Sunday, April 17, 2011

alex's update.

It's April! And for those of you no longer in Seattle, it's still raining here but the cherry blossoms are in bloom.



Personally, I've been far to busy to enjoy them though. I assessed my situation more seriously the other day and decided that I need to quit something. Currently, I've got two paid jobs, two volunteer jobs and am taking three classes. My newest job is at the YWCA, which I'm enjoying quite a bit. Plus the location and pay are both better.

I turn 26 this week, which means I get booted off my parent's fancy insurance. Thankfully I've had it thus far though. I had an ordeal a few weeks back where doctors passed me around with a slew of frightening suspicions (ovarian cancer, torsion, endometriosis). In the end it was just a benign ovarian cyst that ruptured. Measuring in at a whopping 6 centimeters (that's bigger than a golf ball) it was really damn painful. But thankfully its gone. And much thanks to my mom's health insurance provider which paid $1,400 for all the tests and visits.

Starting next week I'll be covered under the new Washington Health Plan. It's pretty new. It started in response to Basic Health losing funding. It's not subsidized like Basic Health, but it is still for people considered low-income.

I'm still planning on submitting law school applications this summer/fall after a bit of traveling. I'll be heading to Florida (not by choice!) and will get to catch one of the last shuttle launches since Obama cute the NASA program. Then we're headed to Melbourne, Tasmania and Auckland for a few weeks to visit a friend who moved out there. And of course, what would summer be without the obligatory trip to LA to see the other side of the 'fam.'

That's all I can come up with for now. I was toying with the idea of including a picture of an ovarian cyst for reference but I'll just let you google it if you want to see one.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Nuclear Disarmament Now: Results



Hey guys!
A few months ago I posted about the struggle by the Disarm Plowshares Now group, five elderly nuns, priests, and citizens who protested the 2,364 nuclear warheads at Bangor in Washington state, which are approximately 24 percent of the entire U.S. arsenal. The Bangor base houses more nuclear warheads than China, France, Israel, India, North Korea and Pakistan combined. (See blog post below, or check out their website)

Well, they were found guilty and sentenced last week. All five members from 6 to 15 months in prison. They are feeling brave and most are imprisoned together. If you feel like supporting them, check out the website. You can write letters and protest on your own.

NAME & REGISTER NUMBER
FDC SEATAC
FEDERAL DETENTION CENTER
P.O. BOX 13900
SEATTLE, WA 98198

Register Numbers:

Fr. Bill Bichsel 86275-020
Susan Crane 87783-011
Lynne Greenwald 40672-086
Fr. Stephen Kelly 00816-111
Sr. Anne Montgomery 03827-018