The wedding is coming along at a fast pace. It's pretty nuts. I have the tuxedo rental done, thank you Men's Warehouse! We bought the wedding dress awhile ago, actually it's a prom dress but I love it! It fits the ascetic of simple is better that I tend to go for. We bought our wedding bands, and they are titanium. I feel like I'm going to be like Wonder Woman and deflect bullets with this thing. My ring is a little to snug so I'm going to have it up sided... which basically means they are going to grind a little more metal out of it, for the low low cost of $35... yippie. We got some nice comfy shoes to go with the dress, that give Jeanna a little lift in her step. We also bought a slip because the dress is a little to translucent on one side. We got our room booked... TANGENT ALERT!!!!!


We are not setting up a "group rate" at the Luxor because frankly you can just get the same deal on line. Luxor isn't a expensive Vegas hotel, but it's not the cheapest either. So far the Stratosphere looks to be the good deal in town, but it's WAY far away. Excalibur is pretty cheap most of the time. My family is staying in the ghetto Mardi Gras Best Western. I suggest you check out www.travelocity.com for the best deals. Also sometimes booking at the last minute gets you a better deal. Also there is a Motel 6 across the freeway that is pretty cheap... /tangent

Which is a really groovy room in the Luxor Pyramid, which has been a personal dream of mine. The reception is mostly done, just have to pick our cake, menu (buffet!), and table setting color. We are pretty much done thinking what the invitation is going to say. Just need to send them out. All in all, it's very exciting! Plus the artiste and I totally pwnd on Warsong Gulch today in World of Warcraft! It was a fraking sweet day!

Yes, yes, my life is boring, there is nothing to comment about.

More on to the whole health care crisis and how the White House cares so little for the little guys. This I gotta say about Starbucks, they had a lot better health insurance. Borders actually has the same insurance company, but they only offer that to the full-timers. For the part-timers, like me, they offer the cheapo-plan. They offer different plan levels, but the cheapest one is still $29/month and the benefits are so low that if I had to go to the hospital, I would come out of there with a huge bill still (last I checked, hospital stays were more than $100 per day). Basically, it would only be good for discounts on prescription drugs and for doctor's visits (I wouldn't even know if it covered labs or x-rays). Sigh. I gotta wonder... that $29 per month could pay for a lot of things....

So here I am moaning about whether or not I could even afford the premiums on the el-crappo-plan, and the White House's solution is, take even more money out of my meager paycheck and put it in a non-taxable savings account, which I don't even think I'll use much because of the cost of care would be so expensive that I wouldn't even go to the doctor, and even if I did, it certainly wouldn't be enough to cover my co-pay. Cuz if I had that much money in the first place, then I wouldn't need to get el-crappo-plan anyway! Sigh.

So is $29 per month worth it (technically it's $7.25 per week, so some months would be $36.25) just to get a discount on prescriptions and to go to the doctor for $15 (and possibly pay for $50 plus 20% of labs and x-rays)? I could go to the low-income clinics and pay just $15 for a visit. They wouldn't help me out in emergencies and hospital stays, but then, this insurance plan wouldn't help much, either. (Or I could pay $53 per month for the plan that would be decent for minor emergencies, or $81 per month for a plan that would be decent for a major, short-term emergency.) All in all, the plans suck. Which isn't surprising since plans for part-timers rarely don't suck.

So what to do? Is having crappy insurance better than having no insurance?

I think I'll change the template on this blog soon. I want it to reflect the duality of this blog, I guess, while still maintaining my personality. Well, that and I don't want to alter the template to make it look like how I want it to.

I got my schedule changed at Zoic so I would be there Thursdays and Fridays from now on. That means that I will have Tuesdays and Wednesdays off with Whateley, but that also means that I have to get my homework done earlier cuz I won't be able to do it right before class like I normally do. So basically, one of my days off will be dedicated to working on stuff. Now it will be up to Whateley on what he will do during that day-o-work, whether he too will work on stuff or spend a good deal of time at the battlegrounds on WoW.

I was the only intern on today, so of course, I did a lot of runs. In fact, I thought there'd be more, but the receptionists and the PAs (production assistants) are kicking in, too. I think the production scheduler (who is also the internship coordinator) was crackin' the whip on the people that were abusing the interns. Now if only I can stop being the grunt and get to work on some projects!

Big news: Whateley met up with various members of my extended family. Whew. It went well, he was loved... and the fun is just beginning.

More to come later. Now, must sleep.

Hey there everybody welcome to my first official post on the artiste’s blog. Let me explain a little bit about my name on this blog... not Grissium the Gnome that is another story. No the name of Whateley. I used to play a great card game called Doomtown, which in essence had nine factions you could play trying to take over, help, or destroy this little down called Gomorra California. The setting is an alternate old west, where recently magic, and all sorts of nasty critters had appeared. One of the factions were the Whateleys, a group of inbreed evil sorcerers from New England who were up to no good in Gomorra. Now I'm normally not one to play scum and villainy, but something about the Whateleys tickled me pink. So then I was looking at my Whateley cards and I noticed a Cthulhu reference on them. That was when I realized where I heard the name Whateley before! They were the villains in one of H.P. Lovecraft's better stories The Dunwich Horror. Which brings me to today’s topic.

THE CALL OF CTHULHU!

This is easily one of Lovecraft's more famous stories, the role playing game based on the Cthulhu stories is actually named The Call of Cthulhu. Lovecraft's stories are in the vein of cosmic horror. Basically where everything you know is a lie, and mankind is actually rather small, puny, and insignificant. The horror comes from buying into the idea that humanity is as useful in the universe as a poopie flavored lollipop. Or that we are ants on the cosmic scale. Which is all fine an good in book form. Lovecraft’s stories are fairly hard to read because of his... unique writing style. But people who have come to visit his world after his passing, especially the British author Brian Lumley who has written several books in the so called Cthulhu Mythos. Now as good as the books are, the movies based on Lovecrafts work have been spotty at best. I'll be honest, most of them are complete crap. However some group of plucky fans went and made a movie based on "The Call of Cthulhu" that is really good. So go check it out, here is the link. Also if you wanna borrow it I own it. What makes the movie good is that they decided to make it as if the movie was made when "The Call of Cthulhu" was written, namely in 1926. So it's a silent movie, filled with cheesy silent movie goodness. The special effects are pretty bad, the acting is a bit over the top in places. But because you simply buy into the fact it's a silent movie you are a lot more forgiving of the problems with the movie, and enjoy it for what it is. Plus there is a amusing making of feature which is almost as long as the movie (the movie runs at 46 mintues)! So yes, this piece of fan made moviedom gets two thumbs up from me. Check out the preview located HERE!

Oh geez, so now Whateley wants to take time to post a thoughtful entry and says that his posts are not "angrier" than mine. He won't post much (watch, I'll end up eating my words) anyway, so this is still mostly my blog, and it will still be mostly my rants.

And before I forget, I took some time to catch up on some blogs, and I was checking out my bro-in-law's and he posted an excerpt from my blog and wanted permission to reveal who it was, and I'm just stating now that if I post it here, then I'm giving permission for it to be posted elsewhere. (I hope I won't regret giving this blanket permission.) The only thing I request is that if it's going to be posted in a popular forum or something where a lot of people see it, that I just get a comment or an e-mail stating it has been done so. Y'never know when a group of people will decide to spam your e-mail in anger or something.

Okay, gotta go to bed. Whateley's still at work doing overtime... sigh, well, it's extra money... and I should've been asleep anyway when he came home.... This sucks, we only have one day off together. And I can't get off my butt to do some work and work on my reel... my new reel... long story.

Massachusetts creates "near-universal" health coverage.

Just thought I'd add that link in response to my last post. I wonder if it would help me out.... After all, I think I would qualify for subsidies and I might even qualify to be at or below the poverty level, though certainly not after getting married.

Speaking of getting married, Whateley (or whatever his gnome-power-related name will be) has requested access to post on this blog, so be prepared for his ramblings. He tends to rant angrier and his spelling can be atrocious. Funny how his new job requires "good spelling skills."

Oh, and for those of you coming to our wedding, we have been told that they give us FIVE MINUTES to seat everyone at the chapel, so NO ONE MUST BE LATE! We will mention it on the invitation, but just a forewarning. I figure if everyone meets up fifteen minutes before, they can hang around and pull a few slots or play an arcade game or two. And come hungry! Afterwards we will be having a Mexican buffet reception. Buh...fay!!! (I'm also pulling for extra pitchers of margaritas.)

Alright, that's it for now. On to you Whateley... if you dare!

I was looking at the White House website which talked a lot about HSAs (Health Savings Account) and there was a lot of info. And yeah, basically HSAs are good for people that are healthy & wealthy. Here's the way I see it: HSAs require you to have a high-deductible insurance plan. But what if you can't afford to buy a high-deductible plan in the first place? And they talk a lot about the leftover money rolling over from year-to-year. But they don't address, what happens if you don't have enough money in your HSA to cover your deductibles? How the heck are you going to put money away in an HSA if you can barely pay your rent? How are you going to pay for your health care when you have chronic medical conditions which will now cost more to treat?

Yeah, HSAs, that will solve all our healthcare problems.

(Ironically, HSAs would help me out since I had one of those high-deductible plans when I worked for Starbucks, and I barely went to the doctor since the co-pay was so high. But I'm thinking about my future. And diabetes and cancer runs in my family. And I've been developing worsening health problems. Sigh. If only I was a rich, white male. Then Bush would be favoring me. )

Alright, I've been so tired that I haven't updated much. Before I go on, I keep on forgetting to send Bleusky my schedule, so I will post it here for all the world to see:

Mon -- work, usually afternoon to early evening
Tue -- internship (10 to 6, plus hours to drive to and back)
Wed -- day off, spend with Whateley (usually)
Thu -- work then school, though I'm trying to not have work
Fri -- internship
Sat -- work
Sun -- work

So far I'm having mixed thoughts about my job at Borders. I like that it's quieter, not too busy. What I don't like is that I don't get to have free lattes (or eat "leftover" food). Tips suck, though what's good is that you take them at the end of your shift, and you get what you earn and don't have to share w/ people who didn't work the rush, etc. But the suckiest part is that people don't treat that job very seriously. To get into Borders, you have to start out either as a cashier or cafe seller. The only reason people choose cafe seller seems to be because it pays a little more. But it's still crappy pay. Anyway, so on Monday we had two people that just didn't show up for their shift. One guy had done it two days in a row, so if he didn't quit, then he will be fired. But I don't know what's the deal with the second person. Anyway, it just sucks. Being short-staffed at Starbucks sucks cuz then everyone's busier. But at Borders (SBC, to be exact) since it's not busy to begin with, it only makes a difference when you have more than one customer. Anyway, I actually broke out in a sweat and I felt weary after my shift, like I used to feel after a shift at Starbucks. That was not pleasant.

On Monday, Whateley and I did our laundry, though it was a larger load than usual due to sheets, towels, and robes. Anyway, we didn't finish until almost two in the morning. And then I had to get up at 7:30 am today for my internship. I was late again, but I didn't bother calling since I knew they knew I was coming, the rain was making traffic horrible beyond belief, and I was so tired I was fighting just to stay awake. Ugh. I totally need the day off tomorrow (er, today).

I'm too tired to go into the internship now, but so far it's good. Well... tiring, a bit boring, and getting used to it, but otherwise good. I'm sure it could lead to an actual job there, though it might not be an artistic job, which would suck. I've got other plans if things don't work out at Zoic. But until then... well, I gotta pay my dues, suffer through working cafe and making little money, and doing homework. Sigh... homework....

Meanwhile, I'm having a lot of fun listening to Air America (AM 1150). Yeah... it is the liberal version of conservative talk radio, but at least they broach subjects that conventional media won't cover. An ooh, it totally gets my goat that Tom DeLay compared himself to Jesus Christ in his resignation speech. I don't think money laundering, fraud, and accepting bribes compares to... oh, I don't know, dying for the sins of the world. All I can say is, I'm a Christian and I am ashamed that so many Christians are blind and think that the Republicans follow Christian morals and Democrats are Satan-worshippers. All I can say is, sure they may ban abortion and gay marriage, but they'll also tax you out of the middle-class, ship your jobs to China, take away your health insurance and tell you to just get a savings account, play with the lives of millions of soldiers and lie about the reasons to send them to war, etc, etc. So yeah, while you're living in your cardboard box dying of preventable disease and your sons are getting killed abroad, you can comfort yourself with the notion that hey, at least poor people in the South can't abort their unwanted pregnancies and gay people can't legally get married. All is right in the world.

Oh, and one of the talk show hosts made an interesting point: during the Terri Shiavo fiasco, Congress met and passed a bill in less than 24-hrs to meddle in the private affairs of a family, and yet when Katrina hit, it took them more than 10 days to get help for the millions of homeless victims. So if the federal government won't pay attention to you if you're house blows away, the best way to get their attention is to bash your head against the wall really hard and hope you become a vegetable.