CURRENT MISSION

To Live In the LA Area Like a Pro

ABOUT ME

My wife Cynthia and I recently moved to LA. We were married in Georgia almost four years ago. Following that, we lived in Japan for two years and then attempted a coast to coast hike across America. Along the way, we found our seventeen pound dog, Jack. Now we are living in the great metropolis of LA and working. Cynthia is teaching art classes for STAR education and I am fixing bikes for REI. We are vegetarians with a deep and abiding love of animals. We hope to have more dogs in the future to keep Jack company.

PHILOSOPHY

We try to leave every person and place we encounter better than how we found them.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We Couchsurfed across the country while we were hiking coast to coast. We are hoping to establish a home of our own in the next few years and reciprocate some of the generosity we have experienced.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

It has been nothing but positive. We have had some wonderful stays and made some lifelong friends.

Interests

We are both print makers. Cynthia paints and crafts and makes beautiful things. I love bicycles, though I would rather be working on them than riding them, most of the time. We both love animals. Our dog Jack is a central part of our lives.

• animals
• dogs
• arts
• education
• yoga
• instructor
• crafts
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

Pyar: Books: The Scar, Snowcrash, The Dark Knight Returns, Ishmael,and WE3. Movies: High Fidelity, The Matrix, The Fountain, Tekkonkinkreet, and Samurai Champloo. Music: Jay-Z, Pentatonix, Weezer, Chromeo, and Duo Denim.

Cynthia: Movies: The English Patient, The Goonies, Say Anything, Children of Men, and Toy Story 3. Books: Thomas Lynch, Josephine Hart, Dave Eggers, Musashi, and David Sedaris. Music: Corrine Bailey Ray, Van Morrison, U2, Amos Lee, and Sean Mullins.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Seeing Michelangelo's David in Florence brought me to tears. I am usually bored to death in art museums but the perfection of the human form in the David was dumbfounding. I stood there crying for a very long time. I left knowing I had seen one of the greatest works of art in the world.

While living in Japan, some friends of ours took us to see fireflies. After the first visit, I rode my bike back, night after night to spend time with them. They are one of the world's most magical creatures.

My wife and I volunteered at an orphanage in Thailand during our Christmas holiday. On Christmas morning, one of the little girls came up to me for a hug and just started crying. I held her for an hour and she just cried and cried and cried. I have no idea why, but she really needed it. Afterwards, we spent the rest of the day together and since I have left, we have stayed in touch. I still have no idea what she has been through, but I love her like one of my own.

Teach, Learn, Share

Cynthia is a wicked painter, a rapidly developing dog trainer, and a pretty good yoga instructor.

Pyar can teach you how to fix anything on a bicycle, jump over your own arm and leg joined in a loop, and show you how to use or fix just about any kind of outdoor gear you can think of.

We are both handy around the house and strive to make the places we live better for our presence.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt, France, India, Italy, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Japan, United States