Post #70: Some Thoughts On Serial and Gracepoint

If you have not listened to Serial and/or watched Gracepoint, or you are not caught up, please heed this warning: This post contains spoilers.
And also, if you aren't listening to Serial, you totally should.

First off, Serial. Part of me feels empty. I knew there probably wouldn't be an answer, but in spite of this, all I want is answers. I totally sympathized with Sarah Koenig when she said (I'm paraphrasing here) she just wanted to shake the facts out of people. What would Friday and Gannon do? They'd find answers! They'd get to the bottom of it! But, would they?
In my own research on Cpl. Robert Mrowka, all I've been able to find is that I think he married Anna, and that he might have fought in Korea, and that he might have died in 1991. These are all things that I think are facts. The only thing I am really sure about is that he was in the Air Force and he had his tonsils out. It's beyond aggravating! I really want to know what happened! But there is no way for me to fact check anything right now. The all-knowing internet only knows so much.
The other part of me is so excited about Serial because the entire Adnan (That's the ex-boyfriend who was convicted for killing Hae Lee) case made sense to me, in terms of the legal terms and how the criminal justice system works, because of my background as a criminal justice major, which isn't super great, but I have a better understanding than most people. I understood terms and I knew exactly what was going on when they talked to the people from the innocence project. The case against Adnan was a mess. But maybe he did kill her. Maybe he didn't. Maybe it is the serial killer guy. I don't know. But I do know that having the knowledge made Serial that much better for me. It added to my listening experience.
On the other side of the spectrum, the finale of Gracepoint was so disappointing to me. Up until this episode, everything was great. Nothing seemed too far fetched, and I really had no clue who the killer was! I figured the detective's kid had something to do with it, but I figured the priest did it.
But the "twist" was too weird. The husband is a pedophile and the kid did it. Uh, okay. I have yet to watch Broadchurch, so I don't know how they did it, but Gracepoint was janky. They threw out  nine weeks worth of awesome TV and doing really well at keeping everything totally legit as soon as the killer turned out to be the detective's husband.
If you beat the shit out of someone in an interrogating room, your case is going to get thrown out. Even if it is your crazy husband. Even if he did (cover up the) murder of a twelve year old kid he may or may not have been having an inappropriate relationship with. And when she (the detective) and the kids went into hiding (sort of) they definitely would have had at least, at least one police guard. Partially for protection, and partially because they might have info pertinent to the case.And she definitely would not be allowed to wander around the city and hang out in front of the house of the family of the kid who maybe was in an inappropriate relationship with her husband and then was killed by her kid. That just wouldn't fly.
That ruined the show. Little things that just didn't quite work because even the average non-CJ Major viewer would have said 'well, that wouldn't happen like that.'
"I did the best I could with what I knew; now that I know better, I will do better." - Maya Angelou
-D.

Post #69: Letters and Cards

So on my radio show for today (December 3rd), I read aloud some letters and cards on air. They are all from WWII and written to Cpl. Robert T. Mrowka. This post will be comprised of photos of the holiday cards. I hope to do some research a little later in the week about Cpl. Mrowka and his sweetheart Anna Buchbinder.

The December 13th, 1943 card from Marie.

The December 13, 1943 card from Anna.

The December 13, 1944 card from Marie.

The December 14th, 1944 card from Anna.

The December 14, 1944 card from Mr. and Mrs. William Horey.

The extremely sweet December 14, 1944 card from Ernie and Kathryn Wetzel.

This is on the inside of the card.

The envelope of the Christmas Eve letter from Anna.

The card sent by Cpl. Mrowka's father in February 1945.

Post #68: Thanksgiving, William Shatner, and Career Goals

Wow. November sure got away from me. It's almost time for my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving! Huzzah! Turkey and mayo sandwiches here I come.

 I registered for all my classes for the next semester, and I have one 8am class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But that's okay, because I get to take a creative writing class next semester, too.

There's nothing real big to report here, life's been quiet. Lots of school. It's been cold. I always forget how cold it gets, and then November rolls around, and I wake up, and it's sub-freezing outside. BRRR! I wore the mittens I made today, but I was still cold and miserable. 

I've been working on Christmas gifts for my family and friends, and I gave my mom the sweater I knitted her for her birthday last week. It turned out fabulous.
Over the weekend, I went to our local Comic-Con with my sister, and among other things, I talked to William Shatner (and a room of 500+ people) about my desire to be a police officer. I asked William Shatner if people had told him stories about being inspired to pursue careers in science, technology, and aeronautics because of Star Trek the way Adam-12 inspired me to explore criminal justice. He asked what I wanted to do, and I said I'd like to be a cop, and he asked why. I hmmed and hawed for a few seconds, and then I admitted that I had a politically correct answer and an honest answer. He asked for the honest answer and I said (with an awful lot of pride and confidence I might add) that being a police officer was the closest I was going to get to joining the justice league, and I obviously can't be Dick Grayson (which, along with being in a movie where I get to be Matt Damon's kid, and being a princess, is my life goal), I can sure be a cop, and that's the next best thing.
I was answered by uproarious applause and cheering. I have never received such positive reinforcement for saying I want to be a cop. An older gentleman came up to me and said "I was a cop for 35 years, and you know who inspired me? The Lone Ranger," Usually people ask me why I don't want to be a lawyer. On person has even asked me what I'm going to do when I get  *miming kicking*  out of the police academy. This really happened. But on Saturday, that did not happen. No one assumed I wouldn't even make it through the academy, or if they did, they did not say it to my face. They just cheered. Everyone should have that happen at least once when they share their goals. It's nice to know people are with you, and not doubting you. (Mom, you don't count. You're my mom. Sorry)
Shatner ended up telling us all what inspired him to be an actor, which wasn't what I asked, but that's okay. I also won art from Jimmie Robinson with writing from Steven Grant! I'm really excited about that.
Because thanksgiving is on Thursday, I'd like to take a moment to say I am thankful for my family, my friends, and those who are on the front lines keeping us safe. This includes veterans  and those currently serving, fire fighters, EMTs and paramedics,  and police officers. We often forget how important they are until we need their services.
"If you're worried and you can't sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep, and you'll fall asleep counting your blessings." - Count Your Blessings
-D.

Post #67: Fun-sized Post

Today's post is fun-sized, because I am trying to finish up some English homework. Hopefully there will be a full-sized post later in the week.
Where did the year go? It's November all of a sudden, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
My Halloween was swell. I settled on Black Canary, and no one got it, so there's that. But I had fun dressing up, so that's all that counts.

I also discovered that there is a spanish version of "The Monster Mash"

"When you stop doing things for fun, you might as well be dead." - Ernest Hemingway
-D.

Post #66: Some Tips From Your Friendly Neighborhood First Responder

Big news! I am officially a Certified First Responder! Woot! I got my official certificate and card in the mail a couple weeks ago and I am super proud of myself. Mr. Mackey said I probably shouldn't share this fact with people, because then they will want my help, but I'm pretty sure that's why I got the cert, so I could help people. Also-if you want to ask me for medical help, please keep in mind that I can really only put pressure on stuff and call 9-1-1. And if it's not an emergency, I will most likely tell you to go to the doctor's.
I keep missing First Responder opportunities on campus by 5-10 minutes, and part of me is relieved, but the other, mildly terrible and easily excited part of me is disappointed. I HAVE A CERTIFICATION! LET ME HELP YOU!!! (But please don't get me sick).
 There have been two medical emergencies that I have encountered in the past couple of weeks. The fire dept./REMSA has had it all under control, but I noticed that crowd control was, well, not under control.

I'm going to get on my soapbox here, so be forewarned. 

Please don't stop and stare. Just don't. I know you're curious/concerned for the patient's well being. I get it. Stare as you walk by if you have to. But don't stop and crowd around. That makes the Responder's work harder, and it can make the patient feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. It's rude. I know you don't think that it's rude, and I know you have the patients best interests at heart, but just keep walking. My first responder text book says at least once per chapter "put yourself in the patient's shoes" or "consider how you would feel if you were in their position". I know it sounds corny, but it's a solid tip. How would YOU feel if you woke up on the ground surrounded by people in uniforms and curious onlookers?
And please don't tell the people around you that you "see this kind of thing all the time. It's not that big of a deal." (Somebody said this to me. I'm not joking.) Even if you do "see it all the time". REMSA/The Police Department/The Fire Department are in my condo complex all the time. I am still not used to it. It still makes me a little nervous. And it is a big deal. Even if it's just to the patient. My other favorite was "Well, you'd better get used to it. We're all Criminal Justice majors, so we'll be seeing this a lot." (This was the same person, after someone said something about being worried about the patient.) I don't care if I see this three times a day, every day. It's still a little unnerving. That's why emergency services pay counselors to be on call to talk to their employees. This isn't always stuff you get used to.
Don't do anything you're not willing to explain to the paramedics.
-D.

Post #65: 20th Century Foxes, Radio, and The Return of the Amazon

It's October! Yay! That means it's time for Halloween! This year, I'm going as She-Ra, Princess of Power! It's going to be rad. Halloween is my favorite. It's been getting cooler, so I've been wearing the fun stuff I knitted over the summer including my cute fox hood! I named the pattern "20th Century Fox" after The Doors' song.

Ta-da!

But apparently it's still warm enough for shower shoes. But it's cold enough for Uggs as well. I don't really understand that.

School is in full swing, and my favorite class is (surprise, surprise) Intro to Criminal Justice. I love it. I get up on Mondays (and Wednesdays and Fridays) looking forward to taking notes in CJ. And also what's going to be on TV that night. It is really the only class that I genuinely enjoy. I am also really enjoying my DJ position for Wolf Pack Radio. If you want to listen to my show (which you totally do) it's on Wednesdays from 1:00pm to 2:00pm on wolfpackradio.org and it's awesome.
Gracepoint started, and I am totally sucked in. WHODUNNIT?! I can't wait to find out. I never watched Broadchurch, so it's all new to me.
I ordered some CDs from Amazon, and I think they read my blog, so this time they sent envelopes instead of folded boxes.  I ordered Bringing In The Darlings, a Josh Ritter EP; Upside Down Mountain, the new album from Conor Oberst; Shangri-La, Jake Bugg's latest; and Big Lizard In My Backyard, The Dead Milkmen's first. My favorite songs are "Make Me Down" (Darlings), "You Are Your Mother's Child" (Mountain), "Storm Passes Away" and "Me and You" (Shangri-La), and "Gorilla Girl" (Lizard).  I also found an album by Drake Bell (remember him?) at the library. It was surprisingly wonderful. The cover of "Sunny Afternoon" is great.
"What a thing to be a witness to the sunshine, what a dream to just be walking on the ground." - Conor Oberst
-D.

Post #64: Television Returns

My favorite part of fall is the return of all my favorite shows. It really is. Gotham and Scorpion started Monday. Gotham was great, but I think I might be predisposed to like it, as it is Batman (sort of) and it has Ben McKenzie from The O.C.! I think the set for the Gotham PD Station is awesome! It looks like it fell out of a comic book. The rest of the sets are effectively seedy and grimy, and I really like who they picked for Kid Wayne. I don't like Alfred as of right now, but hopefully his character gets better.

Last night was the return of Chicago Fire! It was a predictable, emotional mess, and it was AWESOME! Severide made squinty sad faces, Casey tried to glue things back together, and stuff caught fire! Woo! Tonight is the return of The Goldbergs. If you aren't watching that, you should be. It's hilarious AND poignant! And Chicago PD is on tonight too! Is Voight the killer? Is Atwater going to make a fool of himself in Intelligence Will Ruzek break Burgess' heart? I can't wait to find out. I love Chicago P.D.
I started my radio show today on the college radio station (wolfpackradio.org) and the show went pretty well, but my recording did not, so I'm not super pleased about that. But hey, I made my radio debut. If you want to listen, my show is Wednesdays, 1-2pm. Tell your friends. Tune in.
I bought a sketchbook last week, and some pencils. I'm going to sketch stuff. *slams fist onto table*. I'M GONNA! And also, I need to stop sketching on lined paper. I also bought some more yarn. It'll be hat weather soon enough.
"Wyatt Earp and Big Cheyenne, comin' through the TV, shootin' up the land." - The Olympics
-D.