September 18, 2008

There's not much I haven't done in my life to make a living. When I was younger, I tried being a secretary, but just couldn't cut the 9 - 5 lifestyle. Maybe because I was a bit too free spirited for the daily grind. I got fired from a job once....well, actually I called in sick and they told me just not to come back in. It was a job at a finance company I got through an employment agency, where I had to call people who were behind on their accounts and tell them if they didn't get the payment in we would take them to court. I just didn't have the heart for that one. If I called someone and they gave me a sob story, I would say, "Ohhhhhh, I'm so sorry to hear that.....I hope things get better for you really soon. You just pay whenever you get the money."

One of the supervisors asked me one time when this one lady I called was going pay her bill. I told her, "Well, she doesn't have it right now because her husband just had surgery and the kids had to start school and she had to buy them clothes....." The supervisor demanded, "Well, what did you tell her?" I replied, "I just told her to pay whenever she got the money and that I was sorry things weren't going well." With that, the angry supervisor snatched that stack of phone numbers I was to call off of my desk and went and called all of the people herself to tell them she would take them to court if they didn't pay. I knew I couldn't hack a job like that, so I called in sick the next day. When the office head told me not to come back in, I said, "Oh, Thank God....I just can't do this job!" He told me I would make a good secretary because I had the skills, but I definately couldn't be a collection agent. Whew! Thank God that job ended.

I was always in talent shows throughout my elementary and high school years, so a singer is what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I finally made it to the age of 21 and legal to be in bars, I joined a band and traveled the East Coast singing in lounges. I moved to Florida when I turned 26 and got a job at Cypress Recording Studio in Jacksonville Beach. I sang demos and did back-up on other people's records. I had two 45 rpm records pressed to vinyl....did you catch that? I said "vinyl"....not CD. Goes to show you how long ago that was!....I guess when you have it in your blood from childhood, it's there for life. I have also done voiceovers, commercials, jingles and I play guitar and keyboard. I've done weddings, anniversaries, private parties and corporate gigs, but mainly sang in clubs and bars. If you want to hear a little bit of what I've done you can visit me at Barbara on MySpace. These songs were recorded at my shows, so don't expect anything too great. LOL Only one was professionally recorded...it is a duet I sang with John Anthony.

I was with Second City for several years and took all of the classes in Improv, Acting, Improv For Actors and Comedy Writing. Having a sense of humor has gotten me through the tough times in my life and I believe it is important to never lose your sense of humor or you'll become a very bitter person. I have done inspirational speaking to women and girls for 20 years and use music and comedy to break the ice. I'm excited to be associated with all of the great people who are going on this journey next year, as they all have something to say to help people have a more positive attitude towards life. I know that the combined energy of all who are going will make a difference in the lives of people around the world. It's also exciting that we will be the first ones to do something of this magnitue to raise awareness of child abuse, teen dating abuse and domestic violence.......not in a negative way, but to say....YOU ARE NOT STUPID.....YOU ARE NOT WORTHLESS.....YOU WERE MEANT TO BE BORN.....THERE IS A PURPOSE FOR YOU IN THIS LIFE.....YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.....YOU CAN HAVE A LIFE OF LOVE.....YOU ARE WORTHY OF BEING LOVED.....AND - YOU DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH ADVERSITY THROUGH VIOLENCE. I wish everybody could be on this train.