Healthcare Reform: The Great Conflict

As I listened in my car this morning that Individual Mandate tax in the Healthcare Reform Bill had been upheld by the Supreme Court, I sighed and kept driving. There are positives and negatives to this Bill, but I fear that the negatives & cost outweigh the positives. And yes, I have read the Healthcare Reform Bill...have you?

Are the new benefits in this Bill evil? Not exactly. However, I'm extremely upset that I will be paying a percentage of the premiums for someone's abortion, but that's another article for another time (Insurance companies should only have to cover Medically Necessary abortions for pregnancies that are threatening the life of the mother, not Whoops-I-had-a-one-night-stand Abortions). But I digress.

The biggest problem I have with Healthcare Reform is that there is a reason why the provisions below haven't been covered by insurance companies before. Forcing insurance companies to cover a multitude of new benefits, and forcing individuals to purchase Healthcare or pay a penalty is also wrong.

Will children grow up wanting to be doctors? Probably not. They'll want to be entrepreneurs. More profit, less mandates, more freedom.

Let me explain my relationship with Healthcare Reform. I am a licensed Insurance Broker, and I work mainly with Group Health Plan clients. Therefore I am not only training my clients on the changes we are facing, but I study Healthcare Reform weekly, if not daily.

Also, if I am the person that enrolls individuals and companies in their health insurance, then what happens to my job & all of the other brokers out there when people are forced to go to the Exchanges? I thought jobs were the biggest priority for our president (not capitalized on purpose, capitalization is for important things).

The changes that have already been implemented are not terrible things, but they do bring an increase in cost. It's like going to a fancy restaurant and having them force you order the filet, a bottle of Cabernet, 3 sides, and dessert in order to eat there. Those things are great, but they will increase your bill. Oh wait, this restaurant has a group mentality, so other people's bills will be averaged into yours. Enjoy.

Here are some of the changes that have been implemented so far that have increased the average Insurance Plan renewal rates 15 - 17% each year (Not my opinion, actual numbers from insurance carriers I work with like Blue Cross Blue Shield, Health Net, Cigna, etc.):

• Dependents Coverage to Age 26
• Adult/married children can be enrolled under the parent's group health plan regardless of full-time student status
• Pre-Existing Conditions waived for Children under 19
• Life Benefit Limits Removed
• Health Insurance plans used to have Lifetime Benefit limits of $5,000,000 (we've only had 2 clients max this out, out of the hundreds we work with), now have an Unlimited Maximum (insurance company liability).
• Preventive Services Covered in Full 
• Your Well Woman, Well Man, Well Baby, etc. exams are now covered in full...whereas before it would be subject to your PCP copay, usually $20, $30, maybe $45.
  (Don't be fooled, this cost is now built into your insurance rates.)

Is individual insurance for families without Group Health Coverage a bad thing? Absolutely not. What concerns me is Government Mandated insurance. Are four tiers of coverage enough to choices for all the families in America? I doubt it.

The Individual Mandate (you know..the one that the Supreme Court ruled on today) states that "U.S. Citizens and legal residents are required to have "minimum essential coverage" or else face a tax penalty...The tax penalty for noncompliance is the greater of $695 per person per year, up to a maximum of $2,085 per family, or 2.5% of household income." 

If your employers don't provide enough health benefits, they get financially penalized (Employer Mandate). If your employers provide too much health benefits, they will be financially penalized (Cadillac Excise Tax). 

So you'll probably have to go to the Exchange since your employer might opt to pay those taxes (which are lower than the cost of providing Health Insurance for you) instead of providing a Group Health plan. Of course, then they will have to increase your pay in order to compensate for not providing Group Health Coverage, and pay the increased payroll taxes that come with it, which lowers their profitability from when they were paying pre-tax dollars to your health plan. It seems that the Government has created a jumbled mess with intended & unintended consequences.

Guaranteed Issue, is guaranteed to raise costs. "Carriers must accept all applicants regardless of pre-existing condition & health status and must use adjusted community rating." This applies to the Exchanges too...claims costs from everyone else in your state, possibly even country, are now being added to your monthly premium.

The Exchange - January 1, 2014

If you do not have minimum essential coverage (which is yet to be determined, of course), whether through your coverage at work or individually, you will be forced to go to the Exchange. 

"There are four tiers of coverage. Each tier covers the following minimum actuarial value of covered benefits. Coverage in each metal category must include essential benefits and have out-of-pocket maximums no greater than HSA limits ($5,950 for individuals, $11,900 for families in 2011)."

• Bronze - 60% Coverage
• Silver - 70% Coverage
• Gold - 80% Coverage
• Platinum - 90% Coverage 

Since the only say I really have here is on who I will vote for to be our next President, all I can do is educate myself on current issues & pray that God will be with our country during this time of turmoil, confusion, and debt.

Netflix Foreshadows End to DVD's, Customers Foreshadow End of Netflix

A new company that because successful quickly is a beautiful thing. It's like a flower popping out of the ground, it has a great chance to not survive at all, but then there are the ones that do. Netflix was an almost instant success with it's business model of charging a flat price for keeping a DVD for however long you wanted, with choices of up to 3 DVD's at a time. My dad was thrilled! No more late fees. We can watch the movie over and over again for a month if we wanted to, hallelujah!

Ten years later, as I watch the Netflix stock fall with each passing hour, I wonder what they were thinking.

I have been a Netflix customer for the past year, and my family has had a Netflix account since the beginning of it all. Since I don't have a TV in my room, the ability to watch shows and movies online on my laptop was wonderful. I loved getting DVD's in the mail, because the online selection is crap compared to the DVD selection. I watched so many movies the first few months of starting my account, it wasn't even funny! I caught up on all the 80's and 90's movies that I was never allowed to watch. I never knew how Harry Met Sally or how Julia Roberts was a Pretty Woman.
After reading the e-mail from Netflix CEO Hastings yesterday, I was very irritated for many reasons. So irritated that, even though I love getting my Netflix in the mail, I cancelled my DVD subscription. I will also be cancelling my streaming subscription in a few weeks when I move into my new home with my (almost) husband, since I purchased an Apple TV for my parents I think it would be cruel & unusual punishment if they could not watch their Arrested Development re-runs without notice.

For me, I felt that Netflix needed to financially know how dumb (for lack of a better word) their decision is to split up their company into two seperate companies. I don't know if they all have hover crafts and hologram messaging, but down here on earth we like our DVD's. We like to hold them, a DVD wont have a slow network. A DVD wont have site maintence.

I like seeing my collection, physically browsing through my own DVD's, and the excitement of popping in a new one into my DVD player. Not everyone has a device like an Apple TV where they can connect their online streaming choices to straight to their television. The DVD player did not come out that long ago, and Netflix is trying to bury their own product so quickly it's making people's heads spin. By trying to predict the future and be ahead of the game, they are infuriating their customers and yanking away something that is so comfortable, something that we love.
I refuse to log into two seperate websites, get charged by two seperate "companies" for my DVD services. I would much rather go check out Blockbuster's DVD services, or continue to rely on the trusty RedBox. Netflix has made it easier than ever for their competitor's to slide into first place.

The name of the second company Netflix is splitting into is called "Qwikster." I took many branding and marketing classes, and have created brand names and marketing pieces for freelance clients, so if this new name is baffling to me, I understand why it is baffling to everyone else. It is unfamiliar, it isn't even the same font and doesn't have any "flix" association with it. Any smart marketing director would be able to see the need to create an association between the two.

Netflix has tried to defend itself saying that they don't want to hurt Netflix's brand name by the inevitable erosion of the DVD industry. While I understand that, their timing was all wrong. DVD are still very much apart of our society and daily lives, and will be for a long time. I purchased my DVD's, I spent money on them. I will not be throwing them in the trash simply because a corporate bafoon is re-routing his company in hopes that millions of people will in fact do so.

In summary, the marketing director, creator of the name "Qwikster," individual who spurred on the price increase, and Hastings for his tone-deaf messages sent to MY e-mail account...all should be fired.

Call Me a Coinstar...I'm loving all this Change! Part 2

It's Monday afternoon...and 40 days til my wedding day with Chris. While I have a slight burning sensation in my stomach with the anxiety that is building as our big day nears...I'm trying to take it all in the best that I can and absorb these precious days as they come. I get asked all the time how everything is going, so this is my little way to fill everyone in, & also document this time so I can look back on this year & never forget it...

April was a rush of excitement, as I got engaged & bought my wedding dress. May started with the happiness of celebrating my (soon to be) neice coming into this world, then celebrated my graduation from Arizona State University, & off to work two days later at a wonderful Financial Firm. June was just plain scorching. July was intense, as I finished my last three college credits with a night class after my Account Managing position.

August has been exciting & nerve racking, as packages flood to my parent's house holding Wedding goodies galore. I think my mom is trying to beat me on how many packages she can get delivered to the house...either way, my dad is concerned, ha!

My bachelorette party weekend spent at the Royal Palms Resort was the greatest weekend I could have ever asked for, and reminded me of the amazing young women in my life who planned an amazing party and thsoe who came to support me. In two weeks I'll be able to celebrate my Bridal Shower with family & friends, yet another day I have been looking forward to for years.

It seems so surreal that Chris & I are also in the process of purchasing a house...and will sign the papers any day now to make it ours. These past few months have been a whirlwind mixture of invitations, glitter, centerpieces, couch searching, blessings, conflicts, family & friends. God has been there with Chris & I through it all, & I would not change a thing.

As I was sitting on my bed talking with my mom about the stressful parts of all these wonderful things, my dad came in my room with album pages from my baby album, and all the stress melted away. I remembered the connection I had with the little babies & children I have nannied for a total of four years, and knew that if they were my own children, seeing them grow up & get married would be 1,000 more emotional than it already would be. Seeing my dad laugh at how tiny I was, helped me regain the perspective of what a large day October 8th will be.

The centerpieces will be beautiful, the food will be great, being surrounded by friends and family will be amazing, but walking down the aisle towards Chris after three years of falling in love with each other, will be a moment that I have waited for my whole life & one that I will never forget.

This all seems crazy, this all seems so surreal. But it all feels so right.

Well Call Me a Coinstar, I'm Loving All This Change: Part 1

It is hard to believe that it is now June. Just yesterday I was ringing in the New Year, wishing it was June. Now I'm sweating off body parts I don't even have, wishing it was the New Year. Funny how that works.

Life has changed so much for me over the past 6 months it seems like the roadrunner from the old cartoons whizzed by, spun me around, & somehow I landed on my feet suddenly engaged, welcoming my fiance's neice into this world, graduating from college & looking at houses! All amazing things, but what a year.

Since it would be a bit much to cram all of these life changing events into one blog post, so I will break them all up. Here goes #1:

I think in order to look forward, or even appreciate the present, you have to look back. I believe that God designed life that way for us, this complex wonderful mixture of memories, emotions, thoughts, & actions. If we can't learn from the past, or even appreciate the steps it took to get us where we are, then our future is hopeless. As my sophomore year economics professor said, but I digress.

I look back at when Chris & I first met. I was 19, he was 23, and I was wearing a vest. One that he liked of course. I caught his eye & he was sneakily talking to my roommate, meanwhile he caught my eye & was praying about him for four weeks before I let myself talk with him.

Back to the vest, I came in late to the Element college group after work one Thursday night. I was worried I looked like a mess after rushing to get there, since there was this "cute name-tag guy" who wouldn't leave my thoughts or prayers. I was one of the last people in, & up to Cute Name-Tag Guy I went, and he said to me, "I like your vest."

Now, there's more to that story, but we've been inseparable ever since. And now, over two and a half years later we are engaged! It still seems hard to believe he proposed hundreds of feet in the air, in an airplane just for us, at sunset over Lake Pleasant.  Say wha?!

Your whole life you wonder who "the one" is. You picture some faceless guy with brown hair, who loves God, who is at least 3 inches taller than you, who doesn't have a drug record, loves his parents, and will love you for the rest of his life. Everything else is a variable, and you wonder which guy will fit the mold.

I just remember looking at Chris, in an airplane, with a ring on my left hand, and that guy wasn't such a mystery any longer. The faceless man disappeared, and here I was looking in the eyes of my future husband.

Now, some of you may be going, please tell me you wanted to marry this guy before you got in that darn airplane. Yes, of course I did! But I also believe, that we are supposed to not look for the perfect future spouse, but instead try our best to BE the perfect future spouse for someone, and let God do the picking.

If you're wondering why Mr. Perfect hasn't waltzed into your living room, while you're sitting there using your Bible as a coaster and not paying attention to any flaws that God-forbid you might be harboring, then there is a sense of full delusion that you seem to have a firm grasp on.

I don't know how Chris & I found each other, I dont know why I couldnt get him out of my head for a whole month before we even spoke more than 3 sentences, or why we ran into each other in the middle of one of the largest Universities in the country. All I know, is that I focused on myself, focused on the woman God wanted me to be and the kind of wife my future husband needed me to be, and let God do the picking.

Needless to say, this worked out great for me, and if you are in the aforementioned situation above, I highly suggest you find a different coaster, and try the same thing. God is a nice guy, and unlike your cat, He listens and even responds (Don't worry, I have a cat. Yes, yes I know he really does listen to you. It's that blinky look he gives you, isn't it?).

Well, as I'm giggling at my little title of this blog, I'm also realizing how late it is. Until the next day when I have free time to reflect on life, adios.

Why I Wont Be Purchasing a Nissan Leaf

I am graduating college this year in May, and like many college graduates, I am shopping for a newer vehicle. For the meantime, I will be driving approximately 9,000 miles per year just to work, so I need a reliable, fuel efficient vehicle.

Nissan has recently come out with an amazing new vehicle that requires no gasoline, and solely runs on electric and solar power. The Nissan Leaf really is the gateway to the future of automobiles. As political events in Egypt take way, gas prices in the U.S. are elevating with each passing day.

Sooner or later, America will no longer wish to be so reliant on the Middle East for our fuel, hence the hybrid cars of the future. As a person that lives in Arizona, where there is little practical public trasnportation offered, and everything is extrememly spread out, fuel efficiency, as well environmental impact are key concerns for me in my car-buying adventure.

Sadly, I was cut short of hoping to own such a vehicle, seeing that the costs of the Nissan Leaf are just too high at this point in time in my financial life. I find this interesting, seeing that I am smack dab in the middle of Nissan's target market, according to the interview Nissan's CEO Carlos Ghosn did with Fast Company magazine in the March 2011 edition.

"Fast Company: Who are your prime targets?
Ghosn: Women and young people. Our problem is not selling the car. This is something people have been asking for...[The first electric cars] were selling for $100,000. Who's going to buy that?... This is $25,000 [after Government incentives], but even that I consider expensive."

After reading this interview, I was really excited about the Nissan Leaf. I jumped on my computer and started crunching numbers. I wondered, with the approximately $130 a month I pay for in gas I would  be saving by purchasing an all-electric vehicle, I wondered if I could afford it...

My car is 11 years old, good shape, but 11 years old. I'm being realistic in saying that I will get at least $1,500 for a trade in for my silver hot rod.  I also figure that a decent down payment on a car is at least 20% of the car's purchase price. The national average for a car payment is approximately 10% of your take home pay. If I were to purchase the Leaf, I would also be saving approximately $130 a month in gas. 

Here is the breakdown for the Nissan Leaf SV:

Purchase Price: starting at     $32,780 MSRP
Max Government Incentive: $7,500 off purchase price
Arizona Incentives:               $100 off purchase price
(see the Nissan Leaf website for State Incentives that apply to you)
_______________________________________________

Cost thus far:                        $25,180  (not including tax, title and licensing fees)

Break down of the payments:
Down payment of 20%:       $5,036.   
Trade In value:                     $1,500
(With a sales tax of 8% and an interest rate 6%)


With these numbers, if purchasing my payments would be as follows:
24 month loan: $933/month
36 month loan: $640
48 month loan: $495
60 month loan: $407
72 month loan: $349

I would basically have to put $13,000 down in order to afford monthly payments on this car...no thank you. Looks like green isn't the way I'll be going.

Wiki wiki.

Someday all there will be of me are pictures and old possessions that my loved ones will cherish. Maybe there will be a paragraph about me on Wikipedia or some other news article, maybe not. But if there is, I have a chance now to write what it will say by how I act and what I do.

More deeply engraved than words on a page ever will be, are the memories of me that people will hold. Those are all guided by my choices as well. I have a choice between the good and bad, the judgmental and non, the confrontational and the peaceful. I will remember this as often and as much as I can.

East Coast

© Briana Thomas

A few months ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Cape Cod, MA and New York City with a great friend of mine, Taylor. It was an amazing experience, and today I was missing it so I thought I'd share.

Heather & Taylor in Martha's Vineyard, July 2010

Cape Cod, & Kathy Lee
Cape Cod is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been too, it's stylized houses and scenery makes you feel like you've stepped back in time to the 1800's. On the 4th of July we were in Nantucket, and while looking in a cute jewelry store I heard a voice that sounded very familiar...I turned and it was Kathy Lee Gifford! She was helping her daughter pick out a bracelet, Taylor was standing right next to her and didn't even realize it! I pulled her aside to "show her something" and pointed out who was in the store with us. We were too nervous to get her autograph, but it was a fun little moment standing next to someone I watch on television almost every morning on the Today Show.

 Taylor & I in Nantucket on July 4th, 2010

Taylor & I took beautiful pictures of the ocean, hydrangas, and all the cool buildings and architechture that we saw. I remember lots of green tea being drank, and lots of bathroom stops! We definitely stimulated the economy with how many trips to Starbucks we made! We saw Dunkin Donuts EVERYWHERE, and finally Taylor needed a donut

 She finally got her donut :)

New York!
It was Taylor's 21st birthday while we were in New York, and we celebrated by eating about five slices of cheesecake, one at every single restaurant we ate at within two days of her birthday. I had never eaten so much in my entire life on this trip, I literally went home expecting to have gained about eight pounds, but nothing...which isn't a bad problem to have.

We were on a double-decker bus the day that New York experienced the largest heat waves since the 70's, to say the least, we were dying! I wore a kelly green dress, and when I stood up it looked like someone had splashed water on me (gross) because it was soo humid and we were on plastic seats on the bus. Taylor was laughing & taking pictures, I was fanning the bottom of my dress back & forth like it was on fire.

I could write about nine pages about my wonderful trip, but I will resist. It was a refreshing experience being on the other side of the country, seeing historical sites and getting to spend time with Tay. I want to go back NOW!


(All photographs are © Briana Thomas)

10,000 views celebration: about me, the one with the keyboard

I look at my ‘views’ count, and I think I’m stunned that it is almost at 10,000! Well, I decided to share a little about me to those of you who find my posts interesting enough to read. And I want to say thank you, whomever you may be, for humoring me & reading my stuff. Maybe I’ll write a book & you can say you read the original ‘Bri Blog.’

(Comment @ the bottom & tell me who you are & where you come from! I would love that.)

Well, here goes nothing. My name is Bri, I hope that I am many things and most, if not all, of them good. I am a Graphic Designer, writer, future entrepreneur, lover of God, green tea and creating things with my hands. Sometimes people overboard with how amazingly unique they are, which is fine, but I will spare you with any comments pertaining to that.

I am who I am, I have gone far in life & I plan to go further. By this I mean I have educated myself (finishing my last semester of college as we speak!!), thanks to my parents I have traveled, and seen parts of the world filled with either extreme wealth or extreme disparity. While the former seems to be everyone’s goal in life, the latter changed mine more than words can describe. So maybe instead of trying to gain a lot of money, we should be spending time helping those less fortunate in order to gain the true riches in this life.

I only write what I feel is worth saying, so if I do not post anything for a while, it means either I have taken a lot of credit hours, or I have not been in a situation truly worth telling the world about (I say world, because I’ve gotten quite a few responses in Chinese…haha maybe I’m a celebrity in China & don’t even know it.)

I am not a feminist in any way, harping about one problem in this world will only cause distaste about that person & disrespect for the ‘problem’, however I feel that I have a job as a female (AND a blonde one!), to not just slide into the ‘housewife’ role & do something with my life and have own dreams and aspirations separate from my future husband’s.

I am currently a nanny while I am in college, and at times I think about writing a book or even some blog posts about the things I have found helpful in raising someone else’s children. I am not a pushover, I probably put the kids in more timeout then both of their parents do, combined. But at the end of the day, I managed to see three sad little faces when I leave, I see this as a huge accomplishment. Ok, done with tooting my own little horn.

I am currently beginning multiple businesses. I am securing web-domains, LLC licenses, going through logo development and writing out full plans for each individual business. And I’m 21, I think it’s all pretty cool as I watch plans come together. (Come back soon to hear more!).

My personal life is personal, however I do have a wonderful boyfriend who means the world to me. He is, as people call it, a ‘keeper.’ For over two years he’s been my long-boarding buddy, the cynical voice next to me as I watch the Bachelor, the kiss on the forehead when I’ve had a tough day. The voyeur in all of you wants me to say more, but I shall not! Maybe later. I am blessed. That is all.

Well, there is more about me, but I will save it for another time. The end.

No New Year's Resolutions, Just Old Year's Accomplishments

I refuse to take away from my accomplishments any longer. If we are all beating ourselves up for the things we didn't do, we will never full give ourselves credit for the great things we did do.

It's the new year. While there is a lot of people making the ol' 'New Years Resolution,' I refuse. I feel like there's this notion about making resolutions that makes a person feel that there is something horribly wrong with them, and all these things to fix.

Yes, there are things I look forward to in 2011, and my own personal goals that will be met this year. I will celebrate one of my best friend's 21st birthdays, I will celebrate 22 years on this planet, I will celebrate along with friends the birth's of their four little bundles of joy (Willa, Gage, Tenley, & Kingston!), I will watch as three couples (so far) tie the knot and begin their lives together as newlyweds, I will graduate with my Bachelor's degree, & I will begin my professional journey as a Graphic Designer & Etsy artist, not to mention celebrate three years of dating my wonderful boyfriend Chris.

These are all wonderful things, and I will choose to focus on them instead of picking apart everything about myself. I know the things I need to improve on, I make a mental note on them daily. But if I look back at a list from Jan. 1, 2011 at the end of the year, & I have not completed all the things on the list, I will be disappointed.

This negatively connated action takes away from any accomplishments made the year before. I will be so focused on the fact that I didn't actually start yoga this year, or I didn't actually work out three days a week, and forget that I completed 36 hours of college credit while working 25 hours a week, or the fact that my room is more organized than ever, or that I have written out my entire business proposal for my companies that I will start in the near future.

So this is my resolution, to not have a resolution. To look to the future in optimism & hope, that all things bad will fall by the waste-side and all things positive will rise to the top.

Twas the Night Before Finals...

Twas the night before finals
And all through the house
Not a student was stirring
Not even a mouse

The note cards were written
So neatly with care
In hopes that a 4.0
Would soon be there

Oh where were they?
Where could they be?
Only a crabby professor
Could solve this mystery

Were they snuggled and tucked
Tightly in their beds
Oh no....
They were at Hayden Library instead

Studying and racing
Only hours to go!
Would the curve be big enough?
No one would know.

Economics, Sustainability
Legal Issues, Art History
The classes were lined up
From A to Z

Don't forget a pencil
Don't forget your ID
Don't forget, no hats!
Don't forget to pee!

Rushing and rushing
Yet still sitting still
The clock kept ticking
Only 3 hours 'til

My professor hates me
That's what I'll say
When my parents ask
Why I didn't get an A

I sit down in my chair
Quiet in my seat
I swear the whole room
Can hear my heart beat

I bubble and I bubble
I bubble away
30, 40 50 questions
Too many today

I walk out of the room
Into the light of the sun
I cannot cannot believe
That I am finally done.
-Bri

Joyful does not mean Naive

I have not written anything on here lately. That is due to a mixture of mass amounts of school work and studying, followed by a heavy dose of work and social committments.

What I have been contemplating lately, is the difference between human beings and personalities. Some personalities rub others the wrong way, while those same people are viewed as extremely attractive to others. It doesn't make anyone right or wrong in their thinking or how they read people, it just makes them different.

For the longest time I was concerned with other people's opinions of my life or people that I liked, and it would make me upset if my friends had a negative view about someone or something I cared about, because it rubbed them the wrong way. But we are all very different. One person will be offended by something, and that is alright, but another wont be offended, and this is alright too.

I am talking about minor infractions, nothing grand scale. Im not talking about public nudity or committing crimes or anything like that. I am talking about how people react to social interactions, conversations between people, events that occur in relationships, etc.

I think one of the most poisonous things a person could do, is to not even think about another person's view on things, and to just impose your own view on their situation, unsolicited. Unless, of course, that person is in harm's way, being abused verbally or physically, or their health is in danger. If they are happy in their situation, then let them be happy.

You are allowed your opinion, but be sensitive in how you phrase it. I am a nice person, I like to find the best in people. I am also a Christian female and a morally "good girl," somehow this translates to people as being naive or weak and it drives me insane. Those words literally make my face hot. It is as if they are implying I am in LaLa Land and I am unaware of surrounding circumstances.

Quite the opposite, I am very aware. I have the type of personality where I play out all the possible outcomes of a scenarios before I get involved in that scenario, and that leads to me making a more informed decision. This can apply to anything, from shopping at a grocery store, to when I started dating my boyfriend, to being a high school student. Every cause has an affect. I don't have that many regrets because this is how I am.

I do not live my life in reckless abandon, not looking at any consequences to my actions, social or otherwise. When I walk into a parking garage, I am not Bambi. I am not humming a silly little tune and skipping to my car. I have my keys between my fingers and mace in my hand. And yes, I can and have kicked a guy in the head before (he was my friend, but I can still do it). I have also been yelled at by an ex-boyfriend for being too nice and not getting upset with him, how does that make sense? He obviously needed turmoil that I could not give him.

If I dated a guy that mistreated me in any way, done. End of story. I am not a Yo-Yo dater just going back for crappy seconds. I do not put up with mistreatment, verbal or otherwise. I choose people I keep close to me very carefully, if you are not able to bring encouragement and all other positives that a friend should be, you will be kept at arms length.

Yet I still give off this impression to people that are close to me that I am naive. Being happy and joyful and smiling at the simple things in my day does not make me naive. If people are telling me I have to be cold and stoic in order to be percieved as intelligent and aware, then give me a different set of people.

I may be the juxtaposition to what people normally are used to, but that is okay. I have decided that it makes people feel better if they can place you in a category, especially one that is lesser than themselves. I will continue to be joyful and thoughtful. I will continue to be bubbly and informed. I will continue to care and to stand up for the truth. Just because someone places me in a category, does not mean I have to crumble and stay there.

The Mary Kay Way

If I were to ever own a business, and I do plan on this happening someday, I would like to run it the same way Mary Kay did.  I'm not saying I'm going to have thousands of employees running their own personal business out of their homes doing makeup parties and demonstrations, but I would like to achieve the same amount of respect for my employees & business partners as she did.

I started reading Mary Kay Way last year after going on a book binge (bookstores just make me happy). Since I do want to own a business I thought it would be smart to read a book about one of America's smartest business women.


I cannot recount the entire book to you, nor would I want to.  But one of the founding principles of her business was treating someone like you would if you were having them over for dinner in your home. No more of this "big guy, little guy" stuff, with bosses ringing your neck for a mistake instead of handling the situation with dignity.

This book is inspiring, and though it may be pink, should not just be read by females, or even just by people who want to or already own a business.  This book inspires you to treat everyone in a way that not only makes them feel important, it makes them feel listened to and appreciated.

Think about it, how many times have you had a conversation with someone, but you are continually looking around the room while doing so? How unfair is that to the other person. In a friendship, it is disrespectful and makes the other person feel unimportant. In a business meeting, it is also disrespectful, but it makes the other person feel like you are unprofessional.

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Love Etsy

So I've been making things to sell on Etsy.com lately. It's an amazing site where you can only sell vintage or handmade items. I've always loved making things, when I was a kid, while others were playing video games, I was cross-stitching and knitting.

Here are some of the items I've made:

Pink & Brown Demask Pillow - $7 (+s&h)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/45781994/pink-and-brown-damask-pillow

Pink & Brown Zebra print pillow- $9 (+s&h)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/45795373/pink-and-brown-rectangle-zebra-pillow?ref=vl_other_1

With all the stresses of finals, work, life, sewing makes me happy. Can't wait to make more items!

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Mr. Bill

Healthcare.

It affects all of us, this new bill they just passed. I have mixed thoughts on this, and your own opinion may be the same or different depending on what kind of tax bracket you are in, and where your morals stand.

I am in my early 20's. Before this bill was passed, if I graduated college & didn't get a job right away with benefits, I would get kicked off my parent's insurance plan & would have to go for my own individual plan.

PRO: Now, even if I don't get a job right out of college, with this bill I can stay on my parent's plan until I am 26. CON: However, if I get a job and somehow have a "Cadillac" insurance plan provided by my employer (a very nice, very covered plan), once the bill is in full affect in 2014, the government will tax my employer 40% of the cost the my insurance package...great. I do believe that is the opposite of encouraging companies to provide nice group benefits.

PRO: This bill requires everyone in the U.S. to purchase health insurance, including people with pre-existing conditions (insurance companies can no longer reject them starting in 2014). Insurance companies also cannot drop someone from their policy if they get sick, or raise their rates due to illness. CON: Even though there is now a cap on out-of-pocket medical expenses annually, the government did not place a cap on what insurance companies can charge us for policies, sky's the limit. They have to charge equally, therefore everyone could end up having to pay more.'

If you cannot afford health insurance:

• 
  The penalty will be phased in, starting at $95 or 1 percent of income in 2014, whichever is higher, and rising to $695 or 2.5 percent of income in 2016. But families would not pay more than $2,085.
  
• 
  American Indians don’t have to buy insurance. Those with religious objections or a financial hardship can also avoid the requirement. And if you would pay more than 8 percent of your income for the cheapest available plan, you will not be penalized for failing to buy coverage.
  
• 
  Those who are exempt, or under 30, can buy a policy that only pays for catastrophic medical costs. It must allow for three primary care visits a year as well. (nytimes.com)
  

If you are refused coverage because of your health, you can get insurance from a new high-risk pool.

• The pool will be established within six months and will operate until 2014, when insurance companies can no longer refuse applicants with pre-existing health problems. Annual out-of-pocket medical costs will be capped at $5,950 for individuals and $11,900 for families. (nytimes.com)

High-Income families

• Families making more than $250,000 – would pay several thousand dollars more in Medicare payroll taxes starting in 2018. Their unearned income, now exempt from the payroll tax, would also be subject to a 3.8 percent levy. (nytimes.com)

LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

The thought that abortion could be covered by health insurance sickens me...

• Health plans on exchanges can offer abortion coverage. If you receive subsidies and enroll in a health plan that covers abortion, you will have to pay a separate premium for that coverage. And states could prohibit abortion coverage by these plans. (nytimes.com)

At the end of the day, I question why each of us did not get to vote on this bill...oh because it probably wouldn't have gotten passed....portions of it, probably. But not the whole thing. In the years to come I will be interested to see how this bill pans out for America....

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In Memory of Thomas J. Stewart

Me holding the ribbon at the grand opening of SGA's new corporate office, CEO Tom Stewart giving his speech, with Mayor Phil Gordon, and the Stewart family.
(Photo from SGAgroup.com)

There are few people that you will meet in your life that will inspire you do become something greater, and change your life. Rarely do these people know that they have had that sort of impact.

In August of 2007, I began an internship at Services Group of America in the Communications and Design department. I did not know very much about the company at the time. In previous jobs I had, if there was a mistake or something that happened that my co-workers did not like, they always blamed 'corporate.' It became apart of my own thinking to do the same.

On the second day of my internship, there was something that happened that the rest of the team did not like, so (thinking I would be funny) said, "Ohh it's probably corporate's fault." Both Brad and Taylor (my bosses) looked at me. "You do realize, that we're corporate, right?" said Brad. "Actually, we're like the corporate of the corporate." said Taylor. What I thought was a simple graphic design internship, turned out to be a job that changed who I am today.

Tom Stewart was CEO and founder of the company I interned for. The amount of intimidation that I felt the day I found out I was interning at a corporate office, was nothing compared to the first time I met Tom.

I was handing a project to his Executive Assistant (although, she is so much more. She could probably run China if she was called to do so), when Tom walked up & smiled. He looked at me and said, "Why hello. Do you work for me?" I replied yes and he shook my hand and asked what my name was. Never in a million years did I think a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company would ever want to know their intern's name, much less remember it.

At the opening gala for the company's new building, I held the red ribbon which was to be cut by his youngest daughter, Sydney, as I listened to Tom give his speech (He never wanted to be called Mr. Stewart, one of the things I admired most about him). There is something special about being proud of the company that you work for. I remember feeling so proud to be apart of that day, and every day during my year-long internship at SGA.


Tom, his wife Madena, and daughter Sydney, died in a helicopter accident in Cave Creek, AZ on February 15. This tragic accident has impacted many lives, and leaves me saddened and dismayed. However, when it comes to my former co-workers, perseverence in the midst of tragedy remains. My former boss Taylor, says it best:

"Today is not the time to ask why, but a time to forge forward towards the next unexpected thing in life. For surely some days will be blessed, some days will be tragic, but some days will silently drift into obscurity, and it is those days I think that are the saddest." -Taylor, A.

Tom taught me many things, though our interactions were few. Because even if you walked into the company's doors for five minutes, you would learn something from him without even meeting him. He ran a company that had pride in their mission, with good people at the helm. "Corporate" no longer seems so cold to me, because at SGA, the "suits" are incredible, hard working, humorous, intelligent people who make it fun to go to work, and are incredible at what they do.

To read more about Tom, his achievements, and his business, visit http://www.sgagroup.com/tjs.htm

You Never Know

My snooze button is my vice. I set it 20 minutes earlier than I plan to get up, just so I can come out of my coma and get to work or school on time. I finish my morning routine, breakfast, light-rail, school, gym, homework. It is not exactly my schedule that makes my days interesting, it is the people with whom I encounter.

I'm a people watcher, I cannot help it. It's like my brain automatically categorizes everyone I see. "I know him, I know her, I don't want to talk to them right now, eesh get some thicker leggings." I cannot help it, I think our brains are wired somehow to place a comment about a person in your mind before you even get a chance to tell it to be nice.

I was briskly walking to my accounting class so I could study a few more note cards before the exam, and I see a man passing out pamphlets. I instantly think of the encounter my former roommate, Kia, had with a less-than-loving religious supporter at ASU who was out of line.

Now, I love God and I am a Christian, therefore religious, but I was not in the mood for a debate or even someone questioning my beliefs. The moment I saw him my brain did one of those instant comments, it went something like, "Here we go again." I planned on taking the pamphlet and acting busy and in a hurry so he would leave me alone.

He was an older gentleman, dressed in a suit, with a briefcase, and a hopeful smile as I took the pamphlet from his hands. I instantly felt that I needed to not be busy. I smiled and said thank you, and asked what his name was, he looked shocked. "Steve SomethinSomethin" (I forget the last part), as he shook my hand. He was probably used to people passing him by day by day.

I told him I was a Christian and loved God and I appreciated him being a peaceful representation of his faith. He didn't say anything, but just smiled and nodded. I wont disclose his religion or denomination, it is different from mine, I do not wish to offend anyone since we have differing beliefs (and trust me, after reading the pamphlet, mine are waaaaay different).

I did, think about all the people we pass by each day, and we don't take that opportunity to share our faith in God. He knew that he and I dont believe the same things, but maybe he saw something good in our conversation. Maybe he had a negative preconcieved notion about Christians, maybe due to an experience, he had a bad taste in his mouth for hearing people talk about the one true God.

So, maybe me shaking his hand and telling him to have a wonderful day changed that. You never know.

Stuck in the Times

A passage I am reading for one of my classes reminds me of my experience in a American Indian Studies course. I was one of the only white people in there, which did not bother me...at first.

We first start going over all the prejudices and racial slurs against American Indians, the class came into an uproar. The thirty-some American Indian students in the class each had their own stories about this...except, many of the stories happened in the past. And not even their own past. Their anger came from events that happened in the seventeenth century, to be exact.

In my class, White people were called "the white man" or, my own personal favorite: "Those Europeans who stole our land." I think I just about fell out of my seat. Really, in 2009, this is how white people were being referred to by my fellow classmates. How is that not racist and bitter? I didn't steal anyone's land, my family immigrated from Norway long after the United States became a country, my ancestors had nothing to do with the first Thanksgiving, or any other sort of pilgrimage or colonization in the New World.

I came into that class wanting to learn about the beautiful traditions of Native Americans, from which I have learned about and have respected my whole life, and left the class with a bad taste in my mouth for their culture. I had never known that I was being so harshly judged by Native Americans whom I passed on the street. I had always smiled at and passed by these people without worry. One woman in my class, about forty years old, said aloud how she hated Americans and wished we would "Go back where they came from."

I understand that many many years ago, there were wars and battles because landlines had not yet been set in place, and that, in fact, Native Americans were mistreated in most cases due to the greed of the "white man." But we have come a long way since then. It is as if to say, that it would be appropriate for me to hate all Germans, just because during the Holocaust, Nazi's invaded Norway tortured and killed many of my ancestors.

I also understand that there is the exception, I do not know enough Native Americans to figure out whether the exception is that only a small portion of them continue to hate white people for things that happened in the past, while the majority focus their energy on more important things, or the other way around.

I truly hope that it is the former.

Birthday Bash

This is a list of all the famous people who were born on my birthday, February 27th. My favorites are Josh Groban, Constantine, and Elizabeth Taylor.

272 - Constantine I, Roman emperor (d. 337)
274 - Constantine I, Great Roman emperor (306-337), adopted Christianity
1539 - Franciscus Raphelengius, Dutch book publisher
1622 - Rembrandt Carel Fabritius, Dutch painter
1649 - Johann Philipp Krieger, composer
1691 - Edward Cave, English editor and publisher (d. 1754)
1702 - Johann Valentin Gorner, composer
1711 - Constantine Mavrocordatos, Prince of Wallachia and Prince of Moldavia (d. 1769)
1745 - Silverius Muller, composer
1746 - Gian Francesco Fortunati, composer
1759 - Johann Carl Friedrich Rellstab, composer
1779 - Thomas Hazlehurst, English soap and alkali manufacturer (d. 1842)
1784 - Elias Annes Borger, Dutch theologist/poet (To the Rhine)
1784 - Job Plimpton, composer
1792 - Don Joaquin B F Espartero, Spanish adventurer/fieldmarshal
1802 - William George Frederick Cavendish Bentinck, Lord George Bentinck
1807 - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Portland Maine, poet (Hiawatha)
1811 - [Catherine] Mildred Lee, daughter of US general Robert E Lee
1822 - Eugene Gautier, composer
1823 - Ferdinand Van Derveer, Brig General (Union volunteers), died in 1892
1823 - William Buel Franklin, Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1903
1827 - Richard W Johnson, Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1897
1831 - Hiram Bond Everest, American cofounder of The Vacuum Oil Company (d. 1913)
1832 - Alfred Pollard Edward, Civil War journalist, died in 1872
1835 - Charles Cartuyvels, Belgian pulprit orator
1835 - Richard Garnett, English author (Ananda the Miracle Worker)
1841 - [Eleanor] Agnes Lee, daughter of US general Robert E Lee
1846 - Joaquin Valverde, composer
1847 - Ellen Alice Terry, Coventry Engl, actress/director (Imperial Theatre)
1848 - Charles Hubert H Parry, England, musicologist/composer (Jerusalem)
1850 - Henry Edwards Huntington, US, railroad exec
1861 - Rudolph Steiner, Kraljevic Aust, founder (doctrine of anthroposophy
1862 - Anastasios Metaxas, Greek architect and shooter (d. 1937)
1867 - Irving Fisher, US economist (compensating dollar)
1867 - Wilhelm Peterson-Berger, composer
1869 - Alice Hamilton, physician/writer (workmen's compensation laws)
1870 - Louis Coerne, composer
1874 - Max Ettinger, composer
1877 - Walter Briggs, Sr., American entrepreneur and sports team owner (d. 1952)
1878 - Alvan T. Fuller, 50th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1958)
1879 - Jose Sancho Marraco, composer
1881 - Luitzen [Bertus] Brouwers, Dutch mathematician
1881 - Sveinn Bjornsson, 1st president of Iceland (1944-52)/poet (Figur ild)
1886 - Hugo L Black, Ala, (Sen-D-Ala)/78th Supreme Court justice (1937-71)
1887 - James D Innes, English painter
1888 - Lotte Lehmann, Perleberg Germany, soprano (Fidello)
1888 - Roberto Assagioli, Italian psychiatrist (d. 1974)
1888 - Earl Caddock, American professional wrestler (d. 1950)
1890 - Freddie Keppard, American jazz musician (d. 1933)
1891 - David Sarnoff, US, radio/TV pioneer/CEO (RCA)
1891 - Georges E Migot, French composer
1891 - Anne Samson, oldest-ever nun documented (d. 2004)
1892 - William Demarest, St Paul Minn, actor (Uncle Charlie-My 3 Sons)
1893 - Joseph Messner, composer
1893 - Ralph Linton, US cultural anthropologist (Tree of Culture)
1894 - Robert-Lucien Siohan, composer
1895 - Edward Brophy, actor (Champ, Dumbo, Great Guy, Cameraman, Doughboys)
1897 - Bernard F Lyot, French astronomer (Lyot filter)
1897 - G Paul H Schuitema, graphic designer/photographer (System-O-Color)
1897 - Marian Anderson, American contralto (d. 1993)
1898 - Allison Danzig, sports writer (Tennis Pictorial History)
1898 - Rutkowski Bronislaw, composer
1899 - Charles H Best, Maine, physiologist/co-discoverer (Insulin)
1899 - Ian Keith, Boston MA, actor (Rochefort-3 Musketeers)
1899 - Sulo Nikolai Salonen, composer
1899 - Charles Best, Canadian medical scientist (d. 1978)
1901 - Marino Marini, Italian sculptor/painter
1902 - Ethelda Bleibtrey, 100m/300m US swimmer (Olympics-3 gold-1920)
1902 - Gene Sarazen, Harrison NY, PGA golfer (Masters 1935, US Open 1922, 32)
1902 - John Steinbeck, Salinas Calif, author (Grapes of Wrath-Nobel 1962)
1903 - Reginald Gardiner, Wimbledon England, actor (Great Dictator)
1903 - Grethe Weiser, German actress (d. 1970)
1904 - James Thomas Farrell, US, author (Studs Lonigan trilogy)
1904 - Renaat Verheijen, Flemish actor/director (Innocent Heart)
1904 - Yulii Borisovich Khariton, Russian physicist (d. 1996)
1904 - André Leducq, French cyclist (d. 1980)
1904 - Chick Fullis, American baseball player (d. 1946)
1905 - Charles de Keukeleire, Belgian director (Evil Eye)
1905 - Franchot Tone, Niagara Falls NY, actor (Dr Freeland-Ben Casey)
1906 - Alexander Matheson, NZ cricket pace bowler (2 Tests 1930-31)
1906 - H Algernon F "Algy" Rumbold, English diplomat (S Africa/Tibet)
1907 - Gerhard Alexander, [Veldheer], Dutch actor (Prince Willem of Orange)
1907 - Mildred Bailey, American singer (d. 1951)
1909 - Elisabeth Welch, singer (Song of Freedom, Over the Moon)
1910 - Joan Bennett, Palasades NJ, actress (Little Women, Disraeli)
1910 - Peter De Vries, Chicago, author (Reuben Reuben, Prick of Noon)
1910 - Ted Horn, American race car driver (d. 1948)
1910 - Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, American aircraft engineer (Lockheed Skunk Works; d. 1990)
1912 - Lawrence Durrell, Darjeeling India, writer (Alexandria Quartet)
1912 - Kusumagraj, Indian writer (d. 1999)
1913 - Frank Allaun, British MP (L)
1913 - Irwin Shaw, US, novelist (Rich Man Poor Man)
1913 - Kazimierz Sabbat, Polish president (d. 1989)
1915 - Arthur Gilson, Belgian attorney/minister of Defense (1958-..)
1917 - John Connally, (Gov-D/R-Texas), shot in Kennedy motorcade
1919 - Lawrence Durrell, writer
1919 - Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, composer
1920 - David Vere Bendall, former diplomat
1920 - Jose Melis, Havana Cuba, orch leader (Jack Paar Program)
1920 - Reg Simpson, cricketer (prolific England opener 1948-55)
1921 - Andras Szollosy, composer
1921 - Michael Fox, US, actor (Quincy, Dallas, Bold & the Beautiful)
1922 - Mervyn Jones, author (Nobody's Fault, 5 Hungarian Writers)
1922 - Hans Rookmaaker, Dutch professor and art historian (d. 1977)
1923 - Dexter Gordon, US, tenor saxophonist/actor (Connection)
1923 - Viktor Kalabis, composer
1924 - M M Shearer, former Lord Lieutenant of Shetland
1924 - Norman Marshall, cricketer (brother of Roy, one Test for WI 1955)
1925 - Hugh Leggatt, art dealer
1925 - Michael Kaye, director (City of London Festival)
1925 - Richard AFM Auwerda, Dutch journalist/writer
1925 - Samuel Dash, American Congressional counsel (d. 2004)
1926 - Peter Emery, British MP
1926 - David H. Hubel, Canadian neuroscientist, Nobel Prize laureate
1927 - Guy Mitchell, [Al Cernick], Detroit Mich, rocker/actor (Red Garters)
1927 - Lord Belhaven & Stenton
1927 - Michael Butler, Pro-Provost/chairman (Royal College of Art)
1927 - Lynn Cartwright, American actress (d. 2004)
1927 - Guy Mitchell, American singer (d. 1999)
1928 - Ariel Sharon, former Prime Minister of Israel
1929 - Djalma Santos, Brazilian footballer
1929 - Jack Gibson, Australian rugby league footballer and coach (d. 2008)
1930 - Joanne Woodward, Thomasville Ga, actress (3 Faces of Eve, Rachel)
1930 - Lieux Dressler, actress (Alice Grant-General Hospital)
1930 - Paul von Ragué Schleyer, American chemist
1930 - Peter Stone, American writer (d. 2003)
1931 - Andrew Sloan, Chief Constable (Strathcourt)
1932 - Dolf Zwerver, Dutch painter
1932 - Elizabeth Taylor, London, actress (Cleopatra) violet eyes
1932 - Lord Young of Graffham, CEO (Cables & Wireless)
1933 - 6th marquess of Bute, Scottish large landowner/bibliophile
1933 - Edward Lucie-Smith, poetry critic
1933 - Geoffrey Maitland Smith, CEO (Sears)
1933 - Malcolm Wallop, (Sen-R-WY, 1977- )
1933 - Raymond Berry, Texas, NFL hall of famer (Baltimore Colts)
1934 - Ralph Nader, Winsted Conn, consumer advocate (Unsafe at Any Speed)
1934 - Van Williams, Fort Worth Tx, actor (Green Hornet, Tycoon)
1934 - [Navarre] Scott Momaday, US author (House Made of Dawn, Pulitzer 1969)
1934 - Vincent Fourcade, French interior designer (d. 1992)
1934 - Van Williams, American actor
1935 - Alberto Remedios, opera/concert singer
1935 - Mirella Freni, Modena Italy, lyric soprano (Madame Butterfly)
1936 - Chuck Glaser, Spalding Neb, singer (Glaser Bros-Getting to Me Again)
1936 - Roger M Mahoney, Hollywood Ca, archbishop of Los Angeles (1985- )
1936 - Timothy Spall, actor (1871, Life is Sweet, Crusoe, Remembrance)
1936 - Virginia Maskell, actress (Suspect, Doctor in Love, Man Upstairs)
1936 - Ron Barassi, Australian rules footballer
1937 - Barbara Babcock, Pasadena CA, actr (Dr Quinn, Dallas, Hill St Blues)
1937 - Donald MacKay, CEO (Scottish Enterprise)
1937 - L Jay Silvester, US, discus thrower (Olympic-silver-1972)
1937 - Viscount Head
1938 - Pascale Petit, PAris, actor (Code Name: Jaguar, End of Desire)
1939 - Antoinette Sibley, ballerina (Turning Point)
1939 - Kenzo Takada, Japanese director (Dream After Dream)
1939 - Lester King, cricketer (WI fast bowler, 2 Tests 1962-68, 9 wkts)
1939 - Peter Revson, auto racer (1971 Indianapolis pole winner)
1940 - Barbara Kelly, CEO (Scottish Consumer Council)
1940 - Howard Hesseman, Salem Or, actor (Dr Johnny Fever-WKRP, Head of Class)
1940 - Bill Hunter, Australian actor
1941 - Ian McGarry, general secretary (British Actors' Equity Association)
1941 - Paddy Ashton, New Delhi India, British MP (Soc/Lib Democrat)
1941 - Sandy Wilson
1942 - Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Due West SC, news reporter (McNeil-Lehrer)
1942 - Robert H. Grubbs, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
1942 - Michel Forget, French Canadian actor
1943 - Mary Frann, St Louis Mo, actress (Joanna-Newhart, Days of Our Live)
1943 - Morten Lauridsen, American composer
1944 - Alan Fudge, Wichita Ks, actor (Man From Atlantis, Paper Dolls)
1944 - Graeme Pollock, cricketer (South African batting prodigy)
1944 - Roger Scruton, philosopher
1945 - Daniel Olbrychski, Poland, actor (La Truite)
1947 - Ashley Woodcock, cricketer (one Test Aust v NZ 1974, only knock 27)
1947 - Gidon Kremer, Riga Latvia, violinist (Tchaikovsky Prize 1970)
1947 - Marian G Klaren, Dutch mime/actress (Red Cabbage)
1948 - Eddie Gray, rock guitarist (Tommy James & Shondells-Crystal Blue)
1948 - Stephen Curtis, CEO (DVLA)
1950 - Franco Moschino, fashion Designer
1950 - Julia Neuberger, British Rabbi
1951 - Lee Atwater, Republican National Committee Chairman (1989-91)
1951 - Steve Harley, rocker (Come Up & See Me)
1952 - Dwight Elmo Jones, Houston Tx, basketball player (Olymp-silver-1972)
1952 - Henk Westbroek, Dutch singer (Good Cause)
1952 - Kevin Raleigh, rock vocalist/keyboardist (Michael Stanley Band)
1952 - Stathis Psaltis, Greek actor
1954 - Neal Schon, rock guitarist (Journey-Open Arms, Bad English)
1955 - Garry Christian, rocker
1955 - Sally Spencer, actress (M J McKinnon-Another World)
1955 - Peter Christopherson, English musician and video director
1957 - Adrian Smith, heavy metal guitarist (Iron Maiden-Aces High)
1957 - Viktor Markin, Russian athlete
1957 - Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator
1958 - Naas Botha, South African rugby union footballer
1958 - Nancy Spungen, American murder victim of Sid Vicious (d. 1978)
1959 - Johnny Van Zant, American singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
1960 - Andres Gomez, Ecuador, tennis pro (Madrid Grand Prix-1990)
1960 - Bolik Dahan, Suriname singer/radio host (Radio KBC)
1960 - John van Grinsven, soccer player (MVV)
1960 - Paul Humphreys, rock synthesizer (OMD-Crush, Pacific Age)
1960 - Stoney Jackson, Richmond Va, actor (White Shadow, Insiders)
1961 - Grant Shaud, actor (Miles Silverburg-Murphy Brown)

1961 - James Worthy, NBA forward (LA Lakers, 1988 Playoff MVP)
1962 - Adam Baldwin, actor (Full Metal Jacket, My Bodyguard)
1962 - Grant Show, Detroit Mich, actor (Jack Hanson-Melrose Place)
1962 - Kory Tarpenning, Portland Oregon, pole vaulter
1962 - Veronica Ribot-Canales, Buenos Aires Argentina, US diver (Olympics-96)
1963 - Francesco Cancellotti, Italy, tennis star
1963 - Pär Nuder, Swedish politician
1964 - April Heinrichs, Littleton Colo, US women's soccer coach (Olympic-96)
1964 - Ewen Vernal, British pop bassist (Deacon Blue-Your Town)
1964 - Richard de Vries, soccer player (De Graafschap)
1965 - Sandra Cecchini, Bologna Italy, tennis star (1995 Warsaw doubles)
1965 - Noah Emmerich, American actor
1965 - Frank Peter Zimmermann, German violinist
1966 - Chris Howard, US baseball catcher (Seattle Mariners)
1966 - Gregg Rainwater, actor (Buck Cross-Young Riders)
1966 - Pete Smith, US baseball player (Atlanta Braves, NY Mets)
1966 - Donal Logue, Canadian actor
1967 - Dallas Eakins, Dade City, NHL defenseman (Winnipeg Jets)
1967 - Frantisek Kaberle, Brno CZE, hockey forward (Team Czech Rep)
1967 - Robert Kron, Brno Cze, NHL right wing (Hartford Whalers)
1968 - Loy Vaught, NBA forward (LA Clippers)
1968 - Mike Sullivan, Marshfield, NHL center (Calgary Flames)
1968 - Ron Cox, NFL linebacker (Chic Bears)
1969 - Greg Stevenson, Sherbrooke Quebec, rower (Olympics-11-92, 96)
1969 - Robert Massey, NFL cornerback (NY Giants)
1969 - Robert Molenaar, Dutch soccer player (FC Volendam)
1969 - Victoria Fair, Jackson Michigan, Miss Michigan-America (1991)
1969 - Willie Banks, US baseball pitcher (Chicago Cubs)
1969 - Brad Vander Ark, American musician
1970 - David White, NFL linebacker (Buffalo Bills)
1970 - Michael A. Burstein, American writer
1970 - Kent Desormeaux, American jockey
1970 - Matthias Lechner, German art director
1970 - Patricia Petibon, French opera singer
1971 - Ivan Robinson, Phila Pa, US boxer (Olympic-92)
1971 - Jaroslav Modry, Ceske-budejovice C, NHL defenseman (Ottawa Senators)
1971 - Rich Tylski, guard/center (Jacksonville Jaguars)
1971 - Derren Brown, British psychological illusionist
1971 - Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, American singer (TLC)
1973 - "Pooh" Clark, rocker (High-5)
1973 - Terence Davis, WLAF wide receiver (London Monarchs)
1973 - Mark Taylor, Welsh rugby union footballer
1974 - Chris Dishman, guard (Arizona Cardinals)
1974 - Jim Maher, cricketer (Queensland lefty batsman victorious 1995 side)
1975 - Christina Nigra, actress (Out of This World)
1975 - Dana Marie Lane, Cheyenne Wyoming, Miss America-Wyoming (1996)
1975 - Duce Staley, running back (Philadelphia Eagles)
1975 - Marcus Robinson, wide receiver (Chicago Bears)
1975 - Prodromos Korkizoglou, Greek decathlete
1975 - Shelby Walker, American mixed martial artist (d. 2006)
1976 - Tony Gonzalez, tight end (KC Chiefs)
1977 - Lance Hoyt, American professional wrestler
1977 - Ji Sung, South Korean actor
1977 - James Wan, Australian film director
1978 - James Beattie, English footballer
1980 - Chelsea Clinton, daughter of President Clinton (1993-2001)
1980 - Bobby Valentino, American singer
1981 - Josh Groban, American singer
1981 - Elodie Ouédraogo, Belgian athlete
1983 - Hayley Angel Wardle, English actress
1983 - Kate Mara, American actress
1983 - Devin Harris, American basketball player
1984 - Antti Tuisku, Finnish singer
1984 - Lotta Schelin, Swedish female footballer
1984 - David Noel, American basketball player
1985 - Juliana Imai, Brazilian model
1985 - Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Russian Footballer
1989 - Kelly Breeding, American singer from B5
1991 - Azeem Rafiq, Yorkshire CCC & English U15 captain
1994 - Hou Yifan, Chinese chess player

"No skulls, and no hearts."

And so it begins...

The holidays have whizzed past us, and before we know it Spring will be upon us. The first few weeks at ASU are kind of exciting. You sit up straight in your chair and take notes diligently, making sure that if someone happens to be looking your way, that you're not texting or looking around the room not paying attention. Well, that's how I feel anyway.

After a while, about week eight or nine in the semester, you begin counting down the weeks dreading each assignment as it comes, feeling like you're stuck in a never-ending mud pit. Like one in the Princess Bride, except instead of a large evil rat thing chasing you, it's a due date and a final grade.

Forty classes, all I need to graduate. Except forty-three in my case since some of my credits do not count towards my degree. I could have done without the snobbish arrogance of my freshman year art teacher who ridiculed my work, and the only piece she did like was the one that I based off of her rules for the project: "No skulls, and no hearts. I don't want to see any of that." So I did a bright charcoal print with a skull and heart pattern, I didn't like her very much. But she loved it, and completely forgot about her rules.

Even though her class doesn't "count," I spent a minute getting upset about the wasted time in that class, but then thought about what I learned in there. Because if it doesn't count as 2.5% of my diploma, what did it count for? I learned that sometimes people are put in positions of authority, and they don't know what to do with it. That one day, they got a promotion and celebrated that fact, and once they showed up for their first day, learned the frustrations of the vocation, and went along with it anyway. I learned that maybe we shouldn't get upset at that other person who just made a bad call on our team's game, because they're just a person, trying to get through the burning rings of fire that each day at a job brings, and make it out on the other side, un-singed.

Class number two: Dr. Heywood's Designing Life. Now, I could care less if this class counted or not. It gave me inspiration about how I should view a job, and what really mattered about that particular job. It was on my way to this class, that I ran into my now boyfriend, on campus for the first time. It was there that he gave me his phone number, and we went on a mini date after Heywood's class ended. He had taken that class a few years before me, so it gave us something in common to start off with. I could care less if that class counts, because I have Chris.

Class number three: General Business at PVCC. I think it is funniest of all that this class doesn't even go towards my degree, since it is the class that made me want to go into business in the first place. My life would be completely different if I hadn't made that decision. If we all looked at the things that "count" in terms of how important it was to us, instead of how someone else recognizes it, it would make things simpler.