CURRENT MISSION

Getting settled in Southern Pennsylvania; exploring the land of the civil war, the Amish, and the Appalachians. Trying to find another obscure sport to fill the void curling has left in my life.

ABOUT ME

Eclectic, I think that just about summarizes me.

My company just moved me to Pennsylvania from Wisconsin. I was just getting settled in Green Bay, but now it's time to uproot and explore some more. I curled there, now I need to find a new sport here. Might as well take advantage of the opportunity to see the country while I have it.

I'm hoping to get a chance to explore much of the eastern US while I'm out here.

I have been called a Renaissance Man and an anachronism.

PHILOSOPHY

Somebody (was it James Joyce?) said that the journey of Odysseus from Troy back to Ithaca is a story of our lives. It's not about the end we're trying to get to, even though that propels us onward, it's about the path that we take to get there. In the very least, it came from somewhere in Thomas Cahill's "Sailing the Wine Dark Sea".

Also, a few quotes:

But where our hearts truly lie is in peace and quiet, and good tilled earth. For all Hobbits share a love of things that grow. - Bilbo Baggins

I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals - Winston Churchill

There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good. - Edwin Denby

Uh, I ran out of ice sir, so I used bourbon - Radar O'Reilly

Words ought to be a little wild, for they are the assaults of thoughts upon the unthinking - John Maynard Keynes

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are - Brillat Savarin

And finally, "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati".

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

For now, my friend and I need a couch or two for our trip to Greece and Turkey. I love this idea because we get to meet people who actually live where we're going, rather than suffering the antiseptic environment of a hotel.

After that, when my furniture arrives at my house, it becomes a couch for people to use.

Interests

Just about anything under the sun. Mostly things outdoors. I'm game to try just about anything.

Particular interests include backpacking, cooking, making wine, gardening, and playing piano. Other interests: running, biking, paddling, playing cards, drinking wine, philosophizing, and exploring.

For the most part, I speak English. I had several years of high school Spanish, then took a semester of college Italian and ended up very confused.

But not too confused to understand "tengo tu nariz!" when I heard some children at a local department store. That was priceless.

• cats
• dogs
• dancing
• environment
• cooking
• wine
• running
• drinking
• gardening
• socializing
• piano
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• backpacking
• canoeing
• sailing
• sports

Music, Movies, and Books

I've been trying to read some of the "classics" with some hits and some misses. I switched to non-fiction with the same result. Now I'm just jumping back and forth. I just finished listening to "The Time Traveler's Wife". Before that was "Packing for Mars".

Just about anything goes for music. Movies, if I don't care for them, I'll fall asleep (it's an amazing talent, I know)!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Canoed the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota/Canada. In the course of that trip, learned how (and how not) to carry a canoe, survived brushes with death on the open water in the midst of a horrendous storm, appreciated fire and the sun like never before, fell asleep to the sound of the loons.

Teach, Learn, Share

Wine making is easy. Curling is a lot of fun. Gardening (the world of soil and plants) is fascinating.

Countries I’ve Visited

Costa Rica, Ireland

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States