Tuesday 24 March 2009

Two Sentence Tuesday: 24 March 2009

These depressing sentences are what I recently read from “Feds to test taps for cancer contaminants” by the Canadian Press at the time of my own tap water scare which remains ongoing, at least until I receive the water test results:

“Health Canada is now seeking a contractor to determine if the contaminants, known as disinfection byproducts, flow from the country's taps. Water-treatment plants have long used disinfectants such as chlorine and ozone to eliminate bacteria from drinking water. But in the 1970s, scientists discovered the disinfectants react with organic materials in untreated water, such as decaying vegetation, to form the byproducts.”

And for those readers who seem unable to withstand suspense of my usual two sentences, today here are several from my WIP ‘Keeper 2’:

“A flash of reflected light in the corner of Alicia’s left eye made her look. The blade of a long sword moved quickly slicing through air. The creature reared up on hind legs, roared, part of pain, part of anger as the sword slashed through its neck; and in the return arc entered mid-chest. The roar became a gurgle, and the huge furry mass toppled back.”

For other participants to Two Sentence Tuesday visit Women of Mystery here

15 comments:

Teresa said...

Sorry to hear about your tap water scare, Barbara. That doesn't sound fun. I enjoyed the three sentences from your novel in progress. Too bad we can't come up with some kind of sword to kill off water disinfectant byproducts.

Linda McLaughlin said...

Oh, Barbara, hope your water is safe to drink. That's scary.

Loved your sentences today, very exciting. Good luck with your job interview.

Reb said...

Great, so now just drinking water will give you cancer! I hope your water tests come back clean. Great lines from your WIP.

Terrie Farley Moran said...

Ooooh, Barbara,

Nicely done. Scary, but nicely done.

Terrie

Barbara Martin said...

Teresa, the tap water scare isn't over yet. I'm still buying distilled water to drink, cook with, do dishes with and bathe in. It's like an enforced camping routine. This is City of Toronto water going through old city pipes and old apartment pipes.

My sentences were meant to alleviate the emotions that have come up, and I can see a new path for my WIP.

Barbara Martin said...

Linda, I'm trying to keep the conflict up with all sorts of danger.

No word yet on interview, maybe tomorrow.

Barbara Martin said...

Reb, I'm doing a body cleanse with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a 1.5 litre bottle of water to SIP throughout the day, along with a litre of apple juice mixed with distilled water. After a week it's making a difference in the way I feel.

An acquaintance of mine did a year long body cleanse after being diagnosed with cancer and managed to change the test results to negative after a year. She had been slated for surgery and it was cancelled.

Barbara Martin said...

Terrie, glad you liked it. Now off for more wild beast hunting.

Kathleen A. Ryan said...

Hi Barbara,

Good luck with the water issue; I hope that gets cleared up real soon. I never heard of the body cleanse using the apple cider vinegar, but it sounds interesting.

Your sentences are terrifyingly good!

Cloudia said...

Sentences were hot-
water scare is NOT!
Hoping the best for you, Barbara.
Aloha-

Raph G. Neckmann said...

Your 'Keeper 2' sentences are exciting!

Your water scare is awful, Barbara. If they discovered these issues in the 1970s how come they haven't done anything about it? I hope they are paying for your distilled water!

The body cleanse sounds good.

Barbara Martin said...

Kathleen, the water quality coming out of the cold water has improved though there are still problems with the hot water. I won't be drinking or using any of the twp water without proper filters in the future.

Cloudia, the water I drank was after running it through the tap for 4 minutes and it appeared crystal clear in the glass. After drinking about a third of the water I noticed a metallic taste and stopped, leaving the glass on the counter. By the next day I felt quite ill and combined with a hot shower that left a greasy substance on my skin. That's when I noticed the sediment in the water remaining in the glass. I've saved that water and another sample of water filtered through a Brita filter for private water testing through a lab that does forensic testing. An expensive undertaking when just the sediment testing costs $550. The City of Toronto does free testing, and I'm hoping the inspector's comment that it might have been a one-time occurrence.

Barbara Martin said...

Raph, there are many environmental issues the governments today keep from the public. If we're kept in the dark then things will run smoothly until we die off from environmental poisoning.

There are natural remedies to assist humans in detoxing, but like any medicine they have to be taken with care. The apple cider vinegar is acedic and too much can burn the sensitive linings of the stomach and intestines, and remove the enamel from your teeth. As my body tends to be sensitive toward drugs of any kind I used one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in the 1.5 litres of water rather than the tablespoon suggested.

Think of the vinegar cleansing the water you're about to drink as it will kill bacteria. Bleach has been used to disinfect water, but I prefer to use the vinegar. Besides, it has added benefits of cleaning one organs internally and flushing the toxic cells out.

J. L. Krueger said...

Hey, one of the main female characters in my books is named Alicia too!

Barbara Martin said...

J.L., then we have a common element.