What a difference 3 weeks makes!

If I were Oprah...

There are tons of reasons (literally like millions and millions) to want to be Oprah, but I think that being able to give away free stuff is probably one of the most fun things about being Oprah. Today, I was thinking about what would I put on "Angie's Favorite Things" show, because I'm very brand loyal. I imagine that I'm a marketers dream. If I like your product, I will stick with it until it dies or I do.
Just for fun, I decided to come up with a list of stuff I would give away.
My first 2 product shout outs are a tie to Russel Athletic brand Nublend t-shirts and Cottonelle toilet paper. Russell t-shirts must have the optimal blend of fabrics that allow for the perfect amount of stretch, resulting in maximum comfort. I mean, I seriously love these t-shirts, I always have, but they really proved their worth while my belly keeps growing!
I also love Cottonelle toilet paper as much as anyone could love a one-time use item. Just ask Sean what happened when he came home from Costco with Charmin...not cool. I won't go into all the details why I believe that Cottonelle is clearly superior to all other brands, but I refuse to purchase anything else. Me and my bum are very particular.

The second thing that I'm probably most obsessed with is Law and Order. I was really devastated when TNT changed their TV schedule a few months ago and limited the number of Law and Order episodes they play to only like 2 per day!

Here's the rest of the list:
1. Colgate 2 in 1 Mouthwash + Toothpaste Icy Blast toothpaste
I haven't used anything else in about 6 years. Well, they discontinued my original flavor, but Icy Blast has been my mouth's friend for a few years.
2. Erba organics Mommy-to-be massage oil: the first bottle of oil that I bought was called stretch mark oil, but this sounds nicer. I'm 35 weeks pregnant and it's proved itself so far.
3. I really love the hot dogs that they serve at the Royals game at the stands where they sell Boulevard beer. I will not vouch for the hot dogs at the regular concession stand, because they're pretty gross, but the first ones are actually amazing. It's a treat that I only get a few times a year (not yet in 2009), but I recommend checking them out if you're at Kauffman Stadium.
4. Amy's brand frozen Macaroni and Cheese: I once at this 5 times in one week (I'm a pretty lazy cook).
5. Bandolino heels
6. Perry Ellis makes really comfortable boxers that I try to steal from Sean (ok, that's kind of cheating b/c Sean is brand loyal to those).
7. Garmin Nuvi GPS: without it, I'd be driving and crying in KC a lot more often.

So, that's the list off the top of my head of things that I adore that I could give away. I'm grateful for these things. I'd definitely try to bring some of them along if I were trapped on a deserted island (no use for heels or microwaveable foods there). It's fun to think about what you would give away if you could. I guess people would be pretty disappointed with my list versus the $10,000 worth of product you'd get from Oprah. But, I bet the toilet paper would come in a lot more handy than a roomba on an deserted island.

More Information on Health Care Reform

Hey Blog,
Guess what I found today...a website from the Kaiser Family Foundation that allows you to compare the major health reform proposals that are out.
Here it is: www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm
That's right, YOU can actually READ real information about many of the proposals on the table right now and get links to places where you can get more information. You can pick topics you are interested in and get a side-by-side comparisons between plans.
I will say that it doesn't use what I would consider lay-language, so if you don't feel like actually thinking about what you are reading, visit the website at a different time.

Guest Blogging - US Health Care Reform 2009

The topic of health care reform has become the political discussion in the US this summer, with President Obama originally hoping to pass health care reform legislation this summer, and now pushing to have something done to improve the state of US health care by the end of the year. This is a topic that interests me greatly, for a variety of professional and personal reasons. During my career thus far, I've worked closely with doctors, medical students, and health care researchers conducting various types of research examining the delivery of health care services in the US. But, this is also a subject that I find deep personal interest in, and is one of the foundational political issues that I consider when thinking about and discussing US politics.

As a Canadian living in the US, this is a subject that I've been forced to confront since I enrolled at Evangel University back in 1995. At that time, my colleagues would ask me what I thought about Canada's 'socialized' medicine, as if it were a system that ought to be in question as a legitimate form of paying for health care and providing coverage for the whole population. A question that would have never occurred to me had I never come to the US for school, but a question that I've enjoyed thinking and conversing about ever since.

If you were to believe many of the commentators in the US, you might think that I was raised in a totalitarian state with no 'freedoms', little opportunity for self determination or economic advancement, and that I was surrounded by suffering due to the ineptitude of government involvement in 'so many' of my day to day activities. Of course, this is not at all an accurate depiction of my experience, my family's continued experience, or the experiences of Canadians in general, but it seems to gain traction in the US because of it's frequent repetition and the availability of a few cases where the system has come up wanting.

Given the dissonance between my perception of the experiences of Canadians, and the caricature depicted by so many commentators in the US, health care became an issue that I've pursued as much information on as possible so that I could honestly understand the reality and avoid the ideological colourings that so often obscure the truth rather than provide clarity in political discourse. I've spent much of my adult life considering and comparing Canadian and US health care, alongside other systems around the world in order to determine what works and what the best way to achieve a workable solution (if indeed there is a problem).

Lately, I've found myself involved in a variety of online debates and discussions about the topic of health care in the US, and how health care reform might best be achieved. In the process, I've found myself repeating the same points over and over, sometimes even with the same discourse partners. I've decided, with Angie’s encouragement to write a series of posts over the next few weeks outlining and dissecting many of the points of contention seen in the US health care debate. I'd like to thank Angie for inviting me to 'guest blog' here on her website, hopefully she'll find these posts interesting. While I can't claim to be entirely unbiased in what I think is the 'right' thing to do, I will claim to present arguments that can be backed up with data, and despite my ideological bent I am first and foremost a pragmatist who would much rather see something work than to promote a pure implementation of my ideals.

Belly Pride and other thoughts

So, I really do care a lot about health care reform, but I can't sleep again, so I decided to write some more of my musings on life.

I was staring at my belly today and realized that I'm quite proud of it and I'm proud of myself for having it! This is a picture from last Sunday (29 weeks).

Hopefully from the picture, you can tell that I'm pregnant and not just had a sudden increase in abdominal fat. If it wasn't such a boring fact that I think no one cares about, I'd go look up the reference for how much more at risk you are for cardiovascular disease as the amount of belly fat you have increases. Suffice it to say, the health risks of being overweight are numerous and devastating and they are even worse for people who carry a lot of fat around their vital organs. Even a modest weight loss (5%) can dramatically reduce your risk of developing diabetes. Just think how the costs of healthcare might go down if we could just PREVENT the onset of disease... I'm a dreamer, I know.

But, I digress, this blog is supposed to be about belly pride. I usually don't stare at my belly, but I'm glad that I did tonight. Even though I know that my belly is big for reasons other than gluttony, I've found it mentally challenging to watch myself expand. A few months ago, I had a different kind of belly pride. For the first time in my life, I was getting a visible line in my abs (a 2 pack, if you will). I worked really hard to get that and I was so proud of it. When I got pregnant, I was so happy, but at the same time, I was really scared about what would happen to my body over the next 40 weeks and sad to know that I'd lose the acceptance of my body as it was that I'd finally achieved. I've learned that what happens to your body can be scary, frustrating, and annoying, but it is also wonderful and amazing. As I stared at my belly today, I realized that I've come a long way and I'm proud of my belly for being such a trooper. My body has a tough job, it's growing and supporting a whole new person. I must say that I think that my body is doing a darn good job so far.

The process of growing has forced me to examine my beliefs on beauty, size, and confidence and I'm glad. Everytime, I look at myself and think about how much I hate looking so different, I try to think about how it feels when I stare at my belly and it moves by itself. That always reminds me that the precious baby girl temporarily housed in there is worth it a million times over. Maybe one day, I'll feel compelled to get on my soap box about the pressure to be thin in a country where most people are fat, but not today. I'll just say that I'm learning a lot about myself and how ingrained the ideas of superficial beauty really become in the subconscience mind. I'm glad to have the chance to consider these things right now, because I'm going to have a daughter very soon.

It's really important to me to raise a daughter who is confident and proud of herself (including her body). I don't want her to feel inadequate or not valuable if she's not a supermodel. This process of physically growing made me realize that I still have some "mental growing" to do in this area. I need to really pay attention to how I act around my little girl. I don't her ever want her to hear me say, "I look fat in this" or "This looks hideous on me" or any number of other things that come out my mouth. I want a healthy and strong body and I want to strive for that because it makes me feel good, not because I think that I'll look better or people will think that I'm prettier that way. I am going to work toward that goal for me and for my daughter.

Health Care Reform

I've invited my friend Aaron Bonham to be a guest author on my blog to discuss health care reform. Aaron is a Canadian living in the United States and I think that we all deserve to hear a perspective of health care in Canada that isn't from the TV news or some crazy person who barely knows where Canada is on a map. We've have heard horror stories about the Canadian health care system over and over, but I honestly don't really believe that is the norm. So, I've invited him to discuss his experiences with the Canadian health care system and other thoughts on reform in this country. I really respect his opinion and he's done a lot of research on this topic. I hope you enjoy reading his blogs!

By the way, here are a few more links to NPR stories that I've heard and think that others should hear!

This is an interview with a former insurance executive who discusses the insurance industry's PR efforts to derail reforms efforts (both in the early nineties and now).
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyID=111786686

Here's some humor from Brian Unger, a satirist. He's funny.
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111736487&ps=cprs

Oh, I knew I liked Teddy Roosevelt and not just because he cared about the environment. Here is a story about the history of the universal health insurance debate in this country.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111089777

How much do insurance companies make? Compare the way insurance companies calculate and report versus how economists calculate and report.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111494182

Apparently hormones associated with pregnancy are like uppers

I'll tell you, I need a good downer right now, like a giant glass of wine. Oh, alcohol, I really miss you right now. If I could fall asleep, I guarantee I would dream about sleeping, that is how much I want to be asleep. It's been about 2 weeks since I've slept for more than two hours at a time. And, it is starting to catch up with me. My body is exhausted, I have huge bags under my eyes, and sometimes I'm not even sure what time of day it is. Yet, it's 1:45 am and I'm not asleep, I am writing.