ExecutiveMom's Safety and Self Defense Blog

Is This a Step Towards Cleaning Up Sports?

First Edmonds, then Rolen and Eckstein were traded, now Spezio is gone – are these detrimental changes to the St Louis Cardinal’s ball team? Or a fresh new start for the club?

As a big “ball fan”, it is sad to see Spezio leaving our team but as someone who lives in the “real world” I have to say “way to go Cardinals”!  We take these young men, still full of youthful thinking and behavior, we give them millions in salaries, we place them on a pedestal, we make them “heroes” and then we expect them to act like grown ups but never make them responsible for their irresponsible behaviors. 

We mourn when a ball player kills himself while driving drunk, we shake our heads in disgust when a football player is caught “fighting dogs” for entertainment but we also give them one “break” after another from having to be law abiding citizens.  Yes, we are all human and deserve a “break” when we screw up and do something stupid – we have all been there (not making the appropriate decisions from time to time). 

But, I have to say kudos to our management team (we don’t know what sort of breaks and opportunities have been given behind the scenes already)! So, he can play baseball. So what! How many other young hopefuls are waiting in the “wings” for an opportunity to “hit the big league”? 

This time, Spezio only hurt himself…what if it were your family or mine on the road with him? He has already admitted to having a problem. How many chances do we give? Until someone dies with him behind the wheel?  Hopefully this is a wake up call for him and for other players out there – this negligent behavior will no longer be tolerated…HOPEFULLY….

Maybe if more teams show that they won’t put up with this sort of non-sense from our sports players, we would have something that would resemble more of a sports team than a parole and probation roll call. 

What do you think?

A Matter of Trust? FDA,Pharmaceuticals, Medical Device Manufactures & Our Health

As I've spent time this last week looking into a publicized web site, FreeImplants.com, for safety issues on the personal front…  I have also found many product safety issues and questions that have arisen from getting breast implants.  As a consumer advocate for safe and affordable health care, the following information causes me great concern - as it should for you!

Stateside Dispatch states:

In one more example of lax federal agencies being empowered to block tougher state protection of consumers, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that states are barred from protecting consumers from faulty medical devices, such as breast implants, if the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already approved those devices.

These means that a federal agency like the FDA, politicized by a right-wing President and dominated by industry-funded advisors, can unilaterally override laws in all fifty states that hold companies liable for harm to consumers.  This, despite the fact that, as the New York Times described:

The Institute of Medicine, the Government Accountability Office and the FDA's own science board have all issued reports concluding that poor management and scientific inadequacies have made the agency incapable of protecting the country against unsafe drugs, medical devices and food.

Subverting Pro-Consumer Laws: Because it is impossible for any agency to find all problems with products during the approval process, states have long held medical device makers liable for harm to consumers. However, in 2004, the Bush Administration retroactively reinterpreted the 1976 Medical Device Amendments law to preempt state damages against devices approved by the FDA. But as the sole Senate sponsor of that 1976 law, Sen. Edward Kennedy condemned that interpretation of a law meant to protect the public, not protect industry:

In enacting legislation on medical devices, Congress never intended that FDA approval would give blanket immunity to manufacturers from liability for injuries caused by faulty devices. Congress obviously needs to correct the court's decision. Otherwise, FDA approval will become a green light for shoddy practices by manufacturers.

A Dangerous Trend: We are seeing a cascade of federal agency decisions, backed by federal courts, that are gutting state law protections for consumers and workers.  The central question, as the Drug and Device Law blog puts it so eloquently in an essay today, is “whether a high regulation, low litigation environment is as effective a method of ensuring the safety of the public…or if it’s a lousy way of ensuring safe medical devices.”

There is only one way to know - and that is the hard way.

It is very disturbing to me to know that our personal safety is being ignored. That our health is being influenced by billions in corporate dollars - spent yearly to influence agencies like the FDA. Finally that harm can be caused by part of an industry who only cares about their own bottom line with no recourse for their deliberate actions. 

The part that scares me about this even more is if the medical device industry is allowed this leeway, will the FDA allow the pharmaceutical industry to follow? (although we could not function without many of our medications and they make a huge difference in our survival…this is an industry that demands 18% profit at our expense….every other Top 500 corporation, makes a 6-7% profit. On top of this huge profit, they release products without regard to life and safety. As recently as Tuesday, Kim Dixon of ABC news reported: U.S. regulators have never inspected the Chinese plant that makes Baxter International's heparin, regulators disclosed a day after Baxter halted sales of some versions after four patients died and hundreds became ill. "Preparations are being made to perform an inspection as soon as possible," Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Karen Riley said in an email.On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration reported that it received about 350 reports of health problems associated with Baxter's injectable heparin, a blood thinner, since the end of 2007. Millions of patients each year receive the product intravenously. The drug generates about $29 million in annual revenue for Baxter, less than 1 percent of the company's total revenue, Gardiner said (- Another problem with exporting our production sites over seas, lax business practices or both?)

So what is being said….is if this powerful, influential industry harms us - the consumer - that they are not responsible because they have been able to buy off the opinions of the FDA and are no longer responsible.  What other industry is not held liable for their products? Why is the pharmaceutical and medical industry given such leniency in their actions?  At the end of the day,I guess, it comes down to trust in the system. Is that asking too much?

 

More Government Waste...for our entertainment

okay - been to too many advocacy programs lately and done too many radio programs this week on health care I guess. Listened to too many heartbreaking stories of "working class" people who are not receiving medical care that they need because they are uninsured / underinsured or unsure. Now Channel 4 is doing a program Monday about 22,000 soldiers being denied medical benefits after coming home from serving over seas because of "mental" needs.

My point, as a country we are saying…we don't want socialized medicine. Neither do I. We say we can't "afford" to fix our system. It would cost too much.   So...millions are uninsured and that shouldn't be the case in this great country. We have an "over abundance" in many areas that could be "redistributed". 

What has set me off today? (My husband says it doesn't take much)

We need to Wake Up…first to look at the influences of Pharma / Insurance Agencies over our medical care and the choices that our elected officials are making because of them. (but that isn't today's story… that would take a couple pages) But, in addition to the HUGE amount of money we just wasted on drugs being used or not by our sports players - at the expense of REAL issues that have been ignored (another huge story by itself - House Republicans have walked out to protest the Democrats’ refusal to consider senate-passed FISA legislation that would enable America’s intelligence agencies to effectively monitor terrorists who are plotting to attack. While Democrats can’t find time for that, they did find time to debate this sports issue)

So…what about this upcoming  HDTV thing. Why do I need HD? 

Is my Oprah show not being viewed as well as it should be? (hhhmmm-now I have a Retina tear in my left eye that was recently discovered…now if I had medical insurance to pay for the doctor and needed care, I might be able to see that incredible improvement but our powers to be thought that our TV's are more important than medical care for those in need, more money to our police for protection - which is so desperately needed, more money for our schools to help educate our children…so many areas I can think of)

Today, in the Post they wrote an article saying we have gone beyond just the HDTV but now….they are going to fund "coupons" : Every household, regardless of whether it needs a box, is eligible to receive two coupons. Initially, $990 million will be used to pay for coupons and cover administrative costs, which are capped at $110 million. An additional $510 million could be allocated, but those coupons are reserved for households that only have over-the-air television.

Consumers can apply online at http://www.dtv2009.gov or call the 24-hour hot line, 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009). They can also fax a coupon application to 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632) or mail one to P.O. Box 2000, Portland, OR 97208-2000. The program expires March 31, 2009.

In total - this program is going to be an OVERALL subsidized program costing $1.5 billion …who is making these decisions for us and our money?? And why as citizens are we allowing it? The whole thing is beyond my comprehension when there are areas in our country called "food desserts" - areas where the people living there don't have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. We aren't talking about 3rd world countries, we are talking about the United States. 

Any better ideas of how this money could have been spent? This year, let's make our voices heard and our VOTE count. Maybe if one person is "unseated" because we speak up for what we believe in, then maybe our representatives will listen to "we the people" rather than they the Lobbyist (corporate)…..

What Makes Your Heart Flutter?

Valentine's day (or V-Day for some) means many different things to people.

To my husband? It's just another stressful gift giving event. Does he have enough money to buy what he wants (thinks he has to "keep up with the Joneses")? And will he pick "just the right gift"? After 24 Valentine's Days, what should he get? And it's just another holiday - so close to Christmas and not far from my birthday and our Anniversary….Yep, one more stressful day for him…

To my best friend who's single? It's a day she tries to avoid and "sleep through" because she feels it's a day for "couples" and just another reminder that she doesn't have anyone special right now and her "biological clock is ticking" (something that's driven by society and isn't true at all)

To my teen-aged daughter? Peer pressure to have a "date" or "boyfriend" as well….

To my mother-in-law? Since she was widowed so close to Valentine's Day a couple years ago, it's an extra sad and lonely day. As others celebrate, she remembers and mourns.

To a radio station in West Virginia?  -- A Charleston radio station is observing Valentine's Day with a reminder that Cupid sometimes misses his mark. WKLC-FM, better known as Rock 105, is giving away a free divorce. Valentine's Day isn't all hearts and flowers, says WKLC Program Director Jay Nunley. There is a darker side, he said, "where maybe you despise your spouse and resent the entire day."

To me?  it's just another day for the card, flower and candy industry to try to suck money out of us. Why do we need a holiday to show love? I don't need anything special for this day….for me, my Valentine's comes all year long with unexpected flowers when I'm down, a back rub when desperately needed for my pain, kind words and encouragement. I love opportunities to give gifts but I'm really given cherished presents all year so don't need a "special day"…. if you can't remember to say how you care during the rest of the year…

So for all the others, those single, those widowed, those teens - why not take advantage of this day to do something "special" for yourself? Why not show yourself some "love"? We are our own best friend…. why not treat ourselves that way this Valentine's Day? Take the time to read that book you've been meaning to read, go for a massage, take an extra long , warm, relaxing bath with no interruptions…. take advantage of this holiday and relax and pamper yourself for once! What a great present….

After all that, what makes your heart flutter this Valentine's Day? Or any special memory or gift you've received that you'd like to share?

No matter your position in life right now, enjoy yourself - take advantage of the day to take care of the most important person - YOU!

Would You Like A Heartache Leave?

With Valentine's Day coming up, I'd like to share an interesting article I read recently: (click HERE for the whole article)

 

The holidays are a stressful time for relationships. Relationships can end, hearts can be broken. Just when you think you are starting to recover, Valentine's Day arrives. Oh, the horror. But you still have to put on a brave face and go to work every day, even Valentine's Day, don't you? An employer wouldn't understand if an employee asked for the day off because of a broken heart, would it? An employer in Japan would--it is offering employees paid time off in the form of "heartache leave."

 

Hime & Company, a market research firm in Tokyo, is offering employees up to 3 days of shitsuren kyuka to recover after the end of a relationship, the Japan Times and Reuters report. The company says it is offering the unusual leave because everyone could use a respite after some heartache.

 

"So, shitsuren kyuka is a [paid] holiday you take when that happens and you feel too devastated to come to the office," Miki Hiradate, chief executive of Hime & Company, tells the Japan Times. "I introduced it after I asked young women what they wanted from 'female-friendly companies,' and they suggested these holidays."

What do you think?  Should our corporations in the U.S. provide this type of leave...instead of just having to use a "sick" day?  Would you use a day off like this or would you just use a sick day so people wouldn't know what was going on in your personal life?

I think it's an interesting concept but I'm not sure I would use it...You?

Sweet 16 Party or Wedding Reception?

Today, I entered into my self-defense high school girl's gym class and was welcomed to a room full of faces filled with sadness and disbelief over the horrific occurrences here in Missouri.  We have spent many days talking about rape and how our attackers seem "normal".  No different than you and me. Our friends, our neighbors, our teachers, our clergy, our family.  They are smart, well dressed, may have a great influence in the community with large incomes - or may be none of the above.  Either way, they are not that scary, horned monster we see in our nightmares, on sensational TV programs or at the movies.

Unfortunately, today, the girls spoke of the same traits about a murderer in our midst. 

Since this is something that personally affected many of my students, a few losing close family friends…one whose father was in City Hall throwing chairs at the assailant - witnessing the bloody massacre….we decided to touch on a "lighter side of safety".  Two of the girls were going to be turning 16 and had large parties planned for the weekend.  We discussed environmental awareness and making logical, healthy, "safe"  life - choices that would keep them alive and well to celebrate many more birthdays to come.

Now, here is the thing that I don't understand.  Oh the excitement…I too remember my calendar. How my friends and I counted the days down from our 15th birthday to the time we would get our license and ultimately more responsibility and "freedom".  The surprise party ….the "Sweet 16" corsage ….the use of the car keys (every once in a while to get to and from work, etc - okay so my little sisters each got a new car too but that's a gripe from a neglected "oldest" child and a story for another day). 

The excitement for the girls today - Parties… or more like "Balls"….rented country clubs and party rooms at the Ritz-Carlton.  A Toga event and a masquerade.  Catered food. Limos for the birthday girl and friends. Hundreds of guests.  Are these "Sweet 16" parties or are they wedding receptions?  I guess I have heard about the move to these type of events but …. I truly feel sorry for my 14 year old because, well, NO WAY!

Their stories reminded me of an article I read the other day about the recent gifts from the tooth fairy and her outlandish escapades….

The tooth fairy has lost her ever-lovin' mind. Rumors started swirling last year at the Mason Ridge Elementary sandbox about teeth going for a record high. It was reported that a kindergartner found $50 under his pillow. For a single tooth. Not 50 cents. We're talking a fresh, crisp Ulysses S. Grant.  The news spread faster than head lice and led to incidents in certain West County homes like this one:  Six-year-old Miles Baker wakes up and checks under his pillow after losing his third tooth. After uncovering a $2 bill, he comes running downstairs, wailing, "I keep losing all these teeth and getting such cheap prices!"
His parents were flabbergasted at the going rate.

I am flabbergasted at all this…I went to a small, private college, my friends had money - they would wreck a vehicle and dad would ship them another new one within the week. Always amazed me…jealousy at 18 because I had to work for what I had (although my dad never deprived me he taught me the value of work and money)….but today as a parent and a responsible taxpayer…I have to sit and wonder, what are we teaching our children?  What will happen to them when they try to spread their wings and fly on their own? Who will treat them the way these parents do?  Their bosses and co-workers aren't going to "spoil" them.  What happens when they can't pay their own bills or manage their money - they move back home? Then what? We have a society of young adults who don't know how to function?  Eventually a 40 year old lost in the world, spoiled and broke not knowing what to do when they "lose" their parents? Seen it happen - not pretty….

Although each generation wants to do more for, give more to the next than what they had, are we really "helping" our children with all of this excess? What values are we teaching them? Just like anything else (can be said for welfare as well)…people don't really appreciate anything they have if they haven't had some vested interest in it…if they haven't had to "work" for it…

What's your opinion on the issue?  Beyond the elaborate parties and tooth fairy gifts, what about paying your children to do chores? (We don't - chores are for being a functioning human in my house - we all work together…extras get paid for, expectations don’t)  Or do you give cash incentives for grades? If so, how much and what is acceptable?  (as a child, I received a large monthly allowance but out of that, I had to buy my own clothes, pay for my own activities, etc. so if your money was gone - well, budgeting became very important…we even paid "taxes" - that money was taken out and given on Sundays at church to show you didn't get all you earned…just simple basic life lessons to help make us better and more productive adults)

Your Thoughts?  And have a SAFE and wonderful weekend…

 

It's Times Like These - Shooting At Kirkwood City hall

It was a quiet night like any other in Kirkwood, MO.  A small, close community filled with quaint shops and many bustling businesses.  We had just been at my niece's middle school watching a basketball game.  It was 7 pm., 35 degrees and the Kirkwood city council was sitting down to begin one more zoning meeting.  It was a night like any other….

   

Except, on this tragic evening, one, 52 year old, disgruntled business man went to "war" as his brother was quoted as saying.  He settled a "score" with the governmental group that had added strife to his life and he ended his problem.  He also ended the lives of 5 other unsuspecting individuals, including that of 2 local police officers. 

   

5 people who left their families for the evening to help better their community - lost their lives… These individuals had people at home waiting for them to return - Alive.  As the news reporters stated, it wasn't as if they were going some place that they expected something violent to happen. 

   

Sadly, this individual felt that he had aired his grievances and no one would listen to him.  As an independent contractor, he felt that he was being racially discriminated against and was being targeted for harassment. Yet, his anger, outrage, and negative behavior from 2005 to tonight's tragic ending was disruptive to the Kirkwood City council and on many occasions their meetings and agendas could not be completed as planned because of his actions.  He chose to take his fight to Federal court in the form of a law suit.  Judge Perry, who presided over his case, said that as a result of his behavior, his rights had not been violated and his suit was dismissed. 

   

Yes, I have to say it is very frustrating when our judicial system doesn't work the way that we want it to.  It can cause frustration, anxiety, hurt feelings.  This was over 21 parking tickets that were eventually dropped just so Mr Thornton would not attend any more meetings and let the council move on to other business.  What else could this board have done? They felt like they had given this citizen what he wanted, they dismissed all charges against him "yet he could not let this go". 

   

I can truly sympathize with Mr Thornton's plight for "justice" in an over burdened system.  I do not see this as a white or black issue.  Our criminal system often lacks "justice" and more often lacks reason.  I too am currently battling the system to get them to prosecute a child molester who assaulted my daughter for over 3 years.  This man leaves a trail of 7 other victims. My daughter disclosed 9 months ago.  The perpetrator still lives in your neighborhoods, works in your stores traveling all over our state, he may go to your church or spend time with your children.  He is a well versed, well liked, well educated and affluent gentleman.  He is free to walk around as we pick up the pieces of my 13 year old's life because the system has yet to do anything to get him off of the streets. Right now you will not find his name on any sex offenders list - you will not know to be aware of him.  He can strike again at any time.  Yes, I know the frustration with our over worked "system". 

   

But…what makes one person go to this extreme?  I'm sure this is a question that many will ask themselves repeatedly over the next several days and weeks ahead.   Despite that, this is not a gun control issue.  I have a house full of guns.  I have a conceal carry permit.  It is not guns that kill - it is the people holding the gun that kills.  To say that gun control in this case would have made a difference is ridiculous.  If  Mr. Thornton had hit several people with his automobile in the open road, we would not blame the car, we would blame Mr Thornton.  Therefore, we also need to place the blame here where it belongs, on Mr Thornton.   He had a plan. He killed a police officer in the parking lot before he even entered the building so metal detectors inside would not have stopped his rampage.  It may have saved a few of the extra lives but he knew exactly what he wanted to do when he shot that first officer.   Should we have metal detectors in all of our city halls across the nation then? Not a bad precautionary measure, we have them here in our city hall, why not others? An ounce of prevention…

   

Still, would this have stopped a man on a mission and how do things get to this point? With all the anger I have as a parent who couldn't protect her child from a family member, with all the frustration I have with our lack of prosecution against a child molester when our governor says he is going to do everything in his power to protect or children yet he won't take our calls or do anything to back up his claims and multiple speeches to that effect, I do not see a rampage in my future.  Maybe against an unsuspecting pillow….and several outbursts in a counselor's office.   What then, makes one person so volatile that he can end the lives of 5 other individuals, change the dynamics of so many family units and a community as a whole while others cope in less destructive ways?

   

I do have a PhD in Criminology but I haven't spent my life studying human behavior, so I can't answer that. I do agree with Gavin De Becker when he says that we all sing a choir song that could be entitled " Things Like That Don't Happen in This Neighborhood".  Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme.  We have allowed our denial and our media exposure to become a guaranteed passport into the world of greatness.  The lone assailant with a grandiose idea and a handgun has become an icon of our culture.  With our denial, we have allowed ourselves to believe that violence and human behavior can not be predicted.  Yet, as we take our morning drive on the highway to work, we are constantly predicting human behavior to keep ourselves safe behind the wheel.  We expect the thousands of drivers out there in rush hour traffic to behave like we do - yet we are still prepared for and are able to accurately predict those few who might not.  In this arena we have a fantastic accuracy in predicting human behavior of those we don't know.   

   

The violence we fear and abhor the most, that which we call random and senseless is actually neither.  For attackers like Mr. Thornton, there was most definitely a purpose and a meaning.  It's at these times that we want to call the perpetrator a "monster" because when we look at such frightening acts such as his we don't want to think that he is anything like any of us - yet it is finding his humanness - his similarities to you and me- that we could have potentially predicted his violence this tragic evening.  If we don't see the similarities, it is easier for us to feel no responsibilities for  failing to read signals if there were none to read.  Sadly, like in multiple attacks before this one, Mr. Thornton gave many "signals" and "cries for help".  Many chose to ignore those signals - hoping the "problem" would just go away on it's own.  Millions of people suffer from this same denial which keeps them from taking the actions that could reduce risks.

   

Neither privilege or fame, money, race or neighborhood we live in will keep violence away.  Nobody is untouched.  Gavin De Becker is stated as saying "in the last two years alone, more Americans have died from gunshot wounds than were killed during the entire Vietnam War.  By contrast , in all of Japan (with a population of 120 million people), the number of young men shot to death in a year is equal to the number killed in New York City in a single busy weekend. By this time tomorrow, 400 more Americans will suffer a shooting injury, and another 1,100 will face a criminal with a gun.  Within an hour, another 75 women will be raped."  The FBI statistics show that just during the time that I watched the news cast of this horrific bloodshed so "close to home" - a 3 hour period - another 6 people were murdered somewhere in the US and another 491 violent crimes occurred.  Leaving 6 more people without spouses, or children without parents or sadly, parents without their children.  At what point do we stand up and demand an end to this national violence?

   

As communities, businesses, churches, organizations, we need to come together and learn how we can "read" and pay attention to the warning signals.  How we can be safe in our homes and transitional areas.  How we can work as neighbors to protect each other.  The police and judicial system can't be expected to take care of us all.  We are in charge of our own safety and security.  We need to learn to do so.

   

Maybe, instead of spending so much of our income on fighting wars in other countries, we should spend extra money on improving the "wars" that are raging without our country, communities, and homes (domestic violence).  This is a year to vote, use that right to encourage our representatives to help strengthen the U.S. and our police forces that are out there every day putting their lives on the line to help keep us safe. 

   Our prayers go out to the many families, friends and police officers affected by this awful tragedy!

Super Random Tuesday

Well, it's Super Tuesday...time to go exercise my right and duty as an American citizen and vote for a candidate I'm still not totally sold on yet. But, that's kinda the way it is with me during this time of the election.  So...not entirely happy with my decision yet, but it still makes me incredibly happy to go fill in the ballot. (I'll never forget the first time I voted; I was seriously like bouncing and giggling as I walked into the polling place and the little old ladies running the show thought I was the funniest thing! )

Anyway... I digress...

I thought I'd steal this awesome idea from the Blogger Who Will Remain Nameless (I can't remember, for the life of me, what blog I found this on, and I've gone and searched for it too, and still can't find it!) for my post today. Whoever it Was had her answers to this on one of her posts last week, and I knew at the time that I'd have to use it here myself soon! The challenge was to post Seven Famous People You've Met (and, if you can't come up with seven, to finish the list with some random, interesting facts about yourself). Sounded like a good idea to me, so here you go!

(And you know the drill: join in by posting your seven in my comment section!)

Here goes:   First off, a list of famous people I've met (and probably way too much information about the experiences than you really want to read!):

(1) President and Mrs. Carter.
This has to be just about the COOLEST experience I've ever had! Not because it was Carter but because he was the President, I was in the White House and I was in 8th grade - my very first trip away from home by myself with NO parents! What could be more exciting than that? At the time, I really knew nothing about politics, couldn't really care and I left with a bag of peanuts. What an experience.

(2) Huey Louis and the News
This one will age me a bit. It was during a Pharma National Drug Launch Meeting, we had a competition and the winner was awarded dinner with and front row seats with Huey and the band members. We WON! What an event that was - the poor guys had dinner with 10 sales reps who had been trained to ask a million questions without taking a breath in between…not sure if they ever got a chance to answer anything but we talked their ears off!

(3) Sammy Hagar
Along those same lines, two years ago I had the opportunity to meet Sammy - my favorite! My husband's co-worker was working an evening job as Security Officer at our "Arena". Gotta love having "connections" - back stages passes, front row seats - the event of a life time….my sister and brother in law (who manages a wine store) gave me a bottle of Tequila that year with his signature from a trip he made into the shop - not drinking that one!

(4) Santana
Wow - another musical one that dates me but while my husband and I were dating - early college - we were at a small stadium style theatre that has since been torn down. Again, had friends working the box office….It was mid-week summer time. Hot outside, not many people in the place and was very quite. Couldn't figure out why there weren't many people in the huge theatre. Found out that Santana and his band had rented the place for the evening while they were in town for a concert. What a fantastic viewing of….uh….oh, well, I'm sure it was a great show but will always remember the company.

 (5) Marshall Faulk / Isaac Bruce
For you sports fans, or non-sports fans, both are players on the St Louis Rams. Now, not bragging this year but we have had some terrific times watching them play! My Pharma Sales Manager one year, was a younger guy who had played football during college and proudly wore his Rose Bowl Ring - sharing stories with who ever would listen. As a way of promoting our products, we worked on coordinating a program with several of his old football connections and buddies. Breakfast with Marshall and Isaac - wow it was hard to talk business and act like they were just "any other guy off the street" and not Super Bowl Winners! Along those same lines, for 4 years running, we were top sponsors for a program entitled "Bowl-A-Rama". This was a fundraiser for the Epilepsy Society that I worked with. We bowled on a team with greats like Andy McCullum and Kurt Warner….as a 6 foot tall woman, amazed me how short most of the team players were! For our annual picture, I had to kneel in the front so I wouldn't block most heads out of the pic! I was really amazed by this the first year - they look so "big" on TV and on the field from my season seats.

(6) The "Rock"
While vacationing in Hawaii with my girl friend two years ago, we were on an awards trip for top sales for our company. These things are always elaborate and no expenses are spared. You can always expect to stay at the top hotel where ever the trip is being offered. So, while lounging pool side, drinking rum runners and enjoying the cool water, private tents we had and the view of the ocean….what a "view" joined us…the actor "the Rock". He was there with a friend who turned out to be his make-up artists. The make up artist's brother was getting married on the island two days after our first meeting. After befriending the make up artist, we spent 3 days visiting with the Rock and the wedding party - what an incredible and fun group of people!

(7) Some random airport sightings!
It always seem like you see someone in airports and on airplanes. While in DFW, my husband and I had the pleasure of meeting Whitey Herzog. As a huge and life-long Cardinal's fan - what a treat for us. Miles away from home just to meet someone we had admired for years in our home town.  At yet another meeting in Indianapolis, I met some Pacer players. Since I am not a basketball fan, my partner who was just about hyperventilating from the excitement, just about knocked me upside the back of my head when I asked - who is that and they play what sport? (okay so the man was 7 foot tall, should have told me something but…still can't remember his name - guess it's all in what you place your personal importance on huh? I have the autographs around here somewhere…)

 (8)(okay, I know, I can't count but thought I'd throw in something about me) … I LOVE thrift stores!
One of the best feelings is to come home from a thrift store excursion with some great deals and unique finds! (It also has something to do with the fact that I'm pretty cheap and really can't stand to pay full-price for anything!) Just last week, I went to a local thrift store and came home with two dresses and four or five pair of slacks, a few blouses, some Rockport shoes for me, and a pile of brand-new murder mystery books which the cashier gave to me for 39 cents each (books are my FAVE things to buy at thrift stores) - all for under $100 and many with the tags still on the outfits (okay my greatest find was a new Burberry Purse,yes it's real, for $35 - love that one! It's the "thrill of the hunt" that's the fun part!).

Well...that was FUN. It totally made me relive some good memories, and share some fun facts! Definitely better than trying to figure out who I want to vote for at the polls today! I am still leaning for the "None of the Above" box….

Now it's your turn. Take the challenge and share. I can't wait to learn something new about you!!!