Pretty

So, my post is probably going to be full of random things...

First off, yesterday made me feel ashamed to be a female living in this world.  Why are women so prone to gossip?  It doesn't benefit anyone and all it really does it hurt people and turn potential acquaintances against you.  It occurred at work yesterday.  And that's probably all I care to share.  Also, gossipers lose my respect and I begin to wonder if they've ever had some type of formal education (in defense of my opinion - education should teach about the correct environment to gossip; an argument against my opinion - women of all levels of education have the ability to gossip and I guess men do too).

Next, I have my traveling assignments for the end of this year.  Exciting, right?  A little scary and nerve wrecking also.  My job travels to different hospitals to help set up our software and help users become familiar with the software.  I'm going to Atlanta during Halloween.  I plan on going out a day early, so I can visit my family for a little bit.  And then the week after that, I'm going to Ohio; can't remember the town currently.  I'll be sure to take lots of pictures (if I'm not dead-tired).

I'm excited for next week.  My first paycheck will be coming next week.  So, I've been working on a tentative budget.  It's kind of hard to guess where expenses will go considering the fact that I've gone from a poverty-living college student making under $1000 a month to a non-poverty full-time worker who will actually be paying taxes.  But anyways, here's the best part.  If Jared and I can stick to our tentative plan, we'll finish paying off our credit cards in two years as well as have enough for a down payment on a house.  And then we'll just be left with student loans which aren't as bad as credit cards (interest-wise).  I'm excited to actually be able to save money without starving.  And I enjoy the fact that I can go on dinner-dates with my husband on Fridays.

I have to say.  College was definitely worth it...  Well, the engineering major was definitely worth it.  Jared's still looking for a job and considering his options.  He might plan on just getting a crabby job for now and plan on going back to school once we gain residency here.  Who knows?  He'll find something.

Reform Ideas

My ideas are not complete.  You may or may not agree with what I have to say.  But I want to and will say it nonetheless.  Since I've had plenty of time to read up on the whole healthcare debate, I've thought up of my own ideas I'd implement if I had some type of implementation power.

Everyone has the basic right to receive healthcare, regardless of title or money.  Whether or not you believe that statement, it is in fact implemented today in the United States.  The Emergency Department is not allowed to turn down patients.  And who pays for these visits used by the poor and uninsured people?  Ultimately?  Hospitals will raise their costs to combat with the money lost in the ED due to uninsured people.  And who pays for the hospital bills?  Insurance companies.  And who pays the insurance companies?  Ultimately, it is those who are insured who are paying the bill...

So, how is this fixed?  Require everyone to purchase health insurance.  Make it illegal for insurance to deny people due to pre-existing conditions.  Also, set up three different tiered plans (one being all inclusive while another pays for just basic, preventive care).  That way, consumers have some type of choice when choosing a plan.  Also, rates cannot be increased due to chronic medical conditions.  Did I mention the whole healthcare industry will go completely non-profit?  I cannot morally agree with the healthcare industry and insurance companies being able to choose between a person's well-being and a profit.

Insurance will not be employer-based anymore.  Health insurance follows the American citizen; it doesn't stay with the employer.  Employers can still offer payment incentives towards the healthcare plan to stay competitive. But how do we help those majority affected by health insurance premiums?  We put a percentage limit of how much people should have to pay for health insurance (say a 10% cap).  And the government will help foot the bill.

Wait a second?  The government?  No, no, no...  America will not become socialist.  The government will not control us.  Did I mention that almost 50% of all healthcare expenses are already paid for by the government?  So, it really wouldn't be a huge leap to this kind of idea.

Now that I've looked on the insurance side of the equation, let's look at the healthcare providers' side.  Emergency departments will be allowed to deny non-threatening conditions (with the exception of there being no doctor's offices or urgent care facilities open).  Physician's offices and Urgent care facilities (of at least 5 practicing physicians) will not be able to deny people with insufficient coverage.  That in itself lowers the medical costs by a lot.

Also, healthcare insurance will band together (how they do this, who knows - probably governmental help) and demand that hospitals and clinics treat their members for a certain set price (which is a little lower that the current price).  One voice won't mean much, but many voices will be heard.

So, how would the doctors fair since their compensation is being cut?  First off, this whole I'll-sue-your-pants-off malpractice issue needs to be fixed.  Limitations should be set for different types of malpractice instead of allowing good lawyers to sue for up to a million dollars for knee surgery on the wrong knee.  That way, malpractice insurance premiums will go down for doctors.  And since there is a shortage in healthcare providers (and the shortage is predicted to only worsen in the future), education in the medical field should be looked at.  Maybe offer incentives for those looking to go into the medical field, or reduce the medical school costs a little.  In order to get people to enter into the medical industry, it needs to be desirable.  And in the US nowadays, it's a lot less than desirable...

Those are my ideas so far.  Yes, they are incomplete and probably missing key factors.  And I'm forgetting the fact that the US government is highly corrupt right now.  And the fact that most people put in charge of your health are looking for the biggest bang for the buck instead of keeping you healthy.

Agree or not, we all need to be educated in healthcare reform.  Something needs to be done to fix the growing issues.  And for those who say the healthcare industry doesn't need to change and is just fine the way it is, I hope you enjoy smelling your own shit because your head's so far up your ass, you haven't got a clue about what's going on in US healthcare.  Sorry for the vivid picture, but it's more than true if you believe nothing needs to be changed

I had a lot of time to think about this while working today.  I've pretty much spent the last few weeks getting to know a lot about the healthcare industry.  I've learned about what's being passed in Washington as well as what's working for other countries in regards to healthcare (did you know that a hospital stay in Japan costs $10/night -- that's 2 orders of magnitude different than the cost in US hospital *which is $1000 if you didn't understand the magnitude thing?).

Pictures

I never posted pictures from the last picture-taking event I did.  My mom wanted pictures of her family before I moved.  So, I asked Becky to take our pictures again...

top - Jared, me, Connie (mom), Richard (step-dad), Matt (brother), Lindzee (Matt's gf); bottom - CJ (brother), Cortnie (sister)

My mom, brother and I.  If you look at the technicalities, Matthew is the only full-blooded sibling I have.  But I never bother with technicalities.

The pictures were great.  It was all kind of bittersweet.  The pictures were done at a time where Jared and I were both dazed yet stressed.  Jared had just suffered the lost of his grandpa.  And we were both preparing to move across the country.  So, that time frame was all bittersweet.

If you live in the Salt Lake Valley and are interested in photos.by.becky, check out her website or Facebook page.  She does an excellent job!

Speaking of dazed, I still seem a little dazed about this whole move.  We've mostly unpacked all of our boxes with the exception of a select few.  I've been working for about three weeks.  We've lived outside of Utah for almost a month now.  Yet it still hasn't completely hit me.  I'm still astonished with the fact that I don't live in the West anymore.  I'm definitely glad to be out of the hot and dry environment, but I still have no good understanding about my current location.  It still surprises me to hear that I'm 3.5 hours away from Chicago.  I'm probably 7 hours from the Canadian border.  It's just all weird.  Maybe one day, I'll be better with my geography.  Until then...

Paper Anniversary

Jared and I have been married for a year (plus a day) now.  And if you had asked me last year where I thought I'd be today, Wisconsin would never have been on my mind.  Originally, I had planned on doing graduate school.  So, I thought I'd still be at Utah State right now.  Unfortunately, graduate school isn't for me right now.  I'm much happier being where I'm at and working for a company.  It helps that I actually have good benefits and will have money in two weeks (looking forward to that paycheck).

That was a great day!!  And now onto some good news...  The moving company has called and given us an estimated time to give us back our stuff.  We will actually have our couches, tv's, kitchen cookware, and all that other stuff of ours.  Yay!

Lightning

So, it began to storm today while I was at work.  Since all of the buildings are connected through various bridges and tunnels, I never had to go outside in the stormy weather.  That is until it was time to go home...

All I have to say is the storms in Utah are minimal and very different compared to the ones here.  The amount of rainfall during a normal shower here rarely happens in Utah.  Driving was a beast and kind of scary.  Windshield wipers are on full blast and the rain's still pouring onto the windshield making visibility a minimum.

And then I realized how much comfort mountains really provide to a valley.  Lightning storms typically occur in the background, or the mountains, in Utah.  They rarely come out to play with you.

On the drive, I heard the thunder before I saw the lightning shoot out of the sky a hundred yards in front of me on the drive home.  The thunder made me jump out of my seat while the lightning just about scared the shit out of me (thankfully, it wasn't literal).  After getting over the shock and initial fear, seeing that was pretty awesome...

And then I remembered that saying of count the seconds once you see lightning until you hear thunder to see how far away the storm is.  In my case, the storm was right above my head, haha...

A rendition of the lightning bolt I got to witness.  Although, it went into a field behind the trees instead of hitting it straight on...

Blessed

I must come to the conclusion that I have been blessed.  I love life.

* I have a nice job that I truly enjoy.

* I have a wonderful husband that I am absolutely in love with.
* I have a happy and adorable little dog.

* I learned how to reverse into a parking spot.

* My commute to work is, for the most part, super easy and traffic-free.

* There is a Target five minutes away from me.

* I graduated with a bachelor's degree.

* I am only 22 and have plenty more years to come in my future.

Life is good.  I'm thankful for where I am at.  And I think I could totally get comfortable with this.

On another note, Jared had his first experience with a toad the other day.  I'll give him credit with the fact that the sun was going down when he saw the toad.  But he completely jumped and freaked out over it.  I laughed so hard.  It's funny how the bugs and small critters here are very similar to the ones in Georgia.

The weather decided to go against me again last night.  There was a spectacular lightning and thunderstorm outside around 3 in the morning.  The lightning woke me up.  And then the thunder creeped me out.  It's nothing like the storms in Utah where you only see it in the distance.  The thunder was right on top of us.  Also, lightning struck really close to the building and made the whole building shake.  And then I thought of an earthquake and felt much more at ease, haha.  I think the fact that a tornado could happen here still freaks me out a tiny bit...  So, I was up when I should have been sleeping last night.

Weekend

I think yesterday was one of those days where you know why there's the saying "Thank God It's Friday!!!"  I have been a little overwhelmed and was ready to burn out by the end of it all.  And the funny thing?  I just sit in classes most of the day and learn new things.  But it's a lot of new things.  That's how it'll be for a little while.  But I'm happy.  I love it...

So, I got the whole prescription business fixed and set.  So, so happy.

And that night where I was so frustrated?  I took Gizmo potty in the evening and a stupid mosquito bit me on the forehead.  That's right, my bad day ended with a bite on the forehead.  I guess I deserved it, haha.  And today, I noticed there's a pimple on top of the bite.  So, on top of avoiding the need to scratch my forehead, I have to avoid the need to pop my pimple.  I love mosquitoes...  Actually, I think I hate them.

We're not doing a whole lot this weekend thanks to the moving company still holding onto our stuff.  I took Jared to my work, so he could see the buildings, art, and all that coolness that people talk about there.  Did I mention there's going to be a slide in my building?

Anyways, just posting to mention that I'm happy again and not so frustrated.  And I could get used to this, haha...

Unhappy Camper

I am a little frustrated right now...

But work is going pretty well right now.  I'm in a lot of orientation classes and will be taking classes for probably the next three months.  So, it's a nice transition from college.  The only difference is I'm getting paid this time around and the subjects might actually have something to do with what I'll be doing while at work...

Going from working little to nil all the way to full time has been a big adjustment.  I've been getting to work at 7:45am and leaving around 5 ish some days (6:30 yesterday).  So, it's definitely taking some getting used to.

The moving company still has our junk.  And I miss my junk now.  It would be really nice to have a tv, couch, and kitchenware right about now.  They're waiting for a truck to become available to deliver our stuff.  And I'm coming to the conclusion that I will not recommend this moving company.  You think it'll be great and so convenient.  But after they screw you over once or twice, you'll decide it really wasn't that convenient after all.  Oh well...

Trying to transfer my stupid prescription over is also difficult.  I finally got my insurance stuff all situated.  So, I went to call the doctor's office to leave a message about calling in my prescription (note the message part, not call and talk to).  Come to find out their office hours are from 8:30 to 4 and ask that you call at that time.  Um...  I work before, during and beyond those hours.  And I really don't think I'd enjoy calling you guys at work because I'd have to give you personal information that I don't need the people around me to know about.  What really gripes me is the fact that calling during office hours will still end with an answering machine since they never answer their phones anyways.  So, why the hell do I have to call during a certain time to leave a damn message?  I am very frustrated right now...

But other than that.  Life is good.