I started reading romance novels for the "happy" factor. Not that my home life wasn't happy, of course it is. At the time, the complete bleakness of my job in local law enforcement left me emotionally empty each day. Just the simple stupidity that I encountered at work, peoples dumb choices that hurt someone, killed someone or got them arrested bottled me up and left me looking for anything with a happy ending. The suspension of belief came after I started reading Heather Graham parnormal novels that had been loaned to me by a friend. After the first novel, I was hooked. Every story had a seemingly happy ending, boy meets girl, they overcome some amount of strife or danger, and they solve the problem with emotional serenity, thrilled with the new life they've found. Throw an interesting amount of paranormal characters in there so that it's just a bit left of reality, perhaps some humor, and you've got a winner.
By day I was encarcerating people who are the bottom of our evolutional barrel. A man who had murdered two people for the equivalent of $50 in change. A women who had shaken a baby to death, even though she maintained that she hadn't done it. Boys caught with kilos of cocaine. Old men sentenced for raping children in their family. Women who were so drunk they'd left their babies to cook to death on a radiator cover. Couple this with the utter stupidity in the office, because let's face it, rocket scientists don't become police officers; and the inherant danger for everyone working there, and anyone else would be looking for a little escapism as well.
I'm a voracious reader. I still read about a novel a day. I love a good vampire novel on most days but I'll also look to werewolf, ghost, time travel, fairy and shapeshifters for a story as well. Some of my favorite characters, Mercy Thompson, Anita Blake, Harry Dresden, Sookie Stackhouse, The Black Dagger Brotherhood, the Dark Hunters, Cat and Bones and more have amazing adventures and save themselves and the world time and again. Although not all of them get their happy endings, each book ends with a sense of rightness with the world that was completely lacking after each 10 hour shift. A sense of danger put to rest that my vocation missed. Danger seemed to follow me everywhere especially when our inmates threatened my family.
More recently, some of my authors haven't been delivering on the "happy" factor. Although Cat and Bones are safely tucked away in my mind, other charatetrs are left in turmoil at the end of the book. Tonight, I finished Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward. And while her books are always fun, this one finally gave our guy (Thorment) his happy ever, after losing his wife early on in the series. It took him about 10 books to get his gal, and while I'm happy it finally happened for him, I wonder why it took so long to get around to.
The most obvious answer, is that I had to read the 10 books in between to get there. And four years ago, I might have been downright distraught at the books lacking that "happy" factor. But now, I've gotten to know the authors voice, and her characters and I look forward to the journey more than the goody at the end. After all, these books aren't harlequin novels. It makes me look forward to more series like this, if there are any, that aren't just one night on my nightstand, but a journey through an alternate world so like ours but way more interesting. And I've realized that my "happy" is now coming from the anitcipation of the next book, and not just the end of the one I'm reading.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Friday, October 5, 2012
A day in the life of a Little Boy
In tornado alley, everyone is wary of passing storms. It's a way of life. But more than a few people I know torment their kids during every storm, tear them out of bed at the sound of thunder, and hide in the shelter at the first drop of rain, waiting for the next "big one" even though statistically that will never happen again. I can't imagine what those kids must feel, being torn out of sleep by frantic parents rushing to the basement. Must be similar to Anne Frank and the Nazi's. How scary. I won't instill that kind of fear in my kids because the world is scary enough. I don't want to raise them to be afraid.
This afternoon my son was with his dad, while they were going to the bank a red car next to them was surrounded by police cars. The boys got caught in what we t.v. watchers would call a "take down operation" by our local police, who were trying to arrest a person in the car next to my family. My husband jumped a curb in his truck to get away from any possible stray gunfire. He took my son into the nearest bank, surely that's a safe place, right? And of course the bank goes into lock down so that no gun toting maniacs run inside. Apparently they don't know my husband. What a treat to be stuck in a locked building with my amped up 4 year old. Needless to say, he was very excited.
An hour later, I picked up my son and went to our local home improvement store to pay a bill. We walked in and were waiting in the customer service line, seemingly forever with three kids, when a cashier a couple isles over started yelling HELP! I jogged over, trailing two kids, to see a cashier on the floor. People were trying to hold her up. It was very obvious to me that she was having a seizure, poor lady, and that most of the people there didn't know what to do.
So, with my meager medical training, here's what I think. When some one's having a seizure, there's not really much you can do. Other than preventative drugs, you can't really stop a seizure. Don't put a stick or anything else in the person's mouth. Lay them on their back, or side if you think they're going to throw up, and just keep their head from banging on the ground. Pretty simple. They won't swallow their tongue. They may bite you if you stick anything in their mouth. Afterward, they'll come around and be very confused. Tell them to stay lying down until help arrives or they're aware of their surroundings again. Afterward they're usually tired. Feel free to email me if I missed anything here.
Luckily, another guy there has read this blog and knew what to do. Long story short, I spent part of the afternoon holding a stranger's head while my kids worriedly looked on asking why the lady was sick. Not exactly an easy situation, deep breath, and give calm explanations. I think this helped the other cashiers too. They all looked a little spooked. I jetted with the kids before the fire truck and ambulance got there. I felt a little like Batman. What? You wanted me to hang around?
See? The world is a scary enough place all on it's own.
Today my oldest son was in a police shoot out, a bank lock down and a medical emergency. True story. It wasn't a movie set or anything interesting like that, just the course of a normal day gone wrong in a lot of ways. And a day that was very lucky in others, since we are all home safe. So if all this can happen in a normal day of a 4 year old, then I won't ever understand why parents terrify their kids over events no one can control. I don't want to raise my kids to be afraid. I want them to be strong, and cautious, and smart. I want them to hide from tornadoes, not storms; run to help people, not away; and drive away from danger instead of getting hurt. I hope today taught him just those things.
P.s.- Writing this, I had over 500 views, not a lot for some, but I appreciate you all for reading
This afternoon my son was with his dad, while they were going to the bank a red car next to them was surrounded by police cars. The boys got caught in what we t.v. watchers would call a "take down operation" by our local police, who were trying to arrest a person in the car next to my family. My husband jumped a curb in his truck to get away from any possible stray gunfire. He took my son into the nearest bank, surely that's a safe place, right? And of course the bank goes into lock down so that no gun toting maniacs run inside. Apparently they don't know my husband. What a treat to be stuck in a locked building with my amped up 4 year old. Needless to say, he was very excited.
An hour later, I picked up my son and went to our local home improvement store to pay a bill. We walked in and were waiting in the customer service line, seemingly forever with three kids, when a cashier a couple isles over started yelling HELP! I jogged over, trailing two kids, to see a cashier on the floor. People were trying to hold her up. It was very obvious to me that she was having a seizure, poor lady, and that most of the people there didn't know what to do.
So, with my meager medical training, here's what I think. When some one's having a seizure, there's not really much you can do. Other than preventative drugs, you can't really stop a seizure. Don't put a stick or anything else in the person's mouth. Lay them on their back, or side if you think they're going to throw up, and just keep their head from banging on the ground. Pretty simple. They won't swallow their tongue. They may bite you if you stick anything in their mouth. Afterward, they'll come around and be very confused. Tell them to stay lying down until help arrives or they're aware of their surroundings again. Afterward they're usually tired. Feel free to email me if I missed anything here.
Luckily, another guy there has read this blog and knew what to do. Long story short, I spent part of the afternoon holding a stranger's head while my kids worriedly looked on asking why the lady was sick. Not exactly an easy situation, deep breath, and give calm explanations. I think this helped the other cashiers too. They all looked a little spooked. I jetted with the kids before the fire truck and ambulance got there. I felt a little like Batman. What? You wanted me to hang around?
See? The world is a scary enough place all on it's own.
Today my oldest son was in a police shoot out, a bank lock down and a medical emergency. True story. It wasn't a movie set or anything interesting like that, just the course of a normal day gone wrong in a lot of ways. And a day that was very lucky in others, since we are all home safe. So if all this can happen in a normal day of a 4 year old, then I won't ever understand why parents terrify their kids over events no one can control. I don't want to raise my kids to be afraid. I want them to be strong, and cautious, and smart. I want them to hide from tornadoes, not storms; run to help people, not away; and drive away from danger instead of getting hurt. I hope today taught him just those things.
P.s.- Writing this, I had over 500 views, not a lot for some, but I appreciate you all for reading
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