Thomas Sawyer
Missouri
Reference: H. Finn
Experience: Neutral
Hain’t unlikely you remember me from a previous reference, in which I vouched for a Mr. Mark Twain (against the better angels of my commonest sense). Well, today it’s my pleasure to recommend to you one Tom Sawyer.
Tom hooked me up with a right fine futon at Aunt Polly’s on short notice, which was a real solid, considerin’ the circumstances. After that I had the great pleasure of surfin’ and a raftin’ a whole lotta’ rivers with Tom. One time we went tubin’ on the Nam Song in Laos (which I reckon’s a mighty cool place to surf on account of tain’t too touristy yet, just keep that ol’ cash ‘n credit card in your money belt). But the best times we had were on that old Mississippi. Me, Tom, and another CSer by the name of Jim went a driftin’ downriver at night, lying on our backs just a’watching the stars.
Turned out Tom was a real fine fella’ on the surfin’ circuit. Only reason for the neutral’s on account of another CSer, Ben Rogers, claimin’ a sketchy experience with Tom and a whitewashed fence.
D. Moriarty
Denver
Reference: Sal Paradise
Experience: Positive
I first met Dean at a time in my life you could call the beginning of my life on the surf.
I hosted Dean for a week at my aunt’s place in Jersey. After that we headed west, with Dean balling that jack like no tomorrow (I had total trust in him behind the wheel). The two of us had some real gone times: dancing in the cobblestone alleys of Denver, smoking tea with hipster cats in Chi, drinking wine-spodiodi in New Orleans and digging girls fresh off the Megabus in San Fran. Dean ran around like Groucho Marx on the make, eyes flashing with a kind of holy light.
And the music! Dean had a real hot playlist: Bird, Dizzy, Monk and Miles. All the way from Reno to New York we ear bud-shared, digging those gone cats just blow, blow, blow!
Phileas Fogg
London
Reference: John Sullivan
Experience: Positive
A rather enigmatic personage, Mr. Phileas Fogg first contacted my wife and me concerning a place to crash at the conclusion of an epic journey he’d undertaken. After perusing his profile and determining his tastes to be congenial to ours (especially in regard to the bands he’d listed as favorites) we agreed to host Mr. Fogg, upon the condition that he promise not to burn us in any way, as so many previous CSers had done.
Mr. Fogg assured us he would touch down at our place at precisely 8:45 in the evening. Imagine our delight when he not only arrived with all the punctuality befitting an Englishman, but also quite literally touched down! In a hot air balloon!
We had played host to many an adventurous CSer before, but never one with such daring! Whilst he and his buddies rested, exhausted from all their ballooning, my wife and I more closely read Mr. Fogg’s profile and noticed that, indeed, it was his stated CSing intention to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon—24,901 miles, as the crow flies!—and to do so in such a short time frame!
We fain vouch for Mr. Fogg!
Raoul Duke
Los Angeles
Reference: Lucy
Experience: Negative — “Avoid, avoid, AVOID RAOUL.”
I’m all about peace and love, man. I never thought I’d leave a negative reference, but this guy’s a total creep. Raoul contacted me claiming he was a Doctor of Journalism coming to Las Vegas to find the American Dream. His profile said he was “Up for anything: coffee, drink, friendship, hook-up; willing to share: bed, couch, uppers, downers, screamers, laughers, as long as you’re not a cop.”
The warning bells should have gone off right there, but for some reason I agreed to meet him for a drink.
First of all, DO NOT believe anything his attorney says. He’s just this big fat hairy Samoan and I really doubt he passed the bar anywhere. Raoul and his attorney claimed they didn’t need a couch, since they already had a place to stay; that much I can vouch for as true, since I saw the place for myself… after I came to in a hotel room FLOODED KNEE-HIGH WITH WATER. His attorney was naked and arguing with himself.
I hate to smear a CSer—I believe in karma and universal good vibes—but this guy threatens to destroy the balance, man.
Avoid, avoid, AVOID RAOUL!