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Oooohhh, My dream come true!
Tags: carita, kerastase, smashbox, beauty, pout, skin care, esthetician
Campaign: Fred Segal Beauty Lottery
Added: 8/15/2007 1:24 PM PT
Last Modified: 8/15/2007 1:24 PM PT
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Below you can read my thoughts on health care in the US from my Brickfish Goes to Washington Campaign..... but I'd love to know how everyone else is feeling.
The upcoming release of "Sicko" just has me fired up! I can't say I'm a die hard fan of Michael Moore, I do believe he often puts his own spin on things, and this movie is likely to have that as well..... however it is hard to see how he could really "spin" this issue. Our health care system is truly disastrous. #37 in the world? We deserve better than this!
I know we have some folks on here from Canada, I'd love to hear what they have to say about their health care, if they feel that their system works for or against them.........?
This is an issue very close to my heart, so let's discuss!
With the upcoming release of SICKO, a movie I'm personally excited to see, the debate of universal health care is at the top of everyones mind again. For along time, I thought I was for UHC, being that I have for a long time been uninsured. I'm not uninsured because I'm cheap or irresponsible, I'm uninsured because I'm sick, and sick people can't get health insurance. Seems like a horrible Catch-22, doesn't it? We the people who would need the coverage the most, can't get covered..... but I digress.
So after some research into the subject, not understanding why we didn't just have UHC, and hoping to God Hillary made in to office, because wasn't she the one that originally promised it? I realized, unless we were able to seriously improve upon the systems that are currently set in place in other countries (i.e. Canada), we wouldn't be any better off with UHC than we are to begin with. The wait times and denials for service and medications would be so horrendous we would pay exhorberant amounts of money for private health care anyway!
My "unique" idea, which I realize isn't truly unique, just not as often discussed, for a campaign, is to set forth a political policy that holds these insurance companies to some standards, including, but not limited to; giving health care to ALL (yes, higher premiums to sick individuals, but give them the damn insurance to begin with!), better appeals process (the current process is a joke, they literally "lose" forms and such) and putting the decision making process back into the people who went to school for so many years to make the decisions, YES the DOCTORS!
There is no checks and balance system for the insurance companies to follow. They are completely for profit and can basically get away with what they like. If there were more stringent laws and policies that they were forced to uphold, set in place by our government, UHC would be less of an issue. We already have many health care programs in place for low-income, underserved populations, they are not the ones who are lacking in health care. It is the middle class people who are getting screwed around by the insurance companies, and we need our government to take a stand for us and our health!
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It's not a big purse. It's medium size. I used to carry an overnight bag, really, it was an overnight bag that Bath and Body Works had, you could buy it for $25 when you spent $25, but then the doctor said I had to stop carrying it when I came in for my third appointment with a backache. Oops. Now I carry a smaller purse and just cram it with more stuff. 
 Such as.........My wallet.... you have to have that with you, it has all the essentials, my I.D., my Sally's Pro Card (I get a discount for being a beauty professional you know), my 7-11 gift card (it is slurpee season after all!), my Crystal Light On the Go's & my Sleepy Time tea (it is a must that I carry my own flavor additives) .
Then we have the current book I'm reading, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (my third time reading it, great book, I highly reccomend it!),
a video I just picked up at Blockbuster that I have to watch for school, ("Crash", has anyone seen this? Hope it's good.),
my super important Angel Oracle cards (because you never know when you need the Angels to help you with a problem)
my mini pharmacy,
two pairs of sunglasses (you know, just in case something happens to one, I'd hate to be stuck without),
my camera bag (my camera was in my purse, but I needed it to take the picture, duh!),
my wanna be iPod (cuz I'm not hip enough to have an iPod),
all the chapstick in the free world and some lipgloss (Avon and Mac, what a combo, eh?),
a travel pack of Q-Tips (ummm.... I don't know why those are in there?, but they are?)
my Ritz-Carlton pen (yeah, that's right, I used to work there, aren't you jealous, and don't try to tell me you got one by staying there, cuz then I'll be jealous and that is NOT fair!),
my mints with my name on them (they don't taste so great, but they have MY name on them!)
and last but not least, my beat up old school ga-het-toe cell phone.......
Ooooohhh almost forgot, my keys didn't make the picture, but my key chain is always in there too, it is a biggun, a purple pepper spray canister (how girly!  )
Really, it's not a big purse at all... but somehow it all fits, and the seam is only bursting a little bit, I'm sure it won't rip for at least another month or so, I should be fine!
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Strong Women
Tags: dixie chicks, president, bush, texas, maines, iraq
Campaign: My Favorite Rock Star Is…
Added: 6/26/2007 3:45 PM PT
Last Modified: 6/27/2007 9:46 PM PT
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Okay, okay, okay I'll admit it...... I like.... shhhh don't tell anyone..... country music. There I said it, okay, let the teasing begin. And before you ask, I live in the Bay Area of California, not exactly known for putting out a lot of country singers. The band I'm speaking of today however, is a favorite of mine not so much because of their music (however, I do have all of their CD's and do love listening to them), but because of the strong ladies they are.... If you haven't figured it out by now, it's the Dixie Chicks. So yes, they are not the the typical "rock star" in the "My Favorite Rock Star Is......" but alas, I love them anyway.
Even if I didn't like country music, I would want to meet the Dixie Chicks. Particularly Natalie Maines, I want to shake the hand of the woman who is "Not Ready to Make Nice".
For anyone who is not aware, Maines publically criticized Bush on the eve of the Iraq invasion at a 2003 London concert by saying-
"Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas."
While I believe she did later allude to it being a joke, she has never apologized. This statement cost the band a large number of fans. Many fans publicly burned cd's, made death threats to the band and radio stations around the country stopped playing their music, this didn't solicit an apology from the Dixie Chicks though.
I'm not saying that anyone who puts down the President automatically gets my praise (although, I'm not his biggest fan), but people who continue to stand behind what they've said and don't give in to the masses simply to passify their fans certainly impress me. Often celebraties are jumped on when they say something that offends someone, and they go through leaps and bounds to apologize, what I often wonder is if they really meant it, or if they just wanted to appease the public. I applaud the Dixie Chicks for not backing down when faced with mutany from their fans.
There are many artist I appreciate for their music, but these women I appreciate double duty, for their music and their strength!
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A Healthier America
Tags:
Campaign: Brickfish Goes to Washington Scholarship Contest
Added: 6/18/2007 11:40 PM PT
Last Modified: 6/22/2007 5:30 PM PT
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With the upcoming release of SICKO, a movie I'm personally excited to see, the debate of universal health care is at the top of everyones mind again. For along time, I thought I was for UHC, being that I have for a long time been uninsured. I'm not uninsured because I'm cheap or irresponsible, I'm uninsured because I'm sick, and sick people can't get health insurance. Seems like a horrible Catch-22, doesn't it? We the people who would need the coverage the most, can't get covered..... but I digress.
So after some research into the subject, not understanding why we didn't just have UHC, and hoping to God Hillary made in to office, because wasn't she the one that originally promised it? I realized, unless we were able to seriously improve upon the systems that are currently set in place in other countries (i.e. Canada), we wouldn't be any better off with UHC than we are to begin with. The wait times and denials for service and medications would be so horrendous we would pay exhorberant amounts of money for private health care anyway!
My "unique" idea, which I realize isn't truly unique, just not as often discussed, for a campaign, is to set forth a political policy that holds these insurance companies to some standards, including, but not limited to; giving health care to ALL (yes, higher premiums to sick individuals, but give them the damn insurance to begin with!), better appeals process (the current process is a joke, they literally "lose" forms and such) and putting the decision making process back into the people who went to school for so many years to make the decisions, YES the DOCTORS!
There is no checks and balance system for the insurance companies to follow. They are completely for profit and can basically get away with what they like. If there were more stringent laws and policies that they were forced to uphold, set in place by our government, UHC would be less of an issue. We already have many health care programs in place for low-income, underserved populations, they are not the ones who are lacking in health care. It is the middle class people who are getting screwed around by the insurance companies, and we need our government to take a stand for us and our health!
P.S. IF YOU'D BE SO KIND:
You could score me some extra points by going to the link
http://www.hcdsurveys.com/go/J6398/?vendor=brickfish and taking a quick 2-5 min survey about where you get your politcal information from. At the end you enter your e-mail address and my brick fish info = http://www.brickfish.com/jessyleigh9797
BTW, so far I have gotten absolutley NO junk mail from taking the survey!
Thanks everyone!
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Dancing the Night Away
Tags:
Campaign: High Heel Monologues
Added: 6/19/2007 2:36 PM PT
Last Modified: 6/19/2007 2:36 PM PT
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I was uber excited to attend the wedding of two of my former roomates. They were after all the cutest couple I knew, and perfect for each other! The wedding was to be outdoors in on the edge of the beautiful Lake Tahoe. I had some of my outfit planned, well, the shoes anyhow! My latest purchase, lime green, snake skin, BCBG, pointy toe stilettos! A girl's dream! All I had to do was purchase the rest of the outfit to match. And let me tell you that was no easy feat. It took nearly a month of shopping, until I finally found a chocolate brown a la '70's show halter top, gaucho pant jump suit, with a lime green shawl. It was PERFECT! Until......
I read the invitation again..... "Although formal attire is requested, the wedding is outdoors and the landscaping is not suited for highheels." Huh? Formal without heels? How could I do it? I quickly called the bride, "I've already bought my outfit, completely purchased around the heels? What should I do?" She told me that it might not be a problem for me, knowing what a heel diva I am, and being that the problem was the ground was cobblestone, so I should just go for it.
When my date and I arrived at the event, everything seemed fine, there were a few little "teetering" moments where I could've stumbled, but I recovered gracefully. Of course, all of the women complimented me on my shoes, because they were after all, lime green and fabulous!
After the ceramony and dinner came the dancing, on the cobblestones...... turns out I can walk just fine in stilletos on cobblestones, however dancing on cobblestones in stilletos is a whole different ballgame! I looked like a druken fool! I'm sure that people thought I'd had a little too much champagne at the champagne toast, little did they realize, mine was sparkling cider.
Seriously, would it have been too much to ask for a dance floor?
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A Child Called It
Tags:
Campaign: Brickfish $1,000 Blog Essay Scholarship
Added: 6/18/2007 11:06 PM PT
Last Modified: 6/18/2007 11:06 PM PT
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I think at some point in our lives, we all find that one book that insipres us to do something good for others. Usually it is a feel good book. For me though, it was a book that shocked and angered me. That book was a A Child Called It. The first in Dave Pelzer 's autobiographical triolgy. In this book he describes growing up in a household with an abusive, alcoholic mother and a mostly absent, if not ignorant father.
Pelzer remembers the abuse to begin around the age of 5, and says although his brothers received some it, he was the main target. His mother would accuse him of "being a bad boy" and punish him accordingly, once beating him so severly she dislocated his shoulder. At one point she decided he was no longer apart of the family and was told to begin living in the basement, he was to sit where and how she told him to, and she would check on him constantly to be sure he hadn't moved. At that point he was given the names "The Boy" and "It", because to have a name was too much of an honor. He was assigned "chores" around the house, that were just more forms of punishment, sometimes including cleaning the bathroom with cautstic chemicals, while all ventilation was closed. This caused him to pass out and vomit from the fumes, his mother found this hilarious. Then made him clean up his vomit. She burned him, stabbed him, continued to beat him, starved and dehydrated him.
Thank god, at the age of 12, the school FINALLY stepped in. On March 5, 1973, when Pelzer went to school after having been beaten and having his head smashed, he had to go to the school nurse. The nurse had had enough, and after looking over his record, she went to the principal and urged him to contact the authorities. He did, and Pelzer never had to return to that home again.
Moving through the foster system wasn't a smooth transition for Pelzer, but I think he'll agree that it was much better than that home. The foster care system, although it has it's flaws, is set forth to be a temporary alternative to the unsafe homes that children are coming from. I believe that one of the major complaints kids have is how much they are shuffled around, but it is a "temporary" placement.
After reading this book, I was inspired, I wanted to run right and become a foster parent, have as many kids as I could fit into my little one bedroom apartment...... obviously that wasn't going to work. So what was I to do? Well that was right around the time a friend told me about CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for Foster Care Children. This is similar to Gaurdian Ad-Litem programs, basically you are assigned to one foster care youth (darn, I can't help them all?) and you work by there side, along with their social worker and attorney to ensure that they are getting every thing they need. You visit their placement, make recommendations to the judge about it, you work with their teachers if necessary, if they need to go to the dentist, you call the social worker and tell them. You are there as the liason between the child and the court to see that they get whatever they need. The program sounded great, I went to the informational meeting the following week, handed in my application, went through interviews, FBI screenings (I'm not kidding), DMV checks, fingerprinting, 10 weeks of training and then finally..... I got sworn in by the commisioner of the family court in San Francisco, and I think I smiled bigger than I ever have.
By the way, his other two books, The Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave are just as inspiring! And not quite as depressing!
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