Zachary Marx is currently living and working in Munich, Germany. He graduated with a degree in Political Science in 2006 from the University of Tennessee, and continues to bleed orange. So far, his vagabond lifestyle has brought him to five continents, and twenty-eight countries, with extended stays in China, Japan, and Korea. He started 80couches.com in February of 2011, with the ultimate goal of using it as the premise for couchsurfing around the globe. Your feedback and suggestions are welcome. He can be reached by carrier pigeon, smoke signals, telegram, and via the Interwebs, at zachary.marx@gmail.com.
by Zachary A. Marx • • Comments Off on Remembering Taylor Hawkins & the Foo Fighters
I’m writing this on the day that Taylor Hawkins, long time drummer of one of my favorite bands, the Foo Fighters, died. He was just 50-years-old; gone, like many rock stars before him, far too early. I met Taylor, and…
This week–where we watched the U.S. Capitol Building overrun by fascist Trump supporters, in an attempt to prevent a peaceful transfer of power–was many things. It was tragic. It was deadly. It was dangerous and distressing. One thing it wasn’t:…
by Zachary A. Marx • • Comments Off on Sliding Doors: When a Missed Opportunity Has Big Consequences
Note: I wrote this post the day before the COVID-19 lockdown began in Denmark. The timing didn’t seem appropriate to release it then, and perhaps it isn’t now, but I still wanted to get it “out there.” I know I’m…
by Zachary A. Marx • • Comments Off on Compassion In A Time Of Distress
As I sit here, as safe as I can be in isolation while the coronavirus pandemic rages on, it’s easy to think about parallels to the economic crisis of 2008. So far, The Great Recession has been the defining moment of my…
by Zachary A. Marx • • Comments Off on Essentially Non-Essential: Maintaining Humanity In A Crisis
I first started thinking about this post last week while watching Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. On the show, Oliver played a clip of an Amazon warehouse worker complaining about having to come into work (especially in unsafe conditions, thanks…
by Zachary A. Marx • • Comments Off on Climate Change and Corona
Here’s a little experiment. I will list out a series of problems, and tell me if I’m talking about climate change, or the corona virus: Scientists warned us about the problem ahead of time, and were largely ignored until it…
It was like a scene out of a movie. Cue the words “Ten Years Later” flashing across the screen. But it wasn’t a movie, it was real life. Whereas a movie would fast-forward over those ten years in an instant, pausing…
by Zachary A. Marx • • Comments Off on The Smokies and the Need for National Parks
Last summer I was in a crowded classroom, attempting to learn Danish, when the teacher asked us to name the best thing about our home country. For me, there was one clear winner: the US National Parks System. Yellowstone. Yosemite. Grand…
Long distance callers make long distance calls, And the silence makes me lonely. “Lost in the Supermarket” -The Clash I usually know after a couple of days. What starts off as hope, slowly and inevitably turns to dread as the hours,…
Note: Despite my strong feelings on the subject, this post is not about whether or not Judge Brett Kavanaugh should or should not be seated on the Supreme Court. Nor will it reflect on the separate and important moral questions…