I've talked about this a little before, but here is yet another document discussing how rich health insurers are getting while health care costs are rising. Every company this looked at saw a profit from 2008-2010, while the average American paid substantially more money for the same coverage. Bogus.
Health Care for America NOW
And in case you're not a big public health nerd who has actually read most of the new reform bill, there's a section that requires insurance companies to put between 80 and 85% of the money collected through deductibles, premiums, etc toward paying health care costs and increasing other health ventures. That means only 15 to 20% can go toward employee salaries.
Which is good, considering these are the 2009 salaries for some CEOs:
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Antilamentation
Regret nothing. Not the cruel novels you read
to the end just to find out who killed the cook, not
the insipid movies that made you cry in the dark,
in spite of your intelligence, your sophistication, not
the lover you left quivering in a hotel parking lot,
the one you beat to the punch line, the door or the one
who left you in your red dress and shoes, the ones
that crimped your toes, don't regret those.
Not the nights you called god names and cursed
your mother, sunk like a dog in the living room couch,
chewing your nails and crushed by loneliness.
You were meant to inhale those smoky nights
over a bottle of flat beer, to sweep stuck onion rings
across the dirty restaurant floor, to wear the frayed
coat with its loose buttons, its pockets full of struck matches.
You've walked those streets a thousand times and still
you end up here. Regret none of it, not one
of the wasted days you wanted to know nothing,
when the lights from the carnival rides
were the only stars you believed in, loving them
for their uselessness, not wanting to be saved.
You've traveled this far on the back of every mistake,
ridden in dark-eyed and morose but calm as a house
after the TV set has been pitched out the window.
Harmless as a broken ax. Emptied of expectation.
Relax. Don't bother remembering any of it. Let's stop here,
under the lit sign on the corner, and watch all the people walk by.
Dorianne Laux
to the end just to find out who killed the cook, not
the insipid movies that made you cry in the dark,
in spite of your intelligence, your sophistication, not
the lover you left quivering in a hotel parking lot,
the one you beat to the punch line, the door or the one
who left you in your red dress and shoes, the ones
that crimped your toes, don't regret those.
Not the nights you called god names and cursed
your mother, sunk like a dog in the living room couch,
chewing your nails and crushed by loneliness.
You were meant to inhale those smoky nights
over a bottle of flat beer, to sweep stuck onion rings
across the dirty restaurant floor, to wear the frayed
coat with its loose buttons, its pockets full of struck matches.
You've walked those streets a thousand times and still
you end up here. Regret none of it, not one
of the wasted days you wanted to know nothing,
when the lights from the carnival rides
were the only stars you believed in, loving them
for their uselessness, not wanting to be saved.
You've traveled this far on the back of every mistake,
ridden in dark-eyed and morose but calm as a house
after the TV set has been pitched out the window.
Harmless as a broken ax. Emptied of expectation.
Relax. Don't bother remembering any of it. Let's stop here,
under the lit sign on the corner, and watch all the people walk by.
Dorianne Laux
Thursday, January 20, 2011
He Loves Me
I write this stuff down because a) I like to show off, and b) good things are nice to remember on not-so-good days.
We've had issues with our fire alarms since we moved in. First, the previous owners of the house left us with non-functional alarms, which besides being a pretty major no-no in the real estate world, has turned into this huge inconvenience.
We bought fire alarms somewhere shortly after we moved in. They didn't work. We returned them and did what we should have done in the first place: bought them from Costco (<3). Now, these alarms run through batteries in record time. We changed all the batteries out within the last 2 months, but last night at 3am one of the alarms started beeping. The beeps were less in the vein of oh-crap-its-a-fire, but more like the I'm-slowly-dying-and-taking-you-down-with-me.
By the way... why do fire alarms always start this at night? It happened at our last apartment too.
Anyway, D got up to address the beeping at 3am last night. He tried to be super quiet. He got a flashlight and changed those stupid batteries in the dark so I could sleep. It totally woke me up, but I appreciated the effort enough to pretend it didn't. He is adorable. And I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a grumpy monster in the mornings.
We've had issues with our fire alarms since we moved in. First, the previous owners of the house left us with non-functional alarms, which besides being a pretty major no-no in the real estate world, has turned into this huge inconvenience.
We bought fire alarms somewhere shortly after we moved in. They didn't work. We returned them and did what we should have done in the first place: bought them from Costco (<3). Now, these alarms run through batteries in record time. We changed all the batteries out within the last 2 months, but last night at 3am one of the alarms started beeping. The beeps were less in the vein of oh-crap-its-a-fire, but more like the I'm-slowly-dying-and-taking-you-down-with-me.
By the way... why do fire alarms always start this at night? It happened at our last apartment too.
Anyway, D got up to address the beeping at 3am last night. He tried to be super quiet. He got a flashlight and changed those stupid batteries in the dark so I could sleep. It totally woke me up, but I appreciated the effort enough to pretend it didn't. He is adorable. And I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a grumpy monster in the mornings.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Oh Hey, I'm Alive
Whew! Its been a whirlwind of a couple months. Let me back up.
In November we were lucky to attend the wedding of one of D's closest friends. It was a beautiful wedding, full of love and laughter, and one happy couple :) It was really special to be there with them as they took that step (leap?).
Thanksgiving was spent it in AZ with family and friends, and was pretty low key for both of us. I was able to make it over to D's Thanksgiving dinner as well as my own, which means it was the first big holiday (that we both celebrate) that we've spent together during the entire time we've been together. Go us!
Once December hit I got super busy with school. I was pretty busy this semester with 5 classes, (my program is considered full time at 3), but during finals was the only time it was overwhelming. And oh, was it overwhelming! I had finals to take, papers to write, projects to complete, etc etc etc. I basically locked myself in the house for a week and a half, but I got it all done! And I did well, too: I earned a 4.0 this semester!
After the semester ended I got busy preparing for Christmas! I always spend it with my family, and my family always hosts a big dinner for our friends on Christmas Eve. I headed to my dad's house a few days before and spent a lovely week in AZ hanging out with my fam, spending time with friends, and soaking up the sun. When it started to rain I hopped in the car and headed back to CA, which brings us to the present...
Along the way we had some very exciting things happen: we finally got a dog! We both really love Goldendoodles, but couldn't understand the associated price tag. We scoured craigslist for weeks and finally found our girl. She's about a year old and the sweetest, happiest thing on the face of this earth. She is also SUCH a dog: she loves car rides, bones, chasing her tail belly rubs, and rolling around on the carpet. We're constantly entertained by her antics and just love her. Otherwise we've just been settling into the house and trying to make it our home. Its difficult with how busy we both are but we're making (slow) progress!
In November we were lucky to attend the wedding of one of D's closest friends. It was a beautiful wedding, full of love and laughter, and one happy couple :) It was really special to be there with them as they took that step (leap?).
Thanksgiving was spent it in AZ with family and friends, and was pretty low key for both of us. I was able to make it over to D's Thanksgiving dinner as well as my own, which means it was the first big holiday (that we both celebrate) that we've spent together during the entire time we've been together. Go us!
Once December hit I got super busy with school. I was pretty busy this semester with 5 classes, (my program is considered full time at 3), but during finals was the only time it was overwhelming. And oh, was it overwhelming! I had finals to take, papers to write, projects to complete, etc etc etc. I basically locked myself in the house for a week and a half, but I got it all done! And I did well, too: I earned a 4.0 this semester!
After the semester ended I got busy preparing for Christmas! I always spend it with my family, and my family always hosts a big dinner for our friends on Christmas Eve. I headed to my dad's house a few days before and spent a lovely week in AZ hanging out with my fam, spending time with friends, and soaking up the sun. When it started to rain I hopped in the car and headed back to CA, which brings us to the present...
Along the way we had some very exciting things happen: we finally got a dog! We both really love Goldendoodles, but couldn't understand the associated price tag. We scoured craigslist for weeks and finally found our girl. She's about a year old and the sweetest, happiest thing on the face of this earth. She is also SUCH a dog: she loves car rides, bones, chasing her tail belly rubs, and rolling around on the carpet. We're constantly entertained by her antics and just love her. Otherwise we've just been settling into the house and trying to make it our home. Its difficult with how busy we both are but we're making (slow) progress!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Tri Report
So it wasn't "next week" as promised, but I'm here with the details of the tri!
I took off work early on the Friday before. I had a little time to get my stuff together and headed down to catch the ferry to Catalina. In all honesty this was the most stressful part of the weekend, I was SO worried I was going to leave something important at home.
At the ferry I met up with my friend/training buddy Christina, her boyfriend, and their friends. The ferry over was relaxing and the sunset was absolutely breathtaking. We got in around 7, lugged our stuff to condo we rented for the weekend, and headed to pick up our packets.
We decided to catch a cab for the mile or so, which turned out to be a great decision. There was this giant hill on the way, and we saw so many people struggling to make it up. At packet pick up there was also a course orientation, where they informed us that we would be riding our bikes up the hill the next morning. Grrreat.
We headed out to dinner shortly thereafter. We had reservations at some fancy Grille on the island, but after being told we would have to wait, despite the reservation, and after the bartender was super snotty we decided to go elsewhere. We ended up at a fun Italian place overlooking the harbor. The portions were huge - hello carbo loading! - and the wine was delicious. After we filled our bellies we headed back to the condo, relaxed, and began preparing for the next morning!
Part 2: Race Day! Coming soon :)
I took off work early on the Friday before. I had a little time to get my stuff together and headed down to catch the ferry to Catalina. In all honesty this was the most stressful part of the weekend, I was SO worried I was going to leave something important at home.
At the ferry I met up with my friend/training buddy Christina, her boyfriend, and their friends. The ferry over was relaxing and the sunset was absolutely breathtaking. We got in around 7, lugged our stuff to condo we rented for the weekend, and headed to pick up our packets.
We decided to catch a cab for the mile or so, which turned out to be a great decision. There was this giant hill on the way, and we saw so many people struggling to make it up. At packet pick up there was also a course orientation, where they informed us that we would be riding our bikes up the hill the next morning. Grrreat.
We headed out to dinner shortly thereafter. We had reservations at some fancy Grille on the island, but after being told we would have to wait, despite the reservation, and after the bartender was super snotty we decided to go elsewhere. We ended up at a fun Italian place overlooking the harbor. The portions were huge - hello carbo loading! - and the wine was delicious. After we filled our bellies we headed back to the condo, relaxed, and began preparing for the next morning!
Part 2: Race Day! Coming soon :)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Triathlon!
Tomorrow I will get up, go to work, just like normal. Then I’ll come home. And then I drive to Long Beach. None of this is out of the ordinary.
Except tomorrow I will get on a boat instead of go to class. I’ll go to Catalina Island. I’ll spend the night. And Saturday morning I will get up and I will race in a triathlon.
I’m feeling relatively good about my preparation. Between work and school I didn’t get in as much training as I would have liked, but I did enough. I think. I guess I’ll find out for sure in a few days! I was able to average one of each workout a week. I can do each of the events at race distance, and I even had brick workouts where I did two events back-to-back. Right now my goals are to finish, to not be last, and to have fun. And maybe even finish in the top 50% of my age group. Under 2 hours. And look hot in a wetsuit J
I’m not nervous. Yet. I’m sure I won’t sleep on Friday night. But right now I am feeling mostly excited for the challenge.
I’ll be back next week with a race report and results!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Busy Busy
I. Am. Busy.
I've been busy in my life. I've played a college sport. I've gone to school full time and worked full time simultaneously. I've always been the kind of person who thrives on having absolutely no free time. But this time is a whole 'nother ball game, people.
Work is super fantastic. I found the greatest job - I'm nannying for this cute little family. They have 2 adorable boys, ages 5 and 2, and I seriously spend most of my days playing legos and riding bikes. I even get some homework done during nap time! Its amazing.
I've been busy in my life. I've played a college sport. I've gone to school full time and worked full time simultaneously. I've always been the kind of person who thrives on having absolutely no free time. But this time is a whole 'nother ball game, people.
Work is super fantastic. I found the greatest job - I'm nannying for this cute little family. They have 2 adorable boys, ages 5 and 2, and I seriously spend most of my days playing legos and riding bikes. I even get some homework done during nap time! Its amazing.
School is going really well. So far. I’m doing really well on keeping on top of assignments and readings, and I’ve had 3 midterms and done well on all of them. I can’t say the material is hard/easy, its just something I’m genuinely interested in. We are just getting to the point in the semester that we are getting bombarded with midterms and papers and assignments etc etc etc. (Sidenote: tomorrow we’ll be halfway through the semester. Holy shnikes.) But hopefully I can continue to stay on top of things and make it out the next 8 weeks alive!
My triathlon is in LESS than 3 weeks now – yikes! I took last week off, but otherwise I have been pretty consistently getting in at least 1 of each workout a week. I’m able to do all of the race distances already except for the swim, so I have some work to do the next few weeks, but I think between a little more practice and a little endorphin kick on race day that I will be just fine. I’m so excited about this new challenge and I’m already thinking ahead to what my next race will be! I’m debating between just running or sticking with the tri stuff – but I think I’ll wait and see how Nov 6th goes before I make any decisions!
However – I am looking at doing a half marathon in January, and maybe (BIG maybe) a full in March. And an Olympic or international distance tri at some point in 2011. I am fully on my way to becoming one of THOSE annoying race people. Especially once I finish school!
And, hey. I’ve been thinking it, so I’m going to come out and say it. I want to run the Boston Marathon. And I don’t want to do it because I’m raising money for cancer or something – who does that? No. I want to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Which means I need to run TWO marathons in under 3 hours, 40 minutes. That’s roughly 7:15 a mile. My fastest race pace so far is about 8:30. For a 10k. I have a LOT of work to do.
OK, it’s time for bed, before I make any more ridiculous proclamations. To end on a good note: I started to write a paper and all I did was type the section headings before I got distracted by this post. Sounds like a good night’s work to me!
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