Tattoo Removal



Driving near Minneapolis and noticed this business, which should be a growing industry, and in most States it does not appear that you need a special license to operate a tattoo laser removal machine.

Potential clients would be all those people who got tattoos and now regret it.
Someone not in your life anymore, but their name is, permanently.
That tribal art or barbed tattoo around your arm that was trendy a decade ago, not so much anymore.
All those women who twenty years ago got a tramp stamp on their lower back thinking it looked good. With age and wisdom comes hindsight and an expanded waist line, so now that butterfly looks like a pterodactyl  medial and superior to your ass.

This really might be a good business to get into, because this does not look sexy.





  

   Maybe it is just me, but genetically modified fast growing salmon that can get twice as big as normal farm raised salmon, does not seem like a good idea. They spliced a gene from a large eel to get the salmon to grow this way. It is also guaranteed that some will escape into the wild; so there will be huge salmon roaming the oceans eating other species that normally would be safe.
People have been really good at introducing hundreds of non-native plants and animals into the wild that have decimated the native populations. Why not splice an ostrich gene with a chicken and see what happens? Actually that might be kind of funny.

This is all beside the fact that they do not know how people's health will be affected over the long run. Although I guess it can't be much worse than the chemicals and preservative the food industry pushes on us now.

Giant chickens and fish, I really do need the next couple of weeks off.

Chilean miners get cigarettes



So the Chilean miners trapped back in early August and found alive 17 days later have now been allowed to receive cigarettes. Almost immediately upon contact the men started receiving nicotine patches, gum and antidepressants, which seemed like a good combo to me.
But the 33 men kept asking for cigarettes and continued to be told it was not appropriate. Do you think? Fresh air might be a problem when everything is sent up and down through holes like your bank's drive-thru teller. However someone had a change of heart and now they will share 2 packs a day.

The story does not end there. Besides the cigarettes they have also been requesting alcohol, but continue to be denied. So they will send cigarettes into a confined space 70 stories below ground and yet worry about some wine and beer. Is there someone concerned about the contraindications of the alcohol and antidepressants?

Where is Mark Burnett? You want reality TV, they should have sent a live feed down there from day one.

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/12/trapped-chilean-miners-cigarettes-chile

New mentality for spending

In my opinion the recent economic downturn did something good; now some people actually think about how they spend their money. Call them thrifty, frugal, conservative, coupon clippers, cheap, bargain hunters, penny pincher's, tight-wads, stingy, economical, or meager. These labels have become in vogue to wear by many, and not just those struggling to get by.

I remember my grandparents being frugal in their ways, having lived through the great depression their lifestyles were based on it. Basically, you did not waste anything or buy anything you didn't need, how simple is that? Until a couple of generations ago that is how people lived, and not off their parents.

So as I eat my homemade meal and watch my free DVD from the library, I will embrace my cheapness.

Geek

It's happened.  I printed my syllabuses and ordered my text books for next quarter, before the last one was even over. Anticipating tougher classes I decided to start reading ahead and not just when required. I think of school so much different today than in the past.
During high school it was about ditching and doing the minimum to get by and not be held back. A pass or fail philosophy ruled, hell we spent more time trying to figure out ways to stay out of school, rather than be in it.
In a different decade nursing school took on more of a survival attitude, I worked full-time and school happened during nights and weekends. Even so there was enough time to squeeze in some social outings, because it is easy to find an excuse to have drinks with friends.
Now in a new decade when I don't have time to drink and truly enjoy learning, I realize that I have become a fucking geek, and I like it.

The More You Owe the More You Save?

Even thou they are not lending money banks are still soliciting. In the mail the other day was another form letter from the bank begging people to move their loans to them at a lower interest rate for six months. However, here is how they actually said it "The more you owe, the more you save". Is that bank logic? I know what they meant, but it has a double meaning. And that's the mentality that got us into this economic mess in the first place?
Instead how about this, we just pay off what we owe and stay out of debt, shouldn't that be the goal?   

Asia Builds it America Buys it

 Americans are saving and the economists don't like it. They say for us to recover quicker we need to spend. That's right because Americans are saving and not spending the economy will suffer.
This started after WWI and during the era of President Coolidge, our government decided that the US should be a consumer based economy, so for the last 80 years that is how we have operated.
That is the mentality of our fucking government, both Republican and Democrats
We market, advertise and sell everything and after a crises were told to spend to help the economy. Remember 9-11? President Bush did not tell us to sacrifice or let the terrorist know they changed us, no he said go out and spend.

Japan figured this out in the 60's and became the second largest economy in the world. They figured if they built it, we would buy it, and they were right. In the next few decades China, Taiwan, Korea adopted that ideal and it became a business model that if Asia builds it America will buy it.

Maybe I'm Going About This All Wrong

I do not transfer over and start the masters' part of this journey until next year, so until then I go over to the University every few months, which reinforces the goal. However, this time visiting I got a chance to talk with someone in financial aid, which made me think maybe I'm going about this all wrong?
  Right now I am taking out enough in student loans to pay for classes only, but everything else is out of pocket. Anyway, she explained several programs in place for loan repayments involving the four main health professions available, triggering a memory of a faculty member telling me how she took out an extra $2000/mo for living expenses while in school.
  Two of the more popular programs involve working in underserved areas after graduation for two years which pays $50K towards student loans, then you can keep re-signing if you need to pay down more. Yes, being a regular job you are paid besides the reimbursement, sounds good so far.
Researching I see that just about every state has areas that are considered underserved, whether they are small town communities or inner city areas. Personally I might be ready for a smaller community after here. She also mentioned that I could consolidate other student loans into the program. Which won't help me now, but I did think of a couple people current and past who could benefit from something like this.
  So maybe my plan to keep loans down and struggle with work and school needs to be rethought? I will still work because I enjoy most of it, but maybe not as much.