Darkest Bubbles -- biography bits



		who I am
		You know, that's a pretty tough thing to answer. Not because I can't find the words to use, but because I have a tough time saying anything good about myself in front of other people. I think the easiest way to define myself is the way others would define me: through my values, actions, and thoughts.		who I am how I got here the music what I do

	things that I value
		honesty integrity trustworthiness sense of reality an excellent sense of humour intelligence respectfulness humanity	responsibility dependability a tendency to slay sacred cows empathy understanding originality valuing others creativity

	things that I do not value at all
		hatred violence deceit amorality disrespect fundamentalism blind obedience	abuse intolerance rigidity lack of compassion non-constructive criticism laziness harming others

a character study

My basic tenet when it comes to life is Do No Harm. Of course, that's also the rule I hold other people to, too. I am a very nice person, unless something or someone pisses me off. The first time I meet someone, I am open to who that person is, and will give 'em an honest chance. However, if that person does something to me or someone I care about, game over. I do not give people second chances... unfortunately, that goes for myself, too. I am a typical perfectionist, expecting 210% from myself and mercilessly criticizing myself if I achieve only 209%.

I've always been a sort-of champion of the underdog. Although I don't have a single maternal bone in my body, I will stand up to anyone who is pushing someone else around. That's one of the few times I will come up from the background and become an active participant in a given situation. I beat up the bullies at school, and called out teachers who weren't helping the kids who needed help in class. I also take action when, at work, customers start verbally abusing other sales clerks for something beyond their control or knowledge. I've managed to get an apology from the customer each and every time thus far. Yes, I usually end up using some form of manipulation to smooth down the ruffled feathers, and No, I don't apologize for it. I use my powers for the forces of good, and only when such action is called for. I much prefer being in the background.

I am a typical Jack of All Trades, Master of None. I collect information and knowledge from everyone I meet, and do my best to disseminate that information to other people who would benefit from that knowledge. I enjoy teaching by example and experience, the way I learned it myself.

You know, to this point I sound kind of dark, humourless, and far too serious. Well, I'm not. I have a wicked sense of humour, and am notorious for really bad puns and surreal jokes. I love practical jokes and surprises. I have developed my gift-wrapping abilities to a fine art, so nobody ever knows what's in a given box... or even how to get into it sometimes.

I try to not take life too seriously. I also encourage others to lighten up sometimes. In spite of believing that I am not a social creature, I am a very open and genuine person. At work, I go out of my way to help people feel comfortable in unfamiliar situations. I use humour to help those hapless men relax enough to find the stuff their significant female person sent them in for. Think about it - a wife sends her hubby in to get a clear brassiere strap clip - could you resist asking him what colour his evening gown was? I certainly couldn't resist, and, after he stopped laughing, he asked me whether I thought that a navy or light blue outfit would go better with his grey hair. The other girls on the floor accused me of being a flirt. Hey, if getting people to relax and laugh is flirting, I guess I am a flirt.

I love animals. Living in a flat, it wouldn't be fair to have many pets, so at present we have a cat. He adopted us from the local humane society back in the early 1990s. He maintains his own website, so I won't say too much about him here. If I had my way, I would have a huge countryside lot and care for abandoned pets. That's what I wanted to do as a child; veterinarians usually work with animals who are already cared about, I wanted to help the other ones. Guess I had better start playing the Lotto, eh?

A good friend of mine once said, "I want to live my life in a way that all those glowing remarks and fond remembrances of me, as people will say at my funeral, will be completely true." Sounds good to me.

the nicknames

Over the years, there have been many, many, nicknames applied to me - and that's only the ones people have used to my face! Several of those are not really able to be published, but the ones in common use appear below.

Boo - I went through that childhood sleepwalking phase, and startled the heck out of my parents who awoke one night to find me standing in the middle of the hallway with a sheet draped over my head.

I've always pictured Boo as a kinetic 6-year-old who savours everything about life, and refuses to miss out on anything. Why? Well, because that's what I was when I earned the nickname. I've always felt more like a Boo than a Barb. Perhaps a shrink would say that I was yearning to return to the freedom and innocence of that time in my life. Umm, well, no. I'm a prankster at heart, the Raven archetype. Boo is the distilled essence of my nature, and I'm just being true to my nature.

Babs - This one had multiple origins. Several clients of mine, mostly baby-boomer generation and older, developed nicknames for me as we worked together over several months. More often than not, it ended up being Babs. It must be a generational/cultural thing from before my time.

Bubbles - I had a truly amazing English teacher in high school - he looked like Tim Conway, and had one heck of a great time teaching. He didn't believe in the 'super serious no fun in the classroom while teaching the Bard's works' theory of education. If he thought someone was being too serious, he would work tirelessly to change the situation.

This teacher said to me one day, "You know, Barb, you can drop the shy act. We all know you have a sparkling, bubbly personality in there. Release the extroverted introvert, Bubbles." And that was that - he never used my real name again.

The same source gave me the title for this website, Darkest Bubbles. I enjoyed writing fiction, and had a tendency to include some really dark and occasionally menacing aspects in my stories and poems. He read out one of my poems in class, saying that if this was written by the always sunny Bubbles, he would be too afraid to read anything written by the darkest Bubbles. The term has stuck with me.