CURRENT MISSION

to know my song well & demonstrate the common body of religious, figurative language across varied traditions

ABOUT ME

i have founded a kickball league.
i have emcee'd a burlesque show.
i have had olives for breakfast.
i absolutely love languages & how they work.
i especially love dialects and accents & the people who use them.
i have traded stories of holy fools in islamic, christian and buddhist contexts.
i have accidentally run a marathon.
i have been a big brother.
i have studied under someone who studied under someone who studied under bruce lee.
i have baked a signature muffin & sold it.
i have nearly died over 10 times, including a child-sized block of ice falling from 80m+ above and smashing less than 2m behind me.
i have nearly infinite patience.
and
i have a story for you, to be sure.

PHILOSOPHY

appreciation is key.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

i have participated in the past as part of a WG (wohungsgemeinschaft) couchsurfer hosting family.
and as soon as i find a place to live, i will find a couch and open it to travelers or those who might find themselves dazed & confused in berlin.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

i recall hosting a czech girl whose name eludes me. she knew ingmar bergman better than i did, we talked a bit about mongolia's language & we shared a salad.
that was one of the loveliest, quiet evenings i've ever had.

Interests

japanese chess
kettlebells
languages/accents/dialects
chocolate

• books
• breakfast
• chocolate
• coffee
• marathon
• running
• movies
• chess
• jazz
• muslim
• kickball
• dialects
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

a movie: mystery science theater 3000
an album pair: Blauer Samt / Torch ; Indestructable / Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
a book: the phantom tollbooth

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

i have helped classrooms and living rooms full of people realize that there is more than one way to read a book. then i have seen them realize on their own that there is more than one way to live.

Teach, Learn, Share

>>japanese chess (shogi) strategies
>>translation of american idioms/ songs/ movies
>>my signature muffin recipe (bananas, nuts & butterscotch chips required)
>>tales of humor from zen and islamic cultures (e.g., mullah nasruddin/ nasreddin-hoca and various koans)
>>various tips & tricks of coffee-making
>>tales of indianapolis jazz