FAQ

What are your biggest fears?

Squirrels, balloons popping, and getting Alzheimer’s – in that order

Who are your favorite writers?

Concerning Jesus: Anne Lamott and C.S. Lewis

Concerning Food: Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsey

Concerning Life: David Sedaris and Ted Kooser

Am I allowed to pick 6? I guess it’s my website, and I pick 6. 

Have you always liked cooking?

Yes.

What’s your favorite thing to make?

Bread. It’s still magical to me, how you take some flour and water and create something that is both so satiating, both practically and emotionally.

What’s your least favorite thing to make?

Chicken. You have to babysit it or it’ll dry out. You have to pay close attention while you’re preparing it so you don’t spread salmonella. I don’t like food I have to constantly pay attention to. Polenta, soufflés, pasta, chicken, you have to pay attention. 

How many bow-ties do you own?

Oh, 50 or so. It changes from day to day.

Why do you have so many glasses? 

Why do you have so many t-shirts? I don’t only wear them because I need to see, but also because it’s fun. So sometimes you want to wear your Honolulu Marathon T-shirt, and other times you want to wear your American Apparel Yellow V-neck. Today I wanted to wear my “Oliver Peoples: Easy Readers”. 

How many?

20, maybe.

What makes you smile?

When I see people being thoughtfully selfless, and also hamsters.

Who/what inspires you most? What qualities in people, things, or situations inspire you?

Artists inspire me, writers, people who are telling the truth in hard and engaging ways. When we read a book, or poem, or short story we only experience the end of the hard work, but I love the idea that someone went through a process to engage in what they see, what they think about what they see, and how to communicate what they see to an audience. That’s inspiring to me, people intentionally engaged in a process in a methodology.

Can you name some of these people?

I think Shonda Rimes, as a writer, really “gets” people.

I really like that Rob Bell and the community of believers at Mars Hill makes Christianity practical. The Mars Hill water initiative, 20 liters, is amazing! I can’t say enough about it.

Andrew Peterson continues to write “hard songs” about God. He talks about the stuff that no one else wants to: what happens when God is angry, silent. He writes about life being hard and honest, and somehow is still hopeful and paints a beautiful picture of humanity and their Creator.