bad day for high-heeled boots, good day for crime

This morning, I was rushing around, trying to get ready to take my son to school.  I was running late and distracted.  I decided to wear my high-heeled black fur-lined boots because I'd only worn them once before and I wanted to try them again.  So, I was ready, the kids were ready, I was holding my son's backpack in one hand and a Pibb Xtra in the other hand. 

Shut the door.  Realized I had locked myself and my kids out of the house.

 My keys, purse, and phone were all inside. 

The kids were runnning all around the front yard being crazy.

I had a couple options: A) Go next door, use the neighbor's phone, and call someone in my family to come get us.  B) Break into the house somehow, get the keys, and get my kid to school on time.

I prefer to take care of things myself, so I tried all the windows in the front first- all locked.  The gate to the backyard is padlocked, and the key is kept in the house.  So . . . I had to climb over it.  In my high-heeled almost-new boots.  Bare feet would have been worse because of the cold and the sharp parts of the gate.  The first time I tried to climb over, I fell hard on my back.  The second time, I made it.  I then lifted my kids over the gate and told them to play on the swings in the backyard.

I checked all the windows and decided on one of the kitchen windows.  I grabbed a long broken pipe and smashed the window in.  I ended up having to break 3 panes of glass, the screen, and the frame for the screen.  Climbed inside, grabbed my keys, and got my son to school with one minute to spare.

I know for a fact that all my closest neighbors are retired and they were home.  Not one of them ventured outside to ask me what I was doing or to offer help.  No one called the cops.  It was pretty loud while I was smashing the glass, but I guess no one noticed.  Good day for crime . . . ?????

Entertainment survey

Greatest war movie:   Full Metal Jacket, because of Stanley Kubrick's excellent direction. the great soundtrack, the real-life drill intructor, the fact that it's the one Vietnam movie that doesn't take place in the jungle, Private Joker (Matthew Modine), and Animal Mother (Adam Baldwin).


              romantic movie: 


              sci-fi movie:  Independence Day or Star Wars: A New Hope


               thriller:


               horror:


                comedy: Evan Almighty, because it makes me laugh to the point of crying more than any other movie.  There's something about it, about the way Steve Carrell acts, that just gets to me.  The shaving scene is the best.


               musical:  Rocky Horror Picture Show, hands down.  Everything about this movie is over-the-top dramatic fun.  The songs are wonderfully unique and catchy at the same time.  The actors are just the right amount of campy.  I can watch this movie over and over without getting bored. 


               foreign:  Kung Fu Hustle- for the choreography and hilarious plot.


               sports:


               prison/jail:



Best  comedian:  Jimmy Fallon


Best  musical actor:  Tim Curry- if you missed him as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, maybe you caught his part in the animated film Ferngully.

Wendigo Psychosis

Wendigo Psychosis

Wendigo psychosis is a psychological disorder involving an insatiable craving for human flesh when other food is readily available.  In many cases, this condition develops after an individual experiences famine cannibalism.  The afflicted person would be “subject to fits of depression and hallucination, viewing other people as sources of food . . . Once a victim tasted human flesh, they gained an insatiable appetite for it” (Podruchny, 2004, p. 683).  Most cases were reported around the Great Lakes in Canada and the United States.   In Algonquin mythology, the Wendigo is a cannibalistic spirit that has the ability to possess humans.  These people believed that a person could become a wendigo and undergo a visible physical change that caused him or her to eat other people, similar to the werewolf myth.  This disorder is neurological, spiritual and physical.  It is neurological because of the delusions involved, spiritual because of the folklore and beliefs of the native people, and physical because of the typical starvation occurring in sufferers.

Origin and Symptoms

Native American legend includes a centuries-old story of an “individual who was allegedly driven insane by a curse that had transformed him into a wendigo” in Trout Lake of Alberta (Carlson, 2009, p. 356). “Wendigo” meant flesh-eating monster, essentially an insane cannibal.  The man was eventually killed with an ax to stop him from hurting more people, and he was buried under a woodpile so that he would not be able to resurrect and escape his grave (Carlson, 2009).  This tale has been passed down for generations in the area, and it is likely to have its basis in truth.  While it is not likely that the man was cursed or magically transformed in any way, it is probable that he developed what is now known as wendigo psychosis. 

Storytellers educated people in Cree and Ojibwa belief, including the wendigo, which to them was “the spirit of winter that transforms a human into an asocial being whose heart turns to ice and who becomes consumed by cannibal desires” (Smallman, 2010, p.572).  These tales are passed down by oral tradition as a warning to scare children into behaving, but the stories had to originate somewhere.  One documented case is that of a trapper from Alberta.  “During the winter of 1878, Swift Runner and his family were starving . . . within just 25 miles of emergency food supplies at a Hudson’s Bay Company post, he butchered and ate his wife and five remaining children” (Frater, 2009).  It was eventually decided that Swift Runner must have succumbed to Wendigo Psychosis based on the fact that he was close enough to other food and he was clearly not in his right mind.  Perhaps he originally ate human flesh as a result of starvation, but he did not have to keep eating it.  He certainly had no excuse for killing and eating his entire family, especially with food supplies only miles away.

 This story indicates that he was hallucinating and seeing his family members as food objects.  Clearly, hallucinations are a symptom of Wendigo Psychosis.  Swift Runner was starving when he first decided to try human flesh, so this shows a particular physical state.  The fact that he continued to kill and eat his family after he was aware of other food options indicates that he had gone insane, or demonstrated psychotic tendencies. 

Biological Aspect

Wendigo Psychosis could be a “mental disorder that is linked to depression, especially during times when the hunt was bad or when animals were being trapped out during the fur trade . . . or the result of a physiologic disorder and that fatty meat could be a cure” (Podruchny, 2004, p. 683).  Nutrition may indeed be a factor in people becoming wendigos.  Since all documented cases come from the same geographical area, perhaps there is some enzyme or vitamin these people are missing.  There exists a Cree tale of a woman who ate her husband and children and was eventually cured by drinking melted bear’s grease; in fact, the practice of feeding suspected wendigo sufferers melted fat was common (Rohrl, 1970). The native people must have come up with this practice over a long period of time by trial and error, so that could be an indicator that it works.  The combination of some missing nutrient and the extreme famine conditions of wintry Canada resulting in cannibalism and hallucinations could cause Wendigo Psychosis.

Bear fat contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega 3, vitamin E, monounsaturated acids, and probably vitamin C due to the bear’s diet of berries and such.  In Russia, bear’s fat is recommended in cases of depression, failure in learning, attention focusing, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, insomnia disorder, hyper excitability and hyperirritability, and has been proven to assist in wound healing and stimulating the immune system (Fitosila).  It seems not unreasonable that consuming bear’s fat would ease some of the symptoms of Wendigo Psychosis, if indeed the state is caused by a nutritional deficiency.  It is known that a drop in blood sugar level can lead to psychosis, and that a diet of fat and protein is the cure (Rohrl, 1970). Perhaps sufferers of Wendigo Psychosis are simply starving beyond all capability for rational reasoning, and their body’s needs take over.  They are so hungry that they resort to the act of cannibalism in order to survive, and they cannot stop once they have taken that drastic step.

Most Likely to Have Wendigo Psychosis

                Considering the fact that I cannot find any recent cases of Wendigo Psychosis, I would conclude that no one is very likely to develop it these days.  However, I can conjecture a certain set of circumstances that may encourage it in modern day.  Cannibalism, in today’s society, is considered morally and ethically taboo no matter the situation. People cringe when thinking about eating another human being, and regard sensationalized figures such as Jeffrey Dahmer as evil.  Even so, a person may still consider cooking and eating another person in order to survive.  Therefore, a person who has tasted human flesh before would express less concern over cannibalism because he or she would have already crossed that psychological boundary.  Wendigo psychosis could also be a part of schizophrenia.  For example, a person may have hallucinations that people are food.  A man may look at his wife and see fried chicken or look at his children and see potatoes.  These are delusions that may be symptoms of schizophrenia.  Perhaps if I take away the “culture-bound” aspect of Wendigo Psychosis, I am simply left with cannibalism.  A man killing and eating his family in modern-day America would be labeled insane, psychotic, or a sociopath.  The term “Wendigo Psychosis” would not likely come up in the diagnosing of his condition.

                                                                                                Treatment

                Treatment for wendigo psychosis would be similar to that of treatment for schizophrenia.  I would recommend a prescription of antipsychotics in addition to isolation from society for a period of time.  The drugs would help control any hallucinations the patient may be experiencing.  Isolation would help protect other people from the dangerous, cannibalistic person.  The patient should also be given proper nutrition, including plenty of vitamins, fats, and proteins.  This would be to ensure the patient had no biological cause to crave human flesh.  The patient would receive regular psychiatric evaluations to monitor his or her progress and possible danger to society.  Since there are no recent recorded cases of wendigo psychosis, such a patient would be under intense observation possibly for life.  There is no determined successful treatment.  All that is available are old stories from the 1800s that indicate bear fat is the cure.  Most of the old tales end with the “wendigo” being killed by his or her townspeople.  Based on that alone, it would seem that there is no easy cure for this disease.

References

Carlson, N. D. (2009). Reviving Witiko (Windigo): An Ethnohistory of "Cannibal Monsters”

                in the Athabasca District of Northern Alberta, 1878-1910. Ethnohistory, 56(3), 355-394.

                Retrieved September 10, 2012 from Ebscohost.

Fitosila. (n. d.).  Bear’s fat. Retrieved from http://eng.fitosila.ru/bearfat/.

Frater, J. (2009). Wendigo Psychosis: Montstrous Men. Retrieved from

                http://cogitz.com/2009/09/13/wendigo-psychosis-monstrous-men/

Podruchny, C. (2004). Werewolves and Windigos: Narratives of Cannibal Monsters in French-

                Canadian Voyageur Oral Tradition. Ethnohistory, 51(4), 677-700.  Retrieved September

                15, 2012 from Project MUSE.

Rohrl, V. (1970). A nutritional factor in windigo psychosis. American Anthropologist, 72(1),

                97-101.  Retrieved September 12, 2012 from JSTOR.

Smallman, S/ (2010). Spirit Beings, Mental Illness, and Murder: Fur Traders and the Windigo in

                Canada’s Boreal Forest, 1774 to 1935. Ethnohistory, 57(4), 571-576. Retrieved from

                http://ethnohistory.dukejournals.org/content/57/4/571.full.pdf+html.

song survey

Song Survey- take it and pass it on.

1) What's your break-up song? You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette.

2) Girl power song? Not a Pretty Girl by Ani Difranco

3) Feeling sexy song? Criminal by Fiona Apple.

4) Song that makes you laugh? Funky Cold Medina by Tone Loc, Humpty Dance by Digital Underground.

5) Country song? Goodbye Earl by the Dixie Chicks

6) Hip-hop/rap song? Tennessee by Arrested Development, a lot of Eminem's stuff.

7) Oldies/classic rock song? Slow Ride

8) Alternative/folk song? Evolve by Ani Difranco

9) Female solo song? Respect by Aretha Franklin, Mercy by Duffy

10) Male solo song? Debra by Beck, What you Got by John Lennon.

work

         

I have learned much from my experiences in the work force.  When I turned sixteen, I was expected to get a job to pay for my car insurance and gas.  I ended up working at Dairy Queen as a cashier, soft serve prepper, ice cream cake maker, and assorted other jobs.  My time there taught me about teamwork and responsibility.  I also met many different kinds of people and learned to interact with them in a positive way.  This first job paved the way for my second job working at Hastings, the entertainment store.  At Hastings I was a customer service representative, but I also restocked the rental VHS and DVD movies.  I learned more about working with money and helping customers. 

  I left Hastings to become a merchandiser for American Greetings, the greeting card company.  As a merchandiser, I was able to set my own hours.  I was responsible for at least three stores, but sometimes I had up to six stores.  My job was to make sure all my stores’ cards and party goods were stocked and straightened.  I also had to order new cards and set up new displays.  Being a merchandiser was by far my favorite job because it was very flexible and I could exercise my creativity.  I would never have quit that job, but certain events transpired to change my life.  I worked a few jobs for very brief periods of time, including selling vacuums door to door and temping in a fabric warehouse. 

Finally, I took a job with Wal-Mart as a cashier.  I learned how to operate the self-checkouts, the customer service desk, the cash office, and I also stocked at night.  I foiled a few late-night robberies when I worked the graveyard shift.  Sometimes I was the only cashier scheduled to work, and I would hang around the front door to discourage customers from stealing.  I caught one woman who tried to walk right out the door with a shopping cart loaded full of diapers.  Even though it was fun being the only cashier in the whole store, my favorite task was stocking.  I loved to open boxes and find where each item went on the shelves.  On the cereal aisle, the boxes would be stacked taller than me, and when I was finished I had a great feeling of accomplishment. 

I eventually moved back to my hometown and took a job on the nearby Air Force base.  I worked at the Popeye’s Chicken in the food court.  Military men love chicken!  We were always swamped when the other fast food places on base weren’t even busy.  Working at Popeye’s was a true test of my teamwork skills.  Every employee worked very fast and competently in order to keep the line of customers moving smoothly.  I ended up learning every position in the establishment.  I was a cashier, dishwasher, food prep person, and fry cook.

I left Popeye’s to become a stocker at JC Penney.  I started working there before the store was even open.  It was completely empty, and I felt special stocking it from the ground up (starting in the home department and ending in women's clothing).  Everyone who worked there in the beginning had fun, and the atmosphere was exciting.  After the store opened, I stayed on as a stocker.  Sometimes I worked thirteen-hour shifts because I loved the job so much and they needed help.  I met the true love of my life at work.  He was the receiver at JC Penney.  He mostly worked on the dock receiving trucks, and I was often there throwing away trash or crushing cardboard.  He taught me to make a bale, and I fell in love watching his strong hands bend the wires.  After a few months, I discovered I was pregnant.  I could not be a stocker anymore, so I was a pricing associate for the duration of my pregnancy.  I was part of the team responsible for pricing and marking every item in the store.  I worked right up until the day I went into labor.  I worked an eight-hour shift, while having contractions the whole time. 

I am currently back working for American Greetings, and I have 7 stores.  I love that my hours are flexible, because now I have 2 kids to take care of.  What I have learned from all this work experience is that I am not too good for any job.  A job is a job is a job.

love poem

Poetry

            Poems have a tendency to seem boring and overly long to people who are not used to reading them.  Some poems seem to make no sense whatsoever, having random words scattered over a page in no particular order.  Some poems are happy, some are sad, some are simple, and some are complex.  Usually a poem will evoke some kind of emotional response in the reader, and this could range from disgust to laughter to fear.  “Love,” by Anonymous, is an example of an interesting poem containing flowery phrases that end in irony and evoking laughter by using rhyme and rhythm in an unexpected way.

            When I started reading this poem, I thought it would be the usual type of love poetry. 

“There’s the wonderful love of a beautiful maid

And the love of a staunch true man

And the love of a baby that’s unafraid”

 The poet used figurative language to prompt the reader into imagining the way a beautiful maid and a true man might fall in love.  The comparison of the beautiful maid and the true man is a simile, because they are similar in the way they are described and in the way they are presumed to be capable of love.  I certainly found myself envisioning a couple embracing and I was thinking about what comes next.  Naturally, a baby would follow a couple who are in love, and so the poem went.  After reading those first three lines I thought the poem was nice and pretty and I had a lovely picture in my head. 

Of course, when I read the last line I understood the irony.  The poet compares “the most wonderful love” to the love of “one dead drunk for another," which is a metaphor because these two things are not usually thought of together.  My mental image of the handsome couple with a baby was replaced by two dirty, stinking men holding each other up at a bar.  Perhaps these two drunks have similar problems in their lives that they are trying to drink away.  Does one drunk have love for another drunk?  Only in the instant they look into each other’s bleary eyes and recognize a kindred spirit. 

“Love” uses rhymes and rhythm to keep the reader hooked to the very last line.

“But the most wonderful love, the Love of all loves,
            Even greater than the love of Mother
            Is the infinite, tenderest, passionate love
            Of one dead drunk for another”

The rhymes are obvious, and the rhythm is easily figured out.  This would be a great poem to use as a toast in a bar or at a bachelor party.  I believe the whole thing is meant to be a joke, or a trick for the reader.  If I was not laughing at the last line, I would definitely be disappointed in what was promising to be a great love poem.

            Is the theme of this poem love?  It is true that love can be found everywhere and in everything and everyone.  I suppose love can even be found in a dumpy bar between two lost souls.  Maybe the two drunks are looking for love in the bottom of their bottles.  I can only hope they find it.