Hey...

Anybody out there?

I can't remember how to fly a plastic kite

We tried for a while up at the park today. Wish I brought the camera, even though we failed to get it in the air for more than a few seconds.

I can't stop watching it!

The Health Care Debate

So I have to admit that I have only been following the recent health care debates in a very superficial manner. I am in no way an expert on this topic, nor am I even extremely well-versed on what is in the text of the proposed White House plan. (Is there an actual text at this point?)

But I have noticed that one issue that seems to be dividing almost everyone is that people like Joe Wilson believe that illegal immigrants will be offered health care insurance. Obama says that illegal immigrants will NOT receive the insurance.

I feel like it's kind of a ridiculous debate. I can think of two scenarios right off the bat based on my line of work where it would be to everyone's great benefit if illegal immigrants received full or partial health care coverage.

Scenario 1: Illegal 21 year old man can't pay out of pocket for a flu shot and obviously does not have health care insurance to pay for it. He contracts the H1N1 virus. He passes it on a multitude of U.S. citizens. One of those persons dies from the flu.

Scenario 2: A woman illegally enters the country from Mexico. A couple of years later, she gives birth to a daughter who by virtue of being born here is automatically a citizen. Father is nowhere to be found. The mother develops a form of cancer that would be entirely treatable, but she can't afford it because she doesn't have insurance. She dies as a result. Because no family members live in the country, her daughter enters the foster care system, which ultimately costs taxpayers hundreds of thousands more dollars than it would have to just give the woman some damn health care coverage.

And here's something else to think about. Unless you are 100% Native American, the likelihood is that somewhere in your family tree is someone who came here illegally.

This is probably moot, since I doubt illegal immigrants will get health care coverage anyway. But a healthy society leads to a more productive society, which in turn stimulates the economy. WHY IS THIS SUCH A BIG DEAL???? We pay WAY more for these ridiculous overseas wars, and boy, haven't those been productive?! We need to put America first, and that means putting the health of it's citizens and residents first.

Recent Things

I keep forgetting I have this blog, even though I'm obsessed with reading them (Thanks, Google Reader!). Here is a post on the last few weeks, in photos:

It was Aiden's 1st birthday on July 3rd.




Robin, Jamil and Jesse (college buddies) came down from the Bay Area to visit. Robin was excited to try Pinkberry for the first time!




They stayed at my apartment.




The next day we had a barbeque. Even Erika and her daughter Hazel made it down. Erika is pregnant again! I can't believe we're not all in college anymore. It was a great reunion!




Sunday we went to Venice.




Sunday night was The Standard




The following weekend Elise and Ashley (high school buddies) came down from Thousand Oaks to hang out. We went to Broadway Bar and met Darryl from "The Office" (I don't know why this picture is weird).




We randomly ran into my friend Derek from college, who was visiting from the bay area. He and I were standing next to each other at the bar for a full 5 minutes before we even noticed each other! (Don't I look so scissor mafia in this pic?)




On Friday, me and my co-workers ate at the "world famous" Clifton's Cafeteria and was sorely disappointed. Darn you, Huell Howser!




Fin.

LOL

I ate about 20 dried apricots...

...and that was a bad decision. Apricots have 5% of your recommended daily fiber. Each dried apricot is a whole apricot. I had all of my daily recommended fiber AT ONE TIME. It was a painful afternoon. Thank God I discovered this on a weekend, and not at work.

Those Badgers...

They do like to drink a lot.

Best review ever

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opens tomorrow in theaters. Please don't see it. Please don't contribute to the destruction of all that is good in the human spirit. If you absolutely must go (e.g. you have bratty kids who won't stop yapping), please fart loudly and repeatedly in the theater so that everyone's good time is ruined.

Now comes the part where I hack up a lung

My cold's are extremely predictable. It never fails.

Day 1: sneeze a few times, but don't give it a second thought
Day 2: sore throat. i start remembering the day before - when i was sneezing
Day 3: sore throat + snot nose out of control
Day 4: snot nose
Day 5: snot nose + slight cough
Day 6: snot nose + painful hacking cough
Day 7: hacking cough
Day 8: hacking cough
Day 9: occasional hacking cough
Day 10: better

I am currently in Day 5. Tomorrow is gonna suck. Maybe I'll remember to blog again on Day 10, Wednesday, to report if my prediction was correct. Working in an office sucks. After not being sick for almost a year, and then 2 colds in 3 months?

Also, I've been having major TMJ (?) pain since Monday. Do I grind my teeth in my sleep?

I am looking forward to what will hopefully be a weekend of relaxation and recuperation. Here's to lounging around!!

Is it bad that...

...I cringe every time my cell phone rings?

Awesome Weekend

Celebrated my brother's graduation and his gf's birthday all weekend, and I got to spend 10 hours babysitting my nephew. I know, what kind of crazy person wants to babysit for 10 hours? ME! I love that little guy. So well-behaved now, too.

AND, of course, the Lakers won. Plus, I didn't have to work! GREAT WEEKEND. Plus, I am going to the Santa Barbara zoo next Sunday with my mom and my brother's family :)

I inadvertently decapitated a crow on Saturday...

...and I am still feeling bad about it. I don't even LIKE crows! I didn't even feel bad when Nicki and I killed a rare albino deer that we hit in the UP.

Tattoos, Roomies and Smashages

For years now I've had this irrational desire to get a lady justice pin up girl tattoo. The problem is I have no idea where I'd put it. The coolest thing would be to get it on my arm but there's no way I'm doing that. And it's not like I can put it somewhere small and inconspicuously, because what is the point of pin-up girls?

Roommate moves in on Saturday. I'm a little nervous because I've gotten used to living here by myself for the last 6 months. Oh well, I'm only committed to a 6 month lease so I will just see how things go.

I'm having a love affair with a sausage restaurant in Little Tokyo. Rattlesnake is the best. I've been there 3 times this week and was just called a "regular" by the guy behind the counter. I don't know whether to be excited or embarrassed that I eat so many sausages.

Click this link at your own risk

This is so disturbing. What I want to know is why the father even had custody of that child based on the previous PCP incidents. I literally gagged on my coffee this morning when I read it in the paper.

Yes, you should be hiding your face

Yes, you should be ashamed. How can you expect to win the championship playing the way you've been playing? Don't disappoint us now...

I tend to daydream....

This means that I'm super smart! Ha!

The Phantom Tollbooth

One of my favorite books growing up was The Phantom Tollbooth. There was something really magical about it, and I probably read it about 10 times. I still have the same copy from when I was a kid. It's pretty ratty by now. I vaguely remember seeing the movie and thinking how it did not live up to the book in any way, shape or form.

I just started re-reading the book, and as an adult, I really appreciate the word play that the author uses. I didn't pick up on a lot of it as a kid. For example, the main character meets the residents of Dictionopolis, where they literally eat their words. He also meets the Whether Man who claims that "it's more important to know whether there will be weather than what the weather will be."

Anyway, the point of this story is to buy this book for your kid when s/he hits the 4th grade or so. Maybe you can even take a gander at it yourself.

And p.s. - how bout them lakers last night? :-D

Grilled Cheese Invitational

If my taste buds come back tomorrow (and if I can find someone to go with me), I am seriously considering attending this.

Sniffles

I spoke too soon. I am getting siiiiick :*(