'Pooka' is a variation on 'Puck.' My first exposure to that sort of character was through Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' and the idea of a mischevious, merry wanderer enchanted me totally. I love mythologies, even the crude, cruel parts.
On a slightly deeper level, a friend, in talking to me a few weeks ago, claimed that most people go about their lives half-asleep and with their eyes closed. I suggested that they might be awakened if we expose them to the unusual or the fantastic and remind them how joyous and strange 'waking' life can be-- I was thinking of the harmless, happy stunts of
Improv Everywhere and the like. Using the name on a forum reminds me that there are people all around me that I can still help to rouse.