The Couchsurfing Radio Host- Couch Surfing Ori

What did I do in Dallas?

Billboard climbing

Art fair

warehouse party

consulting

met new people

got a speaking and mc gigs for next month

played poker (learned to play poker actually)

There was more… and that’s why you need to listen to Episode 7.  You can hear what the listeners who got their consulting thought, and check out a funny conversation with Jason Moffatt.  That reminds me– this is the first episode to have the word “shit” in it.  I was wondering how long the G rating would last

[podcast]http://www.couchsurfingori.com/couchsurfing-radio/couchsurfing-couchcasts/Couchsurfingradio-Couchcast-number7-February-08-2010-Jason-moffatt-dallas-adventures-art.mp3[/podcast]

Download the episode for home/car/plane/etc.. listening.

I guess I'm also an interior designer

When a good friend came home from a great time in Vegas, to the negative energy of a breakup, he got in a funk.  I came up with an idea!  Let’s rearrange the place, and change the energy!

I wasn’t asking, and my energy caught on quickly. Within minutes we had a plan:

The master bedroom would be the new office.

The old office would now be my room.

The room that was mine will now get the kingsize bed from the master bedroom.

We quickly disassembled the large furniture, moving it, and quickly the plan took shape.  The entire energy of the house was changing!

When the girl came home in the morning to get more of her stuff Read the rest of this entry »

Notice a difference between these photos?

“Ori is the first photographer to get pictures of me that actually look like me. #onereasonheisawesome” Elizabeth Potts Weinstein wrote this after seeing the first photo I sent her from our weekend’s shoot.

I had promised her that I would give her a different look.  Maybe I’m a photo elitist, but I thought her old photos were pretty generic, and certainly did not capture her personality.

The outfits were corporate (turns out she didn’t even own a tshirt, and hasn’t worn one in about 10 years), the smiles seemed fake.  These photos did not say to me “I am adventurous, like to enjoy life, and even used to go spelunking!”

When I found out that EPW didn’t even own a tshirt, I immediately made sure that all our shots were in tshirts…. which led to an interesting phenomenon… Elizabeth actually had an awkward moment… she has not worn a tshirt in so long, that it felt alien to her.  She even looked different.

Once we got past outfits, I rummaged through my stuff… what would be different than corporate looking pics?  How about swords, helmets, skateboards, vodka, and wearing silly hats?  Oh yeah, let’s not forget Ziplining.  Read the rest of this entry »

Cahir, Lots of sheet music, and a voltran-lookings-sword

I will still carry more than I want.  But I want to rent out my place.  Last time I tried to rent it out, I met Angela, who is the deepest relationship I’ve had in my life (so far)…. but that’s another story.

To rent it out, I need to empty it.  By most people’s standards, that means packing and storing everything.  I’m sick of stuff… It kind of weighs me down.  I can’t leave permanently, ’cause there’s the stuff there… well.. I’m not going to rant about it, as I already did that.

Here’s a video that Read the rest of this entry »

Eric and Nelle

The other day I posted about my visit to Eric Farewell’s place, and I said that I’d post some pictures, so … here they are.  The funny thing is that one of the reasons we met was because Eric liked my camera.  This time, he liked my new camera as well, but I had a hard-on for this lens he had: 35mm 1.4.  It’s very crisp, and lets you blur out the background pretty well also.  And.. it’s also the lens all of these are shot with: Read the rest of this entry »

So THAT'S where my flip-flops went!

I woke up at 6am today.  Bamba was on the bed… he’s figured out how to jump. Bowser was trying to climb up… he hasn’t figured out that you can get on the bed with a running start.  He was chewing on something….. I had a feeling it was something he shouldn’t be chewing on.  Closer inspection reveals…. something he shouldn’t be chewing on, but I wasn’t sure what! 

This was some fabric… leather… with many cross stitches and a portion of a strap.  Mom later says “I think I figured out what it was he was chewing on…. your shoe!”  Yup… it was my flip-flop.  I had finally gotten used to wearing flip-flops around.  So… what to do?  A photo shoot, of course! 

Meet my parents’ new puppies (now a few months old), Bowser (the white one), and Bamba (the black one):  Read the rest of this entry »

Phil & Kathy

It’s strange when someone you know dies. My grandfather died when I was young.  My grandmother died when I was younger- I don’t really remember her.  I’ve seen various people die on tv and movies… but I have yet to have someone that I’ve couchsurfed with die… until 2 days ago.  Couch #9 passed away. It -like most things – made me think.  The people we interact with have their own lives, but we can impact those lives.  Sometimes a smile at a stranger is enough– or a dirty look.  I tweeted this quote by Brandi Snyder the other day:

“To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.”

Read the rest of this entry »

This normal for Burning Man

Everyone always asks me about Burning Man.  It’s a whole other world.  Here’s a glimpse into a normal moment at Burning Man.  You wake up (if you’ve gone to sleep), you wonder where the giant cannon that was next to your tent has gone.  There’s the usual people biking by in their costumes, the music coming from all directions as mutant vehicles drive by, and then you see a bunch of people from camp walking hurriedly to the next camp.  Something is up! You investigate.

Our camp was “Lego Land” – titled so because we had a house that looked like it was made of Legos, and a whole bunch of “life-size” Legos for people to come and build with (they took days and day to build!) – and it had an awesome location: 9  o’clock and Esplanade (right on the playa). I walked past the Lego house (which I was camped directly behind), and voila… there’s the cannon! With a big group of people smiling from ear to ear.  Oh yes, this was going to be good.  I forgot that I was tired and had just woken up. Cannon, Flame Thrower, Smiles…. Read the rest of this entry »

Why would I put a question mark as the picture to represent adventures, people, and photography?  I am announcing that I have just launched the Photography Page of my website!  In this section, I have over 1,000 photos (there will be many more added), and I couldn’t decide on what one image would represent all that.

In the last 3 years of couch surfing, I’ve photographed models, babies, animals, landscapes, parades, emotional moments (like when I bought Riplee & Brandee’s wedding, and they were crying), sports, and of course, my various adventures (such as rock climbing, hanging with the vigilantes, or training with cage fighters).

So… drumroll please:  I am pleased to announce that I have just set up the Photography Page of my website! The URL is http://www.CouchSurfingOri.com/Photography (or you can just click on it from the menu at the top of my blog).  Currently, I just put it up so you can see it.  I will work on sorting it into individual albums, and updating it (currently, it’s mostly 2007/2008 stuff).

Enjoy the images, tell a friend, tell me if you have anything that you really liked, and stay tuned for more exciting updates!

All sorts of Ballon Boy Tats are out there

With Balloon Boy getting so much media attention, you knew it wouldn’t be long till you saw him all over people’s bodies! Here are the most popular designs that I’ve been able to find in my travels.

Leave a comment- which ones’ your favorite? Got a good caption for any of ‘em? Read the rest of this entry »

Some people know me “oh so well!” Big shout out to Holly for sending me an email that had my name all over it (well.. only in the To line… but it was clearly targeted at me):  Rare Magazine Presents Dos Equis Rare Academy” -

Get Your Masters in Interesting

The world’s premiere institution for the education and dissemination
of the study of being interesting, the Most Interesting Academy, will
for the first time in its long and storied history, open its doors to
you. This is your chance to acquire awe-inspiring skills and eclectic
knowledge.
 Read the rest of this entry »

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Bull Poker at its best

I admit, this started out as a conversation where Katherine Hoppe (My incredible host in Coos Bay, Oregon) said to her friend Julie Miller (My incredible host in Bandon, Oregon) over dinner (I had Elk Burger… a mini-adventure, trying something new), “So… what kind of an idiot would get involved in this thing called Bull Poker?”  and she described it a little….. So, I raise my hand, and say “Gosh! That sounds like fun!”  Yet, when I decided to do it, I thought it’d be a great adventure…. something rare enough, to where I never hear of  it… a rush that’s cheaper than flying to Spain, and a new experience to share with you, dear reader.  I assure you that this was one of those things that I didn’t tell Mom & Dad until after I lived through it. Read the rest of this entry »

The Junk King himself

When I was a child, I collected junk.  Lots of electronics, lots of glass items, lots of metal things.  I was the only 5 year old on the block with his own soldering iron.  I, unlike Vince, did not spend 20 years making a palatial structure made solely of junk.  While I took many photos, this video captures the experience much better, as you get to see how it’s all put together, and walk through the Cathedral of Junk. Read the rest of this entry »

In November, I was at Matt Bacak’s Marketing Madness.  It was friggin amazing!  In fact… since I’ve been telling y’all how great Twitter is– THAT’s the reason I got on twitter… ’cause there was a Tweet-up, and I wanted to meet people before the event.  Anyways-  Dave Lakhani is one of the world’s leading experts on persuasion… and he’s darn good!  He’s a best selling author, a father, and… a really big guy!  He used to be a boxer.  So, when he presents to the group, he tells them to turn off all technology, or he’ll crush it.  Having had my camera, I had to make this lovely motivational poster! Read the rest of this entry »

I just ordered a Canon 5D MK II, and if it wasn’t for having been victim of scams before, I would’ve probably fallen for this one… Read the rest of this entry »

*sigh* When I used to spin out, crash into something, get hurt, fall, or anything that scares most people… I used to say “Adventure!” and smile about it. Smashing into stuff is getting old. I might do it all day long, if it weren’t for the costs involved! I wrote about how I traveled through a blizzard, and didn’t get injured, despite spinning off the road into a ditch. I thought I won, but in actuality, nature won again….

Read the rest of this entry »

Driving from Chicago to Omaha in snow was scary’ish… I thought I was tough shit for driving through a snow storm. A snowstorm that had just started, and was flurrying. That is child’s play compared to the storm I drove through from Omaha, Nebraska to Salt Lake City, Utah. Oh my F’in god! This was difficult! Most of the drive I had no cell phone reception… so… I called people, and said “Oh yeah… this is a tough drive… slippery roads… rough flurries to the point where I can’t see — especially when I’m behind a giant truck. Good thing I got into that accident in January, so I learned how to drive on ice…. just tap the gas to re initiate traction, turn into the swerve, and you’re good to go!” — This WAS the case. Read the rest of this entry »

Summary: Ori & Angela wake up at the glamorous Allegro hotel in Chicago, see the craziest things from the front lines, and show you many photos of this unique event.
Read the rest of this entry »

Brooklyn was a blast! I got to hang out with some very like-minded people! There were a lot of jokes, and a lot of music. Couch 60 was a recording studio, Xyayx Productions. Q of Xyayx not only teaches digital recording at Brooklyn College, but also has a huge community initiative: helping people achieve their dreams, and empower themselves. From getting your GED, to getting on your way to being a recording artist…. Q can do it. One of his students at the school is this kid, Texas. Texas is one of the few students that is invited to the house to work, and learn… an intern of sorts. He’s also a rapper, that can rap VERY fast! He wanted some photos from me, but could not afford the special rate I gave of $75. I wanted him to have my photos, but do not believe in a free lunch, so worked out a deal with him:

Read the rest of this entry »

When I started this trip, one of my intentions was to speak to school children about adventures, about living your dreams, about photography, and of course about making sure you question authority! I have to admit that I’ve been sort of slacking in that department (pursuing the presentations), but as you all know, I got mad-crazy luck (See the Brooklyn-speak ) and what I want usually happens through coincidences. So.. couch 60 (Q) works at Brooklyn University, teaching Digital Studio Recording. I went with Q to work one day, and he introduced me to the program director, and when she told me what they are doing, I volunteered to do a lecture. Turns out they were actually in the works on a guest speaker series… So,I’m excited to say that I am the launch lecture to that series. Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday was Halloween. I was going to meet up with my buddy Dave from south Florida. I met him at Ultra 2003 in South Beach, and then in 2005 he moved to NY. A lot’s changed for us both. I took the subway, and walked. I brought my caveman outfit. I got to Dave’s place, and the doorman said he already left. I was slightly infuriated, as I don’t like people wasting my time. At least there was a big parade that I could catch. Here are the photos from that:

Read the rest of this entry »

My alarm was set for 3:30am, and I left at 4am. Why so early? Because Angela was going to arrive at Baltimore International at 10:45. I spoke to Angela the night before, and she said I can get there by noon, that way they have girl time, and I don’t have to leave as early. I just go for it though… I wanted to be there on time. Once it was daytime, I was on the phone. I spoke to Couch 4, as we were working on a project with Couch 53… we were going to market his skateboard and t-shirts…. quite original designs, and this stuff would move fast, I’m certain of it! However… this has been too long in negotiations, and we decided to scrap the contract, since we’ve put too much into it, and it seemed the client wasn’t putting in nearly as much effort. Actually, that wasn’t till the next week that we scrapped the contract. The day I got into Maryland, I sat in the car and tried the last negotiation. While I was finishing up, Angela and Amy arrived. Angela of course was trying to molest me while I’m still on the phone. One week later, on my way to New York, I would notify Couch 53′s partner that we are going to pass on marketing them.

We were supposed to go White-Water rafting that day, or the next… However, Couch 45 (Amy) decided it would be too cold, so we didn’t. I was pretty bummed, ’cause I’ve gone in freezing wa ter before…. I’ve gone water-skiing in the great lakes, in a wet-suit.. er… think it’s a dry-suit when it gets that cold. No worries. I was just happy to be around them. Amy strikes, or has in the past left the impression as a serious no-bullshit kinda girl. It was this perception that was completely shattered. This girl has one crazy sense of humor! In fact, I know call her my long-lost twin sister! Really! We call each other up “What up sis? ” “How’s it going bro?” Which is cool, ’cause my brothers and I sort of wanted a sister. Amy is like my friggin twin though! She’s athletic, a go-getter, does what she wants, gets angry when her time is wasted, and likes to mess with people! I had no idea! Guess that’s the whole book/judging thing. Read the rest of this entry »

The drive was not too long- 40 minutes to 70 minutes- to the Chimney Rock area. Again, gorgeous trees and mountains all the way. It ‘s not just the scenery that one notices, but also the architecture. There are many old buildings, small communities, old cars, bridges, lakes, ponds, barns… It definitely looks different than Miami/LA/Chicago. We got to the area that we wanted, parked the Honda Element (a neat car for adventuring!), and started hiking through the woods. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve spoken to Jessica (Couch 6) since I’ve left her no clothes party a few times, and she’s gotten promoted within the speed speed skating industry.. she now co-coordinates the races. Yay couch 6! She also hasn’t heard from the Other photographer that was at the event. Too bad, ’cause he had some pics of everyone (including me). I know how you people feel when I, or anyone else takes your photo, and you just have to wait and wait and wait. Trust me folks, I’m working on catching up through these 27,000 photos from 2007. After Jessica’s party, I did get to hang out with Couch 5 for a bit as well, and I saw Couch 4 on my way to Tampa for a few minutes. I still haven’t spoken to Victoria, who flaked out on going to the party, and therefore did not become the next couch. She did try to call me a few days later, but I was in the middle of something, and she didn’t leave a message. Being flaky is a good way to burn bridges with me.

The drives have all been beautiful… It is the time of year when the trees change colors, and if you haven’t seen it in person, I highly recommend an October drive across Maryland / Virginia. A sea of green, with foaming waves of red and orange of all shades. It is breathtaking… This is not something I have too many photos of, as I was driving. I have gotten quite adept at taking photos while driving out of either window and the sunroof.

In Georgia, I was supposed to go Kayaking with Couch 24. I couch surfed with his new lady, Alyx (Couch 57), who is an optimistic ball of affection! Even her cat, Zeppelin is a lover. Here’s a few shots of Alyx, her cat, and her window-fairy. Read the rest of this entry »