[Current] Currently I am pretty low on time – however am happy to provide a place to crash and coffee in the morning! Please do note that I receive about a dozen requests per day and as a result responses may be short. I sincerely appreciate all the kind words and would definitely accommodate everyone if I could! -Zacko

I am a PhD student in applied mathematics from Cleveland, OH and recently moved to Toronto, ON. I definitely have a hunger for exploration and meeting new people alike. I teach mathematics at university, have research projects in mathematical biology & public health, love cooking, live car-free, and stay as active as time permits. I am happily addicted to a proper espresso with a sweet treat on the side.

More on: zjmccarthy.blogspot.ca

I would like to give a warmest welcome to you. While I am happy to provide a place to crash, oatmeal in the morning, and recommend the goods in Toronto – I am particularly interested in hosting those with ideas, thoughts, and stances. In other words, I would like to harbor discussion and thought - this vision entirely inspired by my experience surfing at a dear friend’s place.

I have my hands in quite a few projects so time may be limited and some dates not so opportune; but, I will do my best to accommodate. A few items to note: I am located North of city center, a short bus ride from either Sheppard West Station or Sheppard Yonge Station. Lastly, my place is rather empty – I sleep on blankets. If interested, please feel free to share something unique about you and we can go from there. Cheers!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The Idea:
Simply put, connection. For example, within an hour of downloading and using the "hangout" feature of the app I receieved a message from a fellow traveler who just arrived down the street from me. We met up, had a great afternoon together, and also met up for drinks later in the evening (with others who had joined us through the hangout feature!). Everyone was very friendly, interesting, and great to talk to. Novel experiences like these are why couchsurfing is such a wonderful tool.

Music, Movies, and Books

Self-help/self-improvement:
Stoddard's Time Alive: Celebrate Your Life Every Day, Carlson's Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and it's All Small Stuff, Buffett's Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment

Biography:
Chen's Colors of the Mountain, Ridley's Francis Crick: Discoverer of the Genetic Code

Novels:
Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha, Hinton's The Outsiders, James' The Children of Men, The Outsiders, Matilda

Misc/Fun:
Works of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Allen Ginsberg. Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed our World, Coffee: A Comprehensive Guide to the Bean, the Beverage, and the Industry, What French Women Know, Vagabonding, The Art of Travel

Film: Amelie, La Femme et la TGV, Antoine et Colette, L'écume des jours, Our Little Sister, Tokyo Sonata, The Man From Nowhere, Tae Guk Gi, A Bittersweet Life, Your Name, Dumplings

Moonrise kingdom, Gran Torino, Last Love, Million Dollar Baby, The Place Beyond the Pines, My Own Private Idaho, Terminator series, Jason Bourne series, Kill Bill series, Heat, Leon: The Professional, The Inside Man, Drive, House of Flying Daggers, Ip Man series, Spirited Away, Only Yesterday, No Reservations, The Shawshank Redemption, Fight Club, Forrest Gump, The Godfather series, Requiem for a Dream, A Beautiful Mind, Prefontaine, American Psycho, Death Proof, Django Unchained, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Tron: Legacy, GI Jane, Black Swan

Teach, Learn, Share

yes!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love to cook and I always have some good tea and coffee to share! I offer a unique perspective as an academic of sorts with very humble upbringing. I am also very happy to talk indefinitely about travel, teaching, politics, science, mathematics, philosophy, the human condition, and most importantly, how we feel and think about life.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, United States