15 life stories
Doing Business With A
Color Full Out Sider
You buy my books, or you purvhase my drawings, or I check your AI translalion. And you are interested in the guy whom you will be in business. Here is my life story in 15 very brief stories.
Story 15 – 2022 – Pharma archivist
My archivist work at a pharma company had many ups and in the end even more downs. But I liked the commercial speed and the fast business language.
Story 14 – 2017 – First thriller
My first thriller was published ‘”Bulgaars labyrint”
Story 13 – 2012 – No drawings for fantasy story
I did a writing course and wrote a story that included some drawings. The teacher refused to comment on the drawings, because it was a writing course and no drawing course.
Story 12 – 2010 – Remarkable orthodox church wedding
My church marriage in Ukraine for the Ukraine Orthodox Church was a “never a full moment” event. My family and friends had a week in Ukraine they will never ever forget. Too bad I did not speak Ukraine language, but I would catch up. Though only many years later after the marriage failed. And my Russian was all right.
Story 11 – 2003 – Tax lawyer librarian
I worked as a librarian for the tax lawyers at Deloitte financial company. I liked the fast business language. And it changed my view on the world – from creative to economic.
Story 10 – 2002 – Failed freelancer
After four year voluntary journalist for Dutch “Balkan Bullein” I did a failed start as freelance journalist. Many stories but selling those was hard.
Story 09 – 1997 – Bulgarian peaceful revolution
In the bitter cold January month I joined my Bulgarian friends in Plovdiv to celebrate the succesfull Velvet Peaceful Revolution. Serbia and Georgia and Ukraine were the next countries to topple their dictators.
Story 08 – 1996 – Historic map sold
For a business friend I sold an historic map of Lithuania to the national museum in Vilnius. The map was very good and I liked the sale.
Story 07 – 1993 – Drawings in USA
I was volunteer in an American summer camp. I felt very much at home amongst the other volunteers from all over the world. I started drawing again and the other volunteers were very positive about my drawings.
Story 06 – 1992 – Russian after Gorbachev
Following the spirit of Gorbachev’s changes in Russia (“glasnost” and “perestrojka”), I started to study Russian. We started with 20 students, but when the verbs and the cases started, half of them dropped. I continued.
Story 05 – 1991 – Bulgarian coup d’etat holiday
My first Bulgarian holiday was exactly in the week of the failed August coup in the Soviet Union. Too bad I did not speak Bulgarian. But in the next years I would catch up. The language is interesting because it has little in common wirh English and German and French, that I learned in the 1980’s.
Story 04 – 1988 – Real Frisian thriller
I took part in a Frisian language thriller writing competition. The secretary for the organizing committee came to see me in person. He wanted to make sure I had written the thriller myself.
Story 03 – 1984 – Drawings outside of art
I showed a number of drawings to a friend, who was museum director and art historian. He said my work was all right, but it did not fit into any art history line.
Story 02 – 1981 – Fantasy figures down
The drawing teacher in secondary school spoke very bad about my fantasy creatures. And I loved them so much. I thought she was right. So I hated her and and her classes. Her attitude became for me a blue print for bad managers in my later office jobs.
Story 01 – 1977 – Secret poetry game
There was a poetry reading competition in Dutch in the primary school. I was too shy to register, but I prepared secretly a poem. When the competition was about to finish, I took a breath, raised my hand and asked the teacher to participate. He had a soft spot for me and agreed.