Sunday, August 30, 2009
Cracker Likes Mayor Barry
I love Mayor Barry.
The dude gets caught smoking a crack pipe while in office. Does he say, "Where's your warrant". No. Does he say, "This is entrapment"? No
Mayor Barry says, "Da bitch set me up". Man, that's classic.
Mayor Barry is flawed. He now lives in a rented apartment right next to a bus stop in a city, which to this day, he's councilman. He's cheated on his wives, done illicit drugs, but is still loved by his people.
Can you imagine? During a prison visitation, he got caught snagging a blowjob. The indignity.
The guy's one of us. He's honest. He's done more for his people in DC than anyone else. Washington has the highest standard of living for blacks in the US. His cronies have gone to jail for embezzelment, but not Mayor Barry. He's never stolen from the public treasury.
Mayor Barry's downfall has been himself. But black or white, we can identify with him. There can be no more classic line in American politics, "Da bitch set me up".
Being Rich In Time
Someone says, "Boy, I got a lot accomplished yesterday".
That's great.
But I didn't. I rested. Had lots of free time. Chose to do only what I wanted to do.
When I look back to yesterday, much was accomplished. But in a slow way. My wife and I went grocery shopping. We made 3 different kinds of salsa for tonight's dinner. Then my wife created her first home-made pizza. Umm, tasty--a success. We watched the Kennedy ceremony, then my man "Tiger" golfing. I read a book, "On Writing Well". Knocked down a few posts in my blog.
Being "rich" in time. It's not not doing anything. It may be actually doing more. But I choose. The day isn's spent doing "I have to's", it's doing what I want to do.
That's great.
But I didn't. I rested. Had lots of free time. Chose to do only what I wanted to do.
When I look back to yesterday, much was accomplished. But in a slow way. My wife and I went grocery shopping. We made 3 different kinds of salsa for tonight's dinner. Then my wife created her first home-made pizza. Umm, tasty--a success. We watched the Kennedy ceremony, then my man "Tiger" golfing. I read a book, "On Writing Well". Knocked down a few posts in my blog.
Being "rich" in time. It's not not doing anything. It may be actually doing more. But I choose. The day isn's spent doing "I have to's", it's doing what I want to do.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Joe, The Builder
Joe, even as a little boy, was fascinated by building things. He used to have a toy where he could build houses out of little plastic pieces--each snapping together. Building the house took time, but he enjoyed contemplating his finished enterprise.
As Joe got older, his life took him several places. But he never lost his passion for building. Often he would go and check out construction books from the library. He enjoyed learning the proper nomenclature of different building parts.
Joe’s dream was to construct a tall building. He wanted to see what actually goes into completing such a project. He had read about it, and had seen shows, but really didn’t have a clue what was involved.
A lot of Joe’s dreams came true, but some were never fulfilled. This is one part of Joe’s life, while a substantial dream, would never happen.
As Joe got older, his life took him several places. But he never lost his passion for building. Often he would go and check out construction books from the library. He enjoyed learning the proper nomenclature of different building parts.
Joe’s dream was to construct a tall building. He wanted to see what actually goes into completing such a project. He had read about it, and had seen shows, but really didn’t have a clue what was involved.
A lot of Joe’s dreams came true, but some were never fulfilled. This is one part of Joe’s life, while a substantial dream, would never happen.
Vegas
Do you know how Vegas got built? That’s right. Vegas got built by you going to their $300/night room, for which you pay $50, sitting down at the tables drinking free beer, all the while being served by the waitress and dealer who are being paid by the $1 billion air conditioned casino.
And You Win.
That’s right, you are going to Vegas, and you are going to win money. Can you believe there are people who actually think this?
Yep, I’m one of them. When I first went to Vegas I became excited. I had a few hundred dollars to spend, and as they say, that was a lot of money back then. Especially for me.
You’ll never guess. I lost all my money. And the poor dealer. We stopped at the Hacienda Casino, (it used to be at the edge of Vegas when you first drove in, but has long ago been torn down), sat down at a $2 blackjack table and proceeded to gamble. At $2, it’s hard to lose money fast. And with free beers and going through a pack of cigarettes in a few hours, if that dealer didn’t get cancer from second hand smoke, well, than there is no such thing.
My wife and are going again this week. We relax. I’ll do my work-out at 24 Hour Fitness, then we’ll walk around and hang out by the pool. Nothing earth shaking. We don’t gamble.
People look at us like we’re crazy. You go to Vegas, and don’t gamble. Well, duh, yeah, we’re not that stupid.
Though Vegas is synonymous with gambling, a more enjoyable time can be had not gambling. Gambling is a waste of time. It’s more enjoyable (and sadistic) to watch the other stupid bastards lose their money. That’s actually the most fun about Vegas, watching others lose. Especially when they shouldn’t be gambling to begin. And then watching them go to the ATM machine on the casino floor and get rejected trying to get more money.
Fact: For every dollar gambled in Vegas, the house gets $.08
Maybe that's what the Government should do: Look at their hand, realize they have no chance in hell, and fold.
Ted, The Redneck
So Ted and I are sitting in a Mexican bar/restaurant along the ocean. Pounding down a few cervezas, listening to the Mariachies, in the cool Cancun breezes.
“See that mothafucka there”. “Yeah, what about it?”, I said. Ted says, “I hate those mothafuckas, they’re idiots”.
OK Ted, whatever. Jesus, I’m just trying to enjoy my beer, and this redneck starts all this hate bullshit. Shut the fuck up, let’s just drink our beer and catch a little buzz.
The muslim dude is eating dinner with his wife. I guess that’s his wife, it’s hard to see what’s behind with the get-up she’s wearing. There’s only a slit for her eyes in the whole goddamned outfit. She does have nice eyes though.
Anyway, as they are chomping down on their “Tacos al Puerco”, the night’s special, Ted starts laughing at the couple as they eat. I tell Ted that it’s rude, but he keeps on laughing. Honestly though, it was funny watching the girl stick her fork through the eyehole and fish it to her mouth. It was quite an art. I didn’t see anything spill on her outfit. Or maybe, because it was all black, it just blended.
The cervezas started getting to Ted. “I don’t know what she looks like, but she sure has some purty eyes”. He winked at her. Uh oh, she winked back.
The devout muslim man, realizing his name had been dishonored, reacted. He began cleaning the knives he was eating with, for want of defiling his woman. He then proceeded to gouge out her eyes with said utensils.
“That’s just horrible,” said Ted. Ted though, being a redneck, had become sophisticated living in the big city. “You’ve got to accept their ways, that’s multiculturalism”.
For good measure, Ahab then slashed his wife’s throat. Not before asking if she was going to eat her pate.
On Getting Older
Getting older should be the greatest time of our lives.
We’ve experienced childhood, college, raising of children and much in between. Now it’s time to enjoy our fruits.
We can now spend time on what we want to do. Enjoy great literature, a leisurely stroll in the park, freely offering our time and money to make the world even better.
I have been on vacation for 3 weeks. With more to come. I’m finding that I am learning how to rest, relax. I have matured in life, along with my friends. Instead of taking, what can I give. Instead of rebellion, how can I help. Instead of knowing it all, what can you teach me.
It is these years where I truly hope to flower.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Balanced Budget, Health Care
An easy way to balance the budget. Since the budget deficit will be around 2 trillion dollars this year alone, and we can project it to be that for the next 10 years, borrow an extra 20 trillion now. Use the money to balance the budget the next 10 years. So, we’re in the hole only one year, but in the other 9, because of our fiscal responsibility, the budget is balanced. In 20 years, do the same, except using trillions, we go to quadrillions. If those Chinese haven’t figured it out now, we just have to pray they’re very slow learners.
In regards to health care. Using the 14th amendment’s “equal protection clause", the Supreme Court legalizes free health care for Mexico. The argument being that if we give free health care to Roberto, an illegal alien in the US, who’s received open-heart surgery along with surgery for his wife's breast cancer, it's only just to offer free health care to all his family. The Supreme Court, realizing that 10% of Mexico's citizens reside in the US, means that all of Mexico has at least one relative in the US. Hence, Mexico is entitled to free health care.
In regards to health care. Using the 14th amendment’s “equal protection clause", the Supreme Court legalizes free health care for Mexico. The argument being that if we give free health care to Roberto, an illegal alien in the US, who’s received open-heart surgery along with surgery for his wife's breast cancer, it's only just to offer free health care to all his family. The Supreme Court, realizing that 10% of Mexico's citizens reside in the US, means that all of Mexico has at least one relative in the US. Hence, Mexico is entitled to free health care.
I'm President
When a friend owes me $20, it’s taken anguish to get my money. Our government will be owing $14,000 more per household for just one year next year.
These numbers are mind-boggling to me. We can’t pay that back. We know it. Our fantasy is that we’ll keep making more money to pay higher taxes. The reality is government is getting even less revenues.
These are times for drastic action. We need a leader. We need to quit thinking about adding to the budget--government health care, bonuses to government interns, cash for clunkers--and start paying our bills.
Bring our guys home. Yes, America is still a great country, but we need to call in the troops. We need to cut spending programs, eliminate useless government such as the department of education.
We can keep kicking the can, eventually we have take responsibility. Stand up America, we can do it.
These numbers are mind-boggling to me. We can’t pay that back. We know it. Our fantasy is that we’ll keep making more money to pay higher taxes. The reality is government is getting even less revenues.
These are times for drastic action. We need a leader. We need to quit thinking about adding to the budget--government health care, bonuses to government interns, cash for clunkers--and start paying our bills.
Bring our guys home. Yes, America is still a great country, but we need to call in the troops. We need to cut spending programs, eliminate useless government such as the department of education.
We can keep kicking the can, eventually we have take responsibility. Stand up America, we can do it.
Making Love
It's late at night. I open the door to our room. I hear her quietly sleeping standing beside her. A soft kiss on her lips.
She responds. Her tongue reaches for mine. My hand slips under the satin sheet to feel her breast. So soft, waiting, the bosom of love. Her nipple now in my mouth. I feel it harden as my hand wanders to her holy of holies.
I begin kissing her toes. I lick her calves as my head moves ever slowly to delight that awaits us both. I kiss her inner thighs. Her smell of woman surges me to higher passion. I kiss her pussy. I stop. I need to rest myself on her dune.
I retreat to kissing her warm pussy. I begin to suck her. I take all of her into my mouth. She writhes in pleasure. She begins to moan loudly.
Her pussy opens and ever so deep I go. Soon my whole head's inside. Her intestine wraps around my neck. I try to scream but can't. Hey Moe, get me out of here, I can't breathe.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I'm So Disciplined
Some say I'm disciplined because I fast and eat food that rarely consists of any animal products.
While I appreciate the compliment, the truth is, I want to avoid ill health as much as possible.
I don't like pain, and I don't like sickness. Especially long term.
If it's actually true that I can avoid heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, auto immune diseases through diet, exercise, plenty of sunshine and sleep, why not take the responsibility and move in that direction? Especially when the benefits can be measured in such a short time. You could just try it and prove it to yourself.
Unfortunately, we live in a world of serious misinformation. What's up is down, what's right is wrong, and what's good for you is bad for you. It takes courage to go against the status quo, but sometimes the minority can be right.
More people are realizing the importance of a healthful lifestyle. But for the vast majority, no. I stumbled onto a healthful lifestyle quite by accident, by reading Walter Kempner's "The Rice Diet", and realizing health is quantifiable.
One book lead to another, that lead to another, to which I now have a solid foundation on what is good health. And most of the leading health practicioners say the same thing. What it all gets down to for me is to follow a "Natural Hygiene" lifestyle. And that simple movement has been going on for at least a couple of hundred years.
While I appreciate the compliment, the truth is, I want to avoid ill health as much as possible.
I don't like pain, and I don't like sickness. Especially long term.
If it's actually true that I can avoid heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, auto immune diseases through diet, exercise, plenty of sunshine and sleep, why not take the responsibility and move in that direction? Especially when the benefits can be measured in such a short time. You could just try it and prove it to yourself.
Unfortunately, we live in a world of serious misinformation. What's up is down, what's right is wrong, and what's good for you is bad for you. It takes courage to go against the status quo, but sometimes the minority can be right.
More people are realizing the importance of a healthful lifestyle. But for the vast majority, no. I stumbled onto a healthful lifestyle quite by accident, by reading Walter Kempner's "The Rice Diet", and realizing health is quantifiable.
One book lead to another, that lead to another, to which I now have a solid foundation on what is good health. And most of the leading health practicioners say the same thing. What it all gets down to for me is to follow a "Natural Hygiene" lifestyle. And that simple movement has been going on for at least a couple of hundred years.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Reason 2 I Love the Internet
In a post I link to a web site that I recommend. I myself had not visited that website for awhile and I saw that Dr Goldhammer has a cookbook.
Immediately I go to "Favorites", click on "Amazon", and buy the book for $4.00. It may have taken me 2 minutes doing this task. The book will be delivered to my mailbox soon.
Another reason I love the internet is that through this blog I can contribute. Instead of being reactive, I can be proactive. Instead of taking I can give.
Immediately I go to "Favorites", click on "Amazon", and buy the book for $4.00. It may have taken me 2 minutes doing this task. The book will be delivered to my mailbox soon.
Another reason I love the internet is that through this blog I can contribute. Instead of being reactive, I can be proactive. Instead of taking I can give.
Monday, August 24, 2009
A Way of Thinking
I was watching a video about making a juice with greens on You Tube.
But the guy said something that really made me think. What he said kind of turned things up side down to how I normally look at things.
What he said basically is this, or let me paraphrase to how I understood it:
What we do is strive to stretch ourselves to become better persons, and to achieve all that we can. And I always looked at it that way too. In that I force myself, challenge myself to do better and to grow.
But he said the opposite: That we're being pulled.
I never looked at it that way, but it's very interesting. Before I looked at it as though I had to bust down the doors (so to speak) and make my own way. This is definitely a different way of looking at things. It seems it would certainly make my journey a bit more peaceful.
But the guy said something that really made me think. What he said kind of turned things up side down to how I normally look at things.
What he said basically is this, or let me paraphrase to how I understood it:
What we do is strive to stretch ourselves to become better persons, and to achieve all that we can. And I always looked at it that way too. In that I force myself, challenge myself to do better and to grow.
But he said the opposite: That we're being pulled.
I never looked at it that way, but it's very interesting. Before I looked at it as though I had to bust down the doors (so to speak) and make my own way. This is definitely a different way of looking at things. It seems it would certainly make my journey a bit more peaceful.
My Favorite Part of the Trip
My wife asked me coming home what I enjoyed the most of our trip.
Going swimmimg with our dog "Lady" in my cousin's pond.
But now that I think about it, not so. When we first arrived at Brad's house, he showed us around, then asked if we'd like to go out for breakfast or have it at his house. Not to be imposing, but I said, "your house".
We collected blueberries from his garden. Brad made homemade blueberry pancakes, the maple syrup from trees at his neighbors farm. Picking the blueberries, eating pancakes, fellowship at the table highlighted my trip.
Brad's house is a home. The smell, the warmth, the wood. When I'm at Brad's home, I'm in a New England home. His wood oven provides warmth in the winter. His home is surely one of of my favorite places.
My Uncle Ken and Aunt Ouis
I just got back from New Hampshire. My wife, dog and I had a wonderful time.
One of the highlights of the trip was spending time with my Uncle Ken and Aunt Ouis.
My Aunt is (well, I won't tell you how old she is), but easily could pass for a woman 20 years her junior. She really is one beautiful woman.
My Uncle Ken is 83 and even though he's had a stroke and moves slow, he still plays golf and has a great sense of humor. Boy, does that guy crack me up.
A few stories:
They live in a home with a bedroom on each side of the house. And they sleep in separate rooms. I asked my Uncle if he ever sneaks to the other side of the house at night for some hanky panky. (One of the things you must know, is that when you have a stroke, one of the side effects is memory loss, from which my Uncle suffers). So when I asked Uncle Ken that question, his response was "Yes, but by the time I get over there, I forget what I went for".
And Uncle Ken still plays golf. But with his stroke he can't use his left side to hit the ball, so he's lost power and distance off the tee. So he hits from what are called the Super Senior tees, AKA, the Lady's tees. Well, we were playing with his son and grandson, and us 3 would hit the ball from the regular tees. After Uncle Ken hit, I would drive him up to his ball. If his ball was ever past his son's, he would say "Good drive Brad, you almost made it up to me".
So you can see he has a wonderful sense of humor. My wife adores them both. We had a great time being with them and their generosity was refreshing.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The Donate Button
I have a business that consists of repairing and installing Heating, Air Conditioning and Appliances.
I'm thinking of creating a "How To Blog" and making a bunch of videos on how to do repair. And also to have my phone number so that if others may want to call me and get advice, I could possibly help them with their problem.
So I wanted practice on how to make the "Donate" button that you see on the right side of my blog.
Here is a link that will teach you how to create your own "Donate" button. Turns out to be pretty simple to do.
And if you would like to practice donating, you're welcome to try it out with me.
PS. Seriously though, if you have any ideas about my business plan, I would like to hear your thoughts.
I'm thinking of creating a "How To Blog" and making a bunch of videos on how to do repair. And also to have my phone number so that if others may want to call me and get advice, I could possibly help them with their problem.
So I wanted practice on how to make the "Donate" button that you see on the right side of my blog.
Here is a link that will teach you how to create your own "Donate" button. Turns out to be pretty simple to do.
And if you would like to practice donating, you're welcome to try it out with me.
PS. Seriously though, if you have any ideas about my business plan, I would like to hear your thoughts.
The Health Care Debate
We don't even start the debate with the right term. It's not "Health Care", but "Sick Care".
People in our country who are not sick, are not healthy either. As my former mother in law said about her husband- "He's had three heart attacks, he has diabetes, he's overweight and he smokes, but other than that, he's quite healthy". I kid you not.
People who are overweight, high blood pressure, diabetic, etc., actually believe they are healthy. Our country is fat, unhealthy and I wonder if we really care.
Much cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other major illnesses are caused by the foods we eat. If we were to be truly responsible for our own health, medicine would be different than what it is today.
Think about it. I'm doing a fast, which is probably one of the greatest things I can do for my health, and I can't go through traditional medicine. In fact they think I'm completely wrong in my choice. But if I were to have a high blood pressure or some other problem, they'd be very happy to give me pills to take for the rest of my life. Truly there's no profit in preventive medicine. And while there is lip service paid to it, (you can even see it in TV pharmaceutical commercials), doctors and pill pushers would make no money if you were healthy.
#2. Now that we call it what it should be: "Sick Care", my question would be--How does the government get involved with one of America's largest industries, and tell us there would be no added cost? Does that make sense to you? I don't like the present system, there is tremendous room for improvement, but having government run health care is not the answer. I can't even fathom how anyone believes that.
Sure I'm very appreciative of modern medicine. They get it wrong a lot, but they get it right a lot too. Especially when it comes to trama care. But it's my hope that I'm the one who is responsible for my own health, that I live a long healthy life, and that when the time comes, I just check out. I don't want the end of life to be a series of doctor's appointments, or worse, to be taken care of by others.
This is what Susan Estrich, a person of the left and way back when, on Ted Kennedy's staff wrote:
The idea that somehow you're going to tax the "rich" enough to pay for quality health care for every American who doesn't have it, can't afford it or stands to lose it, not to mention for all of the undocumented aliens who receive it for free now and presumably will continue to in Obama health land, is almost laughable. It's one of those things candidates say in campaigns, ignoring the fact that it doesn't add up. But in a bill that might pass? Add a 5 percent surtax on every small business in the country that makes $250,000 or more? This is going to create jobs? What am I missing?
Please read this, very interesting from a doctor:
By Zane F Pollard, MD
I have been sitting quietly on the sidelines watching all of this national debate on healthcare. It is time for me to bring some clarity to the table by explaining many of the problems from the perspective of a doctor.
First off the government has involved very few of us physicians in the healthcare debate. While the American Medical Association has come out in favor of the plan, it is vital to remember that the AMA only represents 17% of the American physician workforce.
I have taken care of Medicaid patients for 35 years while representing the only pediatric ophthalmology group left in Atlanta, Georgia that accepts Medicaid. For example, in the past 6 months I have cared for three young children on Medicaid who had corneal ulcers. This is a potentially blinding situation because if the cornea perforates from the infection, almost surely blindness will occur. In all three cases the antibiotic needed for the eradication of the infection was not on the approved Medicaid list.
Each time I was told to fax Medicaid for the approval forms, which I did. Within 48 hours the form came back to me which was sent in immediately via fax, and I was told that I would have my answer in 10 days. Of course by then each child would have been blind in the eye.
Each time the request came back denied. All three times I personally provided the antibiotic for each patient which was not on the Medicaid approved list. Get the point -- rationing of care.
Over the past 35 years I have cared for over 1000 children born with congenital cataracts. In older children and in adults the vision is rehabilitated with an intraocular lens. In newborns we use contact lenses which are very expensive. It takes Medicaid over one year to approve a contact lens post cataract surgery. By that time a successful anatomical operation is wasted as the child will be close to blind from a lack of focusing for so long a period of time.
Again, extreme rationing. Solution: I have a foundation here in Atlanta supported 100% by private funds which supplies all of these contact lenses for my Medicaid and illegal immigrants children for free. Again, waiting for the government would be disastrous.
Last week I had a lady bring her child to me. They are Americans but live in Sweden, as the father has a job with a big corporation. The child had the onset of double vision 3 months ago and has been unable to function normally because of this. They are people of means but are waiting 8 months to see the ophthalmologist in Sweden. Then if the child needed surgery they would be put on a 6 month waiting list. She called me and I saw her that day. It turned out that the child had accommodative esotropia (crossing of the eyes treated with glasses that correct for farsightedness) and responded to glasses within 4 days, so no surgery was needed. Again, rationing of care.
Last month I operated on a 70 year old lady with double vision present for 3 years. She responded quite nicely to her surgery and now is symptom free. I also operated on a 69 year old judge with vertical double vision. His surgery went very well and now he is happy as a lark. I have been told -- but of course there is no healthcare bill that has been passed yet -- that these 2 people because of their age would have been denied surgery and just told to wear a patch over one eye to alleviate the symptoms of double vision. Obviously cheaper than surgery..
I spent two year in the US Navy during the Viet Nam war and was well treated by the military. There was tremendous rationing of care and we were told specificially what things the military personnel and their dependents could have and which things they could not have. While I was in Viet Nam, my wife Nancy got sick and got essentially no care at the Naval Hospital in Oakland, California. She went home and went to her family's private internist in Beverly Hills. While it was expensive, she received an immediate work up. Again rationing of care.
For those of you who are over 65, this bill in its present form might be lethal for you. People in England over 59 cannot receive stents for their coronary arteries. The government wants to mimic the British plan. For those of you younger, it will still mean restriction of the care that you and your children receive.
While 99% of physicians went into medicine because of the love of medicine and the challenge of helping our fellow man, economics are still important. My rent goes up 2% each year and the salaries of my employees go up 2% each year. Twenty years ago, ophthalmologists were paid $1800 for a cataract surgery and today $500. This is a 73% decrease in our fees. I do not know of many jobs in America that have seen this sort of lowering of fees.
But there is more to the story than just the lower fees. When I came to Atlanta, there was a well known ophthalmologist that charged $2500 for a cataract surgery as he felt he was the best. He had a terrific reputation and in fact I had my mother's bilateral cataracts operated on by him with a wonderful result. She is now 94 and has 20/20 vision in both eyes. People would pay his $2500 fee.
However, then the government came in and said that any doctor that does medicare work cannot accept more than the going rate (now $500) or he or she would be severely fined. This put an end to his charging $2500. The government said it was illegal to accept more than the government-allowed rate. What I am driving at is that those of you well off will not be able to go to the head of the line under this new healthcare plan, just because you have money, as no physician will be willing to go against the law to treat you.
I am a pediatric ophthalmologist and trained for 10 years post-college to become a pediatric ophthalmologist (add two years of my service in the Navy and that comes to 12 years). A neurosurgeon spends 14 years post -college, and if he or she has to do the military that would be 16 years.. I am not entitled to make what a neurosurgeon makes, but the new plan calls for all physicians to make the same amount of payment. I assure you that medical students will not go into neurosurgery and we will have a tremendous shortage of neurosurgeons. Already, the top neurosurgeon at my hospital who is in good health and only 52 years old has just quit because he can't stand working with the government anymore. Forty-nine percent of children under the age of 16 in the state of Georgia are on Medicaid, so he felt he just could not stand working with the bureaucracy anymore.
We are being lied to about the uninsured. They are getting care. I operate on at least 2 illegal immigrants each month who pay me nothing, and the children's hospital at which I operate charges them nothing also. This is true not only of Atlanta, but of every community in America.
The bottom line is that I urge all of you to contact your congresswomen and congressmen and senators to defeat this bill. I promise you that you will not like rationing of your own health.
Furthermore, how can you trust a physician that works under these conditions knowing that he is controlled by the state. I certainly could not trust any doctor that would work under these draconian conditions.
One last thing: with this new healthcare plan there will be a tremendous shortage of physicians. It has been estimated that approximately 5% of the current physician work force will quit under this new system. Also it is estimated that another 5% shortage will occur because of the decreased number of men and women wanting to go into medicine. At the present time the US government has mandated gender equity in admissions to medical schools. That means that for the past 15 years somewhere between 49 and 51% of each entering class are females. This is true of private schools also, because all private schools receive federal funding.
The average career of a woman in medicine now is only 8-10 years and the average work week for a female in medicine is only 3-4 days. I have now trained 35 fellows in pediatric ophthalmology. Hands down the best was a female that I trained 4 years ago -- she was head and heels above all others I have trained. She now practices only 3 days a week.
People in our country who are not sick, are not healthy either. As my former mother in law said about her husband- "He's had three heart attacks, he has diabetes, he's overweight and he smokes, but other than that, he's quite healthy". I kid you not.
People who are overweight, high blood pressure, diabetic, etc., actually believe they are healthy. Our country is fat, unhealthy and I wonder if we really care.
Much cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other major illnesses are caused by the foods we eat. If we were to be truly responsible for our own health, medicine would be different than what it is today.
Think about it. I'm doing a fast, which is probably one of the greatest things I can do for my health, and I can't go through traditional medicine. In fact they think I'm completely wrong in my choice. But if I were to have a high blood pressure or some other problem, they'd be very happy to give me pills to take for the rest of my life. Truly there's no profit in preventive medicine. And while there is lip service paid to it, (you can even see it in TV pharmaceutical commercials), doctors and pill pushers would make no money if you were healthy.
#2. Now that we call it what it should be: "Sick Care", my question would be--How does the government get involved with one of America's largest industries, and tell us there would be no added cost? Does that make sense to you? I don't like the present system, there is tremendous room for improvement, but having government run health care is not the answer. I can't even fathom how anyone believes that.
Sure I'm very appreciative of modern medicine. They get it wrong a lot, but they get it right a lot too. Especially when it comes to trama care. But it's my hope that I'm the one who is responsible for my own health, that I live a long healthy life, and that when the time comes, I just check out. I don't want the end of life to be a series of doctor's appointments, or worse, to be taken care of by others.
This is what Susan Estrich, a person of the left and way back when, on Ted Kennedy's staff wrote:
The idea that somehow you're going to tax the "rich" enough to pay for quality health care for every American who doesn't have it, can't afford it or stands to lose it, not to mention for all of the undocumented aliens who receive it for free now and presumably will continue to in Obama health land, is almost laughable. It's one of those things candidates say in campaigns, ignoring the fact that it doesn't add up. But in a bill that might pass? Add a 5 percent surtax on every small business in the country that makes $250,000 or more? This is going to create jobs? What am I missing?
Please read this, very interesting from a doctor:
By Zane F Pollard, MD
I have been sitting quietly on the sidelines watching all of this national debate on healthcare. It is time for me to bring some clarity to the table by explaining many of the problems from the perspective of a doctor.
First off the government has involved very few of us physicians in the healthcare debate. While the American Medical Association has come out in favor of the plan, it is vital to remember that the AMA only represents 17% of the American physician workforce.
I have taken care of Medicaid patients for 35 years while representing the only pediatric ophthalmology group left in Atlanta, Georgia that accepts Medicaid. For example, in the past 6 months I have cared for three young children on Medicaid who had corneal ulcers. This is a potentially blinding situation because if the cornea perforates from the infection, almost surely blindness will occur. In all three cases the antibiotic needed for the eradication of the infection was not on the approved Medicaid list.
Each time I was told to fax Medicaid for the approval forms, which I did. Within 48 hours the form came back to me which was sent in immediately via fax, and I was told that I would have my answer in 10 days. Of course by then each child would have been blind in the eye.
Each time the request came back denied. All three times I personally provided the antibiotic for each patient which was not on the Medicaid approved list. Get the point -- rationing of care.
Over the past 35 years I have cared for over 1000 children born with congenital cataracts. In older children and in adults the vision is rehabilitated with an intraocular lens. In newborns we use contact lenses which are very expensive. It takes Medicaid over one year to approve a contact lens post cataract surgery. By that time a successful anatomical operation is wasted as the child will be close to blind from a lack of focusing for so long a period of time.
Again, extreme rationing. Solution: I have a foundation here in Atlanta supported 100% by private funds which supplies all of these contact lenses for my Medicaid and illegal immigrants children for free. Again, waiting for the government would be disastrous.
Last week I had a lady bring her child to me. They are Americans but live in Sweden, as the father has a job with a big corporation. The child had the onset of double vision 3 months ago and has been unable to function normally because of this. They are people of means but are waiting 8 months to see the ophthalmologist in Sweden. Then if the child needed surgery they would be put on a 6 month waiting list. She called me and I saw her that day. It turned out that the child had accommodative esotropia (crossing of the eyes treated with glasses that correct for farsightedness) and responded to glasses within 4 days, so no surgery was needed. Again, rationing of care.
Last month I operated on a 70 year old lady with double vision present for 3 years. She responded quite nicely to her surgery and now is symptom free. I also operated on a 69 year old judge with vertical double vision. His surgery went very well and now he is happy as a lark. I have been told -- but of course there is no healthcare bill that has been passed yet -- that these 2 people because of their age would have been denied surgery and just told to wear a patch over one eye to alleviate the symptoms of double vision. Obviously cheaper than surgery..
I spent two year in the US Navy during the Viet Nam war and was well treated by the military. There was tremendous rationing of care and we were told specificially what things the military personnel and their dependents could have and which things they could not have. While I was in Viet Nam, my wife Nancy got sick and got essentially no care at the Naval Hospital in Oakland, California. She went home and went to her family's private internist in Beverly Hills. While it was expensive, she received an immediate work up. Again rationing of care.
For those of you who are over 65, this bill in its present form might be lethal for you. People in England over 59 cannot receive stents for their coronary arteries. The government wants to mimic the British plan. For those of you younger, it will still mean restriction of the care that you and your children receive.
While 99% of physicians went into medicine because of the love of medicine and the challenge of helping our fellow man, economics are still important. My rent goes up 2% each year and the salaries of my employees go up 2% each year. Twenty years ago, ophthalmologists were paid $1800 for a cataract surgery and today $500. This is a 73% decrease in our fees. I do not know of many jobs in America that have seen this sort of lowering of fees.
But there is more to the story than just the lower fees. When I came to Atlanta, there was a well known ophthalmologist that charged $2500 for a cataract surgery as he felt he was the best. He had a terrific reputation and in fact I had my mother's bilateral cataracts operated on by him with a wonderful result. She is now 94 and has 20/20 vision in both eyes. People would pay his $2500 fee.
However, then the government came in and said that any doctor that does medicare work cannot accept more than the going rate (now $500) or he or she would be severely fined. This put an end to his charging $2500. The government said it was illegal to accept more than the government-allowed rate. What I am driving at is that those of you well off will not be able to go to the head of the line under this new healthcare plan, just because you have money, as no physician will be willing to go against the law to treat you.
I am a pediatric ophthalmologist and trained for 10 years post-college to become a pediatric ophthalmologist (add two years of my service in the Navy and that comes to 12 years). A neurosurgeon spends 14 years post -college, and if he or she has to do the military that would be 16 years.. I am not entitled to make what a neurosurgeon makes, but the new plan calls for all physicians to make the same amount of payment. I assure you that medical students will not go into neurosurgery and we will have a tremendous shortage of neurosurgeons. Already, the top neurosurgeon at my hospital who is in good health and only 52 years old has just quit because he can't stand working with the government anymore. Forty-nine percent of children under the age of 16 in the state of Georgia are on Medicaid, so he felt he just could not stand working with the bureaucracy anymore.
We are being lied to about the uninsured. They are getting care. I operate on at least 2 illegal immigrants each month who pay me nothing, and the children's hospital at which I operate charges them nothing also. This is true not only of Atlanta, but of every community in America.
The bottom line is that I urge all of you to contact your congresswomen and congressmen and senators to defeat this bill. I promise you that you will not like rationing of your own health.
Furthermore, how can you trust a physician that works under these conditions knowing that he is controlled by the state. I certainly could not trust any doctor that would work under these draconian conditions.
One last thing: with this new healthcare plan there will be a tremendous shortage of physicians. It has been estimated that approximately 5% of the current physician work force will quit under this new system. Also it is estimated that another 5% shortage will occur because of the decreased number of men and women wanting to go into medicine. At the present time the US government has mandated gender equity in admissions to medical schools. That means that for the past 15 years somewhere between 49 and 51% of each entering class are females. This is true of private schools also, because all private schools receive federal funding.
The average career of a woman in medicine now is only 8-10 years and the average work week for a female in medicine is only 3-4 days. I have now trained 35 fellows in pediatric ophthalmology. Hands down the best was a female that I trained 4 years ago -- she was head and heels above all others I have trained. She now practices only 3 days a week.
Fasting, My Best Post
A fast is going without food and drinking only water. That's it. No intake of any food whatsoever.
Teachers in the art of fasting recommend doing a fast under doctor supervision if over 3 days. I hope to fast for 7 days. I will not have a doctor's supervision for a number of reasons. First, there are no allopathic doctors in Orange County disciplined in the art of fasting. Second, I don't want to travel and pay to stay somewhere while they monitor me. And, I like doing my fasts at home.
Why am I doing a fast? For several reasons and here are a few:
#1. I just finished my road trip yesterday. Now I want to give my body a vacation, and that is what I consider a fast.
#2. A fast helps reset the body to desire more healthful living. It always does for me. After I fast, I find that my body craves healthy, non processed foods--fruits and vegetables.
#3. I love to fast. Love it. It is my belief, that it's the greatest gift I can give to myself. Bar none. I started my fast yesterday on the last day of our trip. Today begins my second day. I will be fasting for a total of 7 days. You may think it's irresponsible to go without food for such a long time. In fact, traditional medicine believed that if one went without food for 10 days the result would be death. I have fasted before for 14 days and have fasted for 7-10 days a number of times, so not only do I debunk this statement, many others have fasted for well over 40 days.
You ask, how can you love not eating? I love eating. And it is unpleasant not eating. But in the long term, fasting gives me benefit. Dr Joel Fuhrman's "Fasting and Eating for Health" explains the benefits of fasting.
So as I fast, I will be adding to this post to tell of my experience, both good and bad.
8/23 Started my fast yesterday. While, I like everyone else, likes to eat, when I set myself to fasting, somehow I'm just able to do it. It's almost like a switch gets turned on in my head. Plus I've fasted several times before and they have all been successful, so I know I can do it. A few times I wanted to do a longer fast and have cut it short, but usually I'm able to fast to what I commit to.
When I was on vacation, I started out eating pretty well. But as the vacation wore on, I knew that I was fighting a losing battle and I just gave in. (One of the places though that I discovered and really loved was "The Golden Coral". Lots of scrumptious vegetables and salad). But anyway, I let my normal diet slip, and just let myself go. I ate lots of shit. I'll be honest, no one twisted my arm, I enjoyed the food that I ate, but my body despised my putting such crap into it. We are not made to eat fast food, ie, hamburgers, fried chicken, french fries, ice cream, etc.
So part of my fast is to reset myself. And truly that's what a fast does. It gets a chance to purge the bad and make room for the new.
This morning I awoke and my body just felt great. It's an inner joy to me realizing I'm doing what is best for me. We want to be healthy, and we think we get it by "health insurance". This will be my next post right now.
Still 8/23, but later in the day.
I'm now actually starting my 3rd day of fasting. My last meal was in Albuquerque, NM. I had a McDonald's hamburger and an apple pie, washed down with a few beers.
So far the fast has gone well. No great desire for food, and I'm not weak. I took our dog out for a walk a few times today, but other than that, have been resting. It's a joy also to back home and not driving. Man, did we drive a lot.
I remember my first fast. It lasted either 7 or 10 days. It was pretty powerful. One of the things that happen on a fast is one usually develops very bad breadth. That is because the body is expelling toxins and really getting a chance to cleanse itself. Anyway, after that first fast, I went to Vegas with my wife. We went to the brewery/pub at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas. I ordered a beer and had the waitress take it back. My taste buds had become so cleansed, I thought I was drinking metal. When the next beer came, I tried to drink that too, and realized it wasn't the beer that tasted bad, it was my extra sensitive taste buds.
8/24
I can tell this is going to be a long post. I hope you like it so far. I realize I have a lot to say, and I certainly have the time to write.
I'm now fully into my 3rd day. Absolutely no hunger at all. One would think that one would get hungrier as time goes on. I know when I get up in the morning, or around noon time, I'm so hungry I can't stand it. And I think, I better satisfy that hunger right now. For if I don't, I'll be much hungrier later. But the truth is, I now don't have hunger.
Last night, I only slept for a few hours and just rested in bed. That's a normal side effect of fasting, your sleep patterns are changed. Most likely I'll nap during the day.
Another thing I like to do, but for some reason is not recommended but I do it anyway, is that I take warm baths. When one is fasting, the body gets chilled easily and to be in warm bath water is comforting to me.
The other thing I do that is strange, but I seem to do every time I fast is to trim the hair on my body. I got a haircut in Albuquerque (really funny, it was a Mexican gangbanger kind of place) and I'll trim the rest in the next couple of days.
So last night I'm reading Dr Fuhrman's book and I'd love to share some great stuff.
This is just a tidbit of the wisdom in Dr Fuhrman's book:
"The self-healing power of the body is often overlooked because it is rarely given a chance to act in a world that expects the quick fix. The power of the body is as evident as green grass, rainy days, and sunshine. It is by no means a mystical power: it arises from the same exceptional intelligence that produced you out of two microscopic cells and that heals your wounds when you are injured. It is the same set of natural human characteristics that allows you to eliminate waste or to "lose weight" when you change your diet. It is the innate ability that allows an exhausted individual to go to bed (without eating) and wake up vibrant and full of energy for another 16 hours. Fasting enables the body to repair and rejuvenate its own tissues, by directly providing the conditions of recovery and removing the impediments that curtail your recuperative powers. The fast establishes a unique opportunity, vital for the restoration of health."
Here's something he said about drugs: "Drugs, recognized as toxic and harmful if ingested when we are well, are suddenly seen as healthful and healing when the body is suffering with an acute illness".
I've googled Leaky Gut Syndrome. Take your time and look at this. I'm not even sure Western medicine acknowledges this, but it seems plausible to me.
Think about this: You eat an animal based protein diet. Some of the proteins leak into the bloodstream via a leaky gut. The body's auto immune system recognises these as foreign pathogens and decides to do battle. But because of molecular mimicry your immune system gets fooled. Why? Because animal proteins are very similar to our own body and the immune system then attacks itself. This is what is known as auto immune disease, such as lupus, arthritis, MS, etc.
I know it's a pretty radical thought, but it makes sense to me. Like Dr Fuhrman says in his book, (to paraphrase): Imagine hitting your finger every night with a hammer. And then your finger swells up. What are you to do? Well in our way of doing things, we treat the effect and not the cause. We give drugs to stop the swelling (anti-inflammation drugs) instead of dealing with the cause, IE, stop hitting your damn finger with the hammer.
It sounds too simple. But let's look at arthritis. From what I know, arthritis is a swelling of the joints that causes intense pain. So the way I see it, inflammation is actually a good thing, but we want to take care of the problem with steroids or anti inflammatory drugs. We never get better, but hey, it's better than nothing.
Instead, I believe one of the reasons for arthritis is started in the foods we eat. Animal based foods consist of animal proteins, which are absorbed in our body whole via leaky gut syndrome, then our body gets tricked into attacking our own body because of molecular mimicry. And unfortunately, one doesn't have blood flow in the joints but another liquid that is not as fast at removing impurities as the blood. Hence the joints have more time to attack itself, therefore the swelling.
As Dr Fuhrman says: "Too frequently patients suffer from lifelong problems that are merely the response of irritated tissues to noxious stimuli".
And here: "Without inflammation, infections would go unchecked and wounds would never heal".
And finally: "When we view the inflammation as the problem and not the result of the problem, we make an essential error in health care.----Fasting is an effective way to treat inflammation because it allows the body to remove the noxious stimuli that caused the problem in the first place".
So now I hope you have a somewhat greater appreciation for a fast. When I did my first fast, I did it blind. I didn't know anything about it. Luckily, I went to the library and found Dr Fuhrman's book. Since that time I've read it easily 25 times. My wife said to me last night, "Why do you read it, you must have it memorized by now?". Well pretty close. But one thing I'll always remember and never forget--When I went through my first fast, it was a powerful experience. I remember reading and I just kind of put the book down and looked straight ahead. My wife was driving at the time, and asked me "What's up?". I told her if just one half of what Dr Fuhrman says in his book is true, it's incredible.
8/25
I'm now in my 4th day of the fast. One of the pleasant things that has occurred is that when I look at my hand, I can tell my fingers and thumb are skinnier. When one fasts, a lot of liquids are removed from the body. I have not been on the scale since beginning the fast, and though I know in the first few days I lose between 2-4 pounds per day, and after a few days it will average to only a pound a day, once I start re feeding all the weight will come back. But that's the beauty of the fast. I know that a fast does many more things for my body than I can ever dream, but I'm sure one of the things it's doing is flushing a lot of the excess salt from my body. I got to thinking last night, while on my trip, not only did I eat a lot of fat food and some meats, but I ate a lot of salty foods. And I'm pretty sure that affects me quite a bit. High blood pressure runs in my mother's side of the family, so I'm easily disposed to it. It really is in my hands if I want to have high blood pressure or not.
And then I got to thinking about how much I eat out of the house. I would say most of my meals are consumed away from home. And while I pat myself on the back eating mostly vegan meals, I realize some of these are very high in salt. For instance, when I go to El Pollo Loco, I get their rice and bean burrito. Sometimes when I bite into it, I feel like I'm eating a salt shaker. Let's face it, they don't care how much salt they put in their food. #1, salt is cheap, and #2 it gives food flavor. The reality of it is, when you go out to a restaurant, they don't have your health in mind. It sounds kind of simple in it's logic, but if they don't have your health in mind, and you don't have your health in mind, well, that doesn't bode well.
Now I would like to talk about what happens to the body when one actually fasts. I think it's quite miraculous.
First, to quote from Dr Fuhrman: "Fasting to heal oneself can mean the difference between living life pain-ridden and dependent on drugs, and living a normal pain-free existence into old age".
The first thing that fasting does is stop the work of the digestive tract. So it gets a chance to rest too. I believe 30% of calories consumed are used for the process of digestion.
When one begins to fast, the body uses up the glucose it has stored. This is used up in the first day or two. After that the body breaks down fatty acids that are utilized by the muscles, heart and liver for energy. The brain, during a fast is a major utilizer of energy and must have glucose. An adaptation occurs where the brain can use ketones instead of glucose, made by the liver. These ketones become the major fuel for the body, limiting muscle wasting.
It's amazing to me how our body will take care of itself if we will let it. It's almost the opposite of what we learn in that if something is wrong, the question is what does one take to make it better? We should do the opposite, do nothing, trust the body in it's wisdom to work through whatever it needs to do.
If you would like some cool reading stuff, google "Natural Hygiene" and "Herbert Shelton".
I know many people think I'm obsessive when it comes to health. The fact is, I wish I was. But the reality is, I'm not nearly responsible enough for my health. I wish I could read some of these great doctor's works and just incorporate it into my life. It doesn't happen that way. I have been doing this for over 20 years. Now while I know that if I never ever took responsibility for my health way back then, I know I would be in deep do-do now. Life would not be good. But in 20 years I've learned a lot. One of the first books I read, (probably 25 years ago that had an influence on my life), was "Diet for a small planet" by Frances Moore Lappe.
I've read many books since then who I think are the greatest nutritionists on the planet: Dr Fuhrman, Dr McDougall, Dr Esselstyn, Dr T Colin Campbell, and Natan Pritiken. I've learned what I eat makes a big difference in my health. One of the other first books that took me on my journey was "The Rice Diet" by Walter Kempner. It was through his book that I realized what you eat can actually be measured scientifically. Now I take that for granted, and others are realizing it, but how healthy one gets, is in one's own hands.
I mean, think of billionaires like Buffet and Gates, two of the richest men on this planet. Let's say they had high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, gout, why don't you throw in a few more, don't you think they would give up their billions, (or at least a few), for the chance to be healthy? To me health is number one.
By the way, it's morning now and I must say everything is going quite well. I'm very comfortable, I've taken "Lady" out for her walk, and I plan on getting a massage later in the day.
If you would like to learn more about fasting, these people have some fantastic articles and their own fasting center, here's their link.
This is somewhat related so I thought I'd post it here. I've been looking at making myself green smoothies for a year and have done it off and on. I think Victoria is on to something here. To use the blender instead of the juicer is a big time saver and I like the idea of using fruit to make it taste good. Some circles teach you that you are not to mix fruits and vegetables together, but I'll take my chances.
8/25
I'm into my 5th day of the fast. Every thing is going ok. I find my mornings though to be better than my nights. Last night I was walking and my legs started wobbling uncontrollably for about 5 seconds. And sometimes when I get up, I have to sit down right away. Also last night I wanted to throw up but couldn't. This has happenned before in my fasts, and I know it's a normal experience but I end up not getting sick.
So I'm on the downward slope, with only 3 days to go. My wife has just gotten home from the store with the watermelon. Though she doesn't fully agree with me fasting, I still am very apprciative of her support, it sure makes the fasting time a lot more pleasant.
I am going to cut my fast to 5 days. I have dropped 11 pounds, and went from a size 32 waist to a 30. I will most likely gain back all the weight that I lost. I'm very happy to have fasted, but I want to eat. I know my body has had a good chance to cleanse itself and I look forward to eating good healthy foods. If you are to ever think of doing a fast, I highly recommend it is done with professional supervision. The above link in this post is probably the best place to go in the US. I'm sure Europe and Australia has their own fasting places. Good luck and God Bless, thank you for sharing with me in this journey.
8/27
Since completing my fast last night, I've had a few meals. The fast was broken with watermelon. A few hours later, more watermelon. For breakfast, I had strawberries and blueberries. For lunch, I had blueberries, strawberries, banana with grape nut cereal covered with rice milk.
Already I can tell my strength is coming back. I'm so pleased that I did the fast. I eat my food mindfully with thankfulness. The taste of the fruit is wonderful.
I wish I could stay in the state I'm now in. Eating only sparingly and mindfully. How happy I think we would all be if we only took in the nutrients our body required. Gluttony is the last sin that is tolerated in my country America. It is something so taken for granted. That's why I wonder why football in the US has become so popular. It's certainly not only about the sport, but all the eating and drinking surrounding it. When I can bite into a strawberry, slowly eat it, and taste its wonderful flavors, I know I'm onto something right.
If you asked people (over 40) if they could lose 50-300 pounds just by waving a magic wand and instantly lose that weight, how many would do it? I bet it'd be more than people waving a wand to gain 50-300 pounds. Fasting, along with a vegan diet, and exercise can be that magic wand. Jump start your road to health with a fast, even if it's only for one day. And see for yourself what might happen. If you don't exercise, just allow yourself a light walk. The hardest part of any trek is the beginning. Begin!
Our Just Finished Vacation
My wife and I, and our dog, drove across the USA for a vacation. From SoCal to New Hampshire, and back. We drove around 7000 miles.
What I'd like to do is give a few observations.
First, I have a new appreciation for truckers. God bless those guys. Trust me, if you travel like we just did, you'll have an appreciation for truckers too. It's these guys who help make America work, and it seems like a pretty thankless job.
I was very impressed by our nation's infrastructure. There was never a worry about getting something to eat, gas in the car or a place to sleep. It's something we take for granted in this great country. But speaking the same language, clean running water, electricity, internet access, clean restrooms, was standard fare in our experience.
I had preconceived notions of what parts of the country are nice and those which aren't. My mom was in Kansas around 55-60 years ago (my dad was a military guy) and she always said Kansas was ugly, flat and boring. When my wife and I drove though Kansas, via the 34 freeway, we were very impressed by its beauty. One of the things I learned is that I know I have preconceived ideas that are just flat out wrong. And if I'm wrong, no matter what the issue, I want to always have the courage to admit it and move on.
I hate to say this folks, but I'm going to write this: Of all the states we drove through, (now you must realize that in coming home we took interstate 40 and 15), California was about the ugliest drive. In fact not "about", it was the worst part of our experience. Usually when we fly back home, we're always glad to be back. Though we love our home and appreciate it, we know there are lots more beautiful places in this country than here.
Internet access. It was so cool to go to any hotel and get access to the internet via the hotel's wifi network. It was very easy, easy I say because my wife showed me how to do it. My wife also has broadband service with Verizon. For me, if there is one company's customer service and phone service who I rave about, it's Verizon. Anyway, sometimes the hotel's wifi wasn't so good and my wife got better service via her Verizon phone. It was also pretty cool that once on our trip, going down the highway, my wife had her computer hooked up to her Verizon Blackberry and was watching reruns of "General Hospital".
I don't know if you're like me, but if so, you're always wondering where you would really like to live. In my early 20's, I hitchhiked from Seattle to San Diego, than to Houston up to Maryland. I decided I wanted to make Long Beach my home. Now I live in Brea, but I wonder if we'll move in the future. I'm sure some of out trips that we take will be with that in mind. Again, what I learned about Kansas made me realize that preconceived notions may be wrong. It's like going to a movie that everyone raves about, and my wife and I come home, and I say to her, "I just don't get it", I think I'm on the wrong planet or something in that we find the movie sucks.
But there is much I love about SoCal. I love it's choice. There are many places to go see that are quite varied in such a short distance. IE Downtown LA, Las Vegas, Big Bear, Catalina, Palm Springs, San Diego, etc. And so many cultures. We have Little Saigon, Korea, India, and Chinatown to name a few. And the restaurants. And the greatest reason, the weather--it just can't be beat. Also the one thing I noticed too, we don't have as many bugs.
By the way, one of my highlights of the trip: I went to buy a beer at a convenience store. I got carded (she asked for my ID). I asked her if she was serious, to which she said "yes". Then upon handing her my ID, I asked her if I could give her a kiss, to which she said "no". I would have been even happier if she had her "Yes" and "No" backwards'-)
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