Since there are misconception out there about me, let me clear the air!
Back in February of 1977, I was born at the Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, FL. I do not know who my natural parents are as my mother had given me up for adoption. The story of this is for a later time.
I was look after for a couple of months by a foster mom and then I was adopted out to a wonderful couple by the names of Arnold & Mary Lasris. Where for 18 hellacious years I tormented them. Really, it wasn't all that bad for them. I was diagnosed as ADHD and went through some private and group therapy to figure out what was wrong with me. To this day, we still don't have a definitive answer.
I was not challenged enough in school and from the 6 grade on, I was rebellious and out of control. This accounted for bad grades and summer school. I did not get held back any, but in order for me to graduate high school, I had to make up 2.5 credits in summer school.
Then came the ARMY! Oh yeah, I had some fun there! Let me tell you about it!
At first it was a little rough and I had originally gone in to be a Satellite Communications Specialist, but I kept falling asleep in class and even the doctors did not know what was wrong with me. See we are still confused! And they transferred my MOS to Water Purification Specialist. Yes, I know, "In the ARMY Now", "Pauly Shore", etc. Now that that is over with, can we move on? STOP LAUGHING AT ME!!! I spent close to 6 years in a place where I was not able to think for myself and was miserable. And that was not just because I was married twice while there. When I got out, it was the happiest time of my life! UNITL! I got evicted out of my apartment and had to move in with my ugly mother-in-law! Yes I was married to my 2nd wife when I got out! After moving in with the witch, everything started to go downhill and I left Virginia Beach and moved in with my parents in Helen, GA for a while. (My parents moved there to be closer to my mom's parents)
Now for the story of how I came to be who I am today! I said STOP LAUGHING!!! I know I have told this story to you before, but is integral and must be told again. Quit your whining!!
While in Helen, GA I had a job at a local restaurant on the Chattahoochee River called Cafe' International. I was making Reuben Sandwiches all day everyday there. After work I would either go home or walk around town for awhile. One day when I was walking around, I happened upon a little store called Creative Connections where a wonderful artist hand drew portraits of people in charcoal, pastel and oil.Her name is Aline Backes. She also was doing face painting as a side to her business. I came in one day and asked for a face painting and she painted an Egyptian style mask on me. It was great. I became friends with her and actually bought her a set of professional face paints. I then was watching her store while she was at her other job as a pastry chef and she was surprised to see what I could do when she came in at the end of the day and saw me with an elaborate face painting on. She asked me what I was doing cooking when I had a skill I could use to make money? Well I got the opportunity to leave my other job and start doing face painting full time. I took back the paints I bought her, YES I am an Indian giver, and setup outside her shop and on the main street of Helen. I was making $150-$250 a day in Tips! I had found my calling.
What I was really good at was cat faces and I always painted myself as a tiger. I also drank a lot of Mountain Dew, hence the name, Katmandew! Aline also made a costume for me and booked most gigs for both of us, since some kids were scared of me with my face painted, she would take them instead.
We moved her shop to a little place on a corner just a little back from the main street and turned it into a Gallery/Cyber Cafe. It did not go as planned and we ended up moving to Sevierville, TN after a year. We had in and out jobs and a rough time for 5 years in TN and decided to move to a little town called Abingdon, VA where they have the Virginia Highlands Festival that we have been doing for the past 5 years now.
For the past 10 years, Aline & I have been business partner and have traveled to many different states for many different festivals and have had our differences to the point of killing each other. When we are not fighting, we work great together,but it seems as time passes, we are just getting on each others nerves and we need separation.
So now I am here and am looking to go solo in my venture as we have come to a dead end in our business and personal relationship. Irreconcilable Differences, you might say! That is all I am going to say on this!
You all know who I am on the internet and you all know who I am in person, and those of you who have known me for some time know what I am really like. It is up to you to decide if I am a friend or an annoyance you no longer want to know or work with.
I would also like and appreciate it if anyone has a problem with what I do or say, to confront me personally, so I can know what it is I may be doing to offend or seem unprofessional.
One thing I can tell you, and I said this in the beginning is, that I am, and I also hate to use this term, ADHD. My mind continues to wonder even as I am trying to be professional. I may be talking to you and change subject for no good reason or get distracted and lose focus only because my mind has wondered. I do not mean for this to come across as rude, but it does. This also happens when I am bored. So if you see me out of sorts or flustered it is just the ADHD and it will pass. I do not like to use this as an excuse but it is the way it is.
I know I have left a lot of things out, but I hope this alleviates some of the misconceptions about me, but if it does not, PLEASE comment with your questions here, on Facebook, Twitter or
KatmandewFBA@gmx.com
Until tomorrow, HAPPY PAINTING!
