Most people just call me Jon though. I know that many people google me before hiring me for their wedding or coming to one of my events. I decided to create a page telling everyone about myself.
This isn’t a dating profile. This is my “You are a good human and I’m a good human, so lets be friends” profile.
I am fortunate to have a fraking extraordinary life and I want to tell you about it. Start the song above as you read this page, it helps set the mood.
What I Love
Since the time I was a little kid I have loved sailboats and being on the water. I always wondered why they called it the boom, then it hit me! If you don’t get that joke you probably don’t have a clew. (twofer!)
Seriously though, I am very fortunate to have had many great sailing adventures and be part of an amazing sailing community.
Fun boat fact – The pool on the Titanic is still full of water.
Music
I love music. As of this moment I have tickets to 8 concerts this summer. I love Colin Hay, The Beastie Boys, Cake. I will go to almost any concert (I have a thing against most cover bands). One of the things I do is I write famous people and ask them to go to dinner with me. A long time ago I met Colin Hay and he agreed to go to dinner next time he was in town but he never has. Lance Armstrong is the only one that has ever written me back.
I LOVE PHIL COLLINS. I have written him 3 times over the years and wrote him again just in December of 2023. He doesn’t respond but that is ok. I don’t write expecting people to respond, I just want to tell them that I appreciate them.
My greatest love is traveling, I have been all over the world (49 states and 16 countries). Luxury resorts aren’t for me, I prefer adventure traveler. I want to be in a strange place, talking to the locals and exploring with no set itinerary. If you are familiar with the GlobeTrekker tv show, that is my style (I know Zay Harding!)
Having to unpack when I come home is really hard. There is a lot of emotional baggage.
How I pay for sailboat parts and plane tickets
I currently work driving big trucks around the countryside for the Post Office. I am working my way through college to be a social worker. I don’t make nearly as much money as I used to so I don’t eat out very often or go shopping very often. I save my money for sailboat parts, concert and plane tickets.
A positive is that I worry less about being robbed now because I know exactly how I will respond.
Guy with gun: Your money or your life!
Me: I don’t have either!
I value volunteering and helping people. I like to travel to much to live with a dog so I get my dog fix by volunteering with Save The Animals Foundation and League For Animal Welfare. Then People Working Cooperatively lets me help humans and gives me an excuse to play with my power tools (please join my team for The Repair Affair).
I also love my side gig as a wedding officiant. I make a little extra money and I get to meet people who are in love on their happiest day. Most of my weddings are the traditional weddings ceremonies that everyone thinks of. Occasionally I get to wear costumes and talk like the Very Important Clergyman from The Princess Bride movie.
Gratitudes
Those aren’t the things that make my life truly amazing though. Life is awesome because of the family I have chosen. I am honored because my friends put up with a lot of nonsense from me. I showed this page to ten of them, hoping to make them laugh.
Sadly, no pun in ten did.
I use the Garmin InReach Mini 2 to stay in touch when I am out of cell phone range. It allows my friends to follow my adventures and see past adventures at…
https://share.garmin.com/share/jonserenitas
Everyday I share my gratitude with my friends. If you are smart you can figure out what the password is from that.
Would you like to be my neighbor?
When it comes to making friends, I am a Mr. Roger’s kind of guy. Everyone is welcome to tie their boat alongside mine, even the pontoon boats.
I once asked a friend of mine who is a Bhante, why people buy pontoon boats. He replied “birth“.
(If you get that one we are going to a pizzeria and telling them “Make me one with everything”)
Remember that thing people used to call “manners”? They were a social protocol that dictated our behavior in a civil society. They guided our interactions and encouraged us to treat each other with respect. Basically good manners are treating people with kindness and consideration.
Side note, when I was in France I realized why everyone is so rude. They have no merci.
I find that people treat each other so much better when we can hear each others’ voices. People write things online that they would never say if they had to look someone in the eye while saying it. Much of the shenanigans people pull online, we would never do in public.
Pro Tip for the guys from a man who has heard a lot of love stories. When I ask the brides to tell me their love story, not a single one has started with “He sent me a dick pic.”
I like authentic interactions. By “authentic” I mean offline, without an internet connection. If you would like to be my friend, basically you have to to be an authentic person that can interact and communicate without an internet connection.
Start by sending me a text message at 513-713-1358. Include your name, and tell me about your favorite Muppet. If you want bonus points, include a pic because friends know what each other look like.
You can also Join My MeetUp Group
I understand sharing a phone number may be scary for some people. I have a solution for that!
I run a MeetUp group called “I Want To Do That, Just Not Alone“.
If you check it out you will see a couple HUNDRED reviews from people that have met me in person. Someone even called me a “righteous dude.”
So if you aren’t comfortable texting about Muppets, come to one of my meetups and meet me in person. I will introduce you to some of the coolest people I know. You can find a few of my upcoming events here.