A Thing (amongst others)

I have a Thing for vampire books. You know what a Thing is - an indescribable draw to something that you are slightly ashamed of, but you can't seem to keep away from. I have a Thing for vampire books, and it's morphed slightly into anything "paranormal" (like those dumb ghost hunting shows). I wrote my senior thesis for my undergrad on the way vampire literature is used to view humanity using Dracula, 'Salem's Lot, Interview with the Vampire, and the Sookie Stackhouse novels. It was quite a bit of work, but I loved every second of it. To this day, it's still one of my favorite papers I have written.

At Munchkinland, one of the older kids was reading Blue Bloods. Considering the cover image was a neck with fang marks, I assumed it was a vampire book and asked about it. The kid said it was good, and I should check it out. I did. I'm now reading the third book. It's been about two weeks since she told me about it.

It's definitely an interesting take on vampires. Their background story, or legend, is that they are the angels that rebelled with Lucifer and were kicked out of the Kingdom of Heaven. They chose immortality to repent for their sins and hopefully one day be restored into the presence of the Kingdom. The Blue Bloods reincarnate -  their physical shell dies but their "blood" (and personality) live on to be implanted in another body later. The Blue Bloods are the cream of human society and take an interest in bettering the lives of the Red Bloods, or humans.

They are not violent creatures, shockingly. This is definitely a deviation from most "accepted" vampire lore. They take "human familiars" to supply them with blood, but the humans volunteer and are never killed. There is a strict Code that regulates the behavior of the Blue Bloods. Of course, they have a nemesis (how else would it be a book?). The Silver Bloods, including Lucifer, are the evil spirits who are not trying to regain entrance into Heaven. They kill Blue Bloods, gaining all the knowledge and memories of that specific immortal. They are considered Abomination with all that knowledge. Interestingly, Silver Bloods are blamed for the disappearance of the Roanoke colony (that is honestly the most intriguing part of the books - their take on American and world history).

The book is a guilty pleasure read for sure, but I can't seem to put them down. I am slightly ashamed whenever someone asks, "Whatcha reading?" But really, who doesn't have a Thing with some sort of slightly shameful genre?

Not-so-typical Tuesday

Several months ago, I bought a ticket to see Snow Patrol in their “Fallen Empires” tour. I saw the concert announcement in a local radio station's email. I set my heart to go. I love Snow Patrol, and their music is very dear to me. As the day for the ticket sales approached, I couldn't find anyone to go with me. Alas.

Or alas not. I could either say “man, guess I won't go,” or I could buy a single ticket and just go.

I bought a single ticket.

Weeks went by, and I pushed the concert back in my mind; it went behind school, the starting of movement classes at Franklin, the ending of winter guard at Brentwood, and work. The concert ticket was propped up on my end table next to my lamp, and I looked at it frequently. It seemed so far away – there was so much to do before.

But suddenly, winter guard ended, and school took a week break, and it was the Monday before the concert. Here's the thing – I'm not particularly outgoing. I probably have some sort of social anxiety disorder. I generally don't like doing things by myself. And there I was, set to drive downtown, park, find my seat, and (hopefully) enjoy a concert the next day. By myself.

The day of was a normal Tuesday; it was full of work. I ate dinner at home and watched the traffic, taking note of which way to go. Downtown was busy with the concert and a Predator's game, so people were everywhere – a blessing and a curse. I wasn't wandering around Nashville alone, but traffic was particularly bad. I drove and splurged on $10 parking right behind the venue.

I walked into the venue and relaxed a degree. I had made it inside. I had safely parked. I was in the Ryman Auditorium – arguably one of the most beautiful concert venues in the world. I trudged up the stairs, walking past signed posters from Hatch's Show Print autographed by famous (mostly) country stars. I walked around the top and found my section. I crept down the stairs hesitantly – there were already people sitting next to my empty seat. I walked up and tucked my purse under the pew, and the people sitting next to me turned.

“Oh hello!”

My night probably would have been not as enjoyable had I not been sitting next to the nicest couple in the Ryman that night. They were an older couple (mid 50s, probably) and had never been to Nashville. They bought tickets when they were available online and drove the 11 hours from their home state of Louisiana and decided to make a trip out of it. He was a technology consultant; she was a tutor and teacher (irony?!).

We talked about everything – music, Nashville, the flood that happened nearly two years ago, sports, education, technology news. But it was when the man left to get a beer did I ask the question whose response would endear them to me for the rest of the evening.

“How did you meet?”

She smiled and pulled her shoulders up a bit. And she told me their story. They had met in their late 20s while both were working on higher degrees. They married quickly and later had a son.

“We were married for eight years. Then we divorced. He remarried, had two other children with his other wife.”

The puzzlement must have shown on my face. They were sitting next to me, clearly together, yet she had just told me they had only been married eight years.

“Our son got sick about a year ago and had to go extensive abdomen surgery around Christmas. We got back together then. I said he remarried, but I just couldn't. He's been the one for me all these years - I couldn't imagine loving anybody else. So we've been together about four months now.”

The man returned, beer in one hand and a box of Junior Mints in the other that he handed to her.

“Funny how life is,” she said, before she turned and asked her husband about the lines at the concession stands.

We kept talking until the show started, but neither one brought up their story again.

The show was great. Ed Sheeran opened and did a poignant cover of “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” that was so haunting, the audience was totally still. Snow Patrol played a little bit of everything – old stuff, new, their big hits, quieter songs. They played nearly two hours.

I shook both their hands as the lights reappeared after a four song encore. I wished them safe travels and an enjoyable time in Nashville. I left the Ryman and walked back to my car, only making one wrong turn trying to find my car in the parking garage itself.

I drove home and kept the radio off, preferring the wind rushing through my cracked window. When I got home, I shut off the engine and sat in the driveway. I had seen a band I treasured. I had done it alone. I had met two random strangers who shared their lives with me momentarily. Somehow, a Tuesday night concert had restored my faith in strangers and myself.

Groundhog Day!

This will have very little to do with Groundhog Day, but since that day is today, I felt like marking its passage somehow. Apparently the groundhog saw his shadow, but I slept through the news coverage of it all. Such is Thursdays, one of the few days I get to sleep in.
But here are some Things I've Been Loving Lately:

1. THE WEATHER. We have somehow been blessed by the mildest winter (so far) that I can remember. There have been days of cold, but not the unbearable chill that seeps into the bones and you can't shake until you're home in sweatpants and with hot tea. And every time someone mentions how awesome the weather is, or how much they miss winter, I throw up the trusty Karma Kap and hope that nothing changes between now and April.

2. FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS This album is in my car, on my phone, and on my computer. It has been playing on repeat for the past two weeks. Their sound is unique, and I find it impossible to be in a bad mood when I'm bopping around my room (or car or back space at work) to their music.

3. THE PARIS WIFE This is next month's book club book, but I'm flying through it, often staying up entirely too late to read just one more page (or screen, since I'm a Kindle reader). I studied Hemingway intensely in my undergrad schooling, and I was familiar with his war background, but I never read anything about his writing life. This novel, written from the point of view of his first wife, captures a young Hemingway trying to break into the writing scene. Most of it is set in Paris, the creative capital of the early 1900s, and I've learned fascinating details about an artist trying to provide for his family.

4. BECOMING A TEACHER. There are so many distractions in the journey of becoming an educator. My classes have lots of work required, there's always the challenge of balancing time, and the talk of most teachers in the field currently is negative (Tennessee is currently employing a really restrictive teacher evaluation system). But I'm constantly reminded that all those things are just what I said - distractions. Ultimately I love children and spending time with them and that lightbulb face they show when they understand something. That is what I must remember as I make posters and type my notes to turn in as a grade for grad school. I have a passion, and while it's been quite a journey to realize that I'm called to be a teacher, I can't let the little things stand in the way.

So here's to a decent 2012 thus far!
 


All thoughts and opinions are my own and true to my experience.