Meow.. Only

I just noticed this new mural at Narragansett & Sunset Cliffs!

Alpha Beta

Our new family addition. :)

An Ironic Day for Universal Healthcare

Come to think of it. I have never had my own healthcare.  When I was a kid, I rarely saw the doctor. Dentist visits were saved for the emergency "extraction". Any female doctor type visits were at the hands of non-profit and/or welfare.  My family never had it, and I never had it.  It is a constant worry.  I have a great doc down the road, who charges $100 a visit, and I think that is reasonable.  My dentist, whom now I see every 6 months, right on time, once in January and once in July ( I plan on keeping the rest of my teeth) charges me cost as IF I had the best insurance.  I think he sees that I'm trying to do the right thing by bringing in Shea & myself every 6 months like clockwork, and is trying to meet my good turn with another.

Ironically, this week was the passing of the Affordable Health Care Act and I was offered a position in a capital company, that comes with a great insurance package.  I am excited to see a doctor regular and do the preventive care, not just the emergency care.  And I will. :)

I have been taking in news from all types of sources regarding the Affordable Healthcare Act. First, referring to this bill as "Obamacare" I don't much care for.  New media often aims at contorting the truth, right off the bat, call this bill by name. 

The Affordable Healthcare Act

Let me look at key provisions to make up my OWN mind. :) Bullet points per Wiki..

• prohibiting health insurers from refusing coverage based on patients' medical histories
• Americans with pre-existing conditions get insurance? I'm down!
• prohibiting health insurers from charging different rates based on patients' medical histories or gender
• I'm obviously in!
• repeal of insurance companies' exemption from anti-trust laws
• Insurance companies need to be wrangled, no?
• establishing minimum standards for qualified health benefit plans
• Sounds good!
• requiring most employers to provide coverage for their workers or pay a surtax on the workers wage up to 8%
• I am not sure what "most" means, will need to look into this.  Do they refer to small business with under 10 employees?
• restrictions on abortion coverage in any insurance plans for which federal funds are used
• Ok, I am not even touching this one.  I am pro-abortion, even could go to the extreme of more people should get them, but I am not going to get on a soapbox and argue that my neighbors tax money should pay for my unsafe sex. Cheers to you Planned Parenthood!
• an expansion of Medicaid to include more low-income Americans by increasing Medicaid eligibility limits to 133% of the Federal Poverty Level and by covering adults without dependents as long as either or any segment doesn't fall under the narrow exceptions outlined by various clauses throughout the proposal.
• For those of you whom complain that government healthcare will be long wait lines, have never had a baby on welfare :)  If they made childbirth on welfare, as much of a pain in the ass as I hear this government healthcare, then I think less women would be having welfare babies.  Have you heard of the gripe about the food stamp office?
  
• a subsidy to low- and middle-income Americans to help buy insurance
• I'm curious to understand more...
• a central health insurance exchange where the public can compare policies and rates
• Interesting
• allowing insurors to continue to dictate limits on evaluation and care provided consumers by their physicians ("managed" or "rationed" care)
• Hrm... ?
• avoidance of capitating or regulating premiums which are routinely and in accordance with this law, charged by an insurance company for coverage, which might make the coverage non-affordable vis-a-vis a consumer's income^[6]
• requiring most Americans to carry or obtain qualifying health insurance coverage or face a fine for non-compliance.^[3][9]
• a 5.4% surtax on individuals whose adjusted gross income exceeds $500,000 ($1 million for married couples filing joint returns)
• Is THIS the tax the news is up in arms about?  This middle class tax? Are you serious?
• CNBC Highest Paying Jobs 2011
  Listed with average annual salary (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
  
  1. Doctors and Surgeons: $165,720-$225,390
  2. Chief Executive Officer (CEO): $173,350
  3. Dentists: $158,770
  4. Lawyers: $129,440
  5. Natural Sciences Manager: $129,320
  6. Petroleum Engineer: $127,970
  7. Architectural Engineering Manager: $125,900
  8. Computer and Information Systems Manager: $123,280
  9. Marketing Manager: $122,720
  10. Financial Manager: $116,970
• a 2.5% excise tax on medical devices
• reductions in projected spending on Medicare of $400 billion over a ten-year period
• Reductions?
• inclusion of language originally proposed in the Tax Equity for Domestic Partner and Health Plan Beneficiaries Act
• Hrm?
• inclusion of language originally proposed in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 2009.
• I'll need to read that.. 
• imposing a $2,500 limit on contributions to flexible spending accounts (FSAs), which allow for payment of health costs with pre-tax funds, to pay for a portion of health care reform costs
• These are great.  This is what I'll be signing up for when my insurance comes in!

 I need to hear more facts, and less bullshit freakout FB posts and pundits loosing their minds for the ratings.

Articles

Whitehouse's Healthcare Website

Hate Obamacare? Don't Worry, Here Are Some Countries You Can Move To

Day of Five Dates

Date Three - Tribute Fest Liberty Station Bike Ride

We rode our bikes over to Tribute Fest, a little shin dig at NTC (aka Liberty Station), a Journey cover band was playing while we were there.  NTC is getting a Smashburger, a new Sushi place, a new Thai place and Stone Brewery is still threatening to come but, there no workers fixing up any place yet. So..... Date3, a ride bike ride around NTC :)!

Day of Five Dates

Date Two- Cafe La Maze & National City

Cafe La Maze opened in 1941, a lady at a Victorian Tea Party told me that it was once busted by the Feds for illegal gambling upstairs.  :) I chatted with the Tea Party ladies and learned a little about National City.  Here's something interesting facts per Wiki

• Brick Row on Heritage Square, 909 A Avenue Designed by San Diego architect R. C. Ball (who designed Folsom Prison), it was constructed by Frank Kimball in 1887 for $30,000. These 10 individual row houses were to be used by the executives of the Santa Fe Railroad. This architectural style is unique to this region and was molded after the row houses of Philadelphia and similar eastern cities. It was hoped that the railroad VIPs would not only feel at home surrounded by familiar architecture, but also be impressed by the cosmopolitan appearance of the young city. All the apartments have a formal dining room with fireplace, a kitchen, a parlor with fireplace, a butler's pantry, and four bedrooms upstairs

Twelve-inch-thick (300 mm) interlocking brick walls divide the units. The brickwork on the row houses was laid with an artistic eye to break the severe lines of the long walls. The bricks above the second story are set upright at an angle. A one-story wooden porch runs the length of the building.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it now is an integral part of National City's Heritage Square. Each of the 10 units is privately owned and maintained; however, there is a protective covenant on the facade, so the exterior will always be in keeping with the Victorian surroundings.

Oh and this gem,
Napoleone Pizza House (est. 1958) is the pizza place that Tom Waits worked at as a teenager ^[19] He mentions it in the song "I Can't Wait to Get Off Work (And See My Baby on Montgomery Avenue)" from Small Change and "The Ghosts of Saturday Night (After Hours at Napoleone's Pizza House)" on The Heart of Saturday Night.

  We had sauted mushrooms & prime rib.  It was really good, however I think Red Fox Room, Albies, Phillips and the Butcher Shop might be just a little better.  Definately the same league tho!

The decor is sweet, red velvet designs on smokey glass, red leather plushy booths, all round.  I'm I getting to picky when I complain about salad dressing in plastic cups, and drinks in plain pint glasses? :(  I love the framed pictures of the old movie stars!  Prime Rib was excellent!

Day of Five Dates

Date One - OB Street Fair

Enjoyed art from Matt Spangler from Lunarc Gallery

 

 

 

 

Ate some Lobster Balls!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Observed the Chili Cookoff

 

 

 

BFFs Forever

These two have been friends since pre-school. 

It's amazing that they both got into lottery drawn charter school for next year, 7 years later.

 

Obligatory Hodad's Shot!

Epic Photobomb

 

Circa May 2005

International Sign Of? Drowning?

Uncle Ryan's Nemesis

 

Ryan had a nemesis and it was this guy.  Ryan would be out, prolly at the Stick and this guy would show up, and Ryan would be like "ugh".  Guy had two reactions depending on his bi-polar swing for that day.  He either ran up to Ryan and wanted to hug him and be his buddy or wanted to beat his ass.  This pictures really captures this guys wack, here his is in tough guy leather jacket on pink cruiser.  Pink cruiser means hug, tough guy jacket means beat down.  Aw damn!

BOA Ewww..

The strip on my debit card was starting to fail and I ordered a new card at a 5$ fee. BS.  I walk down to my local branch, less than a mile away to get a new pin on the card.  As I'm walking a block away, the foulest smell crept from the bank.  I couldn't even guess as to what it was, it was that bad. Flies are circling.  Then I see it.

 

Yep, a cooler with the lid off, stuffed SO full of dead fish they have to go in vertically.  The security guard lounges and I ask, "really? how can you just sit here in this stink?"  He rattles off some gibberish, close to his native language, I think Tagalog, that the fish have been there for days, and the owner has not picked them up yet.  I head inside, to get irritated with how long it will take to pin my card.  I ask to speak to the boss regarding the dead fish outside, I'm told by the clerk that he is aware. WTF? And to go wait in the chair for a banker, in regards to that, after I sit to way too long, I go back to the teller, to be told, with no apology, that their is only one banker, who is painfully explaining online banking to a octogenarian.  Serves BOA right to have dead fish outside, so it matches their service.

June 18th 2012

Shea was off to her first day of LIT Training, a milestone when the kid gets training to help watch other kids. :)

I'm putting in tons of resumes a day and it feels like I'm not getting anywhere.

:(

We got the Bean & T-Bone's tickets to come out, I am super excited!

:)

The sun shines DOWN thru the top of the sunroof.

Summer is here.

Shea's new buddy has been hanging out.  Most of her buddies, she has known since way back, but this girl just moved here.  I am glad that she befriends new kids.  They had a sleepover and they practiced as zombies and we went bowling!

It's nice to be in love... ;)

Dreams... of Kitsune

I'm having these daydreams of owning a Sushi Restaurant....

Another Father's Day

Another goes by, and I read the heart felt sentiment go by on the feed and I feel still empty inside. 

I only wish I could have had .. that...

Summer in the City

Friday, we went and saw Rock of Ages down in Mission Valley, and got to lurk around Tilly's for a bit.  Mikee finally got the new backpack, he's been after.  Its amazing the prices for slacker clothes.. & whatnot.

The movie was so halarious! I loved it.. laughed so hard! Thumbs up!

Saturday, we got out the old bikes, and put on some miles.. starting out at Harbor Town for mimosa brunch.  I really like the food there, and the oddity of the bathroom having 90's stickers like Welt and the Bouncing Souls and BYO records.. for a pub that isn't even a year old.

We biked down to Shelter Island, hitting up Papageorigio's fuel dock and Island Palms, then down to Harbor Island, to the dockside deli.  Yep, we hang at deli's.. Down to Seaport Village, them up to Thai Time and to see a play called Respect at the Lyceum theater.

 We had to bail early because we were too damn tired.  We didn't get our bikes and butts home til' 10:30.  We had left home at 12:30, we were good and beat!  Now it's time for Sunday gardening and grocery shopping..

Train Roll On

I explained the "Freebird" thing the other day, got me to thinking about the weirdness surrounding Skynrd, or so I it seems from my eyes.  The plane crash is just bizarre, with the record picture....

 I am curious as to what the record is worth now.

 

Charlie Don't Surf

The Ball Waiting..

I miss hearing SVR on a daily basis..

Cold Mountain & The Civil Wars

We were watching Cold Mountain and I was just pondering how for as much as the Civil War effected this country in general, but really isn't touched on too much in So Cal.  Amazing how big this country is, and how the cultures change throughout.  Especially, after just spending so much time traveling though South Dakota & Colorado and just checking out the differences.  I could imagine this country separating.  Not in like some treason sense, but just in the vast differences of our regions...

Summer Jams

Neeewwman...

 

Watched some classic Newman this week.. oh, how I love this guy!

1st Day of Summer

And we spent it at the beach with friends and not much sun...

Summer Kick Off!

For the Graduates 2012

Last Day of School Beach Party

The tradition of meeting at Tower Two every year, directly after school lets out for the year is great! I got to shoot the ocean breeze with all the OBE mom's that I missed so much this year, and Shea gotta see the friends that were a year behind.

Desert Trip... Again!

Friday, after a long week of work, Mikee surprised me with a surprise trip to the desert! 

We spent the first night in Palm Spring and the second night in Laughlin.