Vampires: Fact or Fiction?

This is another repost from an old blog of mine that is no longer public:

Why am I, as a grown woman, bringing this subject to light? As an adult, I have had my feet planted solidly in the real world for a long time. Then I became a mother and my daughter grew into a teenager who reads...a lot. Lately, it's been quite a few vampire-themed books. Naturally, we added watching The Vampire Diaries on Netflix and after reading the Twilight book series, we now have the movies. We've watched Buffy The Vampire Slayer, too, and its spin-off, Angel. I just finished reading, "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer", and Rachel is reading it now. All this resulted in being surrounded by lots of neck biting and bloodsucking as a lifestyle. 

Along the way, I think I began to understand some things. First, there are a variety of vampire types. Let's start with the simple things. 

Some vampires can survive in sunlight with no adverse effect. In some cases, this requires an enchanted ring provided by a witch. Sometimes it's just a case of "adjusting" to the light as they age in an undead manner or simply the use of sunscreen. For some, their particular species of vampire simply doesn't even know there are vampires that can't endure sunlight. And finally, sometimes they stand out in the crowd because the sunlight makes them.....sparkle. Yes, it actually makes me cringe a little to say it. 

"Hi, I'm a deadly vampire and I sparkle!" he says while doing some Broadway dance steps and using his jazz hands. 

In almost every instance, there is a human love interest, so apparently not only do they want to suck our blood, but they also want to date us. One or the other, fellas, cause you can't have both. 

There also seem to be good vampires and bad vampires. The good ones try to get jobs at the local blood bank or take out the area's deer and bunny population because they can't bear to be consumed by the guilt of killing everyone they date. I have a suggestion for them which would take some time to run the supply out - at least in our neighborhood. How about squirrels - especially the little varmints that eat our Halloween pumpkins every dang year! 

The bad vampires, on the other hand, have no problem taking out everyone they encounter and taking slow, repeated pints from their human partners. But for some, deep down they are torn by their own viciousness; just not enough to stop. It seems they are like addicts who just can't give up "the good stuff". I'm pretty sure if my daughter suddenly started wearing scarves around her neck every day, even in the summer, I'd be checking for hickeys, at the very least. 

How about the eye color? Some have red irises. This is both to indicate they are creepy human bloodsuckers and possibly so they can pass as albinos in the human world. I'm thinking I'll go with creepy human bloodsuckers. 

Some have amber eyes and this eye color must repeatedly be mentioned if you write about sparkling vampires. It's some sort of rule or something. 

"Brad, you have the most gorgeous amber eyes," she gushes. "The amber is so captivating but when they change from amber to black, it sort of creeps me out," she says with a shy smile on her face, demurely looking at the floor which also happens to be sort of an amber color. 

Some have eyes that are totally black, with no distinction between iris and pupil or the entire visible eye is black. Some of the red and amber vamps sometimes have black eyes, too - possibly because they are hungry. Or it could be that a movie director thinks contacts that cover your entire visible eye in black is a cool looking effect. Whatever the case, you would think this would alert the humans who start dating them and that they'd count themselves lucky after surviving the first date. Alas, humans are not all that aware, apparently. 

I think the most obvious hint you can get that you might be dating a vampire is when you ask his age and in giving you a triple-digit number, he doesn't smile to indicate it's a joke. 

"So, how old are you, anyway?" the seventeen-year-old boy asked. 

"One hundred and fifty," she answered and flipped her long, thick hair behind her shoulder. He looked at her for a moment, awaiting the cue that would tell him she was teasing. 

When nothing happened, he responded, "Oh," and thought to himself, "Cougar." 

Have I answered the question posed in my post title? I don't know, but the guy at my door just said he can't come in unless I invite him. **Cue spooky music**

Tall Actors

This was written on another one of my blogs, no longer being maintained, but I loved how it turned out and decided to share it here.

They are surprisingly difficult to find.  You see a lot of attractive actors but not a lot of them very tall.  Well, tall for me means well over 6 feet because I'm tall myself at 5'9" - although I used to be taller until serious back problems robbed me of over 2 inches.  So is this because taller means less attractive?  I think not!  Here's a sampling to nix that idea:

Gorgeous Hugh Jackman at 6' 2". 

 

Matthew Fox also at 6' 2" AND also looks good wet.....

Lee Pace at 6' 3" - nice on the eyes if not slightly thick in the brow.

Tom Selleck as he looks now...

and in his younger, Magnum P.I. days, at 6' 3 1/2".  I had a teenage crush on him (yes, teenage) and he's aging well if you ask me.

Liam Neeson at 6' 4" but maybe just attractive to those of us over....a certain age.  Love his accent!

And John Corbett (remember Northern Exposure) at 6' 5" - if only he wasn't frighteningly out of touch with reality (a little crazy). And still looking good with age:

 

Of course, there are others, I'm sure, but this is my blog and I get to pick 'em today.  Add yours in comments if you like.

Immigration Reform - From Dec 7, 2014

This is copied from a post I made on Facebook on December 7, 2014, and is still valid:

I've been thinking and reading and praying a lot about the immigration issue in our country for many, many months. I know I disagree with amnesty for all who are in this country, especially the ones who have flooded into our country recently. But, after prayerfully considering those who have long lived in this country, I think things need to be considered. Do they support a family here in the U.S. by the work they do? That does NOT mean living on subsidies; it means actually holding down a job. Do they have American citizen immediate family members - meaning wives and/or children? Do they have a criminal record in their homeland and have they broken ANY of our laws while in our country -other than being here illegally? Are they gang members? Are they able to speak the English language or are they willing to learn over six months - enough to function here, take direction, understand instructions? Do their family members speak English or are they willing to learn? I think it is blatant disrespect and speaks volumes to expect to live in a country permanently and not know the language well enough to function there. If you want to be a United States citizen, BE a United States citizen.

We ARE a nation of immigrants and I think most people are accepting of that. The protest arises from criminals coming over, a flood of people coming because they believe "Now is the time" with our current debate over immigration, those who refuse to speak the national language - or pretend to not be able to-, those who are unable or unwilling to work and have no family members who can support them.

It is NOT inhumane to expect immigrants to be contributing members of society. It is NOT unkind to expect immigrants to take responsibility for themselves. In the past, many immigrants have been some of the greatest contributors to our society. We, as a country, have a right to expect an immigrant to rise up to their responsibilities. I think it MUST be broken down to the ability to contribute, just as it is in any other country taking in immigrants. Keep in mind, immigration and refugees are far from the same, and claiming all the South Americans coming over the border are refugees would be simple ignorance.

I also think our borders MUST be tightened because it is not just a flow of South Americans coming here. Border patrol folks KNOW there are other countries - those countries interested in destroying us - who are slipping through, too. I am praying that our national leaders can stop their political power struggle long enough to take thoughtful and meaningful action in this matter.

Jump to 2017 - The issue of immigration has moved more toward Muslims now than South American's, it seems.  The mass movement of immigrants from Mexico and elsewhere has dropped off significantly.  I don't want to see good people who work hard deported to a country where they cannot survive because the ability to obtain citizenship has not been available or has been too far outside of an affordable position for them to make it happen.  But I do think that's where all of the gang members, other criminals, and those that drain our social service funds should go.  And please understand, I'm not saying I think it's just immigrants that drain us as a society.  Of course, there are people born and raised their entire lives, like their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, in this country who behave in exactly the same way.  We have enough of our own.  We don't need them from another country.  I just wish I had a workable answer for it.      

 

Entertainment Industries Values and Condemnation

Today's post is about something I've noticed over the years about the entertainment industry's "important or serious" issues in which they think we want to hear their opinions.

Okay, I get it; some people do care about that stuff.  Some people want to emulate the people in the entertainment industry (we'll just say Hollywood or stars).  Some people think being famous due to  being someone in Hollywood makes them "in-the-know" or more intelligent rather than realizing that they do not walk in the same world the rest of us do and have no idea about the real life of the rest of us.  Here's an example:

I'm clicking through the home page on my computer and see something about the "shocking" changes in celebrities as a result of drug use or plastic surgery.  Then another inviting a look at how much someone has changed since they starred in this show or that and the "shocking" changes.  As I'm clicking through because, yes, I get sucked into this crap sometimes, too, I'm looking at photos of stars that are taken when they were teens or in their early twenty's and then at 60+ or so.  Hmmm, yeah, they aren't looking as good as they did at twenty because.......well, life.  So we are supposed to look at those photos and say things like, "Oh my gosh, he has aged so badly!"  Or, "WHAT did she DO to herself?"  Okay, give it a few years and have a look in the mirror, millennials.  I mean, come on!  My husband and I have been married for over 22 years.  Our daughter will be 20 right after Thanksgiving.  We had some professional photos taken when she was around one month old and we look at the photo I keep out and think how great we looked.  Why?  Because 20+ years later, we have wrinkles, saggy skin in some key places, a receding hairline for by husband and we are getting gray hair.  Do we look horrible?  No.  Especially for two people in their mid to late 50's.  I come from a long line of great anti-aging genes, although the health genetics suck, and I look really good for my age.  I routinely am guessed to be at least 10 years, if not 15 years younger than I am.  But, yeah, if scrutinized for how I looked 22 years ago and how I look now, there is a noticeable difference. It almost makes me feel sorry for the stars who are under all this scrutiny.  And the important stuff - they are great parents, they have amazing talent in their field, they do great charity work - are left below all the dirt to have others focus on their shocking appearance.

But then come the celebrities who threaten to leave the country when a political situation occurs that they don't like.  Of course, they never do.  They never would.  But they pull some of the uninformed population into their world of non-reality when they speak about things they don't even investigate or understand in the least. This can also be said about the average Joe, but I digress.

There are also the ones who think the whole world cares about their opinions on world affairs, finances, etc.  An average person who pays attention to the world would not give most stars a second thought with their opinions about the world they don't really live in.  Somebody else does their laundry, cleans their house, handles their finances, arranges their travel, grocery shops for them.  The list goes on.  What on earth qualifies them to make decisions for you and me?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.

So I say, I don't want to ever fall into the Hollywood what-about-this from people who have no idea what my average life is like, what I endure, what I need, whom I love, and where I put my trust.

It's more about the heart than anything else.  It always has been.  We've just pushed that aside.  It's all about kindness, tolerance, understanding - the last two applying not only to those we feel do not accept certain ideas or lifestyles but who push those on people who have not been able to come to terms with an understanding or acceptance that we are not all alike and that's okay.  It's between God and each individual and not for us to judge.  Live and let Live.  Love and let Love.  Be Kind and Share it. That's what we need in this world we live in.

Various Subjects, Posting Weekly

I've finally decided what I would do on this blog.  I'll post "whatever" is on my mind that I want to talk out on a weekly basis.  So, the next post is this week's thoughts.

Sometimes, Your Purpose Changes

This blog started out as a political blog.  But I honestly don't have it in me anymore.  Not sure what I will do next with it, but we'll see.  I've set my other blog, My Space Between My Ears, to private as it was more of a journal about my life and family than having any other purpose. It was just keeping me sane in an ever-changing world. I wrote more in it, but it's private now.

Lost For All Time

With the destruction of locales, ancient buildings, and precious artifacts by the Islamic State (aka ISIS), this history buff feels additional heartbreak at the actions of these fanatics.  It is devastating enough that they are killing innocent people, including children, in horrendous, vicious and inhumane ways, simply because those victims are Christian.  Now they are destroying the history of an ancient area in the world, too; an effort to eradicate all trace of Christianity and Judaism in the Middle East. Please act if you can to help bring the people suffering at the hands of these butchers to a place of refuge.  Here is one option, The Nazarene Fund:

http://www.glennbeck.com/2015/09/09/the-nazarene-fund-frequently-asked-questions

I have heard the argument that the Bible has terrible stories about destruction and murder, even called for by God.  And I certainly acknowledge that it does.  But what those who argue this choose to deny or ignore is the huge reformation that has taken place in Christianity over the centuries.  Christianity has moved beyond these harsher teachings and focused on the teachings of Jesus Christ.  Such teachings are founded in love, kindness, forgiveness, charity.  Why the reformation?  Because the times have changed.  Our level of knowledge and understanding has increased in the matters of Christ's teachings.  We have begun, with the great blessing and gift that is modern communication, to spread words of goodness, to spread Christ's teachings throughout the world. Christianity has made reform in all the right places.  Understanding and knowing true history, not the garbage often taught in our school systems (that's a whole other discussion), but the true history of the world can help bring you to that understanding.

This is not to say there are no fanatics in Christianity.  We all know there are.  They are the bombers of abortion clinics.  They are the protesters who show up at soldier's funerals.  They are the ones who think gays should be eradicated.  They are the ones who teach hatred of other races - be that in a black church or a white one.  They are the intolerant, the cruel, the bigot, the abuser, etc.  They are the embarrassment to other Christians.

How do we change them?  How do we change the beliefs of fanatics, Christian or Islamic?  I have no idea.  I feel so separated from answers on this that I weep with the overwhelming inadequacy within me.  So I cling to a creed of one I respect because of his words and I have adopted it as my own.  It is the Creed of a man named George Albert Smith.  Here it is:

“I would be a friend to the friendless and find joy in ministering to the needs of the poor. I would visit the sick and afflicted and inspire in them a desire for faith to be healed. I would teach the truth to the understanding and blessing of all mankind. I would seek out the erring one and try to win him back to a righteous and a happy life. I would not seek to force people to live up to my ideals but rather love them into doing the thing that is right. I would live with the masses and help to solve their problems that their earth life may be happy. I would avoid the publicity of high positions and discourage the flattery of thoughtless friends. I would not knowingly wound the feeling of any, not even one who may have wronged me, but would seek to do him good and make him my friend. I would overcome the tendency to selfishness and jealousy and rejoice in the successes of all the children of my Heavenly Father. I would not be an enemy to any living soul. Knowing that the Redeemer of mankind has offered to the world the only plan that will fully develop us and make us really happy here and hereafter I feel it not only a duty but a blessed privilege to disseminate this truth”.

I keep this posted at my desk at home so that I may look at it and read and reread it often in an attempt to always keep it at the forefront of my mind.  I don't claim to live this exactly.  No, indeed I sadly fail my share of times, but I strive to live it.

What is most heartbreaking is that I do not think the actions from this creed would change the mind of a hateful Islamic fanatic.  I doubt if it would change the mind of a Christian fanatic, despite the alleged belief.  But I think we can all only change the world we live in one step, one act, one word, at a time.

I pray that we will discover the way to make change come about.  I challenge all of us to live to our very best in these things that we might one day be able to touch the heart of some misguided, lost soul and bring them to a place of kindness, to do what is right.