My mom and dad met at UCLA when he as a captain in the Air Force and she was in her junior year.
My background is basically scientific math. My Dad was a physicist, so I have it in my blood somewhere. Scientific method is very important to me. I think anything that contradicts it is probably not true.
If a cow walked into this room, I'd probably walk out. I could milk it, but my dad never forced me to do a lot of chores like that, mostly because he loved doing it himself.
My dad had emphysema and both of my parents had chronic bronchitis and ended up with cancers - all smoking related.
My dad is a bank president and my mom was an accountant and they didn't think that seeking the life of a freelance writer was very practical, you see. Of course, I was just as determined to do it.
In my case, I was born to parents who were very young, and I don't think they were entirely ready to have a child. My dad was going to college and working two or three jobs at the same time, and my mum was working and going to school.
Dad needs to show an incredible amount of respect and humor and friendship toward his mate so the kids understand their parents are sexy, they're fun, they do things together, they're best friends. Kids learn by example. If I respect Mom, they're going to respect Mom.
We always had lutefisk for Christmas dinner, after which Dad read from the Norwegian Bible.
You know my dad pushed me to believe that I was going to be the best. I just never thought of life without tennis, even looking forward.