CURRENT MISSION

I've been VERY BLESSED to travel around the world for my work,& Now I want to do it FOR FUN! I Love People & the diversity of Human culture!

ABOUT ME

I'm here on Earth to reach my highest potential..so I am learning from the People around me,ALL THE TIME! Born in Chicago,but moved around A LOT as a child,since both my parents were Methodist ministers. In that church,the ministers get re-located to a new church/city every few years,so I lived in Iowa(Burlington & Des Moines),Canada(Toronto),Ohio(Columbus & Cincinnati),& Kentucky(Louisville & Paducah),before going to New Hampshire(Exeter) for my final year of high school. After that I came to New York to attend Columbia University,and I've been a New Yorker ever since(22 years!). I'm NOT religious,much more of a philosophical person. I believe in a Higher Power,but not 1 that is defined by "religion". I hope that whoever/whatever created the Universe is not as petty,insecure & small-minded as Humans can be! But how could it be,if it created the Universe?!? Ha! :-) I am in the music-world(Groove Collective co-founder,Giant Step co-founder,Turntables On The Hudson co-founder,Madrid de Los Austrias member,Dengue Fever part-time member,DJ around the world,produce music for Nickelodeon & Noggin,etc.)but I also love to write. Letters,blogs,emails,gibberish,whatever. And I'm currently learning about video-editing,so that is exciting,since film combines all the other art-mediums. Reading is my hobby,along with dancing...and producing new songs via my computer & my brain!

PHILOSOPHY

I live to Evolve,to keep growing & expanding my knowledge of Self,Others,& the World. I wake up excited about the new possibilities that I don't even know about yet! I want to keep connecting with The Tribe of spirits who are scattered around the planet,and who are HERE on CS!! We need each other,& the world needs US!! Governments & politics & religions & genetic "races" keep us separated,but we can find ways to unite ourselves without all that. And we are!! YES.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Right now,I just joined...& I'm planning on being in-transit for a few months,so I might not be able to host. However,I will participate by spreading the Good word about how wonderful the CS people are,and how we all can learn by traveling & sharing our lives! And I will cook,clean,share info & entertain for my hosts to the best of my abilities!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I just discovered the CS Project,but I'm a veteran couch-surfer going back to the 80's! A lonnnng time ago I was in a crazy psychedelic rock band(Dreamspeak),and this band toured around America in an old converted schoolbus,but wherever we would perform,we almost always needed a couch to crash on! And people of all ages & races opened up their homes to us,because we had played music for them,& they wanted to give back to us. I met some amazing people...farmers,chefs,designers,scientists,environementalists,folks who just believed in the goodness of humanity. And it made ME believe,too! Then when I left that band I moved outta their house,& for 2 or 3 months I couch-surfed right here in the Big Apple,New York City! Mostly with friends I already knew...but still,in NYC,it's hard to get people to share their homes,yet once they did,we had the BEST times!! So after that,when I got my own place,I started opening up my home to other travelers,whenever they needed it,because I wanted to share that experience & pass on the feeling of Trust. Also,in my travels overseas I've been lucky to meet some of the most giving & generous hosts,men & women who wanted me to see the hidden,underground flavors of their city or culture. Even if i wasn't staying on their couches,these people just went out of their way to show me around & make me feel at-home. I want to try this now for an extended time & see what happens! Thank YOu,in advance,to all the special people who are here on CS,making the world truly a better place to live in! Much Love to You All! I look forward to meeting you Soon!

Interests

Hmmmm....let me get back to ya on this one...kinda lengthy! Read my other posts & you'll get an idea.

• arts
• culture
• performing arts
• dancing
• cooking
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• music
• animation
• languages
• religion
• software

Music, Movies, and Books

Let's just say: The 3 J's:Jimi,James,& John(Hendrix,Brown,& Coltrane),& all their unlimited descendants.
Ok,here goes a more extensive,but only partial,list:
Tito Puente,James Brown,Jimi Hendrix,John Coltrane,DJ Premier,Ali Shaheed Muhammed,Groove Collective,Steely Dan,Jazzy Nice,Soul 2 Soul,dj Smash,Muddy Waters,Fela Kuti,Femi Kuti,King Sunny Ade,The Clark Sisters,Aretha Franklin,Rev. James Cleveland,Mahalia Jackson,Frank Sinatra,Dr. Dre,Notorious B.I.G.,Louie Vega,Kenny Gonzalez,Carl Craig,Charles Mingus,Miles Davis,Dizzy Gillespie,Cachao,Los Papines,Los Munequitos,Ray Barretto,Celia Cruz,Jerry Gonzalez,Andy Gonzalez,Fania All-Stars,Ruben Blades,Jorge Ben,Carlinhos Brown,Ile Aiye,Irrakere,Papo Pepin,Pello Afrikan,Fort Knox 5,Nightmares On Wax,Gilles Peterson,Kruder & Dorfmeister,Ravi Shankar,Anoushka Shankar,Ustaji Hussein,Rakim,KRS-One,Digital Underground,Nickodemus,Mariano,MC Extra Cheeze,Frank Zappa,Jay-Z,Los Chicharrones,Nucao Zumbi,Chico Science,Bootsy Collins,George Clinton & P-Funk,Earth Wind & Fire,Gap Band,Rick James(bitch!),pre-surgery Michael Jackson,Quincy Jones,Teena Marie,Billie Holiday,Janis Joplin,B.B. King,Chaka Khan & Rufus,Mary J. Blige,The Who,Stevie Wonder,Roy Ayers,Duke Ellington,Count Basie,Cab Calloway,Louis Jordan,Kurt Vonnegut,Phillip K. Dick,Frank Herbert,Isaac Asimov,Ray Bradbury,Rod Serling,Gene Roddenberry,Malcolm X,Gandhi,Buddha,Martin Luther King,Abbie Hoffman,The Apocryphal Books of the Bible,Alice Walker,Toni Morrison,W.E.B. DuBois,Zora Neale Hurston,Orson Welles,Thomas Edison,Nelson Mandela,Nikolai Tesla,Aristotle,Plato,Cheikh Anta Diop,Mad magazine,Marvel Comics,The Jerk,Peter Sellers,Hunter S. Thompson,Dreamspeak,Monty Python, Terry Gilliam,Albert Einstein & A MILLION MORE!!!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Early one morning a friend snuck us into a natural hot springs(onsen) in Nagano,Japan so that we could share it with some amazing snow-monkeys!! They are like humans in so many ways...we are definitely cousins! :-) They weren't bothered at all by us being there,they just looked a little curious,same as us. And....one time I snuck into The Coliseum in Rome,Italy & we smoked a nice spliff & dedicated it to the ancients. And....there are many more adventures!! Just ask me,personally.

Teach, Learn, Share

Can Teach:The Yang(short)form of Tai Ch'i,The 1st form of Wing Chun Kung Fu,a LOT of Afro-Cuban rhythms(guanguanco,tumbao,etc.),Haitian rhythms(Petro,Nago,Kita,etc.),Brazilian rhythms(maracatu,Axe,Forro,Samba,etc.),PuertoRican(Bomba,Plena,etc.).
I am VERY good at LogicPro,AcidPro,Reason,Cubase,Photoshop,Illustrator,& other software programs.
I want to learn languages,esp.Italian,Hungarian,Japanese & Chinese. And the Kama Sutra(just waiting for the right partner).