Couch Surfing Portland

I hosted a couch surfer this week. His name is Seth and, as it turns out, he’s a super nice guy who just graduated from Georgia and is moving to Seattle to work with Americorp.  

The deal we made was he’d stay on my couch (actually a bed upstairs) in exchange for bringing me some boxes I had left behind in Atlanta. Seth is fast becoming a professional couch surfer, joining the ranks of some 1+ million couch surfers world wide. The mission behind this project is to “create a better world, one couch at a time”. I’m not sure if Seth’s world is any better after staying in my spare room but it was the first bed he’s slept in since August 1, so I can’t imagine it’d be any worse. You can check out what couch surfing is all about at http://www.couchsurfing.org/ 

Everyone has a story: it just depends if you’re willing to hear it. This week I was all ears. My friends Robert & Mike live in my neighborhood. I randomly met Robert at an art walk downtown a month or so ago. Amazingly, he and his partner live 5 blocks from me. Robert is a painter and his partner Mike is a teacher. Robert once modeled and walked the runways of Europe. Both have authored books. And how cool is it that they own a desk that belonged to the 3 Stooges? 

This week also took me to outside Lebanon, Oregon, with a man I’ve been dating to check out parts for a ‘63 Studebaker he’s working on. In the process I befriended the wife of the Studebaker guru we came to see. Again, I was treated to a great story. While the men spent the better part of the day outside, Jean and I gabbed inside. I found her story compelling. Her Great Aunt raised her. At 16 ½ she and her high school sweet heart moved to California. They married. Eventually she kicked him out and then married John, the Studebaker guru. She’s worked in an office environment, owned her own hair salon, sold that salon, retired. She knits, sews, cans food, dries herbs and on this day was cooking a filet mignon in a crock pot.

My best friend Mindy arrives this week and our high school friend Lisa, who lives here in Portland, joins in the festivities, which will include a girls’ sleepover.  Lucky for me, Lisa and her husband Ross just gave me their couch, which means couch surfing Portland continues.