The man writing this blog is named Barry de Bruin. Less fortunate writers may claim that they have ghost-written in his name. They are not telling the truth. The only page on this site which Mr. De Bruin has not written himself is this one. This is because this page is about Mr. De Bruin, and as Mr. De Bruin is a gentleman he does not write about himself. This is not a matter of principles, but simple because it is very difficult to write about oneself, and it certainly does not get easier as one accumulates life experience at the pace that Mr. De Bruin accumulates life experience.
Mr. De Bruin is a large man, who initially might trigger memories of ol’ John Henry, who challenged the steam hammer along the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. Although there is no relation, there are several similarities, the most striking being that Mr. De Bruin sometimes challenges the technological wonders of this digital age we live in. So the fact that Mr. De Bruin is even online writing this blog, and that he hasn’t just hired a bunch of ghost writers to do it for him, should make you very grateful indeed.
Mr. De Bruin is half bear. He comes from a long line of (dare I say, rather successful) traveling circus performers, with suspiciously close ties to the late Khazarian royal family. For many generations, it has been a ritual that a man of De Bruin heritage reaches maturity by going into the woods returning with a Black Bear that will be their companion for life. This is how they make their living.
In a twist of divine sarcasm, however, Mr. De Bruin never reached this age. Instead, the bears themselves came into the tent one night (young Mr. De Bruin can’t have been more than 5 or 6 at the time) and abducted the only child of the circus. And although I’ve discovered that numerous search parties we’re sent out, this is how Mr. De Bruin came to be raised by the bears on the River Volga.
Thus, Mr. De Bruin is an imposing figure, possessing a strength that can only come from playing with urisadae brethren for most of your youth. There’s also a childish curiosity about him that I expect comes from being away from civilization for so long.
Many a time have I enjoyed Mr. De Bruin’s inquisitive nature when he challenges what we perceive as ‘natural’. And this is actually his most powerful trait: The curiosity that makes him ask us “why” and the strength that compels us to answer him.
