I don't know what my little sign would say if I had one to hold up in this video. I've been uninsured most of my adult life. Even where Aus (my husband) has worked at a job where insurance was an option, most of the time it was a completely unfordable and unrealistic option. Now he's at a job where there's an insurance option that will make a little sense. For coverage for him and myself, it will cost about 1/4 of every paycheck he makes. It takes 90 days to kick in, even though he's technically been working for the company for over eight months (temping). During my blood pressure crisis, I waited an average of three hours to be seen in the emergency room and in clinics. The blood work they needed to determine what was wrong with me cost over 2000 dollars. We had to pay 12% on charity care, which still came to almost 250 dollars. They finally found a medication that will work for my blood pressure. It had no generic. The cost is 100 dollars a month (in addition to my existing medications). I am currently trying to wait it out the ninety days rather than go back to the clinic. I haven't been to a dentist in about fifteen years . My teeth are falling apart to the point where I am missing quite a few in the front. I still have a norplant (birth control) in my arm that was put in me after my son was born, and should have come out when he was five. He just had his seventeenth birthday. I have told numerous clinics about it over the years only to hear 'we don't do that here' and no further help on how to have it removed. I suspect it causes or contributes to some of my other health problems. I have ptsd, a herniated disc, nerve damage, and a bad respiratory system. I do not receive proper treatment for any of them. I have needed new glasses for quite some time now.

There are plenty of other stories like mine out there, and I'm sure a lot of you have yours. Why are so many people against something that should be a basic human right? Yet again. We have people fighting violently about this. I don't understand all the craziness over this. I just want some decent, affordable healthcare.

Went out to lunch with my aunt and uncle today, and my uncle was listening to conservative talk radio. One of the things that they were going on about was how 2010 is a census year, and how the census is a horrible invasion of our privacy and what the hidden agendas to census data are and so forth.

I also read about PETA being all up in arms about Obama killing a fly. They even sent him a 'humane fly trap' so the flies could be caught and released or some shit.

The things people concern themselves with are amazing to me. What about the situation in Iran? What about the economy? Let's take all this wasted time and energy that people seem to have going on for Things That Don't Matter, and apply it to positive, helpful things.

Like this -

The National Bone Marrow Registry is in the middle of a "Marrowthon" where it's no cost to register. FREE! How cool is that? You get to possibly save a life AND it doesn't cost you anything! Go NOW to http://www.marrow.org and see if you meet the health requirements. Unfortunately I do not so I can't sign up, but YOU might be able to so please check it out. This is a very real need and a positive thing you can do, and it's free. Also please spread the word about this in your journal or on your Facebook to get other folks to register.

Stopped by Goodwill today and picked up some interesting books - primarily WWII/ Holocaust stuff, but also some other things. I might write the list down later when I get home if I feel like it, but I am not so inclined at the moment as I am about to run and eat dinner before going to the history society meeting. The speaker this month is something about vineyards and local farming that I may or may not find interesting. I am more interested in seeing if my brother remembers the pledge of allegiance because he keeps effing it up and it's funny. Now that he's the society president, he has to get up there and lead us. And I tell you, he is leading us into DISASTER! Not that I say the pledge - I have pledged not to say the pledge until my country is again a place I can be proud of, which I do not see occuring for some time yet. Perhaps it is on the way.

I am still ill with this sinus malady, but I am managing.

I may perhaps be in the LJ anthology book - they sent me a kind note about it a while ago, and I gave them my five favorite entries. Found out yesterday they chose one as a finalist - it will either be in the book itself, or receive an 'honorable mention'. I do not know which yet, but I think that is rather nice. Speaking of journal, I have to decorate this one for spring soon.

Have you heard that Ken Starr -- and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund -- filed legal briefs defending the constitutionality of Prop 8 and attempting to forcibly divorce 18,000 same-sex couples that were married in California last year? The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on March 5, 2009, with a decision expected within the next 90 days.

The Courage Campaign has created a video called "Fidelity," with the permission of musician Regina Spektor, that puts a face to those 18,000 couples and all loving, committed couples seeking full equality under the law.

Please watch this heartbreaking video:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/Divorce

After you watch the video, please consider joining me in signing the letter to the state Supreme Court and passing this video on to your friends. The more people who see this video, the more people will understand the pain caused by Prop 8 and Ken Starr's shameful legal proceeding.

Thanks

--L

Goddamn, that's one fine president.

Well said, sir.

Am quite feverish today, with lungs full of fluid, and pain. Stupid dampness.

Looking forward to the inauguration tomorrow, but with a little bit of anxiety. I hope things go smoothly. I can't wait to have a real president again.

Need to type up worst poem ever written tomorrow - it's oh noetry from when I was 16!

Found out I am an 11-hour-footnote in someone's life. Impressed or embarrassed, I cannot decide.

We did it!

YES!



There is hope!

This is getting a slight bit ridiculous.

Election protection called back and wanted me to go check and see if the posters really were down - I went to explain that to the voting people and they were really snotty with me, and told me that 'father took the posters away' (I guess by that they meant the priest of the church).

Well, apparently being a good Christian means it's okay to lie, because on the way out I spotted them laying out on a table in the entryway.

I picked them up and took them with me - and the election lady and a couple of other folks came out into the parking lot shouting and demanding I put them back. I locked my car doors and drove away.

This is a small town, so I am assuming they know where I live. My mom knew the lady that came out after me, after all, from my description.

I called the Election protection lady back up and told her about this, and she's getting in touch with people and hopefully this will all work out okay.

But if I get arrested, call the media. This is all incredibly lame that all this cloak and dagger shit is going down here in America, where we should have the right to vote without propeganda - and where we should have the right as citizens to demand that said propeganda be taken down without it devolving into this sort of chaos.

My mother said I should have just let it be in the first place - but if we don't stand up for this stuff who will? It's just a small thing, but that's what being an American used to mean anyhow - standing up for what we believe in.

I believe in the right of every citizen to vote without drama like this.

When I posted that information about how to report a problem at the polls yesterday, I never thought I would have to use it. I live in a quiet little town called Collings Lakes in South Jersey - we're probably not very important in the grand scheme of things, but every vote counts, right?

Our voting place is at a local church. Usually we go there, greet the people we know, cast our vote and we're on our way. Sometimes we stop at the koi pond and look at the fish first.

Today I was absolutely shocked to see a VOTE PRO LIFE poster when I walked in the vestibule of the polling place. It had a newborn baby, and the words 'vote pro life!' and it was provided by the Knights of Columbus. My shock turned to outrage when I saw that they had another near the voting machines.

I was pretty sure this was illegal, and I called the voter hotline ( 1-866-OUR-VOTE ) and they confirmed that it was, and took down the information about the polling place and so forth. I have to take my mom to go vote there in a few minutes- and if those posters are still there, I am going to confront them about it and tell them that this is not legal and they need to come down.

DO NOT STAND for things like this at your polling place. We may only be a small town - but there are other small towns all over the country where things like this are undoubtably happening, too. The Knights of Columbus is a national organization - who knows if they have other posters in other church voting places all over the country?

If you see a problem at your polls no matter how great or small, PLEASE call it in.


Stand up for your right to a fair election!

UPDATE: I went in, told them that I'd called it in and found out it was illegal and that they should take the posters down.

One lady said "Oh, we'll look into that--"

and I said "I can take them down right now if you like."

Another lady was more helpful and went to take them down herself, and said 'Oh, I didn't even notice they were up there' - like they were somehow hard to see.

But the important part is they are down - and I voted!

So here we are, on the eve of the election. Get out there and vote tomorrow folks - preferably for Obama! Either way you vote, however - be sure to make an informed decision. There are no excuses - there's a ton of media out there on this wonderful box we call the internets - at least visit the candidates websites and see where they stand before you cast the ballot tomorrow.

Aus isn't feeling well today - and he had to work some overtime at work , so when he came home he went right to sleep. There's a cold going around too - my brother Ron is sick, and Jeanette. I've got a touch of some sinus thing that I've been taking the meds for - but I probably should just irrigate them with the neti pot because that seems to ward these things off much better. Even our betta is sick - poor guy seems to have Ick. Time to get some medicine for him.

Picked up a little leftover Halloween candy today. Hershey's Candy Corn Kisses are the shit! All the best parts of candy corn and kisses wrapped up into one yummy candy.

I'm up to 11,757 on the NaNo word count - which looks like this on the meter (back by popular, okay, one friend - request!) Remember, you can read the novel in progress at heckromancy if you join.

11757 / 50000 words. 24% done!

The first five chapters of my novel are written, and I'm up to a count of 9,920 words.

I am a bit worried with the election so close - what will our country be like in the next four years? Things are so bad now, and I can't imagine they will get any better if McCain is elected. With Obama, at least we have some hope for the future. I believe he will genuinely try to fix the things that are wrong with America and get us started on the road to sucking less as a nation. The only question is - will he be elected? And once elected, will what he tries to do be enough to save us?

I need to remember to pick up my prescriptions tomorrow.

Aus has had a bit of good fortune at work - he's now working on a different case, where he makes two dollars more an hour and has some overtime. Let us hope that this job somehow lasts long, or even becomes permanent. There are some promising signs- they keep telling him he's really good at this, for example.

Been a lot of driving lately - my back is not pleased with the back-and-forth direction life has taken me lately. I want to ride my bicycle tomorrow, so I hope it is feeling somewhat cooperative and not giving me a hard time and keeping me from doing what I want to do.

So I sent the Obama / Biden Tax widget out everywhere- on myspace, facebook, email, LJ, etc to let people check for themselves how much they would save. The only thing I posted along with the widget was this "Check the facts - how much will you save with Obama? How much will you save with McCain?" Maybe I should have included a link to this side by side comparison, but still... I didn't want to be pushy, I just wanted folks to check things out for themselves.


One of the replies I received was this, and I have no idea how to reply to it.

-----
Email:


You have to be kidding me, right? You really think Obama is going to save me money? protect my family? protect my Constitutional rights? I'm sorry, but it just ain't so.

Both parties have their hands in our pockets, but the Democrats have a habit of creating "needs" that call for raising taxes. And he has, in fact, voted on tax increases in the past. Obama will do so again, if we let him.

That's not the scariest part. When a man is clearly prejudiced against others in our society, to the point where he won't even show proper respect when our National Anthem is playing, or our flag raised, you really have to wonder about what kind of shape he'd leave the country in after he left office. Perhaps that's the scariest thing of all. I have an email that suggests he is a traitor and will sell us out to a One World Government system, and that post was originally written in 1994. It doesn't mention him by name, but his actions clearly point to this email. We have one way to stop him, McCain/Palin.

Now you may be opposed to John McCain and Sarah Palin, that's your right (one that will disappear if Obama gets elected). But Scripture tells us "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:" (De 30:19) We see how Obama plowed under Hillary Clinton, although she was the better Democratic candidate, and how that steamroller has kept on going trying to put McCain and Palin under his mighty weight. But he forgot one thing. McCain is a war veteran. It's going to take more to scare him off. He forgot something else. Sarah Palin is a Christian and is not about to be moved by anyone but God. God has indeed placed before us life (McCain/Palin) and death (Obama/Biden) and He tells us to choose life. I'm going with what God says.

----

... should I just ignore this? if not, what should I respond with?

"

We don't know how to click buttons on our own! Thank for the helpful instructions.


Internets is hard.

Today I hung out with my brothers - we had lunch, went for bike rides, and make sure everyone was registered to vote. If you are in NJ, you must be registered to vote by October 14th - so PLEASE take some time and check out http://www.voteforchange.com/ and make sure that you are registered and all set to go. My mom and I were set up fine - one of my brothers thought he needed to re-register, but learned he was already in the system - and my other brother had to change his registration to be able to vote in VA. So we had a variety of voting situations - but we're all voting for Obama, so go Democrats!


Watch KEATING ECONOMICS: John McCain & The Making of a Financial Crisis:



In non political news, bike riding was fun! I should try to ride more often - it'll help me get some exercise.

I drank my first apple cider of fall today - yum.

We also stopped at a yard sale, where I bought a very crud encrusted metal box for five dollars. I knew it had to be old because it was heavy, had claw feet, and a wood inlay interior. I worked on it for about three hours today with soap and an old tooth brush- it needs a lot more work, but I cleaned three of the side panels- it's absolutely beautiful. It seems to be an odd combination of silver, brass, and copper - with very intricate embossed scenes ( a different scene on every side and on the top) that look hand tooled. The initial cleaning revealed 'made in japan' on the bottom and the figures I turned up in the cleaning have oriental eyes. I have no idea how old it is, but it is clearly quite old. The box hinges closed with a hinge pin - it originally closed a bit unevenly, but I was able to nudge the pin back into alignment. It will be an ongoing restoration project. My brother is bringing me some jewelery cleaner, and I will test a little on the box and see if I can use that. The dish soap and tooth brush method I am using now is slow going. I will post some pictures when I take them off the camera.


Political LOL of the day:




Things I need to do tomorrow:
laundry
listen to cd
try to hook up printer

In roleplaying news, I have joined this game and this game. Mittiligart is run by Nikki, and Trancension is run by Julie. I'm playing Hans as a cursed immortal and Kieran as his loveable self in Mitty and two new characters, a wereraven named Leon and a vampire servant named Delia in Trans. Also, is it just me, or would young Bob Dylan make a great face for a future character?

1. I have decorated my journal for Halloween!

2. We have a new fishie - his name is Hydro, and he's a crowntail hybrid betta with red/turquoise/green scales.

3. Today, I found a toy (a squeaky octopus) from my childhood. It is a thirty-some year old squeaky toy - it still squeaks, too. Yay octopus!

4. Today we saw Steve getting a backrub from a girl. We asked if he was dating the girl, and he replied "Mom, lots of girls give me backrubs- I don't date them all."

5. I have decided to write Summer's Last Stand as my Nano project. Thanks to all who weighed in with comments, IMs, and emails. I even got an email from my friend Bernd in Germany. I didn't even knew he read my LJ. Hi Bernd!

Sarah Palin: "John McCain has already tapped me..."





I loled.