Here are five things that most people don't know about me:
1. At age 11, I won my school's spelling bee contest, and I appeared on television in the Harris County (Houston, Texas) spelldown for the national spelling bee contest. I got tripped up on an easy word: "Caesar". The fact is that I did know how to spell it, but nervousness caused me to spell it "Ceasar". Sigh.
2. My name at birth was Clinton Edwin Ellison, but my grandfather said that was too long a name for such a little kid. He nicknamed me "Tex". That name stuck for about 15 years, when I insisted on being called "Clint".
3. I qualifed "expert" as a marksman with the M1 rifle and the .45 pistol in the army. I have a love of firearms that continues to this day.
4. I love poetry. I especially love classic American and English verse. This love of poetry began when I was a young boy and my mother would read to me at bedtime. I have written a book of poems (unpublished).
5. In 1977 (?) I was a sales rep for the Cordis-Dow Corporation. This company made a revolutionary new product, the hollow fiber dialyzer (artificial kidney). I covered the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. I sold more product in those four states than the rest of the company sold worldwide---combined.
How about you, my friends? Can you share a few things about yourselves that most people do not know? Don't be shy!
Call these the music, poetry, fact and fiction of a dreamer....Call this LYRICS of LOVE and LORE.
In the 70's I was a waitress in Cedar City, UT. I actually waited on the Osmond family. I soon realized that if I wanted to earn money, I needed to leave UT and get a degree. So I said goodbye to my parents, and took off by myself in a 67' Mustang, that barely ran. I headed for Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ. 4 schools and 5 years later I was the first woman in my family to get a Bachelors degree.
ReplyDeleteMy past must remain my own :-). I love getting to know more about you. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteKaren---Yes! That's what I'm lookin' for! Congrats for your willingness to step out of that comfort zone and show your ambition. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteinteresting, clint! when i was 11 i was a finalist for my school's spelling bee. i was tripped up on the word oar and spelled it ore. major disappointment! my haiku won a contest and was published in a district-wide book when i was 9. i loved reading and writing as a child but my passion for it was squelched by the education system. it's coming back, though.=)
ReplyDeletemy first name is kelliann. i got picked on a little for it but now i think it's pretty. my dad named me kelly ann, as the women in his family had double names like ellen joy and patty ann. my aunt bought me things as soon as i was born with my name on them spelled kelliann. that spelling stuck, though my dad still spells it his way.=)
oh, and i'm afraid of guns and wish weapons of such destructive nature were never invented. though i do support our right to bear arms - if they're allowed to have them, then so should we! i'm a strong supporter of the constitution and our god-given natural rights.
Thank you, Kelli! Or, ore, oar...gets confusing, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteHey, I know all about the public schools and the quashing of dreams.
I love the story of your name. Guns are nothing---it's nuclear weapons we should be very worried about. Thanks for sharing---really interesting!
Even I am learning some things about you that I didn't know. I had not known your marksman's skills were considered expert. I am proud of my husband! ♥
ReplyDeleteclint - he used it in a sentence and i knew how to spell it, but like you, my nerves got the best of me! sadly, my cousin's 21 y/o boyfriend was robbed, shot and killed at 12 o' clock in the afternoon a few weeks ago. i did not know him but feel so sad for my cousin, who also lost a mother at a very young age when her car was hit by a drunk driver. alcohol and guns are so glorified these days, though they destroy lives!(sorry to be debbie downer! i feel like i had to get that out and here is a safe place.=)
ReplyDeleteNice to know more about you Clinton! And to dear Kelli Ann, sorry for your family's losses...
ReplyDeleteI was once certified as a "Colonel" of auctioneering after taking a night class and 'passing' an exam of selling one item at an auction house in front of live buyers...
I am renown for doing silly things, as you know I love the children's slide: (2) Had the nerve to get up on stage in N. Ireland to play my tambourine with an Irish singer, not Daniel.
ReplyDeleteAlso I hated school though I did ok at English one subject I detested was.......Poetry.
Who'd had thought I one day would write poetry and have a published book with the hopes of another one to be published.
Enjoyed your post,
Have a great week-end;
Yvonne.
Kelli---What a tragedy. I am so sorry. Yes---this is a very safe place for all opinions. Thank you for voicing yours!
ReplyDeleteTexwis---I'd give anything to hear your rapid-fire barking while leading an auction. What a great blog topic!
ReplyDeleteYvonne---That is so funny!---you hated poets and now you are one! Ha! Thanks for commenting, and have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDelete:-) Clint my dear friend, you are really a special and sincere person... nice to know you
ReplyDeleteI can'say much about me, in my life there are many sad things, the only beautifull and nice is the love from my parents and for my partner that I naw have...
:-) but I read really with pleasure about your american life
Clint, do you know how to spell potatoe?;)
ReplyDeleteLaura---I really love your blog and the way your glowing personality shines through. I am happy for you and your partner. God bless.
ReplyDeleteOcean Girl--- T-A-T-E-R :)
ReplyDeleteI lost a spelling bee on the word chocolate. Now I write a food blog. Maybe I am trying to make up for my mistake by typing it repeatedly!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing Clint.
ReplyDeleteWe have had three Petra's in class, so we decided to call us by our lastname.
I am now living in Tenerife, but Canada is still the land I love.
and I am a impatient person, to me everything should be done yesterday.
Have a beautiful weekend
Petra
Oh, my "little" Sister Inken found your blog. Thank you for sharing this 5 things.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice weekend.
Greetings Sabine
Angela---It is not so important to be able to spell the word "chocolate". What IS important is that we eat lots of it :)
ReplyDeletePetra---You have such a nice blog where you expound on the many virtues of the island of Tenerife! I did not know Canada is your first love.
ReplyDeleteSabine---I did not know that Inken is your sister. Cool.
ReplyDelete