Scary Sunday....

Scary Sunday movie pick is:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898367/

I am always interested in post apocalyptic film and this one was a bit different for me.  It was perhaps the best portrayal of a bleak and desolate world that I have ever seen.  Maybe it was the little boy, wandering with his Dad, trying to stay alive in this harsh environment that got me!  I am  really not sure, but it kind of gripped me on the inside.
The entire trip for me, was very somber...there were some interesting moments and a drive between the father and son that sometimes left me to ponder.
What I did like about it, is that I think it really captured what it might be like to do without.  We do not do without much here, in the US.  I know that I am fortunate to be working and have a roof over my head, and a warm bed to sleep in.  Lately, there was some upheaval at my work and I did wonder how long I was going to continue to be lucky.  I had my overpass all picked out, at least under an overpass one might stay dry in a storm...It seems like for most of us, these days, that we are all just one paycheck away from disaster!
So, seeing this bleak world in my face a dirty, treeless, grimy place, well, it really made me think!  It is amazing and wonderful to take a hot shower with sweet smelling soap.  It is a blessing to have a cup of coffee or a glass of clean water, whenever I choose.  Clean sheets and clothes and locks on my doors, are not too bad either!  A keen appreciation of small things, that is what this film gave me.
I also loved a quest aspect of the movie.  The Father and Son had never seen the ocean and that is where they were headed.  I am a believer in being closer to God and his essence of creation near the ocean, so it fit for me.
If you like these kinds of movies, this is one to watch.  It is not happy, but it can aid you in easily find things to be happy about;  small, everyday things that we take for granted.  If you need some grounding or a sense of how good your life really is, please watch "The Road"!  This one will make it easier for you to count your blessings.

Have a great day...new movie next week!

When Aliens Attack

I seem that just because I have trouble falling asleep on the occasional night that I can get into some real trouble with my late night choices...
Channel surfing, I come across National Geographic "When Aliens Attack".  A new show that explains what the governments of the world will do in case of alien "trouble"!  You may sleep well, my dear friend, for they are fully prepared to protect us; every man, woman and child!                   mahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I was grinning at the television while they were explaining (using experts, who of course, no longer are employed with government agencies they discuss) what will happen and how the world is prepared in case of attack.  Of course, the most interesting parts of that are top secret, so you never really find out!

Slumber kissed my little brow and I finally dozed, but later when I rolled over...I found myself in the middle of the "Alien Apocalypse"!
I guess we not as prepared as they led me to believe!

Oh, by the way, if I had gotten tuned in earlier that night, I would not have missed the episode with full disclosure of  "Area 51"!

I guess it was just not my night!

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/when-aliens-attack-interactive

Hang in there...

I joke about my work and disasters... I have been in the heart of them, a place where I was very afraid and then left to wonder if we would ever recover.
After Katrina no news came out of my area for almost 2 days, as my small town is located pretty much between New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast and we were not the center of attention, by any means.  My family thought that I might be gone!
They said when my Dad found out I was safe, he broke down and cried like a baby.
Crews headed out to a nearby interstate overpass at night to attempt cell or radio contact and we were doing okay but there was up to 8 feet of water in some of my city, we were doing what we could.
When I was evacuated from the emergency communications center by boat, I huddled over a portable radio, knowing that the rest of my crew gone out before me, (you know the captain always goes down with the ship, so I was the last of my officers to leave).
I wondered how would we ever come back!  
Devastation abounding, I escaped to stand for mass on Sunday in front of the demolished church where my brothers had made their communions. I toured the lake area and saw so much rubble, it looked like a war zone. Any exit from the building where I slept on the floor at night, brought a new perspective of the damage.  I became disoriented in my hometown, it was crazy!

We were challenged at every corner, but we made it.  We lost so much, but we were strong and found things inside of us we never knew we possessed that helped propel us through the challenges.  We were amazingly blessed with kindness from people all over the country, they still come back to help with recovery even though so much time has passed since Katrina.

So, today...as I watch Joplin and all of the other hard hit areas, my heart breaks for them.  I know what it feels like.  I pray for those who have been lost and I pray for those who are left behind to stand in the rubble of their lives, so overwhelmed.  Help will come, however anything close to "normal" is a good time away!  But, it will get there!
God Bless everyone who has been affected and God's Speed to those who run toward them to help!

I promise it will get better, but I understand that this will forever be a life changing event.  I wish I could be there to lend a hand but those "on scene" times have pretty much passed for me.

I send you my heart and will pray for you everyday and I know my Brothers and Sisters in emergency response are sending the same at this moment!  You are not alone!

Nothing Scary Today....

Only permission to myself to escape... I am running off for a long weekend!  See you in a few days...

CDC and Zombies....

http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies.asp?source=govdelivery


See,  
the Queen of Disaster is not far off of the mark!
I am really busy right this moment, but I promise, I will follow up on this one!  I just had to get it out here!  LOL

Who knows, maybe all of my scary movie preparation may be just the thing that saves me.
Truly, I am not sure what all of this is about but I am on a mailing list for the official CDC and this came today!

More later...

Nightmares....

Last night my youngest son gave me holy medals dangling from a long silver chain.  The relics cast a bluish, pearly light, as he put the chain around my neck.  I had a rash on my legs that was very red, painful and somewhat overwhelming.  All of this while running, lost and frightened and seemingly abandoned, in a very strange area of alley's that were desolate and destroyed (kind of creepy) and flood waters were coming up fast!

Nightmares... (not the worst I have ever had, if I were to have the gift of total recall I would have surpassed Stephen King in successful horror works, by now).

The end of the world... this Saturday (in case you did not know), deadlines, floods, aging grandmother, bills to pay, meetings, woods fires, lawn care, laundry, drought, gas prices, allergies, the death of a friend, a big family wedding, children to be born, children already here, my plate is heaping.

Is this my life?
No, no not all of it.  There are good parts, beautiful, I never want to miss a minute of it, parts...but it seems that you have to work harder to keep those items on the surface, visible and calming in your mind.  The hectic, harsh, overwhelming things, storm right up and pound on the door of your senses and always seem to cause such a strong reaction.  They refused to be kept out, they will fight you during the day, make you tense and crabby and then they will follow you home at night and crawl right up next to you on your pillow...they know you are going to fall asleep sometime! So, they snuggle up and wait until you are deep in slumber and have let go of the wheel, your guard is down, you are at rest...it is then that they climb in only to reek more havoc.

If you can remain mindful, if you can remember to breath and picture the beauty or look for it along your path, it will make a difference to the monsters in your head, even late at night.  Yes, they are strong and pushy, relentless as a matter of fact.
But the more you work on focus and peace, the more you will receive it, even in your dreams!

The medals from my loving son, were really a gift from my Father who recently passed.  I have been thinking about Kenny because I wear a watch he have me everyday.  I feel it keeps him close to me, just as the medals do for me, from my Dad.  I am sentimental and having things near me that came from people that I love means something to me.
The rash, gee I do not know, but I know in the dream that I tried to keep it hidden.  Interestingly enough, I have been working really hard on NOT fixing everything for everyone.  Many people rely on me and I am such a "fixer" (nurturer, mother) I will manage things for people and overextend myself.  I have found it really hard to not immediately offer a solution or take care of them or the issue.  I hold myself quiet and let them work on it a bit...it does not feel like me, but it is a needed change, for both me and the others.  Maybe that was my rash, the change is itchy and uncomfortable and I really cannot talk too much with others about it.  It is just not me!
As for alley's and flooding, well that is par for the course in my area and my line of work, so I guess I am just running from all of it before it overtakes me.  Not to worry though, I am at my best when things are at the worst.
Just remember, if you look for good and try to keep it close to your heart and memory, it will help to protect you from the monsters in your sleep, as well as those who dare to show up in the light.  Be thankful, be joyful and look for the good in your life...take care of yourself!

Scary Sunday's

After my prayers and quiet meditation on Sunday,  I now have two spaces wherein there is a commitment to write. 
On my "normal" blog, I have "Six Sentence Sunday", which was meant to make me take a just a moment to visit and jot something reasonable.  Something that might depict things going on in my life or document random thoughts just rattling around inside of my head.  It is about the discipline of coming here and writing.
Well, that has turned out to be more of a process than I bargained for, I am amazed  at what it takes to convey some description or interesting thought in just one sentence. 

I am now faced with this "Disaster" and need a Sunday solution...

I decided to introduce you to some of what formed the foundation for my throne.  

MOVIES... 
Of course, before I was dubbed the "Queen",  I was a "Child of Disaster"!   I mean what were you thinking, there are few who are just born into "Queendom"...  We all know that you do not rise to greatness without some training and foundation, right? 

I was steeped in scary concepts and exposed to aliens who crept up on us in our sleep, Vampires, Swamp Monsters, Frankenstein, Wolf man (I just loved the poor Wolf man, he was such a kind and melancholy guy!), Zombies, The Fly...you name the horror and I have seen it!
Hell, I am pretty sure that there were even man-eating plants involved.  It started with scary and progressed to disasters, so as we follow the path, the disasters will unfold eventually.  For now we just gonna stick with your basic monster movies.

Funny, but now that I am picturing that black and white box that brought all of those monsters to me.  I can picture our little spare room made out to be the "TV" room, with it's small flowered sofa and a sewing machine pushed up against the wall. 

I can also remember that my Mom would have shooed us off with some breakfast treat so that she could be busy creating our Sunday lunch.  I can still smell the onions browning before they went into that big roasting pan to flavor that amazing, tender pot roast.  Wow, I miss my Mom's cooking, it was truly incredible!

Popeye would come on first and my brothers would be busy making "muscles" while pretending to smoke that imaginary corn cob pipe just like the scrawny hero did.  My brother, Jimmy did that the best, even  squinting and crinkling one eye to mimic the cartoon hero.   I'll bet, if I asked him to do that today he would strike that familiar pose in nothing flat!  He would instantly turn 4 years old again, with those bright blue eyes shining.

Popeye was a really cool show for us, because it was done in a local studio and we would stare at those kids from our hometown who were priviledged to sat sit on those bleacher seats and get prizes, while sporting cockeyed sailor hats.  Sometimes, if they were the lucky one they would even get to say their names and introduce the next cartoon!
Man, I know that the three of us sat secretly wishing we could get to that magical audience someday... none of us ever did.

Anyway, next item for my viewing pleasure was the "Scary" movie matinee (see, what I am talking about, foundation, foundation, foundation... I had this item buried somewhere in my attic of a brain).  My brothers would have gotten to restless and thrown the footed pajamas somewhere on the floor in thier room, so they could dress to go outside and play. 
I,  however would remain indoors and spend time in my favorite place...somewhere scary, just me and my monsters!

Which brings me to present day!   Scary Sunday...  I will post some of the best and most awful, frightening movies of my past.  I will tell ya'll  a bit about them, rate it, and get on with my day... You know, just telling you what I think, because that is so important, right?
                                   The opinion of a "Queen" always holds so much weight...
                                                           So, please stay tuned!