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April 30, 2007

Crime Scene Investigator

Since the premier of the show ‘CSI’ years ago, more and more people are taking up an interest in the criminal justice field. Many of those who take a few moments to put serious thought into it might find themselves wanting to become a crime scene investigator. While the television show usually shows the cases being solved, the characters looking prim and proper and make things look a lot more simple than they really are, reality will demonstrate a very different scenario.

The role of a crime scene investigator is very crucial to solving any crime and finding answers to what really happened. It definitely isn’t a glamorous job or for those with weak stomachs. The hours can be long and brutal and sleep may be rare at times. A crime scene investigator is much more likely to get stressed and burned out than that of many other jobs. Sure, the role sounds wonderful. It would be wonderful to tell people that you are a crime scene investigator. Impressive. However, it isn’t impressive when you’re getting ready to watch your children open up their Christmas gifts and your pager goes off. When that pager goes off, you’re expected to be someplace as soon as possible. Crime scenes must be processed immediately so that evidence isn’t lost, damaged or destroyed as the hours move on.

A crime scene investigator might not always have the most pleasant of working conditions. They don’t work at a desk all day long. Instead, they are onsite of whatever needs to be investigated. You might find them digging in the dirt or crawling around a house. Crime scenes aren’t always attractive. Seeing a dead child or individual can stay lodged in your memories forever. A crime scene investigator has to take blood samples and look for fingerprints. They may spend many hours working around dead bodies and unpleasant scenes. That can take a huge toll on someone.

Then, there is the fact that there is no room for error as a crime scene investigator. One tiny mistake can have a case thrown out of court. A tiny mistake can determine a person’s guilt or innocence. Families, friends and the court systems are depending on everything to be absolutely perfect when solving a crime. If a crime scene investigator makes a mistake, the repercussions aren’t just getting a scolding from the boss, it means that justice may not have prevailed. Helping justice prevail and figuring out the facts is what makes a crime scene investigator thrive. It makes the long hours and unpleasant working conditions all worthwhile.

Posted by KeyWestPublishing at 04:50 PM | Comments (0)

April 22, 2007

Couple Costumes

My parents were never very big Halloween people, nor were their friends. Although they would take us trick-or-treating, they would never dress up for the occasion. I didn't really understand that adults did such a thing until I was a teenager. When I was that age, I loved to dress up in spooky costumes. I would dress up as villains from slasher film's, such as Jason, Freddy Krueger, or Leatherface from the Texas chainsaw massacre. I'm sure I terrorize more than my share of little kids but it wasn't too long until I realized that those scary costumes weren't that original.

The first time I got into couple costumes was when I was about 17. I was in my first relationship back then, and was hopelessly in love. I guess all kids are in love when they have the first relationship. Anyway, my girlfriend was kind of a cheese ball. She loved anything cutesy and romantic. At Halloween, of course, she insisted on us getting couples costumes. My friends made fun of me, but I persevered anyway. I knew that couple costumes were important to her, and I didn't want to disappoint her. We went as Tweedledee and Tweedledum that year. Although a few of my friends had to make fun of us, it was clear that they thought the idea was pretty funny.

After that, couple costumes were a hit in my crew. Every year, we would go in costumes that complemented each other. Sometimes, we would be in pairs, but more often we would go as whole groups. One of the best couple costume events was when everyone dressed up as their favorite hero or villain duo. We had Batman and Robin, Superman and Wonder Woman, and a foursome dressed as the Fantastic Four. We also had a special appearance by Baron Greenback from Danger Mouse, surrounded by several of his most villainous henchman. All in all, the Party was quite a time, and we all had a lot of fun.

Sometimes, we would make our own couple costumes. It was a lot of fun to get involved in the craft aspect of it, even if it was quite a bit of work as well. Other times, they would simply be too complicated. We would buy them or rent them from Halloween stores. Sometimes, the best approach was to combine both. With all of the previous costumes I had worn, I had more than enough supplies to make a new, seemingly fresh costume from spare pieces of previous ones.

Posted by KeyWestPublishing at 04:48 PM | Comments (0)

April 15, 2007

Cotton Candy Machine

While there is no way in the world you would find me eating cotton candy, I know it’s good and I don’t mind my daughter having it. This is on the condition that she only has it a few times a year, and that she does not each a ton of it. There is just no need for anyone to ingest that much sugar. It is great tasting though, and the best way to get a child to be obsessed with something is by denying them. I let her have it on rare occasion, and she seems to be content with that. While I would never own a cotton candy machine, I can think of a few good reasons to have one.

Though a cotton candy machine is not something you want to have sitting out on the counter ready for every day use, they do have their uses. These can be really great fun for children’s birthday parties, or even for adult get-togethers. Though you may not think of these as something that adults would enjoy, you might be surprised to see who gets excited to see one. However, the cotton candy machine is the biggest hit with most children, as you can well imagine.

These machines come in different sizes and shapes. There are very simple, and very inexpensive models that will sit right in your kitchen for when you want to use them, and won’t take up much space. The simple cotton candy machine can be easily stored under your counter, and most are rather easy to clean. There are larger models that will not go in the kitchen, but can be stored away for special events. These will make more, and the resulting product will be more like what you find at a carnival or a theme park.

Decide how often you will use your cotton candy machine before you buy. Don’t get something large if you don’t have the room for it, though it might be tempting to get one that will have the biggest impact on your guests. Don’t forget that you have to buy the ingredients for some models, as they will only work with certain grains of sugar and flavoring. These will be a huge hit at a child’s party, but make sure each child only has a little serving, or you may have a set of angry parents on your hands.

Posted by KeyWestPublishing at 04:46 PM | Comments (0)

April 01, 2007

Costume Design

Countless individuals around the world indulge daily in movies. It seems that our species can't get enough of action, drama, horror, romance, comedy and thrills. A major part of this industry revolves around creative costume design. Take a moment to imagine all the thought, work, effort and miniscule details put into some of the wild and beautiful costumes for major feature films. Just to give you a basic example that most people will be instantly familiar with, what about "The Lord of the Rings?" This is an excellent example of amazing costume designs for film.

More than likely you've enjoyed the intricate and amazing costume design found in certain feature films. Some that tend to steal the spotlight are "Batman," "Spiderman," "The X-Men" and "Harry Potter." There's even a chance that you craved a moment in one of these fascinating get-ups. You would only be human if that's the case. Wouldn't it be great if you could dabble in costume design and extravagant apparel on your own? You could purchase a few supplies, a sewing machine and get started immediately. Okay, so maybe it's prudent to do a little bit of research and homework regarding costume design prior to hopping behind the sewing machine. It's wise to begin with a basic book on costume design. You'll likely need to acquire a few tools and supplies to work with within your home. However, you might be astonished at how quickly you become accustomed to superb costume design clothing design. You never know; you could end up becoming a famous designer.

A wonderful place to begin your costume design journey is with basic Halloween costumes. If you have a child, then you already have a willing model to design costumes for. Needless to say, it's pretty awesome as a child to have a Halloween costume custom made for you. This way no one has exactly what you do. Try a beautiful princess dress, a ghoulish ghost outfit, or even a horrifying werewolf costume. Watch to see how your costume design skills are honed after a few tries. For those who do not have children, you can always create a unique get-up for yourself to wear.

Posted by KeyWestPublishing at 04:44 PM | Comments (0)