Your Mileage May Vary

Riddle me this, Batman

Background Noise: You spin my head right 'round

Last Visited: places, you know, out there 

Random Thought: maybe getting up early for gym classes isn't so bad after all   

Mood: bracing for the week 

Funding for the State Parks is in danger because of the current budget crisis; the $6 vehicle entrance fee simply doesn't cover the $100m budget; the response from state government? Close the parks. A counter proposal has been made to raise the vehicle entrance fee to $15 - more than covering the budget needs and allowing the parks to stay open. Assembly Republicans, however, say no - that would constitute a "tax hike" and the proposal "likely" won't pass the 2/3rds vote required. 

I'm sorry, but, are these people out of their freaking minds?!?!

The population of the state (myself very much included) love the state parks - not only are they a great resource, a place to play, to explore, to protect the land, etc - the current fee is ridiculously low. If raising the vehicle fee (which, btw, doesn't prohibit someone from parking somewhere else and walking into the park for free,) makes the parks self sustainable, what is the downside? Additionally, surplus money could be used for park improvements, drawing in more tourists, generating more revenue, while not taking money from the general fund. 

People are willing to pay for the services they want. Let us pay to keep the parks open, please. 

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You take pictures of Odd Things

Background Noise: California Stars
Last Visited: the T round: Snorg, Noisebot, Threadless
Random Thought: that's the way I roll
Mood: flirting with the edge

I, apparently, take pictures of odd things; or, rather, some people think the things i take pictures of are odd subjects: coffee cups, flowers, barbed wire, grasses, other people's children, portions of statues, stickers, mirrors, fries, strangers, other people's jewelry, random performance art, etc, etc, and so forth.

I would argue that these things aren't odd to take pictures of at all; that they're quite normal, and all in their own way quite beautiful, and descriptive of the world i live in; or, rather, the world i live in when i have my camera with me (which is not entirely the same thing).

Anyways. I suppose i'm saying i generally like my pictures. Sure, some of them may be strange, but, well, whatever. I have a digital camera with usually more storage than i need: i can take whatever pictures i want to. (Golly i'm petulant this week.)

Sort of along these thought lines, I ordered about 70 prints of pictures i've taken recently last night. Partially because 4x6s are $0.12, partially because i realized the most recent pictures of mine that are up in my apartment are practically 5 years old (with one exception). And while they won't all end up on a my walls (well, maybe), I'm heading to Aaron Brothers tonight to pick up a ton of cheap frames and using them to add color and depth to my apartment.

Because i've been places, man, and it's time my home space reflected that.

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Me, A Badass?

Background Noise: Almost
Last Visited: funky properties of frozen water may have made life possible.
Random Thought: no wonder i have senioritis, i just passed my 4 year anniversary at apple!
Mood: tired, again; still

So i've had this post open as a draft... for a week. I meant to use it to tell you about last weekend, about the Superbowl Shuffle that didn't happen because of rain, but of the 4.5 miles i ran at the gym anyways, and about missing the Superbowl because i was shooting a gun for the first time (well, technically, two guns: a glock and a beretta).

But really, i've just come back from Tahoe, i have tons of new pictures uploading now and stories to tell, and well, last weekend feels like... um... last weekend. Old news; cool though it was.

So, i'm going to publish this post anyways and move on; besides, i'm so not actually listening to "Almost" anymore.

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Sicko

Background Noise: Lies, Once Soundtrack
Last Visited: Itchy (conference room)
Random Thought: Enjoy your newfound ecological awareness
Mood: taking time to save yourself

When i was younger my family and i lived in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

Somewhere around the time kids loose their last baby tooth, mine was hanging by a thread (literally, it was gross) and annoying the heck out of me. I wanted that tooth gone. I wanted to stop thinking about it. I wanted my dad to stop telling me to tie a string around it and around a door knob and slam the door. I wanted... well, i think i wanted the dollar from the tooth fairy, to be honest. Regardless, that tooth and i needed to part company.

I decided to petition my mother for possible solutions to my problem, since i obviously wasn't going to ask my dad about this particular subject anymore (see above), and her solution was simple: if i wanted the tooth gone so badly i should walk up to the dentist on the corner and have it taken out. I'm going to say that again:

I (a maybe 7 year old) should walk to the corner (by myself) and go to the dentist (by myself, without an appointment) and have them take out my tooth (without requiring payment, obviously, because i was 7. maybe.)

My american mother told me this. Why? well, i'm sure her answer would be "we were paying them enough in taxes, damnit, the least they can do is take out your tooth", which, after I've had my own experiences writing checks to governments, is a statement i totally agree with. Anyways, back to the story.

So i did what my mother told me: i walked up to the denist office on the corner (there was also a grocery store, a convenience store, a book store, and a doctors office), walked in, said hi to the lady behind the counter who knew who i was, she ushered me back into an office where i climbed up on the chair, and moments later the dentist came in and pulled out my tooth. Which, for the record, hurt like hell. I've always been a wimp about my teeth. He put my tooth in a very adorable little envelope, and sent me home.

Later that evening i proudly showed my dad my tooth. He was thrilled - i had finally solved my problem. How, he asked, did i get it out? The string? Just pulling? It was just the tooth's time? No, i said, i went to the dentist - that was, obviously, how i got the adorable envelope.

My dad was livid - absolutely livid, that a) i would go to the dentist for something as minor as taking a tooth out b) that i would expect my parents to pay for it and c) that my mother would take me for such a trivial matter. My mother replied that she hadn't taken me to the dentist - why on earth would she want to sit in a dentist's office when it was my tooth? She told my father i walked myself.

Now, my dad, who is also (obviously) american, had major issues grappling with what actually transpired. His young daughter walked alone to a dentist, was admitted, was treated, and was sent home without question or payment.

At the time i didn't realize there was anything extraordinary about my behavior - it was a simple thing, walking up to the corner, i did it all the time (there was a park there, and the convenience store sold really yummy canadian candy). But now, looking back, an American who pays out the yin-yang for health insurance only to be thwarted when it's needed would think what i did was out of the normal.

I never have though. My first lessons about health care were you went, they fixed you, and you left. I never noticed when the payment structure changed - i figured my mom started taking me to the dentist or doctor because they were farther away and i couldn't walk; i didn't realize the reason was my family and i were back in the states and my mom now had to go with me: she had to pay the bill.

When i went to college and found out about UHS, i still didn't realize you had to pay for medical care: all students are covered, so if you are sick, you walk into UHS, wait for a doctor who sees you, writes you many prescriptions for drugs that cost pennies on the dollar, walk out, go home, take the drugs and go to sleep.

This whole concept that you have to pay (quite a lot) of money for health insurance which then may or may not reduce the fees of your doctors and other medical personel is baffling. I'm now much more aware of the concept since i've been working here in California. My flip answer is simply that i will never get sick, but as we all know, this is a bogus answer. My coworkers say i should contribute to my "medical savings plan" account - this "brillant" concept let you put in money in case you need to cover medical expenses - but - that money can only be used in one calendar year - so you must spend that money on medical care (or buy a new pair of glasses when you don't need them). Charming. Honestly, these plans, to me, sound like highway robbery.

Most people think that government health care plans constitute "free" health care. That is not true. You pay for it alright - the money for the system comes out of you paycheck along with your taxes. But guess what, i already have money coming out of my check for health care, the only difference is, when i walk into a doctor's office in the states, i have to open my wallet and still pay for it. With most government backed systems, you simply don't. The focus of the government programs are simple: preventative care, keep people well. See people early so your costs aren't higher later.

Want to know why Americans are so unhealthy? Preventative care in the states isn't cost effective - for the major industries that currently control so-called health care.

And that fact? Is sick.

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What's Wrong with Pink?

Background Noise: Light in the Piazza
Last Visited: Zappos
Random Thought: no, please don't ask me about that game yesterday
Mood: a bit light headed

Yes, i would love to wear (at least) pink shoes to the Legally Blonde the Musical extravaganza outting later this month. In fact, i'd love to wear these shoes:

... but, sorry Pucci, i'm not spending $310 for the privalage. Seriously, what do online shoe sellers have against nice (cheap) pink shoes?

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Have i Become Less Interesting?

Background Noise: Look After You
Last Visited: Pete's office
Random Thought: attempting to provide clarity pre-coffee is futile; the only possible result is confusion
Mood: overall, better

I opened this blog post today because, well, i haven't been posting much recently and i felt that surely there was something i could talk about. Of course, i then spent fifteen minutes positive there wasn't anything that wasn't work related i could actually remember.

But then, my Grandma sent me a beautiful silver necklace for my birthday that i actually got yesterday (my aversion to mail could fill books, apparently). And i spent more time breaking down mountains of cardboard last night and i'm randomly going to a concert tonight with people from work. I also actually spent a few hours in Macy's this weekend with a sales person who decided she was going to be my personal shopper and i a) had a ton of fun b) now have several very cute coats, sweaters, and shirts and c) everything was on like mondo sale so i only ended up spending $260.

Also, Fiddler is now in previews, which makes me want to jump across the pond earlier than planned. Oh, and Colorware will turn your laptop / ipod a fabulous shade of not black or white. Oh... and, um, speaking of which, i now have a fabulously cool black macbook. His name is Jack.

Oh! And! I have to congratulate Elle for being one of 70ish people accepted to U of D's Dental School, and Dave for having his first patent issued.

Switching subjects one last time, i actually saw a sneak preview of The Holiday this weekend and i'm plesantly pleased to say, with a few editing missteps, i was entertained, tickled, and touched by this movie. Is it genre shattering? No, but in this case, i think executing well within one's field has it's rewards.

:) And i love that eventually i will ramble my way into pretending i have more going on in my life than work.

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