We are pleased to introduce Reza Bahador, CPD, a member of ASPE’s Atlanta Chapter in this edition of Get to Know.
ASPE: What book do you recommend everyone should read? Why?
Reza: Easy. A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilber. This book walks you through, well, everything! I think it’s a good book to read for anyone and everyone because it allows for a glimpse into so many areas and gives each reader a chance to find a new area to dive further into as you are gently guided through our universe’s existence.
ASPE: What is your greatest accomplishment outside of your career?
Reza: Finding an intelligent, funny, and loving woman who likes to cook as much as I do to say “I do.”
ASPE: What is your favorite animal? Why?
Reza: I am totally intrigued by crows. I don’t know why. They seem common enough, but also very mysterious. From what I know, they are very smart. I plan to read a book about these strange fellows someday.
ASPE: What are your hobbies outside of work?
Reza: Hiking, camping, snowboarding, and driving Georgia mountain roads. I love house and yard projects. Someday I hope to have a small wood shop.
ASPE: What is your favorite type of music, band, and song?
Reza: I am a progressive rock sort of guy, but my interests include nearly all forms of music. Lately I have been listening to some bluegrass. My childhood friends would find this hilarious.
ASPE: Which historical figure would you most want to meet and why?
Reza: Leonardo DaVinci. The man was incredible: writer, inventor, sculptor, and artist. His inventions most interest me—not just the inventions but the thought process that you can see went into them by looking at his sketches.
ASPE: What do you do to relax?
Reza: I find a project to wrap myself in. It doesn’t matter if it’s a home project, car project, or art project. If I can get my hands busy and my mind focused, I feel relaxed.
ASPE: What is your favorite childhood memory?
Reza: Learning to swim past the breakers in Malibu, California. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but to get past a giant (to a child) wall of water to the more calm ocean is more a feat of bravery and self-confidence than ability. Once I could to that, a number of things became easier to me.
ASPE: If you could play any sport professionally, what would it be and why?
Reza: I think it would have to be a professional surfer. You get to spend your day in the water and travel to some of the world’s most amazing places for competitions.
ASPE: Do you have a nickname? How did you get it?
Reza: Nice try. No way.
ASPE: Do you have a favorite vacation spot? Where is it and why do you keep going back?
Reza: Mineral King in the Sequoia National Forest. I have camped and backpacked there since I was six. There are powerful waterfalls, abandoned precious metal and gem mines, enormous trees, high, rocky peaks, and some small glaciers. There is untamed wildlife that doesn’t see many humans. Their response to a person’s presence isn’t always flight. Sometimes it’s curiosity, sometimes it’s apathy, sometimes it’s a territory dispute. The most aggressive animals that I have ever encountered are High Sierra hummingbirds. There is a lot of “tough guy” in those little bodies. In comparison to most national forests, this place sees very little human activity due to its long, winding road in from the highway. It is a truly majestic place.
ASPE: If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Why?
Reza: I have to say that I am pretty happy where I am right now, but if I had the means to support it, I would probably live in or around Santa Barbara, California. I love this town and would take the 40-minute drive to visit it as often as I could while I was still in California.
ASPE: What is your favorite meal? Is it prepared at home or found at a restaurant?
Reza: Tachin with lamb (saffron rice). It’s a Persian dish. I have yet to perfect it, but my father had this home country dish down to a science. It is nearly impossible to find in a restaurant because of the time it takes to cook and the cost of good saffron. (The stigma and styles of the crocus flower were such that at a time it was worth more than gold per ounce.)
ASPE: What is one interesting ability you have or an interesting fact about yourself?
Reza: I trained and competed in martial arts for over 30 years. I used to run my own martial arts studio and can still kick over most people’s heads!
ASPE: What is your proudest accomplishment?
Reza: Getting my CPD was a big deal to me. I have been out of school for quite a while and have always had a hard time with tests, especially timed tests. I used all but eight minutes of the four hours I was given to take the CPD exam. I studied each night after work, reading books, memorizing formulas, and trying to focus on the challenges that we come across irregularly in our industry that would otherwise take some research to resolve with the help of already-developed charts and tables—all of this while trying to fit in Lego time with my son.
ASPE: What is your favorite holiday and why?
Reza: All of them! Any chance I get to cook a feast!
ASPE: Who is your hero?
Reza: My son is my little hero. He has reminded me how to see the world with amazement, without the filters of familiarity or experience.
ASPE: What did you want to be when you were a child?
Reza: I always wanted to be a Kung Fu Master. It helped forge who I was as a young person and into adulthood. Though the style I ended up in wasn’t like the ones I read about in my Kung Fu comic books, I feel like I can almost check this box—but not quite. It is a lifetime investment.
ASPE: What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play?
Reza: I don’t typically like to watch—I like to participate—but if I’m channel surfing and come across a channel with motorsports, I’ll get stuck there.
ASPE: If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?
Reza: This is a hard question that I think about often. One of my top three time periods would be the 1920s. The music and culture mixed with a yet fully explored world seem all but too much. Basically, I want to be Indiana Jones.
ASPE: If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have?
Reza: I have to say I’d want Spider-Man’s powers in fear that if my son reads this and I didn’t say that, I wouldn’t live to see the morning.
ASPE: What’s your favorite type of foreign food?
Reza: I can’t get enough Japanese food: ramen, sushi/sashimi, yakitori, okonomiyaki, curry—you name it!
