| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | Christmases were and will always be special. As a child, most of the excitement was the anticipation of Christmas Day. Christmas Eve was the penultimate day of anticipation. Leading up to Christmas Eve was the chocolate advent calendars, scrolling through and dog-earing the pages of the Sears catalog of toys I wanted Santa to deliver. But Christmas Eve, was THE day before the day. Christmas Eve consisted of last minute cookie making, movie watching, dinner, church, and Christmas lights. However, it was prepping the luminaries that was most memorable. The luminaries were no pedestrian task. Seeing that my dad was a chemist, there were always experiments to determine the right materials and lighting for the luminary. If there's one thing you get from this whole experience let it be this - empty gallon milk jugs with a side window flap are the best vessels. Gallon milk jugs have the perfect shape to block the wind, the material is durable, and the opaqueness provides a soft glow. I said it was no pedestrian task, because to achieve optimal illumination required drinking a healthy amount of milk from Thanksgiving on. No osteoporosis here! Once we had enough milk jugs, we needed play sand, and candles my mom bought from the girl scouts. My dad and I would carry all the supplies to the curb and carefully arrange each one and with blow torch in hand, we created a runway Santa couldn't miss. My dad and I did this together, father and son. It's a silly thing, milk jug luminaries, but it created a great bonding opportunity. I could see how he toiled to find the right container and how proud he was in setting them up. And to share that with him made me happy. After the luminaries were set up, we'd have a nice dinner, go to church, and then drive around the neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights, and judge how well other streets displayed luminaries. When we returned home, my dad would insist on watching the, at the time creepy, A Christmas Carol (the George C. Scott version) which would inevitably send us to bed. Having two sisters was pretty cool. They were your partners in crime and helped fuel that anticipation. As soon as we woke up Christmas morning, we'd all sit at the top of the steps waiting for our parents to wake up. Once they did, we'd rush downstairs to open presents. This was the other part of Christmas I loved - the quietness. After all the presents were opened, there was a quietness that took over as we'd all play together or individually with our presents as our proud parents watched. Reflecting back, I could see how happy they were, enjoying the time with their children and family. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | Growing up as kids (each of us several years apart), my sisters and I didn't always play together. This was fine, seeing as I was the only boy and didn't share most of the same interests as them. However, as we got older I began to look up to my oldest sister. I dreaded the trips to help her move into and out of her dorms, yet was fascinated by college and the maturity that waited ahead. She was the first of the siblings to forge that path. It gave me opportunities to see what it was like, so that when I went to college, the transition would be a little easier. After she graduated college, she went to get her PhD in neurobiology in New York City. I'd visit her and she'd introduce me to the different areas of the city, the food - like Korean BBQ, as well as her work in the lab. She had also found a boyfriend, who to me, felt like an older brother. Another cool figure I could look up to. I think I identify with her the most because she was the leader - going to college first, living in the big city, getting the fancy degrees - all with humility and never boastful. We can talk about most anything and I never feel like I am being judged. She can always provide a rational explanation or sound piece of advice. We share the same type of humor and are both pretty level headed about things. I like to think this is the way I am with my friends and family - a trusted and compassionate resource. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | Dependability. If a relationship with a friend or spouse is like a car, I want to be able to depend on them to get me from point A to point B. Does having a Ferrari work? Of course, but what good is the luxury if it doesn't function. Luxury isn't going to get me over that metaphorical hill if I'm having a bad day - my solid dependable friend will. I want to know my friend will be there, through the good times and bad. Compassion. I want to know someone who has the capacity to share their heart when another's is broken and needs mending. Humor. Fun fact - you burn over one calorie per minute of laughing. Fifteen minutes a day per year will lose you over four pounds. I'd want no other friend to exercise with than one that makes me laugh and lose weight. Honesty. I can respect someone who can tell it to me straight - good or bad. One thing in life I've learned is that it's always easier to rip off the band aid sooner than later and the other person will appreciate more and have more respect for you. It's not easy by any means, but it builds a strong foundation for a relationship. Fairness and having a good sense of reality. I think this is an interesting time in the world, where we are confronting inequities. It takes a healthy dose of fairness and humility to recognize where change is needed so no one feels marginalized. It's hard to make that change from the status quo, but it's something that benefits society. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | It's hard to think of "the funniest thing." But what first pops into my head are moments with our Bernese Mountain dog, just a big fluffball of love. Any commercial you've seen where it jumps onto the couch and lays on top of you is spot on. She has no concept of personal space and will smoother you to get as much contact as possible. It's not the funniest thing, but these provide moments of laughter and joy in our life. I follow several comedians and try to go to at least one live show a year. Their ability to identify the truth and turn it into humor is pure brilliance. It also provides prospective that even during bad days, humor can cut that stress right down and provide a silver lining. And, of course there were funny things we did as kids, and as a typical boy would do. Whether it was pulling pranks on each other or trying to impress girls and failing miserably at it, growing up was a hoot. Of course the stories mean much to me and repeating them in this form wouldn't do them justice, but suffice it to say - you had to be there. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | This sounds cliché, but I would travel the world. I got the traveling bug real young, when my parents would take us to the National Parks. I've been hooked ever since and have traveled from Alaska to Australia, to China, the Middle East, and the Maldives. There really is so much to explore in the world. We loved the food in Dubai, nothing beat the views in the Maldives, and the Chinese culture and history was fascinating. We have a desire to see the northern lights in Scandinavia, cruise the Mekong, explore the Dalmatian coast, relax in an over the water bungalow in French Polynesia, safari in Africa, and explore southeast Asia. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | Be you. It's not about being the popular kid or having the popular friends, it's about surrounding yourself with people that are there for you in the good times and bad. Ask questions. I tended to be shy as a kid, but now I have no problems asking questions. It's amazing to think how many other kids probably had the same question and were just as shy to ask. It helps with the learning process, but also opens up communication. Explore your environment. This goes hand in hand with asking questions, but goes a step further in allowing oneself to try new things - good or bad - in order to have that experience and to learn from it. Like the saying goes, you never know until you've tried it. Perspective. Nowadays it's easy to see how people are being more (or less) open to other people's perspectives. The life lesson is putting yourself in their shoes and thinking about how different their life is. It also teaches compassion and having the understanding of others. |
