| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | When I was nine or ten years old, I went surfing with my grandfather. We were a few hundred meters off the coast when I looked down and saw a rhomboid shape glide underneath us. I was quite startled, and yelled out to my grandfather. He thought I was just imagining things, until the animal (which turned out to be a bat ray) surfaced again and scared the heck out of him too! |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I closely identify with my younger sister. We share a lot of the same interests: reading, science, music, etc. We've been good friends ever since childhood. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire honesty. It takes a lot to stay honest; there is always a temptation to lie, and oftentimes honesty is much more difficult than lying. I admire expertise. I think it's impressive when people put forth the effort to become very good at something. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | I was once on a road trip when I spilled some food on my shirt. I got a new shirt out of my bag and put it over the shoulder of my seat. I (unwisely) left the car window open, and as I was taking my old shirt off, my new shirt got sucked out the window, never to be seen again. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would travel to southern Europe for historical and gastronomical reasons. I am interested in Italian food and history in particular. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | Before my great-grandfather died, he left me an antique game set, with games like backgammon and chess. When I was a child, we played these games whenever I went to visit. I hope one day that I can play those same games with my own children and pass the set on to them. |
