and comedies. Stoner comedies from the 90's are awesome. Dark "Comedies" like "Falling Down" are also pretty good. Yes, I considered "Falling Down" to be a comedy for most of the movie. What else, I love old Sci-Fi. "A Boy and his Dog" and "Kin-Dza-Dza!" are some of my favourites. Kluu!

Oh, and Anime. I hate admitting that because dear lord is there a lot of bad anime out that is popular. But oh my god, Plastic Nee-san for instance is just so hilarious. It's like Monty Python, but with Japanese Cartoons. Then of course you have classics like Ghost in the Shell, or Akira, or Cowboy Bebop which I would watch for the soundtrack alone. Of course, everything Miyazaki has ever made is just ridiculously good and makes you wonder just how talented one person can be I mean really. What the fuck bro.

Anyways, it's not just limited to Anime. I am also a fan of Western Animation. Ralph Bakshi is both prolific and preachy but god damn was Heavy Traffic good. Not to mention the end of Wizards was hilarious. Also he did the animated Lord of the Rings series in 1978 and Fritz the Cat. There's also stuff like "Les triplettes de Belleville" and "L'illusionniste".

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have cut down a staggeringly large number of trees. I've been flown out a thousand kilometers from anywhere and cut down trees in lines while being stalked by bears, and Moose. Seriously, the moose are more frightening. I've sold vacuums, worked in a lumber mill apprenticing as a millwright, and I currently watch people sleep.

Watching people sleep is awesome, I have four days off a week.

Teach, Learn, Share

Do you have sleep problems? I can recommend you see a sleep doctor. Yeah, that sort of thing is important. Of course there are also common sleep hygiene things you can look up online. I would probably be more useful showing you how to get in to see a specialist or whatnot. Now, if you want to talk about CPAP masks and problems you're having with that, I can give you a bunch of personal experiences we've had with issues that we see while titrating patients in the lab that you can take to your physician or respiratory therapist and bother them about.

Now, if you're wanting some trees cut down, I can teach you how to do that like a pro. I can also help with math.

I can complain bitterly about Moose, the cold, and the Quebecois for, like, hours. I don't even really dislike any of them that much. It's just something to pass the time. Also Edmonton, screw you Edmonton.

Lets face it, if we're getting down to it then mostly I'll be seeing what it is around your home town that you always wanted to do but never had time for, and then we can go have that as an adventure. Alternatively, if you're staying at my place then Calgary is my home town and I can recommend lots to do here and in the surrounding area, and honestly if I have time I'd probably go do it with you.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Man, I am easy. Seriously, anything from just a place to rest my weary head is appreciated. I am flexible with time, hosteling isn't anything difficult to me and I travel light. I'm quiet and considerate with a strong respect for obligations placed on hosts and guests. Also I'm quite polite, er, well I curse a fair bit but not around children or priests. Well, not around children.

I do like to cook and try new foods, and to have a pint here and there. I am completely willing to shut up and listen about things I don't know about, since learning is fun, and to either go do a bunch of stuff with you or alternatively wander off on my own. I'm an adult, I can be by myself yo.

I'm not really too terribly sure what this couch surfing entails so far, TBH. Am I expected to spend a lot of time with you? To be a ghost who whispers in and out? I would buy my own food and such, and maybe make breakfast if I was up first. I mean, it would be like eggs, bacon and toast or something. I would also want to cook at least one dinner for you, since I like to cook and more importantly I love to be praised for my cooking.

Countries I’ve Visited

Mexico, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada