Who we are

[Richard Payne]

Just a suggestion. For all of us to get to know each other better, would it be good if each one of us gave a small explaination of what we do in life and some of our life's experiences?? We're a growing group and it might be interesting.

Any comments?

Richard

[Ellen Taliaferro, MD aka "DrT"]

Excellent idea.

[Richard Payne]

That's two of us that think it's a good idea Ellen. How about the other members??? Anyone else have a comment ..... good idea, bad idea .....or ?????

I like the new colours (thats the Canadian way of spelling COLORS not a typo) on the site Ellen.

Richard

[Richard Payne]

Hi Everyone,

I'm going to start to get things rolling by giving a short resume of who I am and what I have done in the past and what I'm doing now. This will be done tonight because I will be busy today. Please stay tuned and I hope everyone else will follow so that we all get to know each other.

Richard

[Richard Payne]

Hi folks,

OK, as promised, here is a little bit about my life so that everyone will know me better.

1/ I will admit to being 39 years old (good enough for Bing Crosby, good enough for me). So you can add what you want from there. My first language is English but I also speak French and I have a son (Robert) who is 32 yrs old.

2/ I was born and have lived all my life in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. There have been offers for me to live elsewhere in North America, but I have refused them.

3/ Was originally an accountant (B.com & CGA), but for 30 + years have been in the Sales & Marketing sector.

4/ For many years I have been associated with family, women's & childrens charities and issues.

5/ Owned several companies for 25 + years in the import/export, retail/wholesale sectors and at one time was in manufacturing of industrial chemical products. However I was mostly an agency working with distributors or selling direct to end users.

5/ In 1995 I decided to sell my company to a major Canadian chemical company (who had been after me for some time) and start living the so called "good life". That lasted 6-8 months or so, and then I realized that if I continued living this quite unproductive "good life", I would soon be visiting my relatives in the great beyond. So with that in mind, I opened a small company (a one man show this time) and went back to work. Eight yeays later I closed this company down, and sold off my larger accounts to a competitor. Since then, I have been working for companies that need someone experienced in marketing and sales to grow their bottom line.

6/ For the last 5 years or so, I have been reseaching what the internet could hold for someone like me. Recently (earlier this year) I had a chance meeting with a female friend and over lunch, we caught up on what had transpired over the last few years. Somehow we started to talk about the internet, and she mentioned that maybe I should explore the possibilities of a career in helping women through a website. And that in a nut shell takes us to the present. I am the owner and creator of www.finabella.net , www.finabella.org & www.finabella.ca .

Whew, enough about me. Anyone else like to try telling everyone a little bit about themselves????

Richard Payne

[Richard Payne]

Bravo Adrianna.

Richard

[Ellen Taliaferro, MD aka "DrT"]

Thanks to Richard and Adrianna for getting this section of the network growing.

The Official "About me" can be summed up at http://web.mac.com/ellent/et/About_Me.html

However, every day we are fortunate enough to wake up on this side of the grass, we grow and growth brings change. My current endeavors include serving as the Medical Director of the San Mateo Medical Center Keller Center for Family Violence Intervention in San Mateo, CA. In addition to this part-time position I speak and write in the areas of the health consequences of violence, stress management, and developing a personal writing practice to improve health, well-being, and productivity.

In addition to all of this, I serve on the Board of Directors of the National Speakers Association, Northern California chapter. I also serve as the program director for this organization which affords me the opportunity to meet many caring and giving speakers.

I am always looking for contributors to the work of Saving Cinderella: both this network and a book in the making.

[Brigette]

Hi everyone "big smiles" Thank you Richard for including me in your family of friends:) I think that would be a great idea to get to know people:) Just let me know where to start "smile" and I'm there:)

[Richard Payne]

Hi again Brigette,

Tell us a little about your kids and what you do on a daily bases. Are you a stay at home mom or do you have 2 jobs (meaning your 24/7 job at home and a 9-5 outside).

I like the smiles by the way.

Richard

[Brigette]

Hello:) Ok now I feel silly lol, everyone has already started the process of telling about themselves:)So I will add in here about me:) I have 3 children ages 23,22 and 9 soon to be 10. The older ones are 2 boys and the youngest is a girl. I was married before for 14 years ( an abusive one ) and now I am married to the man of my heart:) we married in August of last year, we have been together since 1997, my daughter kept pressing us to get married "smiling" so we did. "whew" good thing, what a difference lol. Well I can say it has been a long long haul for me and my children and now my husband who has been through, lets just say, "I don't think any relationship would have lasted if you knew what we went through together because of the abuse that I went through" the effects and aftermath is well....so complicated. Between us on a personal note, we all share our feelings and emotions openly and have grown greatly because of that " even our dog has a gentle and understanding personality" :) I don't work...I use to many many years ago in the service bussiness, restaurant waitress, more or less jobs serving people. It was until one day that in front of my boss (at lunch time) I went into his office and sat on the chair and told him " I want to die" as I was rocking myself in the chair. Soooo needless to say, I could not go back to work. I miss the working world but unfortunately I don't know when something is going to happen. I was diagnosed as having Dissociative Indentity Dissorder because of the sexual abuse in the past, my mind at the time of an incident (sexual abuse) would leave the body and another personality that could handle it, took over. Now, all I have to do, is conect the abuse to me and accept the abuse, feel it, then maybe I will become whole. That is what I was told from my councilor. Sounds soooo confusing but hey, I'm never alone lol On the serious side there are times that my husband has to deal with the suicide personality...that is hard on him, and me because I am away when that happens. Just not to long ago I testified at the Inquiry in phase 1 and I asked for the police records dealing with my father and when they allowed me to see them ( and I could not take a copy or say anything about certain things I saw ) I saw writings that they had of mine that were written many many years ago, I didn't know about this and the stuff that my dad did to me, I was in the room myself because they wouldn't let my husband see the records or doccuments. Let me just say that I felt sick to my stomach and could not believe that these things had happened. I cried for days, this was last week. Boy, am I ever talking here....I hope I'm not taking up someone elses time here:):) Anyway, my husband can't work now nither because he had surgery to his shoulder in 2005 and if you knew that story it would shock you, it did to me. I wrote about it on the website.
Well, there's not much more, other then we live on a farm, we have a boxer dog, a cat and 3 kittens, and a whole lot of fish:) I love animals and just started signing petitions to help animals. OK that's it for me now...sore hand from typing lol

Talk with you all later " big smiles"

[Richard Payne]

Brigette, you did just fine on explaining who you are and what you do. I have 1 little disagreement with one thing you said. And that is you don't work .....MMmmm, as a stay at home mom, you have one of the busiest jobs there is. No pay and lots of overtime and you have to be an expert on everything. Pretty important I'd say.

Sounds like you met a great guy. But I'd bet he would say the same about you. Only he'd say girl not guy lol. Remember, you're a Fina Bella

Richard

[Brigette]

awh....thank you:) yes it is a full time job:) I guess that's a habit of mine I must stop...I do have a job...thank you for seeing this and reminding me:) Let me think here...a doctor, a teacher, a nutritionist, a friend, ok..I can go on with a lot more:) talk with you later:)

[Richard Payne]

That and a lot more Brigette. I'm signing off for tonight Brigette..... I started my day on the web at 7am this morning. talk with you tomorrow. Richard