I am a writer and graphic designer, and was publisher of Comic Relief Magazine back in the days when printed magazines were a viable business. My daughter has gone off to college, so when I can get away from my day job I'm interested in traveling, meeting new people, and doing research for my writing. Seeing a country from the point of view of the people who live there, rather than the tourism-industrial complex, is always preferable. Evenings in conversation about history, cinema, art and literature, accompanied by a good pint of ale or a good glass of wine, are what life is all about.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Back in the pre-Internet days I swapped magazine subscriptions for nights on people's couches and traveled inexpensively through many countries that way, making new friends. Today, as an ex-publisher, Couchsurfing.com is standing in as a great alternative to the magazine subscriptions. If you're interested in my couch, it is in the Sierra Nevada Mountain foothills, about 2 hours from San Francisco, 2 hours from Lake Tahoe, 30 minutes from Sacramento, and 30 minutes from Coloma, where gold was originally discovered in California. Plus I know where we can find a good pint of ale or a good glass of wine...

Interests

• literature
• movies
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Movies: The Graduate, Dersu Uzala, The Lord of The Rings, anything by Hitchcock. any historical epic exceeding three hours in length.
Favorite Music: The Beatles, Vangelis, Mozart (so, a range, but mostly older)
Favorite Books: Medieval and ancient history books, mythology, and anything by Neil Gaiman or J.R.R. Tolkien. But I can be caught with a pop novel from time to time.
Favorite Museums/Galleries: Musee d'Orsay in Paris, Galleria degli Uffizi in Firenze.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Backpacked almost 600km from the southern end of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the northern end, following the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail over the course of two months with my brother. But that was a long time ago.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know a little bit about a lot of things, but not a lot about any one thing, so I'm not sure what I can teach. But I enjoy telling stories and sharing experiences. I am trying to learn Italian so that I can couchsurf Italy and talk to people in their own language, because I think you learn more that way.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States