CURRENT MISSION

I must eat my way around the world!

ABOUT ME

I love to listen to people talk. I encourage everyone I spend time with, best friends and strangers alike, to share stories and anything they like. I'm easy to get along with because I encourage the opinions of those I talk to rather than try to get my own two cents in. I'm very eager to learn about new people, and also to learn new things about old friends. I have a big smile that I can't keep off my face most of the time, especially when I'm traveling. My girlfriend jokes: "you're a lover, not a hater, a giver, not a taker." With my friends, I am fiercely loyal, and I have often gone out of my way to be there for a friend in need. I'm very optimistic and positive; I find it easy to have fun doing just about anything. It's pretty rare to find me in a bad mood, especially now that I've graduated from University (the University of Iowa)!

PHILOSOPHY

I'll try anything twice.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Enthusiastically, consistently, and generally by using hot sauce.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

This space needs to filled with anything, anything at all! I can definitely say the website is easy to use so far... and that's from me, a computer-illiterate fellow. I have yet to surf any couches. Soon I'll have a real answer for this space.

Interests

One of the biggest motivators for me to travel is the food. Eating and cooking are huge passions for all sorts of people, including myself. I've worked as a cook for a couple of years, but really home cooking is what I enjoy. I am not a picky eater, quite the opposite actually! I love trying new things while I travel to get ideas of things to cook for my friends and family back home. Seeing the way different cultures eat is part of the joy of traveling. Not just what they eat, but when they eat, how much they eat, who they eat with, etc. Sports have been a pastime for me for a long time as well. I played rugby union at University for a little while, and that was some of the most fun I've had on an organized team. My best friend and I play a lot of basketball when we have time. We've been shooting hoops together for over 10 years, so for us it's like going to a bar and grabbing a beer together, something we bond over. My other biggest passion is music, especially singing. I love to sing. I have a very wide musical taste. I listen to things from 1960's soul like Jackie Wilson to heavy metal like Judas Priest. Singing-wise, I've had the most experience singing on stage, often in musicals. Even though I've really only ever performed showtunes and classical pieces, when I sing at home I like to sing rock and soul. Going to see live music is my favorite way to listen to anything, in fact I've been converted into a fan of many genres I never thought I'd enjoy because I've seen them live. If I had to pick a favorite show I've been to, I wouldn't be able to, but I'd put the Judas Priest show high on the list. The Tool show was amazing, and Rockapella puts on one heck of a show too!

• singing
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• exercise
• working out
• tv
• traveling
• magic
• music
• live music
• hunting
• sports
• basketball
• cricket
• rugby

Music, Movies, and Books

I love Dr. Strangelove, and Peter Sellers in general. I won't even try to list all the music I listen to, but I'm sure that's how most of you CSurfers feel! I'll mention Pantera, Alice in Chains, and definitely Sam Cooke because they would be highly ranked in my master list. I love to read, most recently I read a book called Callisto by Torsten Krol. It was hilarious, but maybe only for Americans who are skeptical of the government (so maybe it has international appeal after all). I'm sure 99% of us have read Harry Potter, but I personally prefer The Hobbit. Not all those who wander are lost!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Living and working in Mount Magnet, Western Australia was an experience I won't soon forget. Being from the small farming state of Iowa, USA, I thought I had a pretty good feel of small towns. However, traveling has a way of making you realize you know very little! I would estimate the population of Mount Magnet to be around 500 people, and it was hours away from any major city, or even a minor city. Not exactly a tourist destination, either. That said, most of the people I met and spoke with everyday were travelers, sort of. Truck drivers. Truckies as they say in Aussieland! You got to meet plenty working in a roadhouse, as I was. The Swagman Roadhouse, the only place to be in Mt Magnet, WA! The truckies are definitely a bit of a fraternity, and you have to get used to the idea that if they make fun of you, it means they like you. I found that to be the case with a lot of Aussies I met. I love their sense of humor. I actually truly miss being called a "bloody yank" every day. Anyway, being out there for two months was an exercise in how to enjoy the small things in life. It was an unusual and welcomed breath-of-fresh-air to have no cell phone, no internet, no car, and no worries! We did get 3 TV channels, and I did watch some excellent cricket matches. That's what this explanation is leading to, me watching cricket. The moment that left me awestruck was when I realized I enjoyed cricket. Just kidding, but it WAS pretty surprising.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have been studying exercise, nutrition, and physiology for a long time (compared to my age at least), so I can share plenty of advice on various proper ways to eat, work out, anything related to that. Oh, and I consider myself pretty nerdy in some respects. Not outwardly, but my intimate knowledge of things like the card game Magic: The Gathering reveal my nerd-ness. So if anyone likes to play a little Magic, I'll duel you anytime. I'm happy to talk food, always. X-men, a few Japanese comic series, not sure how I could impart knowledge about these things, but I'm willing to try!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, China, New Zealand, Singapore

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, United States