I'm a 47-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

Society & Lifestyle > Economic Values Would you rather be born rich or intelligent?

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One time wannabe Texas gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman once observed "Money can buy you a fancy dog, but only love can make him wag his tail."

Any time I come across a debate related to the issue of whether or not it's "good" to be rich (from birth, or otherwise) that comment pops into my mind- perhaps because this is ultimately an issue of "What is going to make me happy, in life?" And having grown up among some very rich individuals, I saw very little evidence that wealth made anyone happy. In fact I saw more alcohol and substance abuse, as well as depression and suicide attemp...

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