I was born in the Philippines when Neil Armstrong strolled on the moon, then immigrated to Chicago at the age of three. We lived in the Lakeview neighborhood until 1977, when my parents bought a house in the suburbs. 
In the City, I went to Catholic school, but my parents enrolled me in the public school system when we moved; the nearby Catholic school didn’t bus students at the time. I graduated from high school as a music major at the Chicago Academy for the Arts, to which I rode the commuter train from the suburbs. The Academy didn’t bus students, either.
In 1988, I auditioned for the percussion department and won a scholarship to the University of Houston. After two semesters I no longer wanted to study. I wanted to play, which I did for a number of local bands after moving back to Chicago. I lay music aside in 1994, when after some discussion with Veruca Salt to replace the drummer for the second leg of their tour with Hole, their management advised that a roster change early in their career could be damaging.
At the time I wouldn’t have agreed, but staying in Chicago and continuing my job as a secretary was the best situation for me. Earlier that year I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the instability of constant travel would have hindered my treatment. I still struggle with my “bipolarness,” but I have an excellent support system.
In the past ten years I have shifted my focus from music to writing and put myself through school. In 1999, I earned a BA in English from DePaul University, and the MFA in Creative Writing in 2002 from THE Ohio State University. I no longer want to be a rock star. I just want to be healthy, write, and play hockey, which I picked up somewhere along the line. 
~Barb Natividad, 2004 (revised 2009)
©2004-2009 by Barb Natividad
