Around the campfire with MEH and Sully

[bob g]

You and MEH should face off in a story-down!

I'll start. Mark and Doc Sully, does it really get extra squirelly when there's a full moon?

[tertius]

You guys better feel loved. Because the fact that this thread exists is a testament to it.

ETA: Come to think of it, I was pondering posing this question to Old Man Knurling and Sully myself, the other day. Could call, Bob!

[Mark E. Hurling]

Oh Lordy be. Since I saw it first I'll take my shot here. After numerous classes in criminal justice that said the full moon had nothing to do with crime rates and criminality, I had thoroughly absorbed that particular flavor of academic kool-aid. I'm not sure why, because there was plenty of other stuff they taught me that I pretty much figured out was BS during a summer internship at the Joliet Juvenile Reception and Diagnostic Center (juvie prison). So after graduation my first job as an acolyte of The Blue Religion had me working graves with a crusty sergeant who was training me. This was my first week on the job and we left the station at 10:15 pm on a Friday. As we walked to or squad he looks up and sees a big full moon in the sky. "It's gonna be a busy night tonight, kid."

"Why is that?" said the rookie (me)
"Full moon that's why."
"Oh come on Frank, there's plenty of research that shows there's no link between the full moon and crime."
"Is that right, college boy? Well let's just see what your books show you this weekend."

We broke up 5 fights before 3 am that night and 3 on the next night. I discovered that my 4 years on the judo team were of more use to me than my BS in Criminal Justice. That received wisdom has been proven true to my satisfaction ever since. Academicians be damned. Sorry to those of you who still inhabit that world, this is one of the primary reasons I have so much skepticism over research and studies that purport to show the real world. I love some of you, but that's just how I became knurled.

Now Sunday mornings before noon are entirely another phenomenon.

[The Emancipated Freak]

This is bound to go down in the annals of time, folks. I'm just glad I can say I saw it.

[Mark E. Hurling]

I guess Sully needed some sleep. So will I soon enough, but here's another one to enjoy s'mores over. Sunday mornings before noon.

There are two real points in this story and both of them may be a little obscure unless you were in a military or para-military organization.

My second job as a cop saw me getting trained by another sergeant. Larry "Thumper" Cross. Sgt. Cross had me learning the city on day shift and of course as the new guy I was working weekends. So it's Sunday morning and he's showing around with him doing the driving. As is common everywhere in the US the streets are pretty empty of vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

"You ever drive around and pay attention to what's going on this time of day on a Sunday, Hurling?"
"No not really Sgt."
"No one does and as a good cop this is an ideal opportunity for you to learn who's really around. Look, what do you see? Pretty empty and dead right? Well let's hit some side streets and alleys to tune up how and what you need to learn to look for. See that guy talking to himself? He's new, and I've never seen him until now either. He's just one example. Him and people like him are always around but they're invisible because they blend in and disappear with the other people surrounding them. See that one? He's one of our regular drunks just up from sleeping it off, probably in that alley behind Pizza King."

This went on for about 2 hours and I gradually discovered the hidden life and people that I would never know about if I hadn't been cued about who and what to look for at a time when their protective background was at church, in bed, or having breakfast at home. This bit of lore, and I've never heard or seen anyone else in law enforcement, academia, or journalism ever mention it has held true every place I've ever lived or worked since. Even in upscale south Redondo Beach along the shores of the Pacific. Try it if you get up early enough and see if it rings true for you too.

The other bit of obscure lore is how invaluable the oral tradition is in police work. The good, competent, sergeants always have bits of wisdom like this to pass on and the junior officers shine them on to their own loss and the loss to the citizens they are sworn to protect.

[the dio]

This thread became infinitely more interesting once I realized it was not a chain story.

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

" shine them on to their own loss "

Shine them on?

[Mark E. Hurling]

Shine them on. It's an old term from Gooberville AKA the South, that real estate that stretches south of the Ohio River and west to the Mississippi River. It means to not believe, not pay attention to, or ignore someone.

Come on Sully, let's hear one from you, I don't want to monopolize these campfire stories. If I can share some Tales of the Blue Religion perhaps you can tell a few from The Gods of Blood without violating your Hippocratic Oath. Cops take an oath to protect and serve, but do not promise they won't talk shit about the trash they take out. That's why you docs get paid the big bucks. I think you have a good sense of the narrative from your other posts.

[Jonathon Sullivan]

Oh, wow, I didn't even know this was here until Mark gave me a heads-up. Yes, Bob, I'm feeling the love. I'm rebounding from work and I'm on the run at the moment; but I will post a campfire story or two this afternoon before I take off for Toronto. In the meantime, I will say that, in my experience, full moon shifts suck. They've actually done studies, published in the Emergency Medicine literature, on this, and found that full moons do not produce volume surges. But they didn't study MY full moon shifts. My shifts are known as "Sullyshifts," and my codes are known as "Sullycodes," and both are notorious, as am I, for my ability to attract vast quantities of complex, galactically sick, combative, difficult, crazy, stupid, intoxicated or just plain weird patients. There are a few special nurses who always work with me, for the thrill I think. And a fair number of nurses who never work with me, because they know it will be a shitstorm.

Back in a couple hours....

[Mark E. Hurling]

Sully, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. (Knurling channelling Rick {Bogie} talking to Inspector Louie {Claude Rains} at the end of Casablanca)