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An (obscure) Biography

In 1996 I had occasion to write a short and intentionally obscure biography.

At birth I was denied my threescore, but I have stolen one to go with my ten. In the land of plenty I remain undernourished. Childhood dreams left me covered in dew. My legs have two human power and are less than ideal for vacations. Chained to machines I remain grateful. Roots are for vegetables; my toes forget past ground. The introvert demands attention. I undergo demolition and reconstruction periodically. Intellectual pessimism defers to innate optimism. Words fail me often, particularly nouns.

Now, here's what it all means.

• "...denied my threescore..."

  When I was born, I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and my estimated lifespan was ten years. At the time of writing this I was 29.

• "...remain undernourished."

  Part of having CF for me is not being able to digest food well.

• "...childhood dreams..."

  When I was young I slept in a mist tent, and when I awoke I was always covered in water that had condensed out of the mist.

• "...two human power..."

  I do not have a car, which makes it hard to travel when I take a vacation.

• "Chained to machines..."

  Part of CF is having to do respiratory and physical therapy, for which I have machines. They have improved my life.

• "...toes forget past ground."

  Every once in a while I move. I do think about what I left behind, but I am usually content with my current surroundings.

• "...introvert demands..."

  Now and again I shut off communication with other people for a short while.

• "...demolition and reconstruction..."

  Like a potlatch, there are times when I get rid of things I have. Then I build back up.

• "...pessimism defers..."

  If I think about the world, I get depressed because I know humanity will not survive in its present state; but day-to-day I am an optimist.

• "Words fail me..."

  Every now and then I completely blank out when I try to say something, and I have to grope around for the word I want.

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