| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | One of my most memorable experiences is hunting with my dad and getting my first deer. I had messed up and made a lot of noise earlier in the day. I got scolded, learned my lesson, and took the rest of the day very seriously. Then in the right place at the right time I got a 9-point buck. A larger deer than most people get in their lifetime of hunting. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I'd say I closely identify with my mom because she also approaches life with openness and empathy. She is someone that anyone can talk to and treats everyone with respect. She also is constantly moving and trying new things. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire open-mindedness, empathy, kindness, optimism, and drive in individuals. I tend to have a hard time with people that deal in absolutes. I think there is a lot that we don't understand, and I tend to have a hard time understanding people who believe they have it all figured out. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | It's difficult to say what the funniest thing that's ever happened to me is. This would depend on who you ask and that person's sense of humor. Recently after leaving a restaurant, it took me far too long to realize all of the grown men I went to dinner with had left with toothpicks while I had left with a cherry lollipop. This certainly isn't the peak of the comedy that is my life, but it was funny in the moment. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would go to Japan. I've heard great things about the culture, and I would like to spend time both in the city and rural areas during the cherry blossom season. I'd also like to learn a little more about Zen Buddhism there. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | If I had children, I'm not sure I'd like to leave them anything material. I would hope to have left them with a loving childhood. I'd also like to pass along to them the ability to understand and communicate their emotions. And if I can't do that I'd like to pass along a general optimism and love for art, people, and the world around them. |
