The Life of Terence Loose in 500 Words

Got born, turned blue, had emergency heart surgery, lived, learned piano, got another open heart surgery at age 11.

Lived again – voted school’s most scarred kid – learned to surf, got 30 stitches in Hawaii thanks to an inability to tube ride. Went to college, forgot how to play piano, graduated with a psychology degree (still don’t know why), and bought a leaky tent and a one-way plane ticket west. Fell in love with Tahiti, froze in New Zealand, and got 20 stitches in Australia thanks to an inability to tube ride. Dreamed of next stop, Indonesia, land of 1,000 tubes (I like blood), but flew home instead when my dad died.

Got legal threats from my dad’s last wife for complete bullshit, lost a lot of money and sleep, met my future wife and thought, “Okay, it’s all worth it.”

Moved to Los Angeles for a job at a movie magazine, stopped surfing, went nuts, quit and sold everything to camp through Australia with my future wife in another leaky tent.

Came back to a promotion at the movie magazine but couldn’t handle L.A. so I took a writing job at an Orange County magazine. Started surfing again and bought a house – more like a shack, really.

Got sued by my dad’s last wife for complete bullshit, eloped to Kauai, went into major debt. Went nuts again trying to reason with my dad’s last wife, salvage the shack, and kill the barking dog next door.

Finally sold the shack, sold the stuff, quit my job, learned to sail and bought a 25-year-old leaky, 32-foot sailboat (do you sense a theme?). Went nuts a third time fixing the boat up, then sailed with my wife down the coast of Mexico for a year. Learned to spearfish for dinner, failed to learn Spanish, then crossed (25 loooong days at sea) to the South Pacific and spent six months in French Polynesia where I almost learned to tube ride (no stitches!) but failed to learn French or Polynesian.

My wife got pregnant in South Pacific, so we sold the boat and flew “home,” where I woke up on a friend’s inflatable camping mattress broke, homeless, car-less, jobless, with a baby on the way (amazingly, I didn’t go nuts).

Got my writing gig back, bought a Volvo and finally went nuts again thanks to Southern California’s blazing pace and lack of parking.

Had a daughter – the only adventure better than sailing the South Seas – and said, “Okay, it’s all worth it.”

Planned another escape by sea with my family, but landed in the hospital for a heart condition instead while simultaneously getting sued by six crooks claiming my father was the crook (conveniently, my dad wasn’t alive to defend himself).

Stayed happy thanks to my family, but went broke and nuts yet again. Got into UCLA’s famed film school for screenwriting (a good place for crazies), took my daughter surfing for first time, stayed broke, but got sane… almost…

…started planning another tropical escape…

Learn more at Terence’s website:

www.tloose.com

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