| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | The most significant experience of my childhood was spending time with my grandfather. He always had projects with boats or sailing trips, and lots of other "fixer-up" type machinations in the works that he'd invite me to help with. Basically, I'm sure it was child labor, but it was time well-spent with someone who told stories, and made a great example of a person who's lived a full life. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | My younger brother and I are basically twins, in personality at least. We have the same physical build, but we're very different in our life experience. So, his being years younger gives both of us a chance to trade stories and to try and one-up each other. But we are competitive in ways that are fun and rewarding. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | Understanding and acceptance of adversity; there are many life challenges that everyone faces individually, or as a group. How a person manifests their will and expresses their personality in the face of difficulty is truly a genuine and unmistakable demonstration of who they truly are, or will be in life. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | Once, while leading the varsity soccer team into the finals, we all agreed to bleach-blond our hair. In my case, dark hair doesn't take to the process very well, and I had to bleach my hair twice, which lead to a more fire engine red than blond. So on the field, with all the yellow of the rest of my team, I stood out dramatically with wildly red hair. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I already have plans to sail south from New Orleans down to the bottom, and around Cape Horn with my uncle and two others. But with more time, the right boat, and good supplies, I'd like to spend a winter sailing the Antarctic. That would be a very rewarding trip. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | My daughter is seven this year. She was an unplanned event, but truly born with my spark. She has many things to learn in life, but the most valuable trait I'd like to help her manifest will be to stay flexible. No matter her situation, location, bank account, or language barriers, she'll need to be a child of the world, not simply a local with no idea or knowledge of the world at large. |
