Bush is defensive

I started DVRing the Ellen DeGeneres show and tonight I watched (I think) Tuesday's and today's show. Anyway, that doesn't matter...but as I was watching the show with Helen Hunt a freaking CBS Special News Report broke in. I ended up watching freaking Bush. He always has to bring up Al Qaieda somehow in every speech. He was drilled by the reporters and he didn't take too kindly to it. He never really answered questions - kept going round and round. As I have always said, he will never admit he is wrong and that is one of the worst qualities a person can have. He says we are "progressing in Afghanistan and Iraq and that it is a good thing we are there". He kept pushing for drilling in ANWR. It wouldn't do any good for gas prices (which again I still stand by my theory that it's all political) but here are a few facts from the National Resources Defense Council.

Arctic Refuge Oil Is a Distraction, Not a Solution
What would America gain by allowing heavy industry into the refuge? Very little. Oil from the refuge would hardly make a dent in our dependence on foreign imports -- leaving our economy and way of life just as exposed to wild swings in worldwide oil prices and supply as it is today. The truth is, we simply can't drill our way to energy independence.
Although drilling proponents often say there are 16 billion barrels of oil under the refuge's coastal plain, the U.S. Geological Service's estimate of the amount that could be recovered economically -- that is, the amount likely to be profitably extracted and sold -- represents less than a year's U.S. supply.
It would take 10 years for any Arctic Refuge oil to reach the market, and even when production peaks -- in the distant year of 2027 -- the refuge would produce a paltry 1 or 2 percent of Americans' daily consumption. Whatever oil the refuge might produce is simply irrelevant to the larger issue of meeting America's future energy needs.


Even Don Shelby on WCCO news tonight had this to say...

The president said he's worried about high gas prices and he's urging Congress to OK oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Don Shelby said oil in the ANWR won't affect the cost to fill up today. There are really two reasons why petroleum is flirting with $120 a barrel. One is simple supply and demand. The amount being pumped from the world's oil fields can't keep up with our demand for it. And two, the dollar is very weak. If a dollar was worth what it once was, the price of oil would be about $80 per barrel. Now President Bush thinks we can do something about the supply by drilling the 10.5 billion barrels suspected of being in the ANWR.No one really knows how much, if any, is actually there. Environmental concerns aside, it would take 10 to 20 years of exploration and pipeline building to get that oil from the ANWR to the world market. So, drilling today in the ANWR won't have any effect on the price we are currently paying. Now Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., votes against ANWR every time it comes up. He says, "Leave it there. Use up, with efficient vehicles, the world's supply and we'll always have the ANWR in reserve when the rest of the world runs dry."

When Bush talks you just know he isn't all that bright by listening to him. I can't even believe people voted him in twice....oh that's right I forgot....he stole the votes. My manager Andy reminds me of Bush...as long as you kiss his ass and say yes sir all is right with the world....the minute you question anything you are as good as a piece of sh*t. Men like this are insecure with themselves. They may not know it, but I do. And I may not say it to any man that fits this category but I don't respect their weasel ways. If I knew it would do any good to do this to their face I would pinch my 2 fingers together and say "I am crushing your head"...don't remember what show that is from.

BTW, Bush's approval rating is down to 27 or 28 percent I heard tonight. That has got to be the lowest rating ever for a President, or at least pretty darn close.

Oil Change Ordeal

Tonight after work I decided I better get my oil changed because I am going to Fargo over the weekend and if I didn't get it changed before it would be wayyyy overdue. So I got out of work shortly after 5 and was in the Eagan area by 5:30 at the latest. I had a coupon to a place I wanted to try since it was only 15 bucks but I couldn't find it so when I called I found out they close at 6 and take the latest appt at 4:30, maybe 5 if I was lucky. So then I went to the Tires Plus by my house where I usually go (they are good for coupons) and they were all booked but could get me in tomorrow night (but I already have plans) or Friday morning at 8. Which typically I would say OK because if I didn't get to work until 9:15 or so it would be no big deal. BUTTT I am hoping to sneak out early if it's quiet Friday for the roadtrip to Fargo. SOOOO, I go down to Diffley road (about 5 miles) and try to get into the Jiffy Lube about 5 minutes before 6...as I pull up..they shut off the "OPEN" light. Soooooo I go further down Diffley Road to another Tires Plus (luckily Tires Plus does stay open until 8, if you can get in). The dude said I could get an oil change but it would be a couple hours. I told him fine since I was just glad I could get in. I was there from 6:15 until 8:15 so it was totally 2 hours...with the first hour and a half of waiting for the car to just get pulled into the bay. I always have coupons for Tires Plus but I must have gotten careless with the coupons this time around and didn't keep any. I figured I would probably pay close to 30 bucks BUT the dude knocked me off a deal! He said since I waited so long he would give me a break and I only paid 16 dollars! Woo Woo! I may have to actually commit to that Tires Plus if they are going to treat me good.

Oil change places sure need to extend their hours though for the working peeps! I couldn't believe they all closed so early!

That was my exciting evening.

Email from Congresswoman Betty McCollum

Dear Heidi:
Last week the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to protect and strengthen the Medicaid program, which provides vital health care coverage for 52 million low-income, disabled and elderly Americans. By a veto-proof margin of 349 to 62 (including 221 Democrats and 128 Republicans), the House rejected President Bush's attempt to gut federal funding for Medicaid at a time when millions of Americans are at risk of losing their health insurance.
President Bush's proposal would have slashed the federal contribution to Medicaid by as much as $18 billion over the next five years. While the President claimed that these cuts were only intended to trim waste and abuse, the real impact would be to shift the burden of Medicaid funding onto already cash-strapped state governments. State opposition to the President's plan was unanimous, with all 50 governors backing the House effort to block these cuts.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, fully half of low-income U.S. children receive Medicaid coverage, and the program provides long-term support for 44% of Americans living with HIV/AIDS. While the program is administered by individual states, the federal government provides a crucial 57% of funding.
During President Bush's time in office, seven million more Americans have lost their health insurance, bringing the total number of temporarily or permanently uninsured to over 50 million - one in six Americans. At the same time, an additional 5 million Americans have fallen into poverty. As our economy struggles, even more people will lose coverage, while our broken system continues to drive up costs and hurt the quality of care. We desperately need a new approach to health care that gets more people covered, not less. Congress will continue to defend affordable health coverage for the poorest Americans until we have a President who is willing to work with us to achieve health care for all.

Sunday Scheming

Unfortunately the back of Matt Entenza and Mike Obermueller
"Activist Daniel"

Sandy Masin

Today my friend Chanda and I went to Granite City for a Central Committee Meeting of Senate District 38. It was a day of socializing - meeting other Democrats in our district and also getting informed about events coming up, the tasks of Precinct Chairs and Associate Chairs (Chanda is our Chair and I am an Associate), donating money to our candidates Sandy Masin and Mike Obermueller, etc. We also had a speaker, Matt Entenza who now works for a Progressive Think Tank in Minnesota called 20/20 (he has been highly involved with MN politics in the past). http://www.mn2020.org/ It was very energizing and I am super psyched about being involved. Another buddy of ours from our Condo Complex - her name is Marilyn and she is 84 - was also there. Come to find out that the Senate District Chair, Vicki Wright, is Marilyn's daughter! So we are friends with fame! HAHAHA. Anyway, Marilyn was the volunteer coordinator for Sandy Masin's campaign last time and I told Marilyn that I would like to get involved with Sandy's campaign so if she needs any help or computer stuff I am there! Sandy seems like a pretty cool older lady so am hoping to get to know her better. Oh and what I thought was also a really cool thing is there was a kid there named Daniel about 12 years old or so and his name tag said "Activist Daniel". It was awesome to see a kid already super involved even though he can't vote. One of the things we talked about was how school activities cost an arm and a leg anymore because the Republicans keep cutting school budgets and many people can't fork out the 600 bucks to play football or even the 50 dollars to take 2 weeks of band lessons in the summer. Back in the day as a student, we were able to just play sports and not pay a thing....and if sports and music and art make well rounded kids into adults, why do the Republicans keep cutting funding? Because they want to keep the general public ignorant.

I am really excited for these opportunities. Some of the events we have planned is our Annual Picnic, a Grape Stomp in Red Wing, the Eagan Fun Fest over the 4th of July where we will have a booth, a golf outing....so yeah it will be lots of fun to be involved with Democrats instead of being constantly surrounded by Republicans. What's even better is that Eagan was Tim Pawlenty country back in the day and no one ever thought Democrats would get in office from Eagan and now we have 2 people! And hoping to get 2 more this time around!

We had little snacks at Granite City but after all was said and done Chanda and I ate supper at Carbone's Pizza which is always awesome. We did some scheming and also decided we need to contact Ira Raff who is the other Associate Chair. We met him at a couple other things and he is a transplanted New Yorker..he is a hoot because he is the total epitome of a loud New Yorker!

NAMI Spring Gala

One of the annual fundraiser's for NAMI is it's Spring Gala. Typically every year it has been held at the PROM Center in Woodbury but this year they changed it to the Ramada by the Mall of America (old Thunderbird Hotel). Welllll, yeah BLONDE MOMENT ALERT. SOOOOO even though I had gone to NAMI a few weeks earlier and talked about the Gala and even though I read the letter that I got this week about my volunteer tasks at the Gala I ummmmm still went to the PROM Center! I got there around 4:30 because I had a couple errands to run and left my house at 4 because I wasn't sure how long the errands and getting to Woodbury would take. There was not a soul in the parking lot at the PROM Center which I thought was weird. I thought there should at least be some workers' cars. I didn't have to be there until 5 so it didn't dawn on me toooooo much. I just figured well, maybe the workers' cars are way in the back and hey, I have scored on awesome parking. Yet, as it got closer and closer to 5, still no one came. Thought it was odd but then thought welllll maybe I wasn't supposed to be here until 5:30? Finally at 5:23 I am like OK, something is definitely not right. LUCKILY I have Shelly White's cell phone (she is the Program Director at NAMI) and that was only because I had gone to her house one time to work on her computer. THAT'S when I found out they were all at the Ramada and I am sitting in a lonely parking lot at the PROM Center. It all worked out okay though. I got there about 5:50 which was still plenty of time to put my bunny ears on and sell stickers for the Heads or Tails game. It is a fun game we play after dinner and you pay 10 bucks to play and you get a sticker on your nametag to show you paid. Anyway, the way the game goes is everyone stands up and you choose to either put your hand on your head or your "tail". Then the person up front tosses a coin - if you have your hand on your head and the coin lands on heads you keep standing up. If the coin is tails and your hand is on your head, you sit down. Last person standing wins. The person won a 200 gift cert to the Mall of America. I was walking around selling stickers and telling people that whoever bought from me would win (there were 2 of us selling) and guess what? The lady that WON the game DID buy her sticker from me!

We also had a silent auction and there were a lot of great gifts. I won something that I bid on for my brother for his birthday (if I can stand to not give it to him before) and I also won a ticket (or hoping tickets) to sit in on a Lori and Julia show from 107.1 FM. They have the HUGEST Minnesota accents and are totally silly and entertaining and twisted which is why I like listening to them. The only problem is their show is during the drive home and since it's only a 10 minute drive for me I don't get to listen to a lot of it. I won't complain about my commute though. I was so excited to tell mom I won it and she freaking went to bed before 10:30! So now I will have to wait until the morning. It doesn't say how many people get to sit in on the show but I am hoping I can bring a guest or two. It said it was a 500 dollar value.

Oh and a guy came over and introduced himself to me and he works for my aunt Judy Remer for the City of Bloomington. His name is Kent and he is the treasurer for the Ramsey County NAMI affiliate. I thought that was really nice that he introduced himself to me. Judy had brought in the NAMI Advocate paper and showed him my picture since she knew he was also involved with NAMI. He is a bit slim but not bad looking I don't think. I don't know if he is gay or straight - I may have to find out from Judy. He seemed like a very nice guy though and it would be nice to have man dates once in awhile. As in sometimes there are occasions when it would be nice to have a person along to dance with or whatever.

I was glad I got out and volunteered. I was almost trying to figure out a way to get out of it because I am just so beat and I think feeling depressed and the weather doesn't help. I dunno, I am in a major funk though. Volunteering always gives me an adrenalin rush.

err Friday Night Fun

yeah, came home from work and did laundry. The other thing I did was the New Student Online Orientation for Metro State. It wasn't as time consuming as it stated so that was good. I think now all that I have left is a College of Management Information Meeting. I need to get more info about that....I thought my acceptance letter said I could do that online also but I couldn't find it tonight (tho didn't look super hard either). I also emailed my Academic Advisor so we can get together to map out my "plan" of classes.

If I read the transcript right that they sent me, it looks like they accepted 40 of my Alex Tech credits towards my Bachelor's degree so that puts me about 5 classes into my sophomore year. I need 120-124 to get my degree.

I will feel better once I get the classes mapped out with my advisor so I know where to start for registration. I was wishing they would take a few more Alex Tech credits but it sounds like that is about the same that Saint Scholastica took for Julie when she started her degree program so guess it's typical.

We are supposed to get 2-5 inches of snow. Here I was laughing at cousin Katey getting snow in Idaho this week and now I will have to run with my tail between my legs. :-)

Great Article I wanted to share

PHOENIXVILLE, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- After 22 years in private practice and seeing people "kicked around by the system," Dr. Lorna Stuart found herself frustrated with the number of insurance companies and the rules and restrictions that came with them.

"The day-to-day time that I spent on paperwork was increasing, while my patients weren't getting the good care that I wanted to give them -- face-to-face time, one-on-one time," she recalls. "I vowed to do whatever little I could about this inequity of care."

For Stuart, that vow came in the form of opening her own clinic and treating the uninsured.
"Every single person knows somebody without health insurance," says Stuart. "There are so many people that fall through the cracks."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 47 million Americans are currently without medical coverage. So Stuart set out to alleviate that problem where she could -- in her old steel town of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

She confided her desire to start a clinic in the Rev. Marie Swayze, her friend whose parish property was home to a Victorian-style rectory that had become dilapidated from disuse.

The two concocted a plan to restore and remodel the mansion into a place that anyone would be happy to visit for quality medical care.

Then, leaving private practice, Stuart sold her house and set out to raise $400,000 in donated funds, materials and services. In 2002, these efforts resulted in "The Clinic: Medical Center for the Uninsured," a charitable, sun-filled clinic that has since received more than 40,000 patient visits.

Individuals receive free or low-cost primary medical care across eight specialties, regardless of income or locality.

"Since there's no need to spend a lot of time doing paperwork, we have time to talk to the patient and really hear what they're saying," says Stuart. "So the patients go away feeling they've been heard, that they've been helped."

An arsenal of more than 100 local volunteers, including 20 retired and practicing physicians, assist Stuart in providing expert medical services to more than 800 patients per month from across the southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware area.

She even invested in Spanish language audiotape lessons to better communicate with her Spanish-speaking clients. Patients are informed that each visit costs about $60, but they are only expected to contribute what they can toward their care. "Many patients pay as little as a dollar or even 50 cents for the same dignified care that patients contributing in full receive," says Mary Ellen Smith, The Clinic's medical resource coordinator.

Patient contributions account for 20 percent of The Clinic's $900,000 annual operating budget. The rest comes exclusively from private grants and donations. If The Clinic accepted money made available through government aid programs, they would be significantly restricted in terms of whom they would be allowed to treat, and how.

For Stuart, giving good old-fashioned care again has restored her sense of fulfillment. "Each day, I get to treat the patients whom our medical system has forgotten, without the hassle of insurance paperwork," says Stuart. "Is it any wonder I once again feel the real joy of practicing the craft that I love?"

Lake Bryant Bowl (or is it Bryant Lake Bowl)

Today we got to leave work at 4pm (whoop dee doo) because my manager Andy was approved some moola to take us "team building" off site by going bowling at Lake Bryant Bowl (or whichever way it is). Anyhoo it's a bowling alley with 8 lanes and a little theater off to the side and hasn't been decorated or updated in about 40 years, but that is the ambience that makes it a hot spot still. I think the balls and shoes and definitely the lanes and ball returns are 40 or more years old! You just go pick your shoes off the shelf (and when you are done spray them yourself) and grab your ball that has gouges in it and start bowling! We even had to score ourselves! Talk about Old School! It is a cool place though. I really really didn't want to go but sometimes you just have to do things anyway. If it were just me and the guys (Seth, Keith and Brett) I would be all for it, but Andy was going too. I actually had a lot of fun so I am glad that I didn't come up with a reason to not go. Brett's grandma went in the hospital yesterday so he was able to cop out. So it was just Seth, Keith, Andy and myself. We bowled one game...I lost even though the first ball I threw was a strike and I probably haven't bowled in about 5 years (at least that I remember). OH wait, we did bowl for New Years Eve in 2006 so I guess only 2 years! I ended up with a score of 89, Keith had 90, Seth had 121 and Andy had 133. I should have tripped Keith or something so I wouldn't be in last place! JUST KIDDING. I don't mind being the loser! I just had fun doing it!

After the game we sat in the little bar/restaurant area (has about 10 tables I think) and ordered some appetizers and the guys had beers.

The last time I was at Bryant Lake Bowl (or whatever) I had been over to my friends' for dinner and drinks - it was a group of us that worked for IBM at the time - and we had martinis's at Eric's house and then decided to go bowling. Wellll by the time we got there there were no lanes left to bowl on - since there are only 8 lanes to start with - so we partied and drank more martinis! It was a LOT of fun.

When I go to places where I have had a rockin' good time in the past it is hard to think about the fact that drinking and me gets me in trouble. In July it will be 4 years since I quit drinking. When I lived in CT I started going to a therapist because I just felt so crappy emotionally and was sick of it. So after about 4 years of therapy and going back and forth with my drinking and partying during my therapy sessions I finally gave it up. The end kicker was that I fell asleep driving home after partying and just about totaled my car. Ummm yeah, time to stop. I just kept going to therapy but never did get into the AA scene. I just didn't like it and didn't feel like I connected with the others. I considered my therapist my AA in a way. Because yes alcoholism is a disease but there are a lot of emotions entwined in it also and as I continued working towards better mental health, that has helped me stay sober. I suppose in some way I am in slight denial about drinking, I dunno. But I know that I feel a lot better and have gotten a lot more accomplished since I have stopped drinking. And I also know that if I were to drink a beer or two it wouldn't stop because I love that buzz you get from drinking and the carefree way you feel. For a few hours of drinking, you can totally forget about the cares of the world....until reality comes back. So yeah, hence why I refrain from drinking.

A lot of people at USBank still like to go out after work for cocktails to relieve stress and that is still a struggle with me. I want to drink and party with them but I know I can't. I tend to feel kinda down after an event like that because I miss it. BUTTT like I said, life is a heckuva lot better sober! So I will keep at it.

Weekend Events

Sophie Nordin! The Newest Nordin!
Ben Nordin
Tim, Michele, Gen, Julie, and barely Jon, Don
Don, Scott, Justin, Joey, Abby, Kelsey, Tanya and Ben

Saturday morning was the quarterly Nordin breakfast. Hopefully I will remember everyone there. Joey and his friend Scott (honorary Nordin and assume will be future honorary Nordin at the breakfasts since they both love Old Country Buffet - I mean Joey and Scott). Scott is the one that talked Joey into making the big move to the Cities so we are VERY HAPPY about that! Jon, Genevieve, Justin, Julie, Don, Michele, Kelsey, Abby, Tanya, Tim, Ben, SOPHIE IS DARLING, and me. It is always a good time! Saturday night cousin Carrie, cousin Joey and his roomie Steve and my friend Chanda from the condos all went to the Minnesota Swarm game (Lacrosse). We were undefeated at home until Saturday night! boo hoo hoo. But the games are still a LOT of FUN to watch! Sunday Julie and I went for massages and then came back to my pad and watched No Country for Old Men. Then I snoozed when Julie went home. I also tried to get my new Qwest Internet set up but no luck. They put in a service call and so this morning around 7:30 Matt..cutie pie Matt....came and fixed the problems. The lines weren't connected all the way at the demarcation line. And he also replaced the jack. So tonight I tested out my VPN for work and had a heckuva time connecting BUT I was using my wireless card to attempt it. When I used the ethernet cable to connect I was able to do it. Which makes sense, more secure with a cable than a wireless card. I also called Comcast today and cancelled and boy were they ready to make offers after I called! I told them I don't want to have to keep calling every 6 months or year because they jack the rates up. I have guaranteed prices for 2 years with Dish and Qwest. I always hate dealing with junk like this so if I don't have to be bothered for 2 years, I will be happy. Yes, I am using my wireless card now for blogging and surfing which is nice! Oh, Qwest is only a 1.5mbs line and Comcast said they are 6mbs. HOWEVER, when I worked for the City many of the lines connecting the buildings to City Hall were 1.5 so I figured it should be fine. It actually seems faster than Comcast. I guess the difference will be in downloading crap, but I rarely do that so it's really not an issue AND I am not into gaming so the 1.5 at a cheaper price will totally suffice for me!

Friday Fun

I don't even know how it happened but it was 9:00 before I got home tonight. I picked up Julie after work to go eat at a restaurant that a lady from work recommended (she is also an "East-Sider" like mom and Julie). The place is called NGON and it's on University ave on the 700 block. She described it as Asian Fusion. Sounded interesting to me! I was thinking more along the lines of Chinese but it was actually a Vietnamese restaurant. I have never had Vietnamese but I was up for a challenge. I think Julie said she had eaten it a time or two before. For appetizers we had Sweet Potato and Shrimp Coquettes (yummmyyy) in an aielo sauce. Then I ordered some honking ass bowl of soup with pork skin, pork, chicken, shrimp and green onions and whatever. It sounded interesting and it was totally DELISH! Oh and it had rice noodles in it. Julie ordered a rice vermicelli salad (cold rice noodles) with fried egg rolls. May sound awkward or weird but it was soooo tasty! I loved both! Julie and I swapped plates to try each other's food. ALTHOUGHHHH she put some hot chili sauce in my soup...she didn't think it was much....but when I got the soup back my nose was running and I was coughing and my eyes were watering! Oh and the waiter (his name was Fred, a little cutie) I had to have him explain some stuff since I am unfamiliar with Vietnamese food. He had brought out a plate of bean sprouts and jalapenos along with some fish sauce - he had brought this little plate out with our appetizer. So we thought it was like a Vietnamese relish tray and were dipping the sprouts and peppers into the fish sauce (which really wasn't bad). Come to find out - since I had to ask Fred to explain it - the sprouts and peppers were to add to the soup for crunchiness and texture. And they were awesome in the soup too! THENNNN for dessert we shared a piece of chocolate mango cake. Can I say AWESOME again? I can't wait to tell Cheryl from work that NGON is just as good as she said it was!

After that we went to Babies R Us to get Tim and Tanya a present for Sophie Elise. I could spend wads and wads of money in there if I knew a lot of babies! We got Sophie the cutest little outfits.

THENNNN since the Twins Pro Shop was right there in the same strip mall I FINALLY got my Twins jersey (no pun intended Dan Wright!). I originally wanted a Replica Jersey but Julie came across a dark blue that has the words Minnesota across the front, written in Twins font so I got that instead. It's different and haven't seen a lot of them and it fit the best. I am going to be so cute now when I go to the games! Maybe I will see the Man that I gave The Look too! lol

On the way home I stopped and tanned so I can hopefully go into the summer with some color leftover from AZ and not burn.

Now I am sooo ready for bed.

NAMI Advocate Newsletter

My aunt Judy called me on Monday and left a message that she saw a picture of me in the NAMI Advocate Newsletter! Then I got a copy in the mail a couple days later. I didn't even know about it so that was exciting.

And get this, I get an email today from my manager asking me if I would be interested in being on the "Reach for the Stars Committee" within the dept. It's a little program where we can recognize individuals that have put in the extra mile. Sometimes you get money, or time off or whatever the person recommends as a reward. So I told him yes I would. I guess another manager thought I would be a good asset to the committee and my mgr agreed and then also came over and told me that he put in a Reach for the Stars award for Brett and I from about a month ago when stuff blew up and we worked our arses off to get everything fixed and back into place.

I think my mgr must be related to Jekyll and Hide. I dunno. But today I am in his graces so I will take what I can.

SCORE!

After the rant yesterday about USBank and their pettiness, I found out today that they decided they could afford the 10 bucks for business cards so they have been ordered!

Got the DishTV installed. They were here right at 8am which was nice and did a great job with the set up and cabling, etc. So far I am extremely impressed with their service (which includes customer service). The dude (he was very nice looking) took the time to explain the DVR and if I wanted to hook up internet to the tv to download movies, etc. Will have to research that one more but I think I can download free movies..but don't quote me. And the High Def, OHHH the glory of High Def. Now mind you, I am not a total tv freak but if I am home I like to watch tv. And since I have a high def tv it was a nice add on to Dish that I didn't want to fork out for Comcast. Dish HighDef is cheaper. And MAN, I should have just forked it out for Comcast because the picture is sooooo wonderful. I hope I don't become addicted and become the 800 lb lady because I couldn't tear myself away! I can't imagine what it will be like to see hot men on the High Def telly! lol

Tonight after work I met Genevieve at the Twins game. Genevieve became a huge fan last year and I have been a fan for awhile (but not really anyone else in the famdamily) so I am happy now to have a co-hort in crime for some games. We sat in the cheap seats - 7 bucks and you can sit anywhere in the Upper Deck. Tonight was also Student night or College night - if you showed a student ID you got in for 4 bucks! There are some drawbacks to sitting with all the college kids because of course they are slamming the beers and acting crazy (one kid got his flask removed from a cop) BUT there are some assets to the crazy kids. We did the Wave around the whole ballpark 4 TIMES IN A ROW before it piddled out. We all sang to the karoke song "Living on a Prayer" on the jumbotron...we all clap we all holler. It was awesome. Lots of energy! And this was the first game that Genevieve and I went to together - just us - so I wasn't sure if she would be embarassed by my singing of the 7th inning stretch or my whistling or hollering....but she was right in the thick of it with me. I don't think Genevieve and I had ever done anything together, just the two of us so it's cool that we have the baseball bond now to share! I have basketball and spas with Julie....maybe Michele and I can come up with something at some point down the road.

Ohhhh and there was actually a VERY NICE looking gentleman that sat in front of me. There were a couple times that we "looked" at each other. You know, the LOOK that like you're not sure if you should say something and then later wonder if you missed another chance at meeting someone. So who knows, if nothing else it was nice to "share a look". I never know what to do in those situations but it's too hard at a College Student Night Twins game to try to strike up a conversation!

Anyway this has been a great day of fun. Being around all those college kids reminded me of the craziness and silliness I used to do. I can still be silly but unfortunately it's a responsible silly. I miss those days of having a good time with no cares. But now I like my house and my life so I guess with old age comes more care-ful-ness and less willy nillyness. Life is just always about give and take I guess.

Rambling

When I got home today I tested my door..stood outside - pressed the buttons - it rang to my cellphone - I pressed 6 and voila the door opened! I didn't think it would be so exciting!

Comcast jacked my cable rates up 40 bucks a month (with no better service) so I decided to drop them. I am getting Dish TV installed with Hi Def AND a DVR which is like Care Bear's Tivo. I am not a huge tv fanatic but maybe I will get DVR addicted so I can skip all the commercials! And then I called back Qwest ( I was originally going to get Qwest back in December when I was first getting Internet but I had talked to incompetents so had cancelled ) to get Internet through them. I signed up for 2 year agreements with both because apparently the cable/satellite/phone companies can never make enough money either and keep raising rates. Supposedly Qwest won't ever change my rate if I stay with them. I just hope that the service is good. With Dish and Qwest I am paying about the same as I was last month with Comcast. I used to never jump on issues right away but the older I get the crankier I get about customer service and customer screwing. Dish TV is also giving a 40 dollar credit on the 1st, 10th and 20th month so seems like a decent deal.

Last Sunday I ended up working about 9 hours. On Monday in our "team meeting" the manager says if you ever want a comp day, just ask. So today I ask for next Wed off so I could go to the Casino with Todd and his parents to celebrate his mom's bday. My manager says "we need to talk about this". Apparently you only get a comp day if you work like 40 hours over in a week. Of course that is exaggerating. He says to me, well the way you requested it - it sounded like you expect a day off everytime you work a day. I said no, I know what salary means, I have been salaried for years. BUT, I worked both Saturday and Sunday last week and will be working the first weekend in June for DR and we have a huge upgrade coming up so I am sure killer hours will be put in for that. ANDDD there is the fact that there are only 2 Rightfax support people so no matter what you are on call. One week I am primary and the second week I am secondary. I told my manager that even if I don't get paged every single night it's still the fact that no matter what it is 24/7 365 days a year that you need to maintain and be responsible. Don't tell me that doesn't account for something because it still infringes on your personal life. He said well I think we get paid pretty well at USBank so they expect a lot. I almost laughed in his face. Mind you, I am not complaining about my salary but USBank is known in the business world in Minneapolis and Saint Paul as working you like slaves and paying piddly. I also asked for Business Cards so that when I go to User Groups or local training (because gawd forbid they send you somewhere for training - that would cost money) I have cards to hand out like everyone else. My second level manager didn't approve because if one person gets them, everyone will want them. Ummmm, they cost 10 bucks for 250 business cards which would probably last years. I mentioned that to my immediate manager too and he said, yeah I heard about the business cards. I said to him well you know what, it's those little things that make employees happy or unhappy. All I ever ask for from a company is mutual respect. I work my ass off for them so give me some slack. Maybe someday I will find that company.

Supposedly USBank will be dispersing it's first ever all employee survey in May. I am going to tell it like it is. Granted, it's not the worst place but it's the stupid little things that the bank gets hung up. The Bank is known to basically be a training ground for people. To me that has got to cost them a lot more in having to continually train new people than to retain.

But I guess that is why I am not a CEO. I am sensible, those idiots are not.

Good things

Short and sweet....

1. - Got my official acceptance letter into Metro State last week so I can register for classes whenever I want.

2. Tomorrow the security system will be ringing through to my cell phone! Woo Woo!

Todd and Greg

Today I got my haircut then Todd and Greg came over. One of Todd's daughters had turned 16 so they dropped them off at the MOA to shop and ride the rides at Nickelodeon park or whatever it's called now. Emily and 3 girlfriends were gonna hang out. Since I'm only 10 minutes from the MOA Todd and Greg came over to visit and then WE went to Bed Bath and Beyond because I had some coupons and wanted a few things. Greg and Todd only bought a few little things although they did get Todd's mom a PEZ dispenser set. It was 3 PEZ holders with different Elvis heads on top. It even came with a CD. His mom loves Elvis so I can't wait to see what she thinks of it! I bought some candles, paper towel holder, napkin holder, finger towel holder and I think that's it. After shopping we decided to eat at Jake's Restaurant. After we ordered and we waiting for our salads and soups Todd was going to go out to the car because he forgot his cell phone and wanted to check on Emily. I said, "Here, use my phone". So he called her and found out that Emily and her friends were being held by Security in Nordstrom's! Todd got up and said do whatever with the food order, cancel, get it to go whatever but I have to go get my phone so I can call Emily back. Greg and I are left in the booth going DUHHH whatdowedo whatdowedo. I of course said well the food should be here soon...so we can either eat fast or get it to go. Greg contemplated about what everyone ordered. Then he went and got the waitress and described our situation to her and got the food order rushed and To Go. Just as the food came to our table Todd came back inside. The story is that the Nordstrom Security office told the girls they couldn't leave the store until a parent came to get them. Emily and one of her friends had ID showing they were 16 (you can't be at the Mall after 4 if you are under 16 without a parent) BUT since the other 2 girls didn't have ID the guard had them stay in the store. Todd and Emily are going back and forth with the calls...Todd decided we would eat fast and then go get them. In the meantime, he told Emily to see if she could find someone to act as a parent so they could at least leave Nordstroms and go back to the rides until Todd and Greg got there. The food came to the table in To Go containers and the waitress asked if we needed utensils but since Emily and crew seemed okay at the moment we just ate the food in our To Go containers. Yes we felt a bit odd! Emily called back about halfway through the meal (which we were eating fast anyway so they could get going) and either her or one of her friends was able to rope a couple into being their parents. I guess the guy was like, "I don't know if we should do this honey" but she said, "oh come on it won't be any big deal." So the girls made it out of the store and went back to the rides! Todd, Greg and I sat down, ordered food, ate the food and paid the bill all within 30 minutes. Needless to say it wasn't a relaxing and enjoyable meal but whenever I am with Todd and Greg there is ALWAYS excitement! I love THEM!

Good News for Visitors to my Condo

I just found out last night at the Association Meeting that new security systems were installed so that NOW I can buzz you in from my cell phone!

Yipppeee! Well I have to get in touch with the office first. But YAYYYYY

Political lies

This is what gets me...I get TONS of emails that are 99% false or lies about the Democrats from all my Republican friends, family, etc. What kills me is that I rarely see any scathing emails floating around about Republican candidates. So right there I feel that the Republicans are more evil. Yes there are the jokes that go around about Bush or Cheney, etc but there are also Clinton jokes, etc. I don't mind those. I just hate the lies and how they are circulated so fast amongst the right wing community without actually investigating if it's fact or not. I always google or go to snopes or factcheck to see if I can find any truth. One thing is, if I see an article or comment on numerous Republican blogs, or Hannity or O'Reilly I know I can discount the majority of those. They tend to be hateful as far as I can see. Now, I am sure everyone knows I can't stand Bush, but not much I can do about it. Currently the Congress is controlled by a majority of Democrats, but not enough to make them able to really get any Democratic values accomplished because the Republicans block nearly every vote. And now the Republicans want to blame high gas prices on a Democratic Congress. I have to laugh! Personally, I believe that the Republicans know they are in trouble for the next November election so they are trying to get all the money they can. That would be Heidi's Conspiracy Theory of course.

Here is an excerpt I found when trying to research more about this Congress...

Members debated initiatives such as the Democrats' 100-Hour Plan and the Iraq War troop surge of 2007.[7][8][9] Republicans in the Senate worked to block nearly every bill proposed by the slim Democratic majority to the dismay of the majority leader, Senator Harry Reid, and frustrated Democrats in the House.

It takes more than a year or two to ruin the US economy (another recent comment from a friend's email)....otherwise I would say it appears the Dems seem to be pretty darn strong. BUT, I could agree with the fact that it takes 8 years to tear down what was a great economy back in the Bill Clinton days. I don't agree with everything Clinton did (like NAFTA) but we were much better off.

It has been the Republican viewpoint of Capitalism and Free Market that has allowed companies to get greedy and let CEO pay go insane - The average CEO of a large U.S. company made roughly $10.8 million last year, or 364 times that of U.S. full-time and part-time workers, who made an average of $29,544, according to a joint analysis released Wednesday by the liberal Institute for Policy Studies and United for a Fair Economy.

One time last summer as I was sitting around a campfire of Republicans, all they talked about was the Jews or the Blacks or the Hispanics they worked with and they all felt that Healthcare should be a Health Savings plan where you just put money into an account and pay for your doctor visits with that. Again, letting companies get off the hook with benefits and hello!!! How are the people that are trying to raise a family on 30,000 dollars or less a year going to do that. This is where I say that my Republican friends think that everyone has a life like them....they are all educated and have good paying jobs. Well my friends, it's not so. There are lots of lives and stories out there. But I digress.

I disagree with everything the Republican party stands for but that is because they only see black and white and I see gray in all areas of life. I have tried to find something to agree with the Republicans but no luck. Julie had sent me an email awhile back about an actual study done on Republican and Democratic brains and I wish I could find it but again no luck. But the basics of the study said that Republicans don't see the entire picture and Dems do. Of course it was said better than I just wrote. And it's not a bad or good thing - it's just the fact the brains and reactions and chemicals are different. So there is no point in anyone trying to change a hardcore Republican or Democrats mind because it just won't work. In the end it all comes down to who goes out to vote.

Do not read if you will be offended about religion rants

Yesterday I went to Peggy and Beth's house. It's a running joke between Peg and I..she saves up magazines for me to read. It started off with those mags with the funky stuff to buy (like Oriental Trading Company, etc) then she started piling up her Catholic Digest and St Anthony Messenger etc. So I do peruse the religious articles once in awhile to see what is happening. And the Catholic Bishops, Priests, etc are pulling out all stops to get their followers to vote Republican come November. Basically because they are telling people they need to vote for the candidates that are against abortion, stem cell research, cloning, etc. etc. What I want to know is what has happened to Separation of Church and State. And if you were truly a Christian, wouldn't you rather be concerned about feeding and clothing the poor and hungry? The Bible talks way more about that stuff than homosexuality, abortion, stem cell research, etc. I am concerned about our economy, the war, healthcare, corporate crooks. Isn't THAT more important? I suppose it's all in the eyes of the beholder. But it is because of these reasons (telling you how to vote, etc) that the extreme religious right flaunts that has basically made me want to reject Christianity. These extremists are just as freaky as any other religion with extremism. And yet they think they are okay and perfect. A lady at work that is originally from India is a Zorastriast (sp) and basically the fundamentals of their religion are Kind Words, Kind Thoughts and Good Deeds. Now, isn't that what it really is all about? I have no fear of death or what will happen to me when the time comes. I don't believe that I will go to hell because I didn't "Accept Christ". I believe it is how you live your life. I have made mistakes, but I have never intentionally harmed anyone. I volunteer, I donate money when I can, I donate food when I can. Seriously, why would I go to hell if there is such a thing? And the Bible was written by man hundereds of years after the stories....and I can barely tell the same story 10 minutes after it happened...so while I think the Bible is a good basis I do not believe it should ever be taken literally. I am also so sick of the word Moral! ARGH! The Right wants to toss that out every other sentence. Who cares if you are moral or not in your own personal life. Be ethical at work, treat others with care. Enron was not moral when they took all the money from their employees and yet you never hear that being tossed around. Is it moral or ethical for the oil companies to be pulling in bazillions of profit while the middle class and poor struggle to pay the higher cost of living as their paychecks stay the same. Anyway, I am not a church-goer and do not expect that to change anytime soon. I am tired of the rhetoric. I want people to vote with their brains and not because their church is telling them how to vote. Arm yourself with the truth and not the lies.

Could it be True? Spring in Minnesota?

My car said it was 64 degrees outside today when I was running errands. I feel high I am so ecstatic about the fact that spring may actually have arrived in Minnesota! I had a gift certificate for a manicure at The Day Spa in Edina and today was the last day I could use it. I finally remembered to make an appt! Since I bite my nails (I know, My Bad) I decided a manicure wasn't worth it so I used it towards a facial instead. The facial was awesome and I sooo needed it. I never really had zits growing up but now for some reason it seems like I can't get rid of them. Mom says it's peri-menopause because that's when she got zits. Regardless, I am sure it's hormones and it sucks. So the facial was really awesome....my face was just sparkly when all done. They even massage your neck and arms so that was nice. This was my first facial - I had avoided them because I figured I would rather spend the money on a massage than a facial so it was nice to get a mini massage in.

Then I actually GROCERY SHOPPED and have food in my fridge. It's not PACKED with food, but at least I can make some dinner at home instead of eating out all the time. Mom and Greg have dropped 10lbs each already just by eating at home so perhaps it will give me a push.

The other siblings gave mom and Greg a gift certificate to the St Paul Grill restaurant at the St Paul Hotel for Christmas. They made reservations for tonight and I asked if I could tag along with them because I had always wanted to go check it out. I have always heard about how great it is. I had a strawberry spinach salad with brie cheese, pan seared scallops served with acorn squash purée, sautéed greens and lobster-carrot emulsion, asparagus with holladaise sauce (Greg and I split the asparagus because it was a lot) and for dessert a creme brulee. The food was all very tasty. The only thing I didn't care for as much was the ambience. It was a bit noisy and you could hear all the kitchen clanging. I suppose that's fine for some people, but if I am spending a wad of moola on a nice dinner I want a nice quiet setting. But maybe that's an old single lady thing...I dunno. But hey, if any man wants to take me there I won't complain!

News Junkie

I am a news junkie, I admit it. Not only do I surf the Internet every day for news, but also love watching the news when I come home from work and also before I go to bed. I am a WCCO watcher. I have always had a crush on one of the anchors, Don Shelby. But then Frank Vascellaro came over from KARE 11 news and joined his wife Amelia along with weatherman Paul Douglas and Sportscaster Mark Rosen and I just love all of them! When they are doing the news they just remind me of a close knit family and joke around and tease each other....news can be entertaining. Tonight on Don Shelby's "In the Know" spot, he commented about Paul Douglas leaving the station. Paul was affected by the "restructuring" of CBS. I am just irritated with it. Paul was the most excellent weather geek - funny, explained things well....it's hard to explain but he just cracked me up all the time. So I sent WCCO management an email. I don't know why you would get rid of one of the people that in my mind is a reason why people choose to watch channel 4 news. I just don't get their thinking. With the media being dog eat dog like so many other things, why do you get rid of one of the main cheeses. Argh! I hope a lot of people write or call to WCCO and complain. And I would like to think that "WE" could make a difference. It is so pathetic to me that the world is only about money. There is a lot more to life than money. It truly is one of the roots of evil!

On a humorous note...this morning I was dreaming and I was over at Carrie's house. As in, I knew I was at her house but it didn't look at all like her house. You know what I mean? So I went to her bedroom to do something and I was sitting at the edge of the bed and up against the wall were some blankets. And on the top of the blanket I saw a HUGE BLACK ANT! It was at LEAST as big as my whole hand. And I started hollering Carrie, get me something quick! I need to kill this bug and then there it was...THWACK it JUMPED IN THE AIR ONTO MY NECK! I started screaming in my dream and hitting my neck trying to get the ugly thing off and ended up waking myself up as I was hitting my neck. And of course this all happened an hour before I had to get up, so that was the end of my sleep! I felt skeevy the rest of the day!

Julie and I hit Lane Bryant tonight because we had a bunch of Real Women dollars....so we spend 200 bucks total (together) but got about 430 bucks worth of clothes. Yeah baby! Love those deals.

Minnesota Twins

Tonight is the first night I am watching a Twins game and I am so excited. Baseball has become my favorite sport.....though I pretty much like any sport in general. I can't wait to go to a game. I will be going May 2nd for sure with CareBear but maybe sneak one in before then. I HAVE to buy myself a Twins Jersey this year too....I keep saying that but I hope this IS the year!