A Diary Entry for A Good Cause

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Good morning Loves. Today’s guest post is from a woman named Susan who contacted me and asked if I would share her story. She lost her husband to cancer a few years ago and her life has never been the same. She is now an activist for cancer patients who are victims of asbestos. Please read her story and support the cause by signing her petition. Thank you.

Dear Chairman Bachus and Ranking Member Cohen:

My name is Susan Vento, and I’m writing to express my strong opposition to H.R. 982 called the Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act (FACT Act). My husband was the late Congressman Bruce F. Vento who served for more than 24 years in the House of Representatives representing Minnesota’s Fourth Congressional District. He died from mesothelioma in 2000 within eight months of being diagnosed.

Know the facts about cancer

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Bruce was exposed through his work as a laborer years before we met or became involved in public life. He told his constituency about his diagnosis in early February 2000 when he announced why he would not run for re-election. On February 14, he had his lung surgically removed and then began an aggressive regimen of chemotherapy and radiation at the Mayo Clinic.

It was not enough. My husband died three days after his 60th birthday in October. With his death, our country lost a dedicated and humble public servant years before his time. I lost so much more.

Bruce dedicated himself as a tireless and effective advocate for the environment, for working people and for the disadvantaged. During his time in Congress, he was well respected by members of all parties. He served as chairman of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands and also served on the House Banking Committee.

Do your part to support a good cause – every signature helps

The FACT Act directly contracts the decades of work my husband invested in helping those who could not help themselves. If this bill passed, it would be a serious step back for the important work he achieved as your colleague. As the FACT Act is currently written, it is one-sided, unfair and unnecessary. It touts “transparency” yet will delay and in some cases deny justice to people suffering from debilitating asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.

Please sign our petition and say NO to the FACT Act. I thank you for your consideration and hope you will stand with me in support of Bruce’s memory and in opposition of this bill.

Sincerely,

Susan Vento

Photo by flowerslover

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I am thankful for my best friend

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Dear Diary,

Last week I took a trip home for the first time in six months and to my surprise I actually had a great time. Since my family broke up almost three years ago because of my Dad’s violent alcoholic girlfriend I always have anxiety about going home. I get anxious because I associate my hometown with all of the bad memories that come along with that unforgettable night in October 2010.  Since then I have never looked forward to going home, but last week was a pleasant surprise.

Home will always be a part of us – no matter how far away we run from it

I moved away from my small hometown as soon as I graduated from high school because I wanted bigger and better things out of life.  I wanted to live in a big city and take advantage of all the things that big cities have to offer.  For the past 12 years I always thought that I was bigger and better than my little hometown but the truth is that no matter how far away I move, my hometown will always be a part of me.

I had a fun time visiting with my family, I spent some time with my Dad and thankfully the evil step witch (aka my Dad’s girlfriend) was nowhere in sight. Of course the relationship with my Dad will never be the same because I will never forgive him for not having my best interest at heart, but it was nice to have a conversation with him that didn’t end in a fight about his alcoholic girlfriend.

I spent a lot of time with my best friend and it was just like being in high school all over again.  I have known her since we were in grade school and I don’t tell her this often enough (or ever) but I really do miss her.  She is a great friend, she has always been there for me and despite our geographic locations we have remained friends for more than 20 years.

Have you called your best friend today?

I have made new friends in my new city but the relationship with friends that you make later on in life will never have the same bond that we have with friends from our childhood. My friend and I grew up together and it’s nice to know that I can talk to her about anything without judgement.

I can talk to her about that awful night three years ago because she was there.  That night when my Dad’s girlfriend turned violent was so awful and no one can really understand it unless they were there. I definitely wish that night never happened, but I am glad that my best friend was there by my side. She was my saviour through the whole thing and she has been my supportive rock ever since.

My best friend and I grew up together and it’s comforting to know that even now, despite our distance, we are still close. At 32 years old we are experiencing the same struggles in life as young adults, we are asking ourselves the same questions about where we fit in the world and we are both excited to see what the future holds.

In life we don’t need a lot of friends, but we always need one best friend. Yolanda, I had a great time hanging out last week. I want to thank you for listening and I thank you for all of the advice.  You truly are a wonderful friend.

Love Always,

 

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Would you love to create a video diary?

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We all know that writing a journal has some seriously great benefits. It serves as a valuable tool in the cause of personal development.

I’ve kept a number of different diaries myself for many years. I have a personal diary for keeping my private thoughts and I’ve also kept a dream journal and a dating journal. They served their purposes extremely well, but the problem was that I de-prioritised them and felt like they took up too much time for me to write.

Turn your passion into a business

I wanted to keep writing, but I wanted to find a faster way to do it – that’s when I started to look into making videos as a way of recording my thoughts. I wanted to create a personal log for my thoughts?

I started to search the internet for ways to create videos while reaping the benefits of cloud technology. I quickly discovered that there wasn’t a dedicated platform to create a video diary – so I decided to build it myself.

Videos are the new diary entry

I love creating video diaries becuase creating videos is fun and creating videos takes less time than writing in a diary.

When you write a diary, the sense you are predominantly activating is your auditory sense; it’s the voice in your head that speaks to you, it’s the one speaking to you right now as you read this!

Your auditory sense is clearly active when you speak and when you project your thoughts. That process alone helps trigger the visual sense because sounds are often linked to visual memories.

Diaries are a form of personal therapy

Recording a video diary is like have a free therapist right there in your camera.  Personal development and therapy teach us that we usually already know the answers to our problems, we just want to talk ourselves through it.  I’ve found myself coming to strangely satisfying answers after a good old session of self talk.

So, that’s it, recording a video diary can be just effective as writing and it gives you a chance to let go of your negative thoughts for the day.

This is of course my experience, the only way to tell if it will work for you is to give it a try. Visit Diary Memo to create your own video diary.

- Eddie Yu is a tech entrepreneur who created a video journaling platform that encourages people to create private diary entriees in the form of videos. Take a look at DiaryMemo.com and try it out.

Photo by hunnntrrr

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Personal Confession: I heart Beverly Hills 90210

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Good morning Loves. For the last two months I have not been doing much of anything because I hurt my back and I have been laying in bed for what seems like forever (but that’s a whole other story).  In an effort to stay “busy” I have been blowing up the Twitter-verse with daily status updates about my Beverly Hills 90210 marathon.

I am currently on season 3 of the original 90210 series and I am absolutely loving it. Watching television series and movies from my youth brings me back to a simpler time. It brings me back to a time without bills and a time when nothing really mattered except my friends, my schoolwork and making it home before curfew aka before the street lights came on.

I loved the 90s and if you did too then you are probably a big fan of Beverly Hills 90210. Do you ever wonder what Brenda and Brandon Walsh are doing now? Well have no fear, look what I found…

- Kelly Taylor aka Jenny Garth married and divorced Carlisle Cullen, oh yes the vampire dad from Twilight. She also starred in a series with Amanda Bynes called What I Like About You – it was actually a really funny series.

- Steve Sanders aka Ian Ziering was on Dancing With The Stars.

- David Silver aka Brian Austin Green married Transformers hottie Megan Fox, not bad for the high school geek. PS – No he is not Vanilla Ice.

- Donna Martin aka Tori Spelling grew up to become Hollywood reality royalty. She has her own reality TV series with her husband and herd of kids. Every time I hear her name I still chant “Donna Martin Graduates. Donna Martin Graduates.”

- Brenda Walsh aka Shannen Doherty starred with Alyssa Milano in the supernatural series Charmed. Brenda Walsh was my favourite character. I always wanted to be her when I was in high school. I cut my hair like her and I bought clothes that she wore. It’s too bad she turned out to be such a crazy biatch in real life…apparently she is a huge diva.

Some cast members – such as Nat from the local 90210 restaurant the Peach Pit have appeared in the new 90210 series.

What is your favourite episode of Beverly Hills 90210?

My favourite episode is the one with Emily Valentine when the girls dress up and sing the song “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do”.  It’s also the episode when Brenda and her bad boy boyfriend Dylan kiss and make up. I love Dylan.

The episode of Beverly Hills 90210 that always makes me cry is the one when Dylan’s fiancé Tony is murdered the night before their wedding. I always ball my eyes out when Dylan sees her wedding dress hanging on the closet door. If you haven’t seen the episode I suggest that you watch it – but not if you are already emotionally unstable because it’s a real tear jerker!

Love Always,

Photo by tvtropes


Friday Faves: Good music and Ghostbusters

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Happy Friday Everyone and can I just say T-G-I-F. I had a long week at my new job and now I am ready to sleep in and watch Ghostbusters. I don’t know why – but I have a huge urge to watch Ghostbusters. I think that it’s becuase it’s cloudy here in Montreal and for some reason every time I see a grey cloudy sky I think about the movie Ghostbusters.

I hope the music is making you smile. Enjoy these great posts from my friends.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Careful Cents – 4 Little Things You Can Do to Manage a Hectic Business Schedule

According to Athena – Goodbye Serendipity…Hello According To Athena (her new site)

L Bee and the Money Tree – 7 Ways Companies Get Us to Spend More

The Asian Pear – Nail Art: Spring Cherry Blossoms

PS – Check the posts below for 2 amazing giveaways that I have going on right now. Enter to win a $50 iTrain gift card and a pair of X1 Audio Headphones. Good Luck!

Love Always,

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