Terrorism

Scary World, Scary Dreams

/ Luanne Shernisky / 3 Comments

 

It’s been a long time since I had a nightmare. Until last night.

Scary

I’ve been spending a few days at my daughter’s studio apartment, sleeping on an air mattress. Sometime during the night I cried out, making just enough noise to wake her up. I remember her shaking me awake, sounding very fearful, and asking if I were sick. I woke up quickly, like stepping through a doorway from one room to another.

“No, I’m not sick; I was dreaming,” I responded.

When I was a kid, watching scary movies and telling ghost stories were enough to keep me awake at night. I’d clutch the sheets over my head, hoping that if I couldn’t see the Bogey Man he couldn’t see me. Later, as an adolescent, we enjoyed going to the movie theater to see the latest horror flicks. But, by the time I reached my early twenties, I lost the thrill of feeling afraid.

I don’t recall many details about the dream, but I was in a dark house and somebody was pursuing me. I kept trying to get away, going from room to room and looking for a door to get outside. When I couldn’t find one I started looking for places to hide. A couple times they got close enough to reach out and grab me, but I was able to shake them off. I didn’t know who it was, only that they wanted to hurt me and I couldn’t understand why.

Throughout the morning I wondered why I had a bad dream. I didn’t eat anything crazy before bedtime and we watched a couple episodes of Arrested Development, which is a comedic sitcom. I continued to think about it and around lunchtime the realization hit me: the latest round of mass shootings had found their way into my sleeping brain.

Listening to the survivors’ accounts of these killings is enough to give anyone nightmares. My dream correlated with how these events often occur:

  • Someone pursues other people with the intent to hurt them – Whoever was chasing me definitely wanted to hurt me
  • The victims try to find a means of escape – I went through one room after another, looking for a way out
  • If there is no escape they try to hide or hit the floor, pretending  to be dead – I looked for places to hide
  • These victims don’t know who the shooter is or why it’s happening – I was feeling that same thing as I tried to get away

With the amount of violence we’re seeing in this country, it’s not surprising that the fear level is going up. There have been a couple of relatively benign incidents recently that made me nervous; longer ago I wouldn’t have given them a second thought. Today I walked into a very crowded Post Office. As I waited in line, I looked around to see where I could take cover if I had to.

Gone are the days when nightmares were caused by terrifying, fictional creatures in horror movies. The Bogey Man isn’t hiding under the bed anymore; he’s out in society masquerading as an average person, in what is becoming a very scary world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Items of Interest

/ Luanne Shernisky / 3 Comments

Twitter responded to the the terrorist threats against Belgium, made over the weekend of November 21st,  in a very unique way:  cat memes.

During the city wide lockdown citizens initially  began tweeting information about the on-going operation. Police quickly requested, via tweet, that the public not share any  information. They complied by replacing those tweets with a variety of cat memes. I believe that by responding to threats with humor, they showed the terrorists that the citizens of Brussels will not be intimidated, as well as their love of cats.

As a current job searcher I’m always on the lookout for advice that can help achieve the desired result (getting hired.) According to this self test on Resume Genius, hiring managers take only six seconds in deciding whether to keep or trash a resume.

It offers ten different resumes and you have to choose, within six seconds each, which ones you’d keep or toss. Once you receive your score (the average score is 6, I got a 5) you’re then shown three resumes. Of those candidates you must choose the best one, after which you’re shown what percentage of the test-takers chose each of the three candidates.

The purpose of the exercise is to illustrate the importance of having a well done resume, both in appearance and content. It was fun, informative, and a real eye opener!

This list caught my eye on November 19th, which was this year’s Great American Smokeout. As a former smoker (I’ve been “clean” for four years and seven months) I wanted to see which ones I had utilized in my own efforts to stop smoking. It turns out that of the ten, I had practiced six.

It wasn’t my  first attempt to quit; there were many over the years. I wasn’t a heavy smoker. I didn’t reach for a cigarette first thing in the morning and refrained from smoking in the car or while I was doing other tasks. Despite quitting several times for varying periods of time, I always went back. I believe that was because I wasn’t truly committed. Once I made up my mind that I was going to quit for good, I was able to do it. Mind over matter in addition to some good strategies was the ticket I needed to finally kick the habit!

This is a wonderful story about a  man, Hyong Yi, who honored his late wife on the first anniversary of her death by handing out 100 love notes to total strangers.

Each note was numbered and, when read in order, chronicled their life together. Hyong encouraged the recipients to pass the messages on to a loved one and even supplied a blank card to write their own notes on. His goal wasn’t to gain attention on the Internet, but to simply remember his wife is a loving way.

Many of the people responded in a positive way and these heartfelt thoughts can be found on 100LoveNotes.com.

After spending sixteen years in prison on sexual assault charges, Luis Vargas was cleared on November 23rd after new DNA evidence linked the crime to another man.

Stories like this really get to me. Imagine being wrongly accused of a serious crime and then being put in prison for it. Sixteen years is a long time to have taken from you. I can’t fathom what that must feel like.

Thankfully the advancements in science have made DNA testing possible and will hopefully prevent these types of horrific mistakes from being made.

 

Coffee Date

/ Luanne Shernisky / 3 Comments

If we were having coffee right now…I’d ask your opinion about the tragic events in Paris and why the media gave no attention to a similar tragedy in Beirut. I’d want to know your thoughts about what the United States and other civilized countries in the world should do to fight these terrorists. I’d ask you if you ever worry about being a target when you’re in a public place or get on an airplane, because I do.

If we were having coffee right now…I’d talk about my job search and how I’m having a hard time deciding which jobs to apply to. Because I’m an “older” candidate with a work history, I want to be somewhat discriminating. I want to do something that I truly enjoy and is meaningful. I went back to school as an adult, so that I would be eligible for better jobs, but money isn’t the only criteria. I’m afraid I’ll apply and be hired for the wrong position and miss out on the right position. Good grief, how can I decide?

If we were having coffee right now…I’d want to know if you ever went on a cruise and, if so, do you recommend it as a great vacation? I’d also want to know if you’ve ever been to the Caribbean and, if so, which island you’d recommend. Same for Europe.

If we were having coffee right now…I’d want to know what you’re currently reading, who your favorite Th is, and if you feel movies ever do their books justice. Being an avid reader, I enjoy hearing about a good read. Same for movies; what have you seen lately that you can recommend?

If we were having coffee right now…I’d talk about all the projects I’d like to tackle:  organizing family photos, creating two scrapbooks, trying my hand at homemade cards, painting some furniture, and teaching myself some new skills through online resources.

If we were having coffee right now…I’d tell you that I started Couch Potato to 5K (again), but this time I’m hopeful that I can finish it, since I can run on my beloved beach and I have more spare time. I’d talk about how I want to join a gym, so that I can do weight training, as well. Then I’d ask your thoughts on gym memberships and see if I can convince you to join with me.

If we were having coffee right now…I’d ask about your life and family. I’d ask what important things you have going on and any special events coming up. Then I’d treat you to another coffee (or danish) because you’ve been such a great listener!