Dan Dobbs is a published author and playwright who was reared in the nether-regions of West Texas, where he was often beaten senseless by his peers for refusing to adopt the native accent. While attending the Texas public school system, Dobbs guidance counselor advised him that, due to his abrasive personality, he should never enter a field which involved working with people. After high school, Dobbs shunned his counselor's advice and took a job as an assistant at a nursing home. Curiously, 83 patients died in Dobbs three week stint at the home, and he couldn't handle the grief. He then found work as a janitorial assistant in a city morgue, and also utilized his natural born skill at wielding a chainsaw by starting his own tree trimming service.
During his twenties, Dobbs claims to have earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism, but says he cannot remember the name of the institution from which it was received. He also claims to have followed Carlos Casteneda into a separate dimension to collect payment for tree-trimming services he had rendered. He refused to comment when asked if he took his chainsaw with him.
The past few years have presented Dobbs with many challenges, but thanks to recent breakthroughs in psychotropic drug technology, Dobbs is now able to tune out 95% of the voices in his head.
Aside from his prized collection of Billy Beer, Dobbs enjoys collecting books, and considers his 147 copies of 'Catcher in the Rye' to be "my own spiritual 401k plan."
Dobbs has written and published numerous short stories this year, and credits his newfound prolificity to his neighbor Sam's dog, who he says "has a talent for barking between the lines."
If you would like to comment on, or criticize Dan Dobbs story in this
issue of Titan, email him at dhammond@dww.net
.