| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | I spent a lot of time in the community theater. The staff there had basically co-opted the local university's Theater Arts degree, and were teaching it in affordable community classes, so I managed to become very qualified for technical theater work while still a teen. When I was sixteen, I was put in charge of the hang and focus crew for a large one act festival. This meant that I had to direct technical crews from seven states in setting up lighting for their shows, under serious time constraints. The days of that job stand out in my memory because of the respect that everyone involved showed to everyone else. No one cared that I was only sixteen years old, they only cared that I was competent in my work, and could help them hang their equipment efficiently and well. That sense of equality is what I always loved most about my time in the theater growing up. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | My father has always been an inspiration, and in my adult life a role model. His tireless pursuit of things worth doing for their own sake keeps me hopeful about my own projects, and reminds me not to get too full of myself when I produce something really good, because he's probably making something even better. He's designed and built houses, boats, bicycles, and any number of useful machines, and still finds time to read daily and play the piano for no one but himself. I know that I can always call him for advice, and that when I'm stuck needing a strange part for the latest instrument I'm building, or some advice on my latest house remodel in my rental business, he will be ready with fresh ideas and years of experience, and will probably fabricate something for me in his machine shop if I can't manage it in my own workshop. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire critical thinking, a level head, compassion, bluntness, musical talent. Most of my friends are constant readers who are well educated, ask good questions, and aren't afraid to speak their minds. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | I once lost my car, my cell phone, and my girlfriend all within twenty-four hours. This was a bit traumatic, but all I could do at the time was laugh, and the incident has often provided a bit of dark humor to help a friend through a tough time: "You think this is bad? Well, let me tell you..." |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would spend an extended period in Switzerland. The scenery is beautiful, I admire their government and social structure, and have a great admiration for the general frame of mind of every Swiss citizen I've ever met. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | First and foremost, I would teach my kids to be readers. I really believe that the ability to critically and patiently devour books can get you anywhere you want to go, and I intend to read to my kids every day, and when they can do it themselves then read with them and learn alongside them. I also believe strongly that kids should work in the home alongside their parents. Cooking, mending, cleaning, financial planning, and the basic decisions of home life are so basic and essential, and it's a shame how many young adults have grown up never doing these simple and rewarding daily tasks alongside their parents. |
