Tom Brown
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I have 280 stories published in
25 collections on the site.
My stories have been read 464716 times
and 19 of my stories have been cherry picked.
441 of my 3,050 comments have been voted Great Feedback with a total of 442 votes
Born South-African, I went to a dual medium primary school and Afrikaans high school, NG Church mostly and sunday school Methodist. At school achieved top positions in science and mathematics olympiads, after as well completing two years of engineering studies with very good results but I did not graduate, I had to stop due to mental health problems.
Graduating under WK Bartoszek at Unisa, MSc (1997) and Pretoria University, Niko Sauer PhD (2006), formal interests were to be in abstract analysis and broadly in applied mathematics. All of my qualifications were with honours.
I had permanent teaching positions at Unisa and at Wits, however since not having been academically active, and as such absent from formal academic research for very long now, years. Advanced study and research was in Markov operators and stochastic processes; vector valued Laplace transforms applied to semigroups and families of evolution equations (Empathies).
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Unfortunately I have had a history of medical treatment for psychiatric illness with diagnosis of a bipolar mood disorder.
It was very fortunate in that my condition responded very well to medicine it helps if you cooperate and comply, if not, you don't have much of a chance. Also I am totally abstinent from alcohol and other mood altering substances for great many years, it did not accord with my constitution at all. As a chain smoker I also managed to kick the habit, more than a decade smoke-free now, by the Grace of God.
I have always been able to function completely normal and independently in society my isolation was not because of my own doing it was due to circumstances, and has just been getting stricter I seem to have almost no contact outside, save only for AbcTales. My saving grace.
I am totally isolated and financially barely getting by.
Although I am still studying mathematics and applications, more popular accessible kind of work, while interested and looking forward to hopefully be active in research or industry again.
God is in the details of the details. God is in the timing of the timing.
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Apart from studies in the natural sciences I am interested in languages and literature in general as well as religion. In high school I majored in German also, and Biology, in the meanwhile I have taught myself French, well enough to read (with a bit of difficulty).
Lately I have been writing more popular general interest essays and also trying for a bit of balance with mathematics and while keeping things understandable for most people.
Thus not involved at all with any social media, and having time for writing, leisure, watching movies, reading fiction, classics mostly, poetry and music. I miss my friends, and would really love getting outdoors and in nature more.
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Favourite authors are Jules Verne, HG Wells and Jack London, Shakespeare and poets William Blake and Dylan Thomas. I like adventure, science fiction and fantasy movies my all time greatest are the Narnia stories and the Lord of the Rings.
The meal best enjoyed is a breakfast of bacon eggs on toast fried chips with fresh orange juice, and for supper an ox-tail stew. I like eating out romantic. For recreation nature hikes, camping and fishing, listening to good music and reading, classics mostly, and good movies. I love dogs my best one was a Maltese poodle Freddy.
I love rain and lightning thunderstorms and rainbows. As well as writing and publishing here on AbcTales.
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These are my stories!
Keep your feet on the ground and reach for the Stars!




patience
Posted on Fri, 07 Feb 2025
“I want it! now!” – is that the rule? One of the central measures of emotional intelligence is postsponment of gratification. Used to be sometimes called "patience". These days, as you say, very scarce.
Tom
Read full commentPosted in Innovative Unknown Paths
Lovely poem Rhiannon
Posted on Wed, 29 Jan 2025
Lovely poem Rhiannon, beuaty in simplicity, Optimism for happy spring to come,the brigther side of life -Tom
Read full commentPosted in Surprise!
Glad
Posted on Tue, 12 Nov 2024
Glad the comments ended! Sjoe!
Joking! Yes brilliant work! Tom
Read full commentPosted in Where Maps End
Very positive
Posted on Wed, 01 Jan 2025
Excellent poem Rhiannon! Very positive, but somehow it feels we do not have so much to celebrate for. Let us hope then and "trustingly wait".
See you in the New Year! Tom
Read full commentPosted in January 1
Mothers and Grannies
Posted on Thu, 26 Dec 2024
It is a lovely poem, it so sad that we only really appreciate them when they are no more with us.
See You! Tom
Read full commentPosted in Forever Remembered
Very good
Posted on Sun, 08 Dec 2024
Very good, like whispers of time and truth. Well done! Tom
Read full commentPosted in The Meeting of the Waters
Just as Ed has
Posted on Thu, 21 Nov 2024
Just as Ed has said, and Yebo! Is the Zulu word for Yes!
Hamba gachle! Go well! Tom
Read full commentPosted in THE OUTTHERE A-EYE CHAT SHOW (second bit)
insect photography
Posted on Tue, 26 Nov 2024
My one uncle photographs of insects for some very well respected thick glossy expensive hardcover books, all of it science stuff. Lately he has been studying dung beetles we've got all kinds here. What a strange interest? I haven't seen photos....
Read full commentPosted in Pasture-Cleaners
South African
Posted on Thu, 21 Nov 2024
Ja, Inderdaad. Maar ek is nie 'n Engelsman ook nie 'n Duitser nie, ek is 'n Suid Afrikaner! Yebo!
Read full commentPosted in THE OUTTHERE A-EYE CHAT SHOW (second bit)
Two little boys
Posted on Fri, 07 May 2021
Two little boys had two little toys! A favourite it's like me and my brother. Some people just never grow up! Tom
Read full commentPosted in Slugs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tales!
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