Once I rode my bicycle across the USA. Then I was an experimental plasma physicist working on a $40 million flying trash can that will search for signs of life on Europa. Now I am working on a new type of spacecraft mass spectrometer that will enable us to scour the outer reaches of the solar system with the most precise and powerful techniques available to humankind. I like books, live music, hiking, and lifting.

I also do concert photography as a side gig. Check it: https://www.instagram.com/barri_boy/

I unfortunately am in a small place right now and don't foresee hosting anyone anytime soon. However, I'm always down to meet up for a beer, and I'd love to take you to a local music show (though I'll probably leave you alone for periods to go take photos).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love meeting new people, and when visiting a new place, it's so much better to hang out with the locals to get a slice of life.

Having said that, like many hosts, I'm really not terribly likely to make space for you if you don't bother reading my profile (or at least if I don't think you did). I understand that it takes exponentially more time to search through hosts to find someone you actually want to spend time with and explaining why than copying and pasting, but I receive so many requests that it's too easy for me to cut the stack by eliminating anyone who at face value appears to just be spamming everyone in sight. When people are vague about it, that almost makes it worse. If you say something like "you seem really cool :)" then that just looks to me like you're gaming the system and are trying to spam without making it seem like you're spamming. For christ's sake people, I'm a NASA physicist babbling about space aliens. Surely there is something specific you can find in my profile to reference so that I know you've read it. And this is not just for me; you should do this with all your messages to potential hosts. Your success rate will skyrocket.

Interests

• books
• concerts
• music
• live music
• hiking
• bicycles

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I worked in a record store for 4.5 years, so, I'm one of those assholes who likes to think he listens to everything. Recent obsessions include Deafheaven, Swans, Chelsea Wolfe, Steve Reich, Guitar Wolf.

I think music is incredibly fascinating. It's the only thing that everyone loves. I'm sure we all have friends who don't care for paintings or other visual arts or friends who hate watching TV or movies, but just think how crazy it would be to hear someone say 'I don't listen to music.'

I will listen to any type of music live (and most on recordings as well). Hearing live music is one of my passions.

Books: Anything by Borges, Homegoing, Stoner, Memoirs of Hadrian, The Master and Margarita, House of Leaves, Blood Meridian, 2666, Anna Karenina, War and Peace, The Iliad, The Monkey Wrench Gang.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I dipped a bicycle tire in the Atlantic, and then 10 weeks later I dipped it in the pacific.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can talk your ear off about introductory quantum mechanics, electricity and magnetism, plasma physics, and space science. In grad school studied the genesis of amino acids by hypervelocity dust impact in icy surfaces throughout the solar system. This is important because, if we can get it to work, then we can show that the building blocks of life can be created FUCKING ANYWHERE. I also performed laboratory studies to back up SUDA, which will assess the habitability of Europa's subsurface oceans and potentially find signs of life.

I love to learn about any and all topics. I have spent countless hours avoiding my homework or research so that I can instead read about random topics on wikipedia.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, India, Mexico, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States