Sometimes, when I would spend the night at a friend’s place, I would choose to set up a hammock in their yard and sleep out there. When I was in college studying architecture, I would spend my time drafting at a picnic table. I just feel more comfortable in the embrace of the elements rather than sitting inside and doing work.

As a result of my transient lifestyle, I became fairly rugged over the years. Living outdoors will do that to you. Also, the profession that I had found myself pursuing requires a bit of ruggedness. I’ve been a set builder, rigger, and constructor for many theater and film productions. I’ve helped set up displays for trade shows, and I’ve even helped do museum installation work. It’s very physically demanding. The shifts are long, the work is tiring, but I enjoy it. Architecture, design, and sculpture have always been other fascinations of mine, and the ability to take on work like that has led me to some very interesting jobs. I worked on the set of ‘The Matrix: Reloaded’ as a part of the team that built and sculpted the cave-city of Zion. Creating has always been a passion.

When I was younger, I had this romantic idea that San Francisco might be a perfect place for people like me. While I do love the city, and while there are many places here that emphasize community, it is not a city without its own set of problems.

When I first moved here to take architectural classes, I learned that the city is very expensive to live in, so I’ve spent a lot of time camping, or living out of a van. I also learned that the city is not the gorgeous utopian community that I had hoped it was so many years ago. There are a lot of people living outdoors in the city. Not only that, but the gentrification in the city sets up a precedent of prejudice and discrimination against people living outside. People are quite dismissive and sometimes even aggressive towards the homeless community. So I think the city could also use a lesson in good, old-fashioned manners, as well. People have gotten used to making excuses for not being cordial. I was raised in a culture where that was insisted upon.