This is me now.
This is me at 15 months old.
This is my husband, Sean.
This is Edmund Archimedes.
Coming Soon -- Meet Spött the WunderCar!!Boo is a very creative person. She loves to work with her hands...playing the 'cello, sewing, gardening, knitting (getting better at it, really), painting, woodworking, etc.
She has a twisted sense of humour, and is especially fond of puns.
Boo is deeply devoted to her husband, her parents, and her cat.
Boo loves communing with nature. She enjoys going out for walks in the park, running around in the middle of a downpour & jumping in puddles, kite flying, and parking-lot tennis.
She is a very active member of the Royal City Lions Club here in Guelph. She is currently Bulletin Editor, and Director of Public & Media Relations.
One of Boo's favorite things is driving around in her '84 Jetta, codename "Spött the WunderCar". In her opinion, some cars may be "built for drivers", but a Jetta is BUILT FOR DRIVING!!! Whenever you hear Boo call out "ROADTRIP!!!" you know an adventure is afoot.
Barbara Anne Richardson (née Wickenden) was born in Grande Prairie, Alberta on a very cold and snowy Boxing Day in 1966. She and her parents and faithful dog Beaver stayed out west until moving to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario in the early 1970s and then settling in St. Catharines shortly thereafter. She was then and still remains an only child.
Inseparable buddies... Boo and the Beav.
A stunningly brilliant student, and often impishly so, Barb had occasion to experience some of the educational system's experiments. Yes, she attended an "open-concept" grade school, and for one of those years, actually had her classes in a portable classroom (hmmm). But one thing would darken her academic record for all her years of schooling -- "lack of participation". Yes, Barb preferred to let the other kids participate in class, since she was getting tired of being accused of being a "know-it-all". Besides, she had more fun tormenting her teachers.
Starting in grade 5, Barb released the musician in her. She started by studying 'cello, and continued on to add double bass, oboe, and bassoon to her talents during high school, and still plays 'cello and bass today. She achieved Royal Conservatory of Music "Grade 8" certification in both 'cello and bass, and was principal bass in the Niagara Youth Orchestra for three years.
Speaking of high school, Barb went to Laura Secord Secondary School -- a school with a well-earned reputation for high academic standards. She flourished in the maths and sciences, as well as the music program. She graduated as an Ontario Scholar, with scholarship offers from every university except Guelph. Guess where she went.
The University of Guelph specialized honours program in Molecular Biology and Genetics taught Barb everything she needed to know about academic life in the real world...especially that she wasn't cut out for it. But she did get her degree with honours, and was introduced to what she was destined to do with her life while she was there.
While at the U of G, Barb volunteered at the Ontarion, the U of G student newspaper. She started out with manual paste-up and layout, and was eventually promoted to typesetter. She became an active member of the Board of Directors and editor-hiring committees. She worked there for three years, and thrived on coffee, garlic bread with cheese, wrestling editors for headlines at 4 a.m., and the race to meet the printer's deadline. She was clocked at an unbelieveable typing speed of 160 wpm one early Sunday morning.
After university, Barb spent two years in retail fabric sales. She had been sewing since she was about 4 years old, so working with fabrics and patterns came as second nature. Also, she loved to help people, and was an excellent explainer/teacher who was able to inspire people to try something new. Many of the customers she helped came back again and again, either with photos of what they did or wearing the new outfit that they made.
In the fall of 1991, Barb got married to Sean Richardson.
Later on, Barb spent over two years working for a printing company as an electronic pre-press designer. After becoming a victim of corporate downsizing in 1994, she decided to start her own home-based desktop publishing company, Angular Momentum Graphics.
Way back in the early '70s, Barb started sleepwalking. One night, her parents awoke to find her standing in the middle of the hallway with a sheet draped over her head. Thus, the name "Boo" was conferred.
Way back in the early '90s, Barb was watching the cartoon show "Animaniacs" with some friends. A comment was made as to the similarities between Barb's normal zany self and the character "Babs Bunny". Somehow, it stuck.
So, what do you think of my web page?? Please send any comments you may have to babs@albedo.net
Copyright © 1996 by Barbara Anne Richardson
This page maintained by:
babs@albedo.net