Margret Sloan

Several years ago I was heavily involved with a state-wide nonprofit group. Part of the reason was that I cared about and had been personally affected by that particular medical condition, but also because I do like to contribute to charities and I felt that I had some talents that they could use. But after 5 years, the makeup of the board and the leadership changed quite a bit, and I got discouraged with the bickering and sometimes heated arguments that precluded every single decision, so I took a break.

I still hear from quite a few of the people involved with that organization, and last night received a call from the new Executive Director asking for my input on some of the issues with pharmaceutical companies. Well, I always have an opinion and I’m using quite willing to share my thoughts on any issue.

He asked if I would be willing to participate in a pharmaceutical marketing research group that was being formed. I asked him for more details and agreed to think it over. I know that research groups play a big part in the marketing strategies for drug therapies, and that the outcome might well affect thousands of people and their health. So it is something I don’t take lightly.

The research company, Decision Resources, is well know in the medical industry. They research and prepare in depth reports and many well known diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes 2, multiple myeloma and many more. My family has been touched by all of those, so I want to read through their website and see what I can learn about their studies before making a decision.

Having technical problems today so I did a test here to make sure every thing was right. Here I am doing another test line.

Here is a picture just for fun.

It used to be that the last week of April meant the New Orleans Jazz Fest, but then Hurricane Katrina came along and ruined everything.

My son has been to New Orleans on business several times since Katrina and he says it is still a mess, almost nothing has been cleared away and rebuilt. Just thousands of half standing, abandoned houses for miles in every direction. They have fixed up the downtown and Garden District, but from what I had heard, the Garden District had almost no damage anyway, and the downtown was relatively easy to clean up and reopen, too. The problem is that there is no affordable housing to replace the thousands of homes that were lost, and no place for the workers to live so the businesses have trouble getting open without employees.

Haven’t had the opportunity to go back since Katrina, but if they’ve made enough progress to start having the Jazz Fest again, maybe next year I can work it into the calendar to go back and hear the fantastic music that New Orleans is famous for. I’ll be watching the news to see how this one goes, first. Or if you’ve been and think it’s safe to visit again, leave me a comment and share your story.

Is there someone in your life like my step daughter? When she calls or stops by, the first thought that crosses my mind is, “What does she want now?” or “I wonder how much this little visit is going to end up costing us?”

The girl cannot handle money. We’ve tried everything to give her a hand and help her, but she messes it up and doesn’t even appreciate the help we provide. She just sees her Dad as a walking ATM machine and I’m about to put an end to the endless cash flow from our pockets to hers.

I found a website that gives loans to people with bad credit, called Personal Loans Pro and next time she asks for money we’ll show her the website to apply for a personal loan instead of just doling out our cash. They specialize in Bad Credit Personal Loan and she can start managing her finances in a mature way and learn to stand on her own two feet.

Part of my landscaping plans call for a fence in the backyard. I admit, my backyard is a total mess - it’s been neglected for a long time and it’s overgrown with saplings, poison ivy and mounds of unraked leaves and twigs. But I have made up my mind to clean it up this year and I’ll be starting today at the top of the hill and on the left, and working my way down and to the right. That seems the most efficient way to clear it and remove the leaves and brush.

There is already fencing around the south and west sides of the yard, but it is a mishmash of the neighbors fencing choices. I have what I want in mind, but have been trying to find a local contractor to help me with the digging post holes and connecting the sections. I thought I would get my supplies from Home Depot, as the Sunday newspaper ads have attractive pricing on the materials. But I still have questions about this project, and when I clicked on the Home Depot link as directed in the ad circular, it goes to a dead page. I tried a second route and that’s a different dead page.  What is up with that, Home Depot? You feature something and then don’t back it up? Bah!