The Rumours Are True. I Have Arrived.

So, having stumbled in here a couple of days ago, drawn like a passionate moth by the twin flames of a decentralised platform using crypto, and the chance to write, I’m told that some of you, possibly, might be interested in learning a little more about me so, with slight reluctance (I like my privacy) and a small lump in my throat, here goes.

I don’t really do careers. Since I left school in 1982, I’ve been (deep breath)…

Farm labourer
Dairy stockman
Commodity broker
Foreign exchange broker
Stockbroker
Laundrette owner
Property investor
Export agent
Management consultant
Eco-consultant
MBA student
University Professor
Creative writing teacher
Published author
Digital strategist
Business analyst

…and I might have missed a couple.

I don’t really do committed relationships, either. I’ve been married twice, and left both partners within a handful of years. One was sexy but mad, and she got the house in France. The other is sexy and a lovely person; happily, we’re still on great terms, and we have a delightful son, Sam, who has a birthday every single New Years’ Day, the inconsiderate little twerp.

I love playing squash.
I love walking in the wild hills around my fairly remote cottage.
I love the occasional pint, or small whiskey.
I love the company of beautiful women (though not for too long, obviously…)
I was fully vegetarian for years, till I moved to a place with fishing rights on a salmon river. Now I eat fish.
I fast 18 hours a day, most days, and once fasted for 36 days straight.
I consider myself a shaman, though please keep that to yourself.

A few years ago I inherited a dog and four cats in the wake of (another) failed relationship (though we’re still great friends). The dog, Molly, is pretty cool. The cats are OK, I guess. They all live outside and I lock them into various outbuildings overnight. They rarely complain.

I’m still trying to get a handle here on whether I can write on the vast array of things that interest me, as they pop into my head, or if I need to get somewhat (ulp) focused. So far I’ve written on managing a crypto portfolio, burning steel-framed buildings, and posted a couple of pictures of the snow in my back garden. They have each been met in the Steemit community with an almost unholy silence. Ah well, early days. Why can’t I have several blogs on the same account and theme them each differently? It’s not fair…

I did get some Steem into my ass (wallet) today. Steem Me Up, Baby! It’s helped not one tiny bit so far, but I’m currently just following orders, yer honour.

I read a lot. The London Review of Books (passed on by a friend) is a constant companion. And my current books on my bedside table are the Watchmen (the graphic novel), the Dave Lee Roth autobiography (he of Van Halen fame) and The Soul of the Octopus (which I’m loving). Recent finishes have been H is For Hawk (which reads like a long prose poem) and The Wolf Border. I got Sapiens and The Rub of Time for Christmas, and I might have to read Robert Anton Wilson’s The Illuminati Trilogy again this year, which is one of my all-time favourite books. There’s a golden submarine, a drink that makes you see the naked truth, and a talking dolphin; what’s not to like??

Finally, I am picking up a rather warm, friendly energy among the Steemies I’ve met so far, and even among those I haven’t. It’s unusual, and something of a breath of fresh air, in these days of trolls and haters. And that'll probably come to a grinding halt when y'all read the word 'Steemies', which I know is not the accepted term, but I think I like it better.

So thank you, all, already, for making me feel welcome. May 2018 exceed all your hopes, dreams and aspirations or, at the very least, not be too crap.