The amazing Rhea Drysdale tagged me to do this…
1) I used to be a professional.
I was responsible for budgets in the tens of millions of dollars range from both the public and private sector as a logistical co-ordinater for NGO’s. NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organizations) are places like the UNHCR, Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, etc. I worked humanitarian aid in war zones for most of my twenties. I stopped in 2001 after two years in Sierra Leone, when the person I loved died. I also worked in Sarajevo, Kosovo, Chechnya, Macedonia, and Albania.
2) I am older than most people think.
I am 37 years old, but still startlingly good looking.
3) I have held myself to a strange rule since I was ten years old.
I do not own anything I can not carry with me in a knapsack. People give me shit sometimes for carrying stuff around conferences with me wherever I go. Stop doing that. It is everything I own.
4) I have no education.
I grew up in group homes, and the highest grade I passed was the fourth grade.
5) I am in Hawaii now
I just got a place in Waikiki.
6) I am a writer.
I do poetry and short stories and can use words so goodishly swell that I can make people feel and think and stuff.
7) I didn’t own a computer until five months ago.
I have told some people this, but for those of you who do not know, I wrote feedthebot.com using public library computers. It wasn’t until later (after a very long argument with myself) that I decided to have a computer. In all seriousness, if you are frustrated and agonizing over this SEO stuff… there is hope. I had spent most of my efforts on making money for non-profits and it was not until March of this year that I started a campaign designed to make money for me.
I was broke in June and have made almost 200,000 dollars since then. This stuff works.
8- I like you
I had a very tough time over the last few years. In my old field (humanitarian aid) I was constantly amazed by the people around me. I left that field and kinda wandered the Earth for awhile, pretty much constantly alone.
I can not say how happy I am to have met the people I have met in the SEO world. I am not only amazed at how wonderful you all are. I am amazed at how nice it feels to see you guys every few months at conferences. You are familiar to me now, and I was hell bent on not letting anything or anyone become familiar to me again. It is beautiful to feel so nice when I see you and I like that.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Hawaii!! I want to go soooooo bad. Lucky!
Wow, Pat. I read these out loud to my coworkers. You are a fascinating (and good-looking, of course) person.
@ Pat – Glad to see you back at it after a couple of weeks off! I miss reading your stuff when you are not blogging man. Rebecca’s right, you do have a great way with people and words, keep the goods coming.
Hey Pat,
It is so wonderful to read your work again. I’m glad to hear you are in your place in Waikiki… I know how bad you wanted to be there.
A lot of what you wrote I already knew, but reading it again still blows me away. You are an incredible person with so much to offer anyone that you cross paths with. And, when that person crosses your path they are better for it.
Take care of yourself.
You really are startling good looking. Sometimes I visit your blog just so that I can look into your eyes.
I enjoy reading your blog. It’s fun and makes me think about my life.
Rock on Pat
Love from Taiwan,
Evan
Patrick–YOU are the biggest BS’er male blog owner out there! But I do enjoy the blog and your stories. Looking forward to more. How about some shots of the beach and the flowers over in our island state? Maybe a volcano or two? I’m like an NGO w/o the charity events, so I’ll just have to settle for your pictures. Try not to stand in front of the flowers when you take the pictures or I’ll have to Photoshop you out :
Dude…… I know that picture!!!
Thanks everyone for commenting
Pat, you’ve certainly led an interesting life. When are the memoirs coming out?
Even though I do own things bigger than will fit in a knapsack you can often see me carrying one around. It’s not filled with everything I own, but it’s often filled with everything I think I can’t live without at that moment.
Pat, you may have made 200 grand with your SEO & gadget efforts, but I bet you could make even more selling your secrets on how to stay young and beautiful.
Seriously, I found this tremendously interesting & I’ve GOT to get around to posting my own. I fear no one will ever tag me again because I’m so far behind though