Cheryl and I watched Michael Moore’s “Sicko” documentary recently, and it left us both with our jaws on the floor trying to figure out why America can’t get on the boat of Universal Healthcare.

As self employed wedding photographers here in Santa Barbara, we’ve had to make decisions on insurance, and what level of insurance to pay for. This has been a mind boggling experience and probably the biggest area where I’m jealous of my friends who work for big corporations and have great medical benefits.

Amazingly enough, living in other countries you don’t need medical insurance (don’t tell the insurance companies this in America… they might freak out!) Even in Cuba they get free medical care (and don’t scoff at the comparison of American healthcare to Cuba… they rank something like 13th best country in the world to America’s ranking of 12th…)

Well, ever since becoming self-employed I have been dumbfounded as to how we can live in a country that is advanced as ours with a socialized school system, a socialized postal system, a socialized military (that’s stretching it huh?) and so on… and yet our medical system remains privatized and in as such making a killing of our own people.

I won’t go into all the details of the movie, but wow… was I ever blown away at what our country has done politically to ensure we don’t have Universal Health. :-( It makes me sad. The sick in our country should be taken care of, regardless of if they can afford it or not. Decisions about your health shouldn’t come down to how much you can afford.

It was shocking to learn that Hilary Clinton, a one time HUGE proponent of Universal Health, has become a tool like all other politicians and has been paid off by the health care industry to drop her stand on Universal Health and shut up about it. It was sad to see how American politicians have used the term “Socialism/Socialized” in regards to Univesal Health to cast it in a negative light for our “anti-socialist” nation so that we would steer clear of this type of health system.

It was sad to see how the health care system pays people to turn down health claims, and the more claims these people are able to turn down the more of a bonus they receive… all at the expense of individuals who truly need care.

Alright… I’m off my high-horse and I apologize for the rant, but seriously, go watch this movie. I don’t care if you don’t like Michael Moore, this is a good movie to open your eyes to what we’re missing out on here.

Just curious, how many of you reading would support universal health and how many of you would oppose it, and why?

Wow… I was reading my buddy Kevin Sturm’s blog today, and he just posted up something that says his blog has a Readability of around the college level. WOW!!! I wish I could write at that level.

I worked at a newspaper as a writer/photographer and then eventually I became the editor, (don’t be too impressed, it was a weekly paper, the Tehachapi News) but I remember a fact I heard at one point that newspapers in general are written at a 9th grade reading level. Well, even from that point it looks like I’ve reversed myself back to an Elementary level! YIKES!

So, if you’d like more writing, and at a higher level, post up here and I’d be happy to make any changes you’d like, more writing, more pictures, less writing, more frequent posts. What do you guys want?

I’m sure you’ve all heard stories or seen funny pictures of people driving down the road with the gas pump still attached to their car. I’m sure a few of you don’t believe that’s real…?

Well, I’m here to say that yes, that is real, and yes, IT HAPPENED TO ME!!!! YIKES.

I was on my way to the airport after shooting Rick and Renee’s beautiful wedding in Rye, New York. Had to fill the gas in the rental car before returning it, and also had to go to the bathroom, so I found a gas station where I could kill two birds with one stone. I started pumping, then cruised into the bathroom, took care of business, came back out, hopped in the car and started to pull away. I’d only pushed the gas pedal for a split second before I realized, I never pulled the pump out!!!!!!! And in that split second I slammed on the breaks, but it was too late, as I hit the breaks I heard a light thump. I got out of the car, everyone in the gas station is staring at me (people are wispering, “did that really just happen!!??”)

I think if this would have happened when I was in high-school I’d of probably pee’d in my pants and turned flush red, but since high-school is behind me I just laughed, grabbed the pump and walked it to the guy behind the counter who told me to toss it outside that they smell (obviously I’m not the first guy to do this…) and then told me that’d be an additional $85.

I’m really wishing I’d taken a picture or made a video… but it was just too funny, and I was in a hurry to catch a flight. But, I did find two pictures through google images that show I’m not the only person to ever make this mistake!

Have any of you guys ever done this? Seen it happen? (I also heard that people who have been to drive-in theaters might have had similar experiences with the speaker?)

Rick and Renee’s wedding was nothing short of awesome today!! (The colors out here on the east coast this time of  year are AMAZING!!! I wish the leaves in California did what they do here!)

I’m planning on getting up early tomorrow so I can cruise around and take pictures of all the fall colors along-side of the old architecture (we don’t really have too much of that in Santa Barbara)

Rick and Renee got married at the Most Holy Trinity Church and their wedding reception was at the Whitby Castle in Rye, New York.

You can check out their entire wedding slideshow here.

I’ve been such a bad blogger! I can’t believe I haven’t posted up Seth and Miriam’s Pictures yet!

Seth has been a buddy of mine from church for quite a while, so when he asked me to shoot his wedding I was stoked!!

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day:

You can check out their slideshow here!