Essay Questions

What is your most memorable childhood experience?Hard to say what is the most memorable, but one thing that comes to mind is going to my friend's lake cabin, which was a huge cabin, and hanging out there for a few days at a time with him and his family, canoeing, watching movies, playing various games, antagonizing his older brother, and general shenanigans.
What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why?My father. He was generally reflective and thoughtful. He was very deliberate in work, recreation, and in conversation, doing things with purpose, and getting at the root. He tended to do things his own way if it seemed more sensible to him; he liked to explore diverse ideas, and, more importantly, to delve deeply into them to get a strong understanding of things.
What character traits do you admire in an individual?Well, I like to see passion in a person. Passion to create something, or to become very excellent at something. I also admire the ability to see others in a kind and fair way, patience, and open-mindedness, especially being open to being wrong from time to time.
What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you?Don't know if it's the funniest thing, but it's one of them. Once I caught a fly between my thumb and middle finger purely by accident. I was sitting with my computer in my lap, with a couple friends around, and I happened to lift up my right hand, a completely mundane gesture, and the fingers came together and down on this fly just as it was crossing this path. So I caught the fly, and there was no skill involved at all, but it looked like something a kung fu master would do in one of those movies.
If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why?It would have to be a long vacation, like an ex-pat situation, or studying abroad, otherwise I find travel a bit impractical. I don't like to be a tourist. I like to be a traveler in a real sense. I would live in France, and acquaint myself with some of the myriad historical sites, and become better at speaking the language. I'd use that base to branch out and explore some of the rest of Europe as well. I have some friends in Germany and Sweden that I would visit. I think I would like the climate in general, and the culture.
When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them?A sense of their own potential, and of wonder and mystery, and an open, kind way of relating to themselves and the world.