Dracula

    well im dry.   Yes it rained, but it seems to be raining less, around 4 out of the 7 days a week now, and when its not raining it is sunny and beautiful.  Now I can finally start talking about something other than the weather. I have talked about food, arts, fitness, politics, and the weather, so enough with the small talk.
      For those that don’t know I work in the medical field and I have for almost ten years now.  I have worked on a squad, at a family doctor’s office, a general ophthalmologist, and now I work as an ophthalmic photographer and teach CPR.  I have had the chance, nay, a privelege to meet the most intriguing people with the most interesting stories.  One of my favorites was a woman who was born in Transylvania.  Yes the home of Dracula. Naturally I asked about draculas castle, she simply replied, “Scary.”  All the documentaries you see and the ghost stories you here, the over played acting of Dracula is all commercialized anymore. But for someone who grew up just over fifty miles from the real home of Dracula still has fear in hear voice when she talks about it.  Though not overbearing fear, now that she is well into her seventies and has lived in the states for quite sometime, but stil a slight hint of fear.  I could only imagine what is was like as a kid, hearing the stories from the old town folk.  I asked if she had ever been to the castle and without hesitation, “no,” it wasn’t a tourist trap then but a real place where death and carnage took place. At the time primary mode of transportation was still horse and buggy even though cars had been around for over forty years they still lived the old style and told the horrifying stories. Even though she’d never gone I could tell it was not because of lack of transportation but fear.
    Dracula, whose real name was Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler, ruled  in years 1448, again from 1456 to 1462, and again in 1476.  He was considered the impaler due to his revenge against the Ottoman Empire(they killed his father and brother) where he impaled his enemies.  Not only did he just impale his enemies but their families too.  Now Wiki doesn’t refer to him drinking blood or biting his victims, but he did torture those in his way.
    Doesn’t seem to scary when you hear the true story unless of course you lived then and was part of the Ottoman Empire but to a young girl in Transylvania in the time of World War II I could only imagine the ghost stories she was told.
    Well this week I was planning on reading another book but since it still hasn’t come in the mail I’ll just have to put it off until next week.  You may suggest I should just go to the library, but as slow as I read I would go broke from late fees.  So until next week, learn something new like I did, the truth might surprise you. 


“ To draw you must close your eyes and sing.”    -Pablo Picasso