: About Me

I'm a 50-year old Danish national living in Port Townsend, WA- a historic town in the Pacific Northwest. Although I call myself "a writer," it seems that the vast majority of writing I do these days is in the form of descriptions for things I'm selling on eBay.

Some years ago, I decided to leave behind the frenetic lifestyle of the "striver" and accept the basic truth that I am- at heart- a Creative Slacker.

When I was six years old, my mother bought me some blank notebooks in the hope I would turn out to have artistic talent. Within a couple of weeks, I had FILLED those notebooks... with WORDS, rather than DRAWINGS. I wrote fantastic tales of my teddy bear going to the moon, and life inside tree stumps. Although I always knew I was "meant to" write, I took a 25-year sidetrack to pursue a life in the business world until I had thoroughly proven to myself (and everyone around me) that I was an absolute misfit in that environment. Amazing what peer- and societal pressure can do...

Of course, I don't actually make a LIVING purely from writing. Much of my time is spent with two of my other hobbies that have since become businesses- rare postage stamps, which I sell to collectors around the world, and beach combing... which involved finding and selling "found objects" to jewelers, artists and crafts enthusiasts.

My passion is ...

Writing; preferably in the form of "commentary on life." Being in nature is high up there, too.

I know too much about ...

Being a slacker, business processes, the enneagram, psychology,

My parents always told me ...

to stand up straight

My childhood ambition ...

at five, was to be a bank manager- so I could sort and count all the money. I'm still not sure where "all the money" went.

My favorite memory ...

summers at my aunt's house; it had a special smell of hay, warm leaves and dampness I can still remember.

Why I write ...

as if I really had a choice...

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Reading "Amazonia;" listening to a Ministry of Sound compilation while I type

My first job ...

working in a bottle cap factory, manning the machine that sprayed plastic compound into the caps so they would seal on bottles.

My best moment ...

When Texas Monthly published my submission for a college freshman short story writing contest, chosen from 1000s of entries.

My inspiration ...

Life and love

Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: Say & spell my name correctly

1 of 8

“It’s pronounced exactly the way it’s spelled.” I must have been seven or eight, the first time I heard my mother say those words. We were at a bank in our new town after a move, and my mother was opening an account. It was the late 60’s, and back then everybody addressed each other by their last names, at least in places of business. Although I can’t be certain, it would be my guess that my mother spoke up third or fourth time the young man in his business suit butchered our name. “Mrs. Mesh… Mech… Mesher… smith… schind...

More..

Rating:

• Helium Charter Member