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.