Born & raised in Memphis,TN, the only son of a Japanese mother and an American father, my formative years were a little confusing. My dad trained me to think like a scientist, encouraging me to study chemistry, microbiology, and math at an early age. I loved it. I loved exploring how the world works. I didn’t think anything could stop me, until classmates began stereotyping me as being smart because I looked Asian. Granted, they didn’t force me to do anything, but in these formative stages of identity development, no one wants to be assigned a predetermined identity. Prejudice is shallow no matter what the judgment may be. I tried to separate myself from this stereotype. I felt like Peter denying Jesus, every time.
Fast-forward to my senior year of high school. Still searching for identity, but forced to make good grades because I was accidentally accepted into a special extracurricular program for which I did have an acceptable GPA. As I overcame my fear of being stereotyped again, I rediscovered my love of learning. Seeing college as a chance to start over, I decided that of the various insecurities that woefully shape my identity, I would not let this one rob me of my first love ever again.
Even though my days are now spent working at a college, coaching students through graduate work and theses, and contributing to the academic community through the completion of my own doctoral thesis, my identity is still in process, it is still incarnating.
So, in the spirit of combining the serious with the spiritual, here are a few select quiz questions you might be interested in, compliments of virtually every myspace survey ever made.
What superstition do you believe/practice? Surprisingly, a lot of tech support involves illogical, superstitious practices, especially when trying to recreate the problem. I’m superstitious about how soon you should press a key-combination on boot, and I have about a million superstitious thoughts as I try to troubleshoot people’s computers. Superstition, religion, and science are not too unlike. They’re all attempts to figure out how things work. Superstition is the hypothesis of science, faith of religion, and practice of tech support.
Would you rather die in a blaze of glory or peacefully in your sleep? Definitely sleep. I imagine dying in your sleep to feel like the sort of sleep you crave when you wake up 2 minutes before your alarm goes off.
In one word, how would you define yourself? curious.
Do you get along with your parents? Yes. Allegedly because I am above the age of 20. But seriously, I visit them every so often and try to help them out.
Travel by bike or walk? Definitely walk. I love walking and would love to live someplace where I could walk to everything I needed within 30 minutes. Walking triggers contemplation in a way that biking doesn’t.
What do you think of politics? It is the best way to not get anything done. It seems liberals are too concerned with culture and change while conservatives are too concerned with tradition and the status quo. It seems like they are more concerned with their agendas than truth, which is particularly hazardous when it comes to running a country, institution, religion, or church. Remember, the politician’s primary job isn’t public service, it is re-election.
Do you plan outfits? No. I can’t remember the last time I bought clothes for myself. I mostly wear T-shirts I get for free and the same pants and shorts for decades; and sandals with as much as I can get away with. Wait. Does this mean I just planned an outfit?
Do you own a gun? Yes. Please do not break into my house or assault my family. Ever.
Do you use chap stick? NO! That crap is gross. It feels like rubbing bacon grease on your lips, without the benefits of actually rubbing bacon grease on your lips.
Can you use chop sticks? Yes and no. I can use them to get food into my mouth, but I have never used them correctly. If it’s genetic, it got overwritten with my dad’s whiteness.
Are you sarcastic? No! Is the pope Catholic?
Have you ever crawled through a window? A couple of times. One time because my van got stuck on a gate, but then it rolled away without me. One time because I thought it was cool. One time to go fishing with a friend.
What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving. Mostly because of the food and the eating of it.
Do you eat healthy? Nah. I don’t believe the hype. Even though my cholesterol IS out of control, I think it’s because I don’t exercise.
How did u get one of your scars? I have a scar on my right thigh where I was running along my fence in the backyard at night and I got stabbed by a old piece of wood sticking out of it. Thankfully no hair grows out of it because that would be sick.
Would you ever get a tattoo? I would if 1. They didn’t involve needles and 2. If I could think of something awesome enough to write down permanently.
Are you a morning person or a night person? Night. Or morning. 2-5AM is the best time for me to work. Unfortunately, most academic jobs frown upon those hours.
How long does it take you to shower? 15 minutes.
Have you ever brushed your teeth while in the shower? Maybe once. That’s a really good idea though.
