Inheriting Fire

A few weeks ago, I was sworn in as a cadet in the fire department. My family and I went to the council meeting, where I took the firefighter's oath surrounded by many of the town's salient officials.

This was not the first time a member of my family had taken that sacred oath, however. My great grandfather (on my dad's side) was the first of my family to become a firefighter. He was a dedicated member and one day, was injured on his way to a fire call, and suffered a traumatic injury. He recovered, but lost his hearing completely. In order to communicate with his family, he learned to read lips, because not even hearing aids could supplement their speech enough for him to hear it.

My grandfather (on my mom's side) was also a firefighter in town. He served as chief for eight of his forty years as an active member. My mom joined the department in 1989, becoming the first woman in town to do so. Her membership has made a huge difference in contemporary times: she opened the door for the other women members in the department today, and for me.

Although I have not learned all of the argot used by firefighters on the radio, I still feel deeply connected to the department. I grew up going on calls with my mom, and feel as though the members are somewhat of a second family. I know I can trust them with anything, because I have seen how far they will go to help each other. In hard times, I have seen the firefighters, my mom included, coalesce to help their own. Not to mention, they put their lives in each others hands everyday. As a cadet, I cannot go into fires, so my life is not entrusted to them in that way. But in a few weeks, I will become certified to change the air packs that provide oxygen to the firefighters. They will entrust their lives to me, because the air packs are what allow them to breathe in the smoke-filled environment of a fire. This is not a responsibility I take lightly. I am determined to live up to the respect and trust that the fellow members give to me.

Joining the fire department has already had a huge impact on my life, and I look forward to the continuing my role as a cadet.

Twas a few nights before Christmas...

... and all through the house, not a creature was stirring...*just kidding*

The blizzard a few days ago gave me an unexpected Christmas gift - one of those rare, ephemeral moments of complete peace. I was at my grandparents house (just down the hill) for a Christmas party when the snow began. We had walked to the party, in order to circumvent the dangerous ride up the hill once the road was covered in ice.

So, after the party, we began the trek up the hill, in the already deep snow. This short walk turned out to be one of the most beautiful and peaceful moments in my life. The empty road was amorphous; it was almost impossible to differentiate between the sidewalks, road, and lawns. The snow itself held a certain allure as well. It sparkled and shimmered whenever the flashlight beam passed over the drifts - it looked like millions of tiny diamonds were crunching beneath our feet. All was ethereally silent, which is an extremely rare occurrence on a main road. There were no cars, and no other people walking. It felt as though we were in our own world. Truly 'walking in a Winter Wonderland.'

I Love New York - Not!

A recent article in the NY Times (here) found that of all the states in the Union, New York has the fewest happy people. That might surprise you, given that NYC is the burgeoning entertainment capital of the world. Or it might not, after you hear the implacable horns blaring at a blocked intersection and curses flying out of cab windows.

Does this mean that all New Yorkers are saturnine? Of course not. In fact many people believe that New York is a great place to live. However "if too many individuals think that way, they move into those states, and the resulting congestion and house prices make it a nonfulfilling prophecy" because, based on this study, the higher the housing prices and the louder the traffic, the less happy the people are. There is no way to redress this problem, because NY, albeit unhappy, is still a desirable place to live, and so the population continues to grow - and people become unhappier. What a vicious cycle!

For those who are interested, here is the hierarchy of the Top 10 Happiest States: 1. Louisiana, 2. Hawaii, 3. Florida, 4. Tennessee, 5. Arizona, 6. Mississippi, 7. Montana, 8. South Carolina, 9. Alabama, 10. Maine.By the way, New Jersey is not much happier than New York, ranking 49/51. Connecticut ranks 50/51.

So, in an attempt to make the Tri-Sate area a little happier, I dedicate this post to the apparently depressed residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut!

Wizards, Werewolves, and Vampires...Oh my!

The vogue in books right now? Fantasy novels and lots of them, with the most popular being the Harry Potter series and the Twilight saga. Personally, I am a devout Harry Potter fan, having read the entire series multiple times. I fully consider the series the crux of the fantasy genre.

Twilight, however is another story. As large a fan base as these novels have, I see them as a tawdry replica of the Harry Potter series. One of the main reasons that I have not read Twilight is that it pits the Edward vs. Jacob fans against one another, with both sides wishing to usurp the other's position in Bella's heart. People seem to become obsessed about who's on 'Team Edward' or 'Team Jacob'. I mean, the latest Burger King commercial shows elderly women in a nursing home glaring at each other and wearing opposing 'Team' shirts. Come on... can anyone see this actually happening? HP contrasts to this 'war of the vampires vs. the werewolves' in that the JK Rowling works to unite her readers with Harry against Lord Voldemort.

I know that this post will probably elicit an angry response from all those Twilight fans out there. To be honest, I have seen each of the two movies once. But I have never read the books and never will. I am a Harry Potter fan through-and-through and it will forever be the only fantasy series for me.

In the Core of an Apple Lies an Undeniable Truth

Book Review: Peeled

3/5 stars

Overall, this book was a pretty good read, especially for fall. It centers around a small town in upstate NY, whose entire economy is based around the family owned and operated apple farms that dominate the landscape. But the halcyon decades of the town were interrupted in the beginning of the novel, when one of the deserted farm houses in deemed haunted.

Hildy Biddle, reporter for the Core (the high school newspaper) is determined to get the story behind the rumors before rival reporter, Pen Piedmont, of the town newspaper, the Bee. Piedmont and his followers continually abjure the validity of the school newspaper when the two rivals disagree.

The story moves along those lines for the entire middle of the book (this becomes a little tedious), before the ever meticulous Hildy discovers the discrepancy within the facts and articles. She exposes Piedmont and his associates as frauds. They were paid by a real estate company to 'haunt' the house, in order to drive down prices so the company could make the town into a new development. When Hildy makes this announcement in her paper, it sparks a paroxysm of anger among the townspeople. The story ends as the town goes back to its peaceful ways, Piedmont is driven out of town, and the apple farmers return to their work with brio.

This book was like a mellow mystery novel, with the mystery only coming into play at the end. It was definitely a relaxing read, but do not pick this book if you are looking for a fast-paced thriller.

Your Best is Good Enough... This Time

Ever notice how people say "be the best you can be" or "just do your best" all the time? These sayings are the antipodes of the truth. What if your very best is constantly failing (in school) or getting fired one time after another (at work)? Is doing your best supposed to make you feel better about problems? Is that the way you are supposed to live your life - by impeding any chance of success by limiting yourself to the 'best'?

You should always strive to do better than your 'perceived' best. Human evolution has allowed us to always improve and change. So, what was your 'best' yesterday is less than your best today. Don't believe me? Do you think that your best on a 2nd grade math test is the same grade you would get today? Of course not.

You are culpable for your own actions. No one can tell you that you should do your best - because your best is constantly changing as you learn. If you take anything from this post, I hope it is this: Do not preclude the change, growth and improvement that can happen if you are not limited to your 'best'.

The Price of the Peace (Prize)

Can the crescendo surrounding President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize win just stop already? If you disagree with his nomination, complaining about it is not going to give the prize to someone else. He won - get over it. Any disagreements with this statement do not need to be voiced on the news for week after week. Yeah, say your view after it happens - it's your Constitutional right. But don't keep doing so for weeks. Please.

The Nobel nomination committee never claimed to be disinterested in American politics, nor to refrain from choosing a party line. The Committee is not Obama's minion or under the 'celebrity spell' like some conservatives claim. If Obama's plans for peace are in alignment with those of the Committee's, then why shouldn't he win? Because some conservative radio host doesn't agree? - yeah right.

Obama did an inordinate amount of work to change American foreign policy in a relatively short period of time. He took Bush's flagrant disregard for other countries and turned the US into a nation, willing to talk and negotiate for common interests. Our world image is now more friendly and less imperialistic/bossy. Obama also ordered Guantanimo Bay to be closed, stopping torture (and promoting peace) and he plans to end the Iraq war in a responsible way.

Just his effort in nine months is so much more than Bush actually accomplished for peace in eight years.

So Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. Its great for some (including me) and not so great for others. But its not going to un-happen (yeah, I know its not a word - just thought it fit). So get it off the news please; there is new stuff going on TODAY.

The Man in the Sky who gives Commandments on Pizza Boxes

Movie Review: The Invention of Lying

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

The movie starts out with the omnipresent narrator describing a world where no one can lie. The voice displays the absurdity of the world in total, then specifically into the life of Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais). He works for a film company, but since no one can lie, all the movies are completely historically accurate (Boring!). Mark is the typical nerd and has no luck at work, with his family life, or with women. He is subsequently fired, and he then becomes the first human on the face of the earth to lie. His entire demeanor changes; Mark becomes confident and decides to tell the world about the "man in the sky". This is the first time that anyone has heard about God, and Mark gives the world his commandments. In the end he gets the girl (Jennifer Garner) and keeps his newly gained confidence. And they live happily ever after (blah. blah. blah.)and Mark becomes legendary as the man who talks to the 'man in the sky'.

Overall this was a pretty funny movie. The nursing home was called something like 'the home to abandon hopeless old people' and the church "a quiet place to think about the man in the sky." Hilarity ensued in the beginning of the movie when everyone told the truth, no matter how inappropriate, mean or careless.

However, do not see this movie if you are easily offended by religious aberrations. This movie is eccentric in its challenge of religious norms, in a world where God does not exist because he has never been seen or proven. Many traditional Christian values are also slightly mocked (The priest wears a silhouette of Bellison holding the pizza box commandments instead of a crucifix, etc.) But no real harm is meant by these examples, as they are all part of the comedy and are not malicious.

If the above does not offend you, definitely go to see this movie. It is well worth the $12 admission for the amount of laughs it gets.