Boston Tragedy Brings Hope

A Boston Reunion: Victoria and Tyler

This article by Fred Milgrim from Esquire Magazine is touching, heartfelt, and captivating. It's summary made me want to read more immediately.

"BOSTON -- Victoria McGrath had just been brought to Tufts Medical Center from the medical tent in Copley Square, and there were only two words coming out of her mouth: 'Where’s Tyler? Where’s Tyler?'She couldn't stop asking for the mysterious man who had calmed her nerves following the Boston Marathon explosion that riddled her left leg with shrapnel.It was the most unlikely of human connections, and it was formed in the midst of blood, missing limbs and the chaos of screaming victims."

How can you not want to continue reading? It entices the reader. Well, it enticed me anyway.

The way rescuer, Dodd explained their reunion made me think of an intimate scene out of a romantic novel. Although, they are not lovers. They're strangers.

"They walked me in. We just looked at each other, and then we probably spent a good eight minutes hugging." 

The story went from "Aw!" to "I'm beginning to tear up" all because Dodd gave Milgrim the most beautiful quotes.

"I'm nervous. Not because of the media, but to meet her," he said. "If I close my eyes, I can remember her eyes, I can see every detail of her face. But her voice is what really what sticks with me."

You can't make this stuff up. I feel as if I'm watching a very sappy, romantic movie. I only wish the writer showed me their encounter. I wish he had set the scene.

Tyler may be the hero in Victoria's life, but he has been drug addict, an alcoholic, and a criminal. His life consists of major ups and downs, but he has been redeeming himself and is currently six months sober.

All the things I have been hearing about the Boston bombing has been about tragedy, blood, and loss. This article brings a fresh side to the horrible event. It's the light at the end of tunnel, or the silver lining.

Mystery Meme Revealed

Internet Cats: Behind the Memes

Whenever I see a new meme, I always wonder where they originate. I ask so many other questions: Are they real? Were they edited? Did the person purposely put up the photo knowing it looked ridiculous, or did someone else do all the media work?

My questions have been answered!

When I stumbled upon this article, I was extremely excited because these cats are all over place! (I see the grumpy cat the most often.) These cute cats are real! Their faces have not been photo-shopped or animated.

According the article one cat called Lil' Bub (picture below) is a "so-called permakitten." Her mutation causes: large eyes, shorter limbs, small lower jaw so her tongue will always stick out, and she will never have teeth.

Matthew Caron / Vice

This kitty is more than a social media sensation. She made her way to the Tribeca Film Festival big screen in a documentary Lil Bub and Friendz. I can hear the screaming children already.

Lil' Bub's friends are Keyboard Cat, Grumpy Cat (Tardar Sauce), and Nyan Cat.

Grumpy Cat I have seen all over Facebook and Instagram. He is going places! I believe I saw Keyboard Cat in a music video when I was freshmen in high school  I still cannot remember why my creative writing teacher made us watch it. Anyway!

When I started reading this article, I was a little surprised because the owner of Lil' Bub is a music producer, so I started thinking, "Oh, my god. These poor cats. Their owners are exploiting them. Did Lil' Bub's owner rescue Bub only for her looks?" My mind just went on a frenzy.

But then I realized, my favorite memes would have never been created. Yes, I know it's wrong to turn a blind eye just so I can be amused whenever I turn on my phone. But (yes, there's another but) I continued reading the writer confronted this issue. Juliette Eisner co-director of the film said, "It's not really exploiting because it is an animal. If [Bub] were able to say she didn't want to have her picture taken, that would be different."

My jaw dropped and my mind was silent for about two seconds, then it screamed, "Exploitation!"

I think the picture taking is fine, it's the film I'm a little iffy about. I guess I'd have to see it to make my mind up. The owners must love their cats with some fiber of their being. I hope the owners are pampering them because their cat is putting food on the table. 

The article praises cats at the end of the article. We worshiped them in ancient times, and now we see them on the big screen either as the lazy Garfield, or dogs evil nemesis in Cats and Dogs.

That is all kitty lovers.

The Joy of Having to Work

I found this article (even though it sounds more like an op-ed) by Claire Gutierrez from Elle Magazine moving. She explains the guilt some woman feel when they have to work and leave their child at home. The sadness they feel when they can't spend time with them.

Before Gutierrez became a writer, she took care of children; two boys in particular, Brook and Hunter. At the age of 19, she was hired when the boy's mother had recently passed away. Their father had to work. He couldn't do all of things he wanted to, but she explains the boys didn't care about what he couldn't do. They loved him regardless, as much as she feel in love with them.

After living with them, mothers would tell her she couldn't understand the love a mother has for her child. This is debatable. Gutierrez loved Brook and Hunter dearly. She explains the love she felt as "overwhelming," which I can imagine is what a mother feels.

I worked as a group worker in an after school/summer program for four years. It was hard seeing my first graders turn into fourth graders, and now their sixth graders. Some of them are as tall as me, which is quite sad.

Dealing with a group of children for a whole day during the summer is tiresome and irritating, but at the end of the day when their parents came to pick them up, they hugged me goodbye and I couldn't wait till tomorrow.

Depending on how their day was, I can only imagine the feeling the parents felt once they were reunited with their young. Seeing the anxiety rush out of my mothers face when she picks up my 3-year-old sister from her babysitter tells me how overwhelmed a mother can be.

"Why did I have a baby, if I didn't intend to raise her myself?"

She explains how the guilt will "plague" her, but she understands she must make a living for her child. To give him or her a "decent life." Gutierrez mother, I believe, had some part on this. Her mother a Hungarian immigrant was a house wife. She told Gutierrez and Gutierrez sibling to not be like her. Her mother wanted them to go out and get an education which most mothers want for all of their children. Parents always want their child to have a life better than the lives they had.