What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Boy, there’s so much! But I would probably say waking up every morning and being excited for what you do and for the day and the people you’re surrounded with.

What is your greatest fear?

Being alone. Dying alone. Not having people around me.

Which living person do you most admire?

There are so many. I would say someone like Barack Obama. I can’t even fathom being someone with that much responsibility. Or my son—my son had some health challenges when he was very young and he’s amazing right now.  He always was amazing, and he handled it so well.

What is your greatest extravagance?

I don’t really have one. My car is ten years old and we have a basic house. Last year, we bought a new boat.

What is your current state of mind?

Feeling good, feeling healthy, happy. Love my job. Feeling great.

Which living person do you most despise?

Vladimir Putin. Which isn’t fair, because I don’t even know the guy, but I know about him.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Maybe “good job” because I think that’s a lazy response—it’s not really providing feedback. I think I say “good job” a lot as a teacher when I should choose other words and be more descriptive.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My family, my wife, my children.

When and where were you happiest?

I’m pretty happy right now. I would say actually when I lived in Colorado. I lived in Colorado for a year. I moved for family, and I went back to grad school in Connecticut. Otherwise, I would have stayed there. I wouldn’t have come back. I went out for a job in Colorado Springs. It was a temporary position I took right out of college. I got accepted to grad school the following year.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I would like to be musical. Sing, play instruments, or something, because I have zero ability in that area. Especially singing—I like to sing but I don’t because I’m terrible.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I’d be taller, hahaha. I would be more patient. It kinda bothers me about myself because I catch myself being impatient with people. Children, when they are doing stuff when they shouldn’t be, have more of an excuse, but adults should know better.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Raising my children, I have three amazing kids that I’m incredibly proud of. I like to think that I have a little bit to do with it. It’s mostly my wife but I got a little bit to it.

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

I have this obsession with people like navy seals and delta force soldiers and people that do unbelievable things that I just can’t even imagine myself doing. I would want to come back as a badass.

Where would you most like to live?

I’m pretty happy where I live right now but if I had to make a change then someplace warmer, the Carolinas maybe. Or Colorado. Out west or down south. I would not move to a different country. I would not be happy. I can’t think of another country I would want to live in. I can’t imagine what it’s like anywhere else but here. If I had to say one thing, it would probably be Spain. That’s one place that I really want to visit.

What is your most treasured possession?

I don’t really have a possession that’s spectacular or anything other than my boat.

What is your favorite occupation?

Being a teacher. I love the students. I love the interaction and the relationships with the students. It’s fun.

What is your most marked characteristic?

Kind, caring, honest. I would hope that they would say kind.

What do you most value in your friends?

My friends are always there. I can always count on them and I have counted on them. Just the fact that they’re always there to help out.

Who are your favorite writers?

When I read, I tend to read more non-fiction. I can’t think of the guy’s name, but he writes a lot of historical novels. I like Dan Brown, who wrote Inferno and books like that. He’s one of my favorite writers and I can’t put his books down.

Who is your hero of fiction?

I’m reading this series of fictional novels. The [main] character—I would like to be him because he’s a badass. His name is Dewey Andreas. He’s the person I want to be.

Who are your heroes in real life?

My son is my hero every day. My parents. My mother and my father in particular. They’re not alive anymore, but I spent my whole life thinking, “What would dad do in this situation?”, so I definitely idolize my father.

What are your favorite names?

Christina. That’s a true story, by the way. I lost that argument with my wife. I wanted to name one of our daughters Christina and she said no. She won that argument. Megan too.

What is your greatest regret?

Probably not finishing college when I first went. But actually, it wouldn’t be a regret because then I wouldn’t be here.

How would you like to die?

Surrounded by my family.

What is your motto?

I always say that “life is short”. I guess “life is short” would be my motto.