Archive for interests
April 17, 2010 at 8:50 pm · Filed under daily, heart, interests
Yesterday, I went to this wonderful neuroscience conference in Vancouver, where there were several speakers who presented on their perspective of our homeless and drug problem in the urban community. It was a full day dialogue, and it was fascinating. Absolutely fascinating. Not only did it get political and scientific, it also got very deep and personal. They showed videos and photos of those who had drug-induced psychosis and living on the streets of Vancouver, particularly in the downtown east side, near Hastings. I am absolutely struck that so many people are living under such horrible, diseased, dire conditions. I am not one of those who will blame people for their own circumstances because I think that is too simple of an answer to a complicated question. I can sit by and say “Oh they deserve it because they did this to themselves.” After so many years of working in the mental health field, I have come to realize with wide open eyes that circumstances, genetics, and environment dictate who we become and who we are.
In other words, in different circumstances and with a different upbringing, I could be exactly in their place, homeless, drugged out, and with no support system.
Simply by saying, “Oh just let them kill themselves off and die. They deserve it anyway.” doesn’t make the problem go away. In fact, in many ways, it makes it worse. These are our people, our homes, whether or not we choose to accept them. These are the people who fall through the cracks. These are the people we are afraid to look at and when we do, we look at them with disgust because it is easier to do than to think, “Wow, this could be me in a different place and a different time.” These are the people who society turns their backs on because it’s easier to do than to admit that we have a problem that we need to get together and fix.
While driving home from the conference, I passed Hastings St. The two or three blocks where the homeless, the drug addicts, the sex workers all hung out struck me even more so than just that very morning when I passed through the same streets on my way to the conference. It was easier for me to ignore just 8 hours before, even though I’ve worked in this for about 5 years now. It was easier for me to say, “Oh well, poor souls.” and move on. Suddenly, I was struck by a deep understanding, a pitiful admittance about our society and the way we work. I find myself tearing up while I saw a cocaine-addicted sex worker roaming a corner, looking for her next fix, or her next client. I find myself wondering how I can responsibly go on with the rest of my life, without a care in the world, to my lovely new home, with my lovely new furniture, with my lovely family, to my lovely baby (who in different circumstances, could have, would have ended up where these people are).
I find myself staring blatantly in the face of our own failure as a human race. When we can’t even take care of our own. When we no more than blatantly commit cannibalism while we eat our own alive, through such abuse and ignorance. It is a societal cannibalistic act in and of itself, when we pretend that what we are doing to each other isn’t the same as what we are doing to ourselves.
(Anyone need atv?)
April 17, 2010 at 8:22 pm · Filed under daily, interests
I’ve seen people do this on their blogs, and I really enjoyed reading them, so I thought I’d do the same. These are random things I like:
* sunny days
* weekends (I’m sure you don’t have to guess why)
* mornings with my Lily Bean where I get her all to myself
* going out with our Lily Bean
* getting compliments from strangers about our Lily Bean
* kisses and hugs from Lily Bean
* okay, okay… Lily Bean herself
* good fiction novels
* guilty pleasures in tv shows (such as Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives)
* sliced mangoes with chili salt… mmm…
* not having Mesothelioma
* being healthy overall
* having a loving family
* sharing breakfast with Lily
* cuddle times during Caioulle episodes
* our new house
* our new couches
* getting our new bedroom set — FINALLY SOON
* honeycomb cereal
* tortillas by themselves
* my new job
* good friends
* evenings with my husband after Lily’s bedtime
* having a dishwasher
* comfy pajamas
* moca almond fudge ice cream
* photography
Okay I’m pooped. That’s all I can think of right now. There’s plenty more though.
March 30, 2010 at 7:47 pm · Filed under daily, interests
(from http://nica24.dailykos.com/)
You didn’t get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.
You didn’t get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate
energy policy.
You didn’t get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.
You didn’t get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.
You didn’t get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.
You didn’t get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said illegal war.
You didn’t get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.
You didn’t get mad when you found out we were torturing people.
You didn’t get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.
You didn’t get mad when we didn’t catch Bin Laden.
You didn’t get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.
You didn’t get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.
You didn’t get mad when we gave a 900 billion tax break to the rich.
You didn’t get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.
You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans…oh hell no.
January 19, 2010 at 12:28 am · Filed under interests
It is just about time to start planning for our yearly family summer get-away. And by “family,” I mean the extended family from Dave’s side. Every summer, give or take a few summers, we’ve made the effort to get away somewhere for a week or two as a family. Traditionally, it was to Gabriola Island off of Vancouver Island, but that has been long gone now for a couple of years when Gran could no longer make it there due to her health. It’s not the same without her there. So last year, we went to Southern California, for the sole purpose of Disneyland with the kids. This summer, we’re looking at other places, one of which could be Hawai’i or even a cruise up to Alaska. Maybe eventually, we’ll make it to the other side of the continent, like, say, one of those myrtle beach vacations, eh? I’ve heard great things about Myrtle Beach. But for now, we have our eyes set on Hawai’i or a cruise!
September 29, 2009 at 8:45 pm · Filed under daily, heart, interests
I’ve been toying with the idea of possibly starting my own business. Actually, I’ve been toying with this for a long time. Years, even. I sometimes get the vast urge to do something really creative with my artistic endeavors, like open up a greeting card store, or try my hand at a web design business again, or making photography as a full time job, or.. or.. well, you get the idea. But, I never really get around to actually taking the next step after “thinking about it.” I’ve never consulted with business plan consultants, and I’ve never really mapped out any sort of concrete plan. Maybe one day, as a retirement gig, I can do it. But for now, I’m really happy being a mental health therapist. For now, I really enjoy being able to help my community stay mentally happy. Happiness is a great business to be in.
December 4, 2008 at 11:56 pm · Filed under interests
I’ve heard of this neat new software called Dragon Naturally Speaking. When it first came out a few years ago, Dave told me about it and we both got really excited. We didn’t get the chance to try it out, but now I’m hearing about it again and it’s just as exciting as when I first learned about it. Not only does it subscribe your recordings, it is also easy to use and has become very dependable.Nowadays, with Dragon Naturally Speaking, it would be so easy to make blogging that much more simple. My top ten wish list for making blogging simpler is (but are not limited to): updating wordpress, widgets that make my website more noticeable and easier to maintain (such as my flickr widgets), Dragon Naturally Speaking (of course), an eye-catching design for all of my blogs (I need to make more web layouts; it’s been a while!), perhaps a new logo for all of my blogs, more time on my hands to blog, more memory for the laptop so that my sites will load faster and more efficiently, advertisement tools to get my blogs out there, and of course, eye-catching and memorable blog posts.
With Dragon Naturally Speaking, hands off blogging would be made that much simpler, and since I can talk faster than I type (which is already pretty fast!), it would make blogging that much faster too. I recommend getting it too. Here are some coupon codes for it if you need them.
November 30, 2008 at 1:38 pm · Filed under interests, thoughts
I read this in the waiting room at my doc’s office last month. It really puts everything in perspective.
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in this world.
If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in this world.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.
If your parents are still alive and still married, you are very rare, even in the United States.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can hold someone’s hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer healing touch.
Have a good day, and count your blessings!
November 29, 2008 at 11:10 am · Filed under interests
Well, I do have to admit that if ever there is a time to shop, Black Friday weekend is it. I’ve been coveting a few things that I haven’t been able to get since money is tight these days. Like a new digital camera. Though I would also love having some kick-ass binoculars. Nikon Promo is having a Nikon Black Friday Promo, and you can get a pair of really awesome binoculars there for cheaper than the usual price. Dave and I want to go camping a lot when Beaner is a little older, so we would love to have binoculars to look at the wildlife that we see. Bird watching is made much more awesome with cool Nikon binoculars!
November 10, 2008 at 11:48 pm · Filed under daily, interests, thoughts
This is interesting. I was doing some research to compare the U.S.’s capitalistic/market economy versus other developed countries’ socialistic governments, and I came across this. Doesn’t it make you want to move to a socialist country? I’m so glad I live in Canada now. Vancouver, BC, Canada, by the way, was voted #3 best place in the world to live. Woo!!
Why Socialism Works
Lets compare the neocons favorite target country France and the U.S.
Population :France 63,000,000
U.S. 300,000,000
GDP (official exchange rate):France $2.154 trillion
U.S. $13.22 trillion (2006 est.)
Growth rate:France 2.4%
U.S. 2.1% (2007 1RST QUTR.)
Budget:revenues:France $1.15 trillion
expenditures: $1.211 trillion
(This means the French government has $1.15
trillion to spend on only 63 million people.
We have only twice that much to spend on 300
million people.Almost 5 times as many people.
This explains why they have no potholes,can
afford universal health care and a 350+ mph train system.)
revenues:U.S. $2.409 trillion
expenditures: $2.66 trillion
Currency reserves:France $74,360,000,000
U.S. $86,940,000,000
Public debt:France 64.7% of GDP
$3,461,000,000,000 Trillion
U.S.64.7% of GDP
$8,825,000,000,000 Trillion
Deficit:France $58.8 billion
(By law Soc.Sec. funds can’t be spent
for anything but Soc.Sec.)
U.S. $760 billion (SOC.SEC. and Iraq funding
money spent but not counted in deficit.
350 billion +)
Military spending:France $46 Billion (3RD)
U.S. $276 Billion (1RST)
Gross National Income
(per capita):France $30,693.70
U.S. $43,144.30
(This doesn’t take into account Americans work an
extra 400 Hrs.per year for the extra income.)
Unemployment Rate:France 8%
(This is a bit misleading since most young
adults in France 16-26 don’t work but go
to school full-time)
U.S. 4.8%
Unemployment pay:France 57% For 22 Months
(75% For low Income)
U.S. 48% For 6 Months
Worker Productivity per hr:France $35 Per Hour (#2)
U.S. $32 Per Hour (#4)
(This blows away the myth that
socialism makes workers lazy.)
Population below
poverty line:France 6.2%
(Lowest for industrial countries)
U.S. 14%
Population below
median Income:France 8%
U.S. 17%
Inflation rate:France 1.5%
U.S. 2.5%
Average Work Week:France 35 Hours
U.S. 46 Hours
Minimum Wage:France $9.50
U.S. $5.15
Comparative price
levels by country:France 94
U.S. 109
(OECD AVE.=100, LESS THAN 100=Cheaper cost of living)
Vacation :France 7 weeks average
(5 Weeks minimum paid, by law)
U.S. 13 days average (source Infoplease)
Health Care:France Ranked #1
U.S. Ranked #37 (W.H.O. 2001)
Population gov.covered:France 99%
U.S. 40% (15% have no coverage.)
source (U.S. CENSUS BUREAU)
gov. cost per person :France $3,048
U.S. $5,711
yearly gov. cost growth:France 2.3%
U.S. 3.2%
Life expectancy:France 72 years
U.S. 69 years
Infant mortality rate:France 4.31 per 1,000
U.S. 10.4 per 1,000
Paid Maturnity leave:France 1 Year up to 3 for 3 children
U.S. none
GOV. pay for children:France 2 $480, 3 $960 Per month
(%40 Discount on publicTransit,Pools,etc.)
U.S. $0
Daycare:France 1-3 Free 3+ School
U.S. $400+ Per month,Per Child
Education:France free Preschool through College
U.S. Free Kindergarten-Through 12th Grade
Retirement age:France Average 59 Yrs old
U.S average 67 yrs old
Total crimes 2006:France 3,771,850
U.S. 23,677,800
Teen Pregnancy:France 17,985 births (2006)
U.S. 494,357 births (2006)
SIDE NOTES:
In France almost all workers get Saturday off and
Even more get Sunday off.
Additional
—-sources:
—–CIA world fact book
—–Nation Master
—–WIKIPEDIA
—–http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article
—–/2006/10/17/AR2006101701652.html
—–http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4856992.stm
—–http://www.kff.org/insurance/snapshot/chcm010307oth.cfm
—–http://www.easyexpat.com/paris_en/work_unemployment-benefits.htm
—–World Health Organisation
—–Personal Information
November 5, 2008 at 4:02 pm · Filed under interests, thoughts
So yes, Obama won. I was on a huge high yesterday. I, among so many Americans out there, was desperate for change, and I was also cynical that this change was going to come. Hopeful, but cynical. This is the first time in my voting history that I am actually excited for a presidential candidate, and I am excited that he got elected. In fact, he won by a landslide. A landslide, people!! It wasn’t even “close.” It wasn’t as close as the last two elections, which were stolen by the Republican right-wing. This one was won fair and square, and I couldn’t be more proud.
I was one of those people who threatened to move to Canada after Bush got elected the last time around. I am one of them who actually made the move. Yesterday not only marked the official day of this election, it also marked the official day I made my move legal. I’m officially a Canadian resident. I still have the right to vote in the U.S., and I vote I did. But, as I took seriously what so many hateful Americans told me to do four years ago when I complained about Bush being in office for another 4 years, I simply “left.” However, from a distance, I am still promoting change in America, and I couldn’t be more proud.
The last eight years confirmed my final progression to Canada. It also confirmed, without a shadow of a doubt, that Dave and I would be bringing our children into this world on Canadian soil instead of U.S. soil. The last eight years changed me a lot. It changed the way I identified myself and it changed the way I looked at America. Now, hopefully, the next four years and so forth will help mend this view.
Since Obama’s victory, I have seen and read and heard a lot of weird things from the right-wingers and those who voted for McCain. While I can’t understand (and probably never will, no matter how hard I may try) their reason to vote for McCain, I respect their votes nonetheless. What remains strange, though, is the reasoning some of them give for voting for McCain. I hear that Obama only won because he is “black.”
Seriously? We’re pulling the race card? While watching McCain’s defeat speech last night, the camera showed two people in his fan audience who appeared to be a father-and-son team of skinheads. The father was pissed off, and he was holding his toddler son in his arms. Of course, I cannot confirm that these two were in fact skinheads and rioting for hate crimes against ethnic minorities. However, the thought of this scares me. Having an African American for president is a big deal because I didn’t think we were ready to have anyone other than an old white dude. In all our progression, we haven’t progressed that far yet. But, as important as it is, it is not as important as his policies, and I respect this man and his policies way more than I respect the color of his skin. After all, he is just as “white” as he is “black,” having his mother being white and his father being black. So no, race is not an issue in this election for me. It is an issue in America because we’re still much more backwards than we would like to believe. I mean, 45 years ago, black people couldn’t even vote, and now we have a black president. Of course it is important. But more than anything else, he is a genuine man, a man of the people, a man who remembers that just because you’re “rich” doesn’t mean the poor deserves to be poor.
And then there are the others who say that “non-Christian values” got elected into office this term. First feeling: anger. Second feeling: “What the HELL does that mean??” At the risk of getting too political, really, people, explain this to me. Other than the fact that I am not a Christian, I would have thought that I too have “Christian values,” except well, I call them simply “morals.” What are these “Christian” values that Christians have that I don’t? I don’t get it.
Thou art not kill?
Thou art not commit adultery?
Thou art not be stupid and hurt other people?
Thou art be kind to thy neighbor?
Thou art help people as much as thou can?
I think I am a good person, with good values, with good morals. The fact that I am not religious doesn’t take away this fact at all, in my belief. These “Christian” values normal people call simply “morals.” I do not need the fear of God in me to lead me to be a good person, with good morals and values, albeit Christian or Olympian or Buddhist.
But if you will, please explain to me what these “Christian values” are that I may be lacking merely because I’m not a Christian. I just don’t get it. Maybe I’m ignorant or something?
And correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Obama announce that he IS a religious man, that he does believe in God and that he is a Christian? How, then, are Christian values not elected in this time? Is it because he’s a Democrat? Or left-wing? Or that he helps the poor and believes in small business? Or that he has “socialist values,” heaven forbid? That he wants to help everyone and not just people who are willing to be capitalists? What is it about these these “Christian values” that are so sought after?
Thirdly, wait a minute, isn’t there a specific thing in the American legislation that states “separation of church and state”? If so, what does it matter that the president is religious or not? Christian or Muslim? Atheist, even? *gasp*
Fourth, seeing as how Bush was such a “Christian” man and what a crappy job he did in 8 years (count the innocent civilian lives he helped murder in the Middle East, the thousands of American soldiers who were killed by enemy AND friendly fire, the vast economic deficit accumulated over the last 8 years, and the list goes on), isn’t it time for a change, then? Isn’t it safe to say, by logical deduction, that perhaps we don’t need more “Christian values” in the White House?
I am set to remember over the next four years that it will take longer than four years to fix all the crap that Bush did to this country. The separation, the polarization, the enemies we’ve made overseas, the terrorists we helped create, the wars we’ve created, the laws that have vastly excluded the down trodden (but hey, they don’t deserve any of our love or sympathy because they’re all a bunch of lazy Democrats who want free handouts anyway!), etc. etc. Here’s hoping Obama can make even a slither of change that we need. And perhaps we can vote him in for another round of change.
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