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scary

Change: Unwelcome and Unwanted

November 16, 2016 by Elizabeth Drake

Change is never easy, especially big changes you didn’t choose for yourself that have no real bright side. Changes like you or your spouse being told that your job is being eliminated.

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It’s not something you ever want to hear, but it’s even harder when it’s unexpected. When you thought the position was solid and stable. When you had almost 20 years there, so you actually had a few weeks of vacation and some sick-leave when the kids are ill. When you relied on it for the family’s healthcare.

See, here’s the thing. There is no safety net unless you make one yourself. Unemployment benefits are meager and last six months. There’s no healthcare included, and our other employer’s health insurance is the very minimum required for them to not pay fines.

We’ve been blessed by good fortune and made good choices, so we’ve been able to set-up our life so we can “make-it” without dipping into savings on just one of our salaries. And that same good fortune and good choices have made it possible for us to have savings.

Yes, there will be some belt-tightening, and I’ll be putting off that purchase of a new computer. But we’ll be okay. Our kids will be okay. The biggest thing we’re facing is if anyone gets hurt or sick. But we’ll figure that out if it happens.

And, of course, it’ll mean starting all over and having little-to-no paid time off.

Still, here’s hoping a new position is found quickly.

In the meantime, writing, editing and blogging might become more sporadic, especially as we work through all changes needed in our day-to-day endeavors. I need time to cope, process and plan.  I couldn’t even look at the screen after learning the news. I did, however, escape into a book or three. Ah, escapism!

Filed Under: Family, Uncategorized Tagged With: career change, change, Job Loss, safety net, scary

Horror

March 7, 2016 by Elizabeth Drake

I read one Stephen King book and kept my drapes closed for a month. I never read another. I have never liked being scared. I don’t do corn mazes, haunted houses, or scary movies.

Not sure if it’s something intrinsic to me or if it’s because it fuels twisted dreams I’ve had most of my life. Lately, I have been haunted by dreams of a Dexter (watched one episode, wish I hadn’t), Law &Order SVU and occult mash up. The dreams follow a team of detectives as they investigate some gruesome murders.

In one dream, the killer ripped people in half at the spine above the hips and somehow preserved the horror on their faces even as they decomposed. He then buried their top halves to preserve their expression forever. My team of investigators found them and were looking for their bottom halves in hopes of finding clues that would lead to the killer.

A second investigation involved the junior member of the team coming upon the gruesome murder site first with the local police and photographing it for evidence, not realizing the murderer wasn’t done as they had yet to move and properly position the bodies. The murderer then stalks this junior member to get the camera. Not because of incriminating evidence, but because it showed their “work in progress.”

Strangest thing about my dreams, while they are in vivid color and sound, there is never any smell. Small kindness, I suppose.

DH is intrigued, especially as he knows I avoid anything scary and have for my whole life. He thinks I should write it all down and turn the dreams into stories. He wants to see what happens to these investigators. Learn more about the murderers and why they are doing what they’re doing (feeds into the occult).  I don’t want to add any more fuel to the imaginative fire and would rather find a way to dream of unicorns and rainbows!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: creativity, fear, inspiration, scary, Writing

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