Sharon and Stu

October 09, 2012 | 09:21 PM | 1 note

Please Vote.

Ok. So I admit. I’ve been a little bonkers with the facebook posts. This election is incredibly important to me. More than 2008, more than 2001, more than ever.

I want to take a second to talk to my friends who don’t think it’s important to vote or have decided not to vote because they feel their vote doesn’t count, or that by not voting they are protesting American politics.

I know many of you are disenchanted. I know you are disheartened and I know a lot of people think it doesn’t matter. Here are a few paragraphs as to why I think it does:

First, it is your right. But so what? Ok, I get it, a lot of people have the right to vote in the world, not just Americans, so why is it so important?

My fellow ladies, we gained the right to vote in America in 1920. Less then a hundred years ago WOMEN DID NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE IN AMERICA. So, even if you feel your vote doesn’t matter, I would ask you to take a day to honor your grandmothers and great grandmothers who fought so hard to give you a vote to blow off.

Same thing goes for minorities: 1869. And there have been a whole lot of people trying to make it hard for minorities in 2012, and if it weren’t for a few judges, it might have happened. You vote for judges. Judges who made decisions on things like voter ID laws and early voting.

I am proud to exercise my right to vote. Yes, the electoral college makes things… frustrating. But the benefits outweigh the doubts. In California prop 37 deals with the labeling of genetically modified food and prop 32 with union pay checks and campaign finance. These things are important and effect our everyday lives.

Speaking of which dear LADIES , whether or not you like the current administration, there are a lot of people out there that want to change your rights as women if they get into power. Romney and Ryan both stated they want to repeal Roe vs. Wade. They also want to repeal The Affordable Care Act which has specific provisions to make sure women are not charged more than men for the same health care, that mammograms are covered, that pregnacy is not considered a pre-existing condition, that everyone can get coverage if they are currently uninsured, even if they have a pre-existing condition (DIFFERENT from Romeny’s plan which DOES NOT cover pre-existing conditions if you DO NOT already have insurance).

Ryan actually voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that makes it easier for women to challenge unequal pay in the work place and Romney stands by that vote.

Women in Arizona now start their pregnancy on the first day after their their last period, which means they are always pregnant. This sets a dangerous precedent. If Obamacare is repealed, that puts women in Arizona in a permanent state of a pre-exisiting condition and they could be denied coverage for simply being a woman. This would also make it harder for women to get an independent plan.

Ryan also supports Trans-Vaginal Ultra Sounds which forces women to watch an ultra sound of their own uterus before an abortion. They also want to shut down Planned Parenthood, one of the few places lower income women, young women, and uninsured women can receive care for prevention, and have important screenings and tests done.

The Republican Party is running on a platform, that seems to me, a platform to keep women from being independent. Less pay, no independent coverage, forced medical procedures and the loss of the right to choose what to do with their own body.

That is enough for me to get off my ass and vote, even if I am disappointed in American politics and Obama.

BUT HEY! I’M NOT DISSAPOINTED IN OBAMA (Debate aside, that thing was a train wreck).

My point is, please vote.

But I’m also going to make a small case as to why it would mean so much to me if you did vote for Obama.

I don’t think it is a secret as to my feelings on The Affordable Care Act. Here in California, where it has been enacted early, it has made a huge difference in the lives of Stu and I.

The 80/20 rule states that insurance companies must spend 80 percent of our premium on our personal care, which helps keep our rates from skyrocketing, and if they do, we get a check back. We have gotten up to 275 dollars back in one month.

Second, I am pregnant. This would have not happened without Obamacare. Before July 2012 I would have had to purchase a $1000 -$2000 a month rider on top of our around $600 a month premium just to start to be covered for pregnancy. Now I am covered under my existing plan, and once I hit my ridiculous deductible I’ll be covered one hundred percent. There is no way we could have afforded this future for ourselves without Obama.

This means I can afford to have a family. It means our parents can be grandparents, my niece and nephew will have cousins and we will have new joy in my life. That, again, is enough to get my vote.

But that’s not all he’s done. I bet he’s championed or enacted something that means something big to you, like The Dream Act, The Ledbetter Act, Repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Expanded Pell Grants, Boosted Fuel Efficiency Standards, Signed a new GI Bill, Passed Credit Card Reforms, The Fair Sentencing Act, Signed the Hate Crime Prevention Act, Expanded Stem Cell Research and much much more.

Here’s a short list:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_2012/features/obamas_top_50_accomplishments035755.php

So, yeah, I’m asking you to vote. I know you might not vote for my candidate, though I do hope you take the time to think about it, and what the next four years would be like without him.

Please vote. It IS important.

June 13, 2012 | 01:52 PM | 2 notes

It’s hard to describe the beauty and delicacy of a place like Vienna. It’s covered in Maria Teresa yellow, from the buildings to the flowers, and art and culture are everywhere. The food which is heavily comprised of cake, coffee, and dumplings is masterful and the city is a vibrant happy place to me. It is easy to see how Stu’s family managed here for many years.

While I was there I stopped by the Tile Factory now Art Gallery that Stu’s family used to own and I was struck by their need to explain to me how the tile ceiling was kept in the family’s honor. A bittersweet note after their escape during the Nazi Occupation.

The Nachmarket, three blocks of food stalls that was filled with locals and tourists, and the Schonbrunn palace where I wasn’t allowed to take pics were two of my favorite places on the whole trip. The Sacher Hotel where I had the famous sacher torte was another highlight…

May 08, 2012 | 01:18 PM |

Wild Thing :(

May 06, 2012 | 01:51 PM | 10 notes

Nothing bad ever happened while the Beastie Boys played.

I had been a fan, they were on my radar, but my life came into sharp focus after I was handed a small cassette tape of Ill Communication two weeks prior to it’s releaseto review for the teen section of The Philadelphia Daily News.

That cassette became my life. I played it until the the sound warbled and the tape almost broke from constant rewinding. My friends and I drove around late at night screaming the lyrics as my late great friend Al Ferkle rolled down the window, letting in the crisp air, only to climb outside the moving vehicle and tumble into the back seat while we all screamed “Ma Bell.”

I saw them more times than I can count, but was privillaged enough to see them perform in DC in a tiny club with about one hundred people, a week after (or maybe before) they released Ill Communication. It remains one of the best shows I’ve ever seen in my life. Fun, loose, crazy and not a beat missed, the Boys checked the basketball scores throughout the set and shouted it out on stage. It was the summer before I moved to New York, and though I loved them all, Ill Communication was my soundtrack.

When I moved to New York one of my goals was to find them. An eighteen year-old’s dream. We had heard they hung out at The French Roast on Sixth Ave. and decided to see if they were there. My roomates and I hung out for hours one Tuesday, but of course, they never showed. Instead I got the chance to lock eyes with Johnny Cash. I thank the Beasties for that.

In school, Paul’s Boutique shifted into focus, but I would not have my dreamed run in with a Beastie in until my fifth year in NYC, where when ironically crossing the street to get to The French Roast, I was almost run over by a man on a bicycle. He turned his head over his shoulder to see if I was ok, and as he rode through the green light, he held his hand up as a small consession. I waved back, and Adam Yauch smiled.

I’d see him a bunch more, shuffling in and out of his building with his bike as I rehearsed a play next to where he lived. A small nod, a little smile nothing more, but his kindness stuck with me.

I grew up with The Beastie Boys and the The Beastie Boys matured as I did, branching out into complicated subjects, interests and beats. They are true artists and always will be.

RIP MCA. RIP ADAM YAUCH.

You WILL be missed.

February 22, 2012 | 04:53 PM | 1 note

It May Be The Coffee Talking But It’s A Beautiful Day.

You know I’ve been posting a lot of thanks on Facebook without any real explaination.

It’s just my way of reminding myself to be happy for the things I have in my life and the wonderful things people do for each other that rarely go acknowledged, but can have a profound effect on our lives.

Discovering a piece of music on the radio, a passed along email, a kind word from someone I don’t know all mean something. Some of the best experiences I’ve had have come from a last minute invitation, suggestion or someone just thinking I would be right for something that I never even thought of trying.

So thanks to my friends, family and co-workers looking out for me.

I hope I can do the same for you.

February 02, 2012 | 08:25 PM | 2 notes

Why Planned Parenthood Mattered to Me

I started working at Planned Parenthood in my sophomore year of High School after Christie Lauder, arguably the coolest girl in the school, asked me to.

We were both volunteering for our school AIDS Education week, when she said, “If you’re serious, you should come to Planned Parenthood and be a teen-peer educator. It’s fun.”

I didn’t even really know what Planned Parenthood was, but I idolized Christie. She was (still is) a six foot tall amazonian wonder, who at the time was usually decked out in a GWAR t-shirt, hand sewn mismatched stockings, cut off jean shorts, combat boots and pink (or blue, or green) hair. If she had asked me to sell bathroom tile I probably would have.

I was instantly welcomed in the small non-descript building next to a popular ice cream shop that housed Planned Parenthood. I was also instantly put to work. I answered phones, filed, copied and organized a few hours a week, but also ran seminars with Christie.

If you were under 18 years old and wanted birth control, Planned Parenthood would not give it to you unless you went to a teen-peer education seminar. Christie and I would explain all the options regarding all kinds of birth control and STD prevention. Together, presented both sides of the coin. You see, at that time I had not had sex yet. She would talk about her experiences, and I would talk about the fact that I was okay with not having sex. We had a lot of fun with dental dams.

We did have a lot of training to do these seminars, but what Planned Parenthood really wanted was for us to present the information in a way that was not only accurate, but engaging. We would also go to events where we would meet other peer-educators, as well as conventions, and halfway houses.

Planned Parenthood let us be ourselves. Smart, amazing young women who wanted to make a difference and show other young women that they could make a difference too. They didn’t care what color Christie’s hair was. It didn’t make her unemployable. It made her valuable.

I saw many many women, children, teens and mothers come through that tiny little office. They were getting check ups, and screenings and breast exams. They were getting help they were too scared to ask for or too poor to afford. Yes, they were getting birth control, but they were also getting lessons about being responsible and about how to take care of themselves. Rarely did anyone talk about abortions there. Although yes, it is a part of what they do, believe me when I tell you it is not the primary goal of that institution.

Working at Planned Parenthood was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I can’t even remember if I got paid. It didn’t matter. I made friends. I met the Mayor, A REPUBLICAN, who shook my the hand, looked into my eyes and told me what I was doing was an inspiration. It helped me become a better leader and a better person. I taught me that what I do with my life can make a difference if I choose to.

It also gave me a life long friend.

So please. Support Planned Parenthood. They change people’s lives. They changed mine.

January 26, 2012 | 03:05 PM | 101 notes