My hometown is…
Fargo-Moorhead (North Dakota-Minnesota). It’s an interesting situation where two cities form one metropolitan area, but the area spans two states. Technically, I grew up in Moorhead, so I’m a Minnesotan. Yes, people there really do say things like “you betcha” and “Uff da.”
I’m inspired by…
Science, and fiction, and science fiction.
My guilty pleasure is….
How I Met Your Mother. (I read ahead.) Actually, TV in general. I make a lot of slightly outdated pop culture references (mostly to The Simpson’s seasons 1-10 and Seinfeld), but I’m also completely addicted to a bundle of more recent shows, like Game of Thrones and Mad Men.
An uncommon fact about me…
The first published copy I ever wrote appeared in my city’s newspaper when I was 12 years old, after I won a contest asking students to create an advertisement for a local bank. I did the art for the ad as well. I ended up building a career around writing, but my drawing ability hasn’t improved much over the past couple of decades.
My favorite bookstore in New York City is…
This is a tough one. It depends on what I’m looking for. My favorite used bookstore is Unnamable Books in my neighborhood. To browse what’s new I’ll stop in at Greenlight Bookstore. If I’m not really sure what I want, I’ll head to the Strand, because they have everything.
My favorite episode of How I Met Your Mother is…
That one where Ted tells a funny story that has very little to do with how he actually met their mother. (But if I actually had to pick, I think I’d say the one where the gang sets up rules for becoming “a real New Yorker” and they all race to see Woody Allen eating at a restaurant downtown.)
Since working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…
The importance of TAGFEE (Transparent, Authentic, Generous, Fun, Empathetic, Exceptional) and the value of working on a team that believes in the power of those tenets.
Also, through working on this Uncommon Personalities project, I’ve learned how interesting and funny my co-workers really are.
Would you rather…never get to shop on the Internet again OR only get to express yourself in 140 characters or less for the rest of your life?
I can be pretty wordy, so I think I’d have to go with not shopping on the Internet. It might be a fun challenge to find a loophole and figure out how to buy things anyway (without really breaking the rules).
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