| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | I used to spend time at my grandmother's house, as most children do. It was nestled in a suburban neighborhood of townhomes within the sprawl of an extended metropolitan area. Despite this, it was developed to look somewhat rural. The most prominent example of this rural illusion was a creek that ran through the heart of the neighborhood. As a child, I loved this creek. It had a romantic quality, one rendering it effortless to weave a childlike imagination into the fabric of its reality. I was something like five years old the day I resolved to go on a fishing expedition. It was a hazy, gray winter's day, terrible weather to fish; though details like this don't register in the mind of a small child. I can't recall if it was patience or amusement that allowed my grandmother to encourage me. She provided the fishing line and hook from her closet supply of arts and crafts. I provided the straightest oak branch I could find outside. A square knot and I had myself a fine rod. Paying me light supervision, my grandmother played fetch with her golden retriever while I sat on the wooden cross-bridge waiting for my next catch. I would drop the hook in, swirl it around and then rip it out, expecting my newfound line resistance to be something other than a heap of creek moss. I reasoned (a dangerous pastime for a child) that I wasn't catching anything because my hook simply wasn't deep enough. I only needed to lean further down and reach the fish hiding at the bottom. I'm not sure how long I spent in that icy creek before my grandmother rescued me; however, I can say that it was no time at all before I was back in her house, stripped down and submerged in a bath of warm water. I felt foolish and cheated. My fishing excursion had ended before I had caught anything! The fish were there; they had to be. My line simply wasn't long enough to reach them. Surely if this was anybody's fault it was grandmother's for tethering too short a line on my fine oaken stick. Maybe tomorrow I thought, I would try again, for that day she seemed adamant that I wasn't going outside again. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | Despite our age gap, I identify with my only sibling, my brother. We just grew up in the same environment and experienced the same situations through the interesting lens of our age separation. For example: his college experience and mine were very similar yet subtly different due to the situational climate (like who was president and popular music etc.). We are able to connect on most things since we have similar interests, tastes, personalities. Some people even say we look just alike, though I disagree. Ultimately we have chosen different career paths and lifestyles, but his is always a refreshing perspective on the events in my life, and I'd like to think vice versa. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I always look for someone unique and genuine in nature. People who try to adhere their tastes to the norm are a dime a dozen. I admire those who are unapologetic about what they do or enjoy or perceive of the world. Ultimately these are the people who are the difference makers: those who strive for excellence in their endeavors and exert little energy or worry on the criticism of others. It's definitely a plus if this person is reserved in their judgment and logical in their decision making. Someone who considers an event or action on its merits and as a product of its causality before reacting or forming an opinion is far more likely to make an intelligent decision. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | It was definitely the time I accidentally knocked over a few chemicals in the college chemistry lab I used to work in. They started a chemical reaction and formed a surfactant (soap) that filled up the lab knee-high with suds. I and the research assistant scrambled over the next two hours to clean up the mess before our professor got back and found out. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I'd go everywhere. I would keep going and wouldn't stop moving for two or three years. Every time a place felt stale I would move on. Imagine traversing India via train, busing through Burma and trekking over Tibet all before Christmas time! I'd start off with an area not on the vacation marquee, like Far East or Africa. Europe could wait until I was older. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | I'd like to give my kids a context with which to orient their encouragement and enthusiasm in their interests. I'd like to give them the skills to assess a problem, consider the options fully and move forward on it. I believe the reason people become unhappy with their situation in life is that they didn't know how to chase after what they really wanted. I don't want my kids to be like those people. |
