This is my mom and dad! Even though we have our generational and cultural differences at times, they are still the coolest parents in the world. You start absorbing information and mannerisms from your folks as soon as you enter this world. So parental programming starts at a very young age and you have to deprogram yourself to a certain extent when you reach adulthood. That is unless you want to grow up and be exactly like your parents. That's a scary thought for most people I know;)

Your siblings are usually another influential source for absorption of information. And this is my sister Annie...boy, have I learned an eclectic bunch of stuff from her. She has her hard-earned MBA from Cal and I learn a lot about business matters and styles from her. She works at a very stable hi-tech company north of San Francisco. Siblings are funny because there is always a certain amount of rivalry but I think that when it comes down to it, we're all just trying in different ways to be individuals and not be exact replicas of our parents.

Ok, back to me, the littlest sponge in the family:) Here I am cracking up on the steps of a beautiful Victorian house in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. Seth, the photographer of this picture, just has an uncanny way to make me laugh, even when a picture is being taken. I was probably thinking how deliriously happy I would be if I actually lived in this house whose steps I'm sitting on. You never know...maybe one day:) On that note, financial success is great (like being able to buy a Victorian in SF) because it gives you the freedom and flexibility to do what you want. But for me personally, it is much more important to be doing something you love and being happy with the direction your life is going.