What a change of perspective great news can bring!

I'm going out on a limb here that people I know won't stumble upon this blog and blurt this out to people whom we may mutually know. If anyone I know does see this, please keep it to yourself for another week or so.

I found out today that I'm going to be an uncle for the first time. Not an "honorary uncle" to my friends' kids (all of whom I love dearly). A real, genuine uncle! Wow! This is something I've wanted for probably at least 8 years! I never told my sister about that wish (until an email that I just sent her), because I thought it wasn't any of my business when she decided to have a kid...and I can't control it, anyway. Still, I've wanted this day to come for a long time, and I know I'd rather be an uncle than a father (at least at this point in my life).

So how do I feel about it? Does "over the moon" sound too strong? It doesn't feel that way for me! In addition to my long-held wish to be an uncle, I know that my sister and brother-in-law, being the wonderful people that they are, will make fantastic parents! Although I wasn't totally sure that my sister really wanted a kid, I definitely know the answer now! I couldn't be happier for her and her husband. I know that their child (don't know the sex yet) will be raised in a home full of love, life, and happiness. There will be discipline, too, when needed. But as a good friend of mine says, "discipline means love." As much as I can get that without being a parent myself, I think I understand that a little better today. I'm sure I'll understand it even better when my sister gives birth. No matter what, though, I know that their child will never want for love or security.

This also gives me hope. For so long it's seemed to me like the good people were always the ones who got screwed (well, maybe not always, but surely more than was necessary). It shows me that maybe God does want good things to happen to good people. Hell, even if God had nothing to do with it, the fact that a great thing has happened to two great people makes me smile and lifts my spirits.

On a selfish note, this is easily the best news I've heard in months! It's been a really crappy few months for me lately, primarily due to medical issues that haven't seemed to let up. My sister's pregnancy changes my perspective on it all, though...big time! Sure, I've gone through hell in some ways, but haven't we all? Even though I've been through a lot, and even though I've felt like quitting a few times, today makes it all worth it. As that old Garth Brooks song goes, "I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance." How true that seems to me now!

Speaking of songs, I know one that I'm definitely playing for my sister and brother-in-law after their child is born. Check out "I Saw God Today" by George Strait. It gets me whenever I hear it, and I think it will be even more meaningful when my new niece or nephew is born.

I was a little miffed at my sister earlier for a comment she made when she and I and my father and his wife had lunch Saturday. I was going to send her an email about it. While I don't like to feel condescended to as her comment made me feel, it doesn't really matter today. As I mentioned earlier, I sent an email to my sister. Nowhere in it was anything about any gripes I have with her. It doesn't matter today. All I know is that my sister is very happy, and for that, so am I.

God, please bless my sister and brother-in-law, and please bless my future niece or nephew. :)

Proof that some people don't have a brain.

I just saw this poll on Facebook.

"Should the Obama administration shut down Fox News?

a. Yes

b. No

c. It's unconstitutional"

Um...is the person who created this poll brain dead? Do they even have a brain? Have they ever heard of something called the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution? The stupidity of some people never ceases to amaze me. Thank God most people aren't this dumb.

Obviously, I voted no on this, but I could just as easily have voted that it's unconstitutional. I don't always agree with Fox News or the commentators on it. However, they do have a right to exist and to express their viewpoints. And based on what I see in the majority of the mainstream media, they do indeed present a different viewpoint on many issues.

Before someone thinks I'm a Fox News or GOP apologist here, I would also say no if the question asked if McCain (had he won) should ban MSNBC. Utterly ridiculous question and notion.

Now, if the question asked if the Obama administration should shut down Sean Hannity, Keith Olbermann, Bill O'Reilly, or Rachel Maddow, I think I'd vote yes on that one! Yes, I'm kidding. Still, all four of those commentators drive me batshit crazy. Notice that I've named two liberal commentators and two conservative commentators...two can probably best be associated with Democrats, and two can probably best be associated with Republicans. Translation: both major political parties drive me nuts, as do most polarizing political commentators (yet another example of how the polarization of America is hurting our country...see my last blog post for a rant on that if you care).  I vote with my conscience and mind and heart, not with what some pointy-headed commentator decides to tell me.

On a related note, if Congress tries to re-instate the (not really) "Fairness Doctrine", then I hope there are many people who are up in arms about it. There is nothing fair about it. Making sure that all viewpoints are heard is important, and I think that most of those viewpoints are heard via radio, TV, blogs, and newspapers. Why do we need yet another government regulation telling us what we can and can't hear? While I admit that part of me thinks it would be funny if Rush Limbaugh was forced to have Nancy Pelosi as a guest on his show, the reality is that it would do nothing but stifle debate and freedom.

I'm done for now. And this is probably about as pithy as you're gonna get from me! LOL!

Back from my trip to Mars for some rants, raves, thanks, and praises

I'm baaack! What's up? Last time I posted, I think Ronald Reagan was still President! ;) Seriously, it's been way too long, and I do feel like I've taken a trip to Mars since I last posted. It's not like I've not had anything to say...I've just not been saying it here. I need to start posting more...once a week, or more if the mood strikes. I'm sure my friends would appreciate it so I don't bug them as much. LOL!

I'm going to try not to say a lot here, and I'm not posting any links to stuff I might rant about (I trust you'll already know the stories or be motivated to look things up yourself). I do want to touch on a variety of subjects, though, and they'll be broken down by topic. They're not necessarily in order of importance to me, with the notable exception of the first two. Here goes.

Friendship: I believe that you learn who your true friends are when you go through adversity. While I realize that my troubles are nothing compared to those of many people in this world, I've been through an awful lot over the last few months, both physically and emotionally. While there have been many people who have been incredibly supportive over the last few months, there's one person without whom I really don't think I would have made it through intact. That's my friend Maryann. Even though we unfortunately live too far apart, she's been there for me more than anyone else...to listen to me, to encourage me, to make me laugh, to bolster my spirits, to help keep my mind active, to keep me from getting too far down in an emotional hole, and to gently kick my butt when I've needed it. While she's not always agreed with all I've said or with the way I've handled everything (and I don't blame her), she's never judged me to be a bad person, nor an irreparable person. Nor has she ever said or implied that I'm anything other than a flawed but decent man, and a great friend. I know that friends are supposed to help each other through the tough times and show compassion, and those are some of Maryann's greatest qualities...she genuinely tries to help, and it's obvious that her love and concern and compassion are genuine as well. I wish there were more people like her in this world.

Maryann, THANK YOU for all that you are and for all that you do. Thanks for giving me hope to keep on fighting when I thought I had no hope left. I appreciate it more than you know. These things and the things I mentioned above are only some of the reasons why you're my best friend, and why I thank God for you. I promise you that I'll return the favor and then some whenever you need me, in good times or in bad times...even at 3 am. You're one of the best people I know in more ways than you know. Please don't forget that you're wonderful. I love you! :)

God and religion: A friend and I were kicking this idea around last weekend...perhaps the reason that God made different faiths and different beliefs, many with which we might not agree, is because he wanted to teach us how to tolerate and love one another despite our differences. I like this idea!

President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize: Why? What has he done to deserve this? I'm not saying he won't do anything to deserve it in the future. I am saying that he hasn't done jack shit yet. Given that he had been in office a whole 12 days when the ballots were due, it's clear to me that this decision was purely political. I think the Nobel committee wanted to send a message that they didn't care for the policies of the George W. Bush administration (fine, but this is not the venue in which to send that message), and I also think that this decision was part of the near deification of President Obama that is still rampant in certain circles (especially the media). I don't really like the majority of things he's done so far, but I'm willing to admit the possibility that he may end up a decent President. Even if he ends up being the best President we've ever had, let's be sure to give him accolades that he actually deserves.

Divisiveness and partisanship: I think that this is the biggest problem our country faces at the moment. Bigger than Iraq or Afghanistan. Bigger than North Korea. Bigger than health care. Bigger than the economy. It's perfectly OK (and expected) for people to disagree on things and to vent their disagreement. But there's a right way to do that and a wrong way to do that. The vitriol that has been coming out of opposite camps on all sorts of issues, from health care reform to the economic stimuli to government takeovers of corporations to any other number of things, has been extraordinarily detrimental to the ideas of free speech and American-style democracy itself, not to mention the concept of actually solving any of the serious problems that befall our country. Most people think I'm nuts when I say this, but I think that unless we find ways to disagree without tearing each other down, and unless we find ways to work together to solve our country's problems despite any disagreements, divisiveness, or partisanship we may have, then the USA as we know it will cease to exist...probably within the next 20-25 years. I think that Americans are already fighting a philosophical and ideological civil war. I pray that we as a country wake up before it becomes a Civil War where blood is spilled. I try to remain hopeful that it won't come to that, but I really have my doubts some days. Although I don't think he was a great President in many ways, Richard Nixon was right on the money when he said this..."We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another - until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices." This certainly applies today.

A few weeks ago, I saw a bumper sticker that read "God is not a Republican...or a Democrat." If we want God to help us to protect this nation in whatever way God or we are able to do so, then the rancor and hatred, whether motivated by political partisanship or simple divisiveness, needs to stop...NOW. Our country's future depends on it.

Music: Although I don't yet have all of the remastered Beatles CDs, I want them all! "Revolver" and "Abbey Road" sound amazing! I want that "Beatles in Mono" box set, too! Something to put on the Christmas list! ;) On another note, Ben Folds sounds friggin' amazing live with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra! One of the best concerts I've been to, maybe ever. I still think it's funny that over 2,000 people were yelling "Fuck!" at the top of their lungs in one of the world's greatest and most opulent symphony halls!

Health care: Sort of related to my rant on divisiveness and partisanship. I think that the Democrats are full of it and delusional if they really expect that "universal health care" is going to solve the health insurance crisis. Similarly, I think that the Republicans are full of it and delusional if they really think that the system is generally fine as is and doesn't need significant change.

Let's first take on a fundamental question that many politicians -- Democrat, Republican, or Independent -- seem to have forgotten about: HOW WILL WE PAY FOR THIS? Yes, we need reform, but can we afford to grow our national debt even more into the trillions of dollars to implement all that the President and many politicians (mostly Democrats, let's face it) want to implement? I think the answer is obvious...we can't afford it. Small businesses can't afford it, either. If they're FORCED to provide health insurance for all of their employees no matter the cost, then many of these small businesses will shut their doors, plain and simple. I've seen it happen already with the way that health care costs have risen dramatically in the last 15 years or so. Similarly, can the consumer who will be FORCED to buy insurance under the government's program afford it, even with subsidies? Again, I'd say that the answer is no, at least in some cases. The person who will be forced into the government's plan or a private insurance plan is, most likely, going to be one who does not have group health insurance coverage through their employer. Given that I've had to pay for COBRA once in my life (which is not too much different from buying your own private policy outright), I know that the costs can be astronomical. I paid over $300 per month when I was on COBRA after losing a job...this was many years ago, and it was just for myself. Clearly, unless premiums (both on private plans and any government plan that comes into being) are kept at a reasonable level, the end result will be that there will be MORE people who will have economic hardship, not fewer, if they're forced to buy insurance. Similarly, the costs need to be kept down for the companies themselves. As much as you and I might pay for health insurance through our employers, I guarantee you that our employers pay much more...in fact, employers usually subsidize at least 65 to 70 percent of the true cost for their employees' health insurance. 

Why are the costs so high to companies and individuals? My opinion is that it's greed on the part of the insurance companies. Sure, they have a right and a responsibility to make a profit. What they don't have the right to do is to price gouge companies and individuals. While the insurance companies (nor the drug companies for that matter) won't admit this, they are a major part of the reason why health care costs have skyrocketed. Because the insurance companies' monetary payouts to doctors are a joke, doctors have been forced to raise their fees in order to remain competitive in business. Don't believe me? Try to pay for something when you don't have insurance or when it's not covered by your insurance. Many years ago, doctors (and hospitals) were much more willing to negotiate with patients on the final cost of services, or on the length of time that a patient has to pay their balance. Some of those doctors still exist, but they are becoming increasingly rarer to find. Because the insurance companies have the doctors over a barrel if the doctors want to be a part of a particular insurance company's "panel", the doctors have no choice but to raise their overall fees in order to make up for the pathetic payments they get from the insurance companies, thus screwing people who don't have insurance or whose insurance doesn't cover a particular procedure or diagnosis. Trust me on this...I used to work for a major health insurance company, and I know a bit about how it works.

Although I think that the Democrats are largely misguided on what they want to accomplish, I do applaud them (and President Obama) for one particular thing...their desire to end denials for pre-existing conditions. While there are some state laws that prohibit these kinds of denials in certain situations and for certain types of products (ex: HMOs in Texas), denials for pre-existing need to go away altogether. They don't make sense for an individual or family who desperately need(s) health insurance, and they don't make sense in the long run for business, either. This is just an example of extreme cost-cutting run amok. It's not just on the part of the insurance companies, either. Many group health plans are simply administered by an insurance company such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield or Aetna (where I worked, this type of plan was called "ASO", or "Administrative Services Only"). The actual spending of the money -- and the decisions on what is covered or not covered (pre-existing or otherwise) -- are often spent or made (respectively) by the employers themselves. This happens more often than most people realize. While I'm not making excuses for the insurance companies, lots of times they're just doing what they've been told to do and what they're being paid to do by a company. 

Regarding those who say that we don't need reform or that we only need minute "tweaks" in the system (like most Republicans), I pose a few simple questions. What do we, as a nation, do when there are people who are getting unnecessarily financially squeezed by the insurance companies and government? What happens to their freedom of choice? Where will their incentive or ability to spend or invest in other sectors of the economy come from when they don't have the money to pay for their health care costs? Sure, there are those who squander their money or who intentionally try to bilk health care providers out of money owed. But I submit that those people are the exception, not the rule. Similarly, what do we do when someone is denied treatment for something which would be reasonably simple and inexpensive to treat at that point, but becomes increasingly more difficult and expensive to treat as time goes on? As an example, take someone who is denied insurance payment for some outpatient mental health services they may need. Yes, those services can be expensive. But are they more expensive than inpatient mental health services....services which could possibly have been avoided had the insurance company just agreed to cover the outpatient services in the first place? Clearly not. And it's not just more expensive monetarily. The cost to society from lost work and productivity, as well as the overall health and happiness of the patient, can't be underestimated. These kinds of denials don't just happen with the big private health insurance companies...Medicare and Medicaid (both government run) deny things, too. They're just too bureaucratic and slow to do things before the general public notices (or before the media reports on them). Because of this, I think we have to be careful with any government run health care reform that may come down the pike. 

Is having health insurance a "right" in this country? I say no. It's often a necessity (largely due to the costs of treatment), but it's not a right. After all, you can still get treatment in an ER or in many public or "charity based" hospitals even if you don't have health insurance. Having said that, is the actual health care of our country's citizens a "right"? I say yes to that one. I think that living in a reasonably free society such as ours, people have a right to expect that their medical ailments will be treated in some fashion. This goes for people who have insurance and for those who don't...even if those who don't have it have chosen to forgo health insurance voluntarily.
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I could write a lot more, but I've gone on WAY too long already. I intended this post to be reasonably pithy. So much for that! LOL! I really need an editor! I'll be back soon to share more thoughts on whatever random crap is going through my head, whether it's as important as health care reform or as unimportant (by comparison) as the latest remastered CD by a legendary band.

Thanks for reading and for staying with me here! You've earned a medal! I welcome any comments, agreements, disagreements, or rants about what I've said here. :)

Towne Lake Recreation Area in McKinney, Texas

These pictures were taken on the morning of July 25 and on the evening of July 29. I used my 2.0 MP cell phone camera, so if they're not great quality you know why. Also, I claim no proficiency whatsoever in any type of photography techniques such as composition or editing or whatever. I will definitely edit the number of pictures down at some point to minimize redundancy, but for now I'm too lazy to do it. ;) I tried sharing my Photobucket album with these pics in it directly to this blog, but I messed up along the way somehow. If all you see is a bunch of gibberish or a link here then that's why. Enjoy!

And now for something completely different...

Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Ed McMahon all in one week! RIP

What a tragic week it's been for the entertainment industry! While I was somewhat expecting Farrah Fawcett's death to be imminent, the deaths of Ed McMahon, and especially Michael Jackson, really shocked me. That Fawcett and Jackson died the same day is obviously a coincidence, but still mind-blowing to me. I think I'll say a few words about all three of these people here.

Regarding Ed McMahon: McMahon and Johnny Carson started their incredible 29-year run on The Tonight Show well before I was born, but I remember the latter years (80s onward) of the show very well. McMahon was a perfect straight man for Carson's dry but hilarious wit, and he often allowed himself to become a part of the joke. He always seemed like a "grandfatherly type" to me...very gentle and willing to help others. And his famous "Heeeere's Johnny!" introduction of Carson will always be one of the greatest TV moments for me. Sometimes I'll still dig out old tapes of Carson's Tonight Show or watch clips on YouTube, paying particular attention to McMahon. While he certainly kept himself in the limelight over the years with various commercials and TV shows (not to mention his unfortunate financial woes as of late), I'll always remember him best while sitting on that couch, bantering with Carson or his guests in that deep, booming voice of his.

Regarding Farrah Fawcett: First of all...yes, I did have "the poster." Honestly, what young American male didn't have it? Besides her stunningly beautiful looks, she wasn't a bad actress, either. She wasn't my favorite of Charlie's Angels (that would have been Jaclyn Smith), but I still liked her a lot. After she left the show, several acting roles kept her in the public consciousness, and many of her performances were quite good (I still remember watching her in The Burning Bed when I was a teenager...what a great portrayal!). Although her profile waned a little bit in recent years, I think she did a really great and courageous thing by allowing parts of her battle with cancer to become public. Maybe the way that she seemed to fight the disease--maintaining her humanity by showing some of her fears, but also displaying a sense of humor and optimism--will inspire others to keep going through the difficult struggles that we will all encounter in life. I heard that shortly before she died, Fawcett wanted to see her son who, unbeknownst to her, had been incarcerated. Unfortuntaely her son wasn't able to get to see her in time, but Fawcett still expressed her love for him, just like any good mom should do. It's a shame that her son wasn't able to see his mom one last time, and it's also a shame that Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal did not get a chance to "officially" get married before she died. Still, it was obvious that Fawcett and O'Neal loved each other deeply, and that bond is no less real to me just because it didn't have a marriage license attached to it.

Regarding Michael Jackson: News of his death completely blew me out of the water. While he definitely seemed to have quite a few strange things about him, his talent was undeniable. One of my favorite groups as a kid was the Jackson 5, and so many of their songs still hold up today. Regarding Jackson's solo work, I believe that Off The Wall and Thriller are two of the best albums of all time. And that video for the song "Thriller" is still amazing! I know that he had been in the news in recent years for some really terrible things (and I hope that the biggest thing was not true...you know what I'm talking about). Still, I felt quite a bit of confidence that he would be able to recapture some of his old stardom and "magic" with the 50-concert stand in London that was due to start in just a few weeks. I really think that he would have proven a lot of people wrong who were saying that he was a "has been" and that he should just give it up. Maybe it wouldn't have been like it was in his heyday, but I think it could have been something big. It's a shame that we won't get to find out. I was never the biggest fan of Jackson's, but as I said earlier, there were parts of his career that I enjoyed immensely. His legacy, though, will live on through remembrances of his talent and his humanitarian efforts. His talent, I believe, made him the "Elvis" of my generation. His humanitarian efforts were far-reaching and did much good in the world. For that, Jackson has my respect.

Rest in peace, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. We thank you all for your talents and impact on the world, and you will all be missed.

Time for another post

Hi, everybody. It's been way too long since I've posted here. I will probably post a few more times again within the next week or two. What have I been doing? Well, the biggest and best thing is that my girlfriend came down from Chicago for a few days. I wanted to show her that not all of Texas is as ugly as Dallas, so we went to San Antonio for a few days and then stopped in to see some good friends of mine in Austin on the way back to Dallas. We had a fantastic time! I will try to post some pics here sometime soon (although I'm not very good at it just yet, so forgive me if I'm a little slow in doing so).

Grace (my girlfriend) was very impressed with San Antonio. She loved all of the culture, the diversity, and the sense of history and spirituality there. We are both Catholic, so we decided to go to Mass at San Fernando Cathedral...supposedly it's the oldest cathedral in the United States. That was great from a religious and a historical standpoint, as were our trips to the Alamo (remember that it was a church before it was a military institution) and to one of the other four missions (Mission San Jose) in the city.

In addition to the Alamo and the mission, we spent some time on the Riverwalk...San Antonio's crown jewel, which Grace found to be lovely. She enjoyed having some authentic Tex-Mex, and although she was a bit embarrassed, she also thought it was nice and romantic that I had a mariachi band serenade her (in Spanish, no less) at dinner. They said it was a romantic song (and it sounded like one), but my Spanish is terrible, so for all I know they were telling us to go kill a bunch of people...lol!

Our really big excursion, though, was to Sea World...Grace loves whales and dolphins! Other than it being a bit crowded and becoming very hot as the day wore on, we had a fabulous time. We saw most all of the requisite shows with whales, dolphins, etc. The shows were usually very good, but they would have been better without all the humans and the gay music! The animals were spectacular, though...it still amazes me that they can be trained to do such wondrous things. At Sea World, we were joined by our friend Kim, who drove in from Houston. It was good for us all to get together.

Grace and Kim were having a great time with each other, so they decided to go shopping at the massive outlet malls in San Marcos (about halfway between Austin and San Antonio) before driving to Austin to hang with my friends and I there for a bit.

I miss Grace since she's gone back home, and I wish she was still here. Hopefully I will get to go up to Chicago before too long so we can be together again.

That's all for now. If I post again this week, it'll probably be about other things that have been covered on the news lately, such as the tragic disappearance of Air France 447, and the opening of the ginormous Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Until next time, stay in trouble! ;)