Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Immediate Action , Rapid Deployment

Today I got to go to training rather than another typical day at work. The training for today was IARD (Immediate Action Rapid Deployment), which a is relatively new concept. IARD was developed in response to the Columbine school massacre and other suicidal attacker events of recent years. The basic concept is that if there is an "active shooter" (someone is in the process of killing innocents) law enforcement's old concept of "contain and wait for SWAT" doesn't work anymore because it plays into the hand of the suicidal shooter. The more time that is takes to formulate a response, the more time the bad guy has to perform his dastardly deeds.

IARD trains us to aggressively confront the active shooter, something that is totally contrary to what we've been taught in the past and totally contrary to one's concept of self-preservation. It takes a whole different mindset to go forth into the fray with bullets coming towards you. However, every bullet fired at you is one that is not being put into someone else. And that, at it's center, is what IARD is all about...being willing to go into harm's way and trade your life for someone else's. The difference is that the shooter has no plans to go home...and he's not. We have plans to go home....and we will.

IARD at Wikipedia

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Irresistible?

Lets101 - Free Online Dating

Wicked Awesome!


Sarah and I went up up to Hollywood last night courtesy of a very good friend who gave Sarah the tickets for her birthday. The show was awesome. Go see it if you have the chance. Save the money and go. There's a very good chance that I'll go again. It is that enjoyable.

I took off work early and we left about 4 pm for an 8 pm show. The plan was to get up to Hollywood to grab a bite to eat before the show. That didn't work out. Traffic was horrible. We drove for about 40 minutes and only got as far as Fountain Valley. Sarah had to make a nature call, so we got off the freeway and found a facility. Back on the freeway a couple minutes before 5...and then we drove for 2 hours and 45 minutes before arriving at the Pantages in Hollywood with 15 minutes to spare. I was really starting to worry whether we would make it or not at one point. 3 and a half hours to go 61 miles...that's 17 miles an hour on average. That sucked.

We parked just across the street from the theater and walked across. The Pantages is a beautiful old style Hollywood theater. I could have walked around that place for an hour or more just soaking up the history and inspecting the details. See some photos at this Flickr stream. From the moment I walked in until the lights went down, I was struck by the sheer beauty of the place.

The visible stage decorations were something to behold also. The only thing Sarah had to compare it to was the musical Rent, which we saw at the Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa. Sarah commented that Rent wasn't much compared to this. Actually, I'm glad she saw Rent first because I think it gave her a better appreciation for the spectacularosity of this event. (No, I'm not just making up words....if you've seen the show, you'll get it....if you haven't, you won't)

I was almost prepared to be disappointed. Three different people who knew that I was going told me how awesome the show was. The lights went down and the music and curtain went up. An hour and a half later it was intermission and I felt like I'd been there just a few minutes. After a quick intermission nearly another hour and a half passed and it was over seemingly minutes after it began. I was not disappointed.

The story was...well, awesome. I sat there (and still am) marveling at the ability of someone to write such a story. The music captivated me. The performances were spectacular. If you don't know the story of Wicked, it's basically the back story of the Wicked Witch of the West and Galinda (with a "Ga"), the Good Witch, from the Wizard of Oz. Here's a good overview of the story. I didn't know what the story was about except in the very general sense that it was about the wicked witch. I don't think knowing the story going in would be a spoiler, but I enjoyed watching the story unfold without knowing what was going to happen. I'll never see the Wizard of Oz the same way again.

Spend the money and go see the show. You won't regret it.