I'm extremely outgoing, highly adventurous and about as vivacious as they come. I love the city, but just as much the outdoors - I'm equally content spending a day in a museum as on a beach (and everywhere in between).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'd love to really experience what life is like in the various places I plan to visit and can think of no better way than spending some time with the locals.

Interests

My primary interest and passion is writing. I'm an aspiring writer and this takes up a good deal of my free time. As such, I'm huge on literature and philosophy. Additionally, I'm something of an Audiophile and love live music like as I do few other things. I'm also very into cycling and love being outdoors: as far as I'm concerned, few places are as wonderful as the mountains.

• writing
• literature
• music
• live music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• teaching
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

My musical tastes are wide and varied, encompassing everything from Hardcore Punk to Experimental Electronic music. Some of my favorites from across genres include Pavement (Alternative/Indie Rock), The Velvet Underground (Classic/Experimental Rock), The Pixies (Alternative Rock), Radiohead (Alternative Rock/Experimental), The XX (Alternative Rock), J Dilla (Instrumental Hip-Hop), Madvillain (Rap/Hip-Hop), Four Tet (IDM), Tycho (Down Tempo), Bonobo (Down Tempo/Trip-Hop) and Aphex Twin (IDM).

My favorite director is Stanley Kubrick, who I hold is the incontrovertible master of Western film. My favorite film of all time - if I had to pick one - would be his '2001: A Space Odyssey'. I'm also quite partial to the Cohen Brothers - of which 'The Big Lebowksi' is my favorite - Quentin Tarantino (primarily his early work, especially 'Pulp Fiction') and David Fincher ('Fight Club'). Other favorite films include 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and 'American Beauty'.

My favorite books fall across a similarly wide spectrum. My all-time favorite fiction writer is Kurt Vonnegut, and his 'Breakfast of Champions' is probably my favorite novel. Although I've mostly grown out of existentialist literature, Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 'The Brothers Karamazov' remains a favorite. Having done a philosophy education, many of my favorite books are works of philosophy, chief among them Ludwig Wittgenstein's 'The Philosophical Investigations' and Friedrich Nietzsche's 'Beyond Good and Evil'.
Lately I've been reading more contemporary literature. I'm currently a big fan of Tom Robbins (especially 'Jitterbug Perfume'), Thomas Pynchon, David Foster Wallace, and I have something of an appreciation for Dave Eggers. I've also been delving into Latin American literature some, where Gabriel Garcia Marquez has really stood out to me.
I don't read very much poetry, but I do love Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl' (and at one time had some of it memorized).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I rode my bike from San Francisco to San Diego. It took me two weeks. It was awesome.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have experience with tutoring, specifically academic English, but skills that translate far outside the academic domain. I'm happy to offer my skills as an English tutor to anyone who'd like to learn conversational English.

Countries I’ve Visited

Mexico, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States