Tip of the Hat/Wag of the Finger

If you have spent any time with Erik and I over the course of our marriage, you'll know that we are big fans of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Their comedic take on the news is brilliant. Well-reputable journalists have hammered these two, calling it "sad" that the majority of young people get "the news" from Comedy Central. However, if you've ever watched The Daily Show or The Colbert Report, you'll know that you actually have to have some idea of what's going on before tuning in. That's what makes it brilliant. It's never shown live, there's no breaking news ticker during the show... it's strictly hilarious and witty commentary on the previous day's events.

On Stephen Colbert's show, The Colbert Report, he sometimes does a segment called "Tip of the Hat/Wag of the Finger," where he either approves or disapproves of a list of random things. It's out of adoration and love for this show that I'm going to have my own Tip of the Hat/Wag of the Finger entry here on the Wanderings blog.

Tip of the Hat: My first Tip of the Hat needs to go to TCBY. If you read the previous entry, you'll learn that I am currently not allowed to have fat or dairy in my diet, due to an over-abundance of gallstones. If I have fatty foods (particularly the large amounts of fat in dairy), I am the recipient of the worst chest pains known to mankind. So, ice cream in its true form has been eliminated from my diet. However, this lovely, old-school frozen yogurt stop recently had a new treat on tap... it's a dairy-free, fat free frozen yogurt. I know it sounds gross, and I was the most skeptical of them all, but it is REALLY good! My cliche pregnancy ice cream cravings are being satisfied thanks to TCBY.

Wag of the Finger: This is an obvious choice. Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina gets this honor, for his completely inappropriate outburst during the President's speech to the joint houses of Congress. I don't care what party you're in, or who the President is. When the President is giving a speech, he deserves your respect. We aren't the House of Commons in British Parliament (albeit unfortunately. Have you seen THEIR outbursts? Hilarious!), we're the United States. The President represents our government, the people of this country, and the liberties that we all get to enjoy as Americans. So, when he speaks, you shut up. You don't have to agree with him, or even listen to him. You can talk trash about his speech for the entire next week if you want. But when the President is in the room and speaking, you don't. Period.

Tip of the Hat:  I'm sorry, Portlanders. I know we're coffee snobs, Starbucks is the devil, Stumptown is the greatest, blahblahblah. But I must tip my hat to the power chain of quick coffee for their annual release of their sweet, savory, pie-in-a-cup treat, the Pumpkin Spice Latte. I know that fall is either right around the corner, or it has arrived based on the release of this delightful indulgence. Fall is my favorite time of year, for multiple reasons and I'll post more about that when it arrives. But my love for it deepened with this drink. It's like a bite of pumpkin pie with a cup of coffee next to it. It's like comfort food in a cup. It's bliss, really. Although my days of saying "Double tall, Pumpkin Spice Latte, please!" are now over. With my dietary restrictions, I have to change up my order. It's now a "Decaf, double-tall, soy, one-pump, no whip, Pumpkin Spice Latte, please!"  Ugh. I'm officially one of THOSE people.

Wag of the Finger:  Myself. For being one of those Starbucks people whose order is a bazillion years long.

Tip of the Hat:  This one goes to the President. Although I think he needs to be clearer on how he's going to pay for the plan, I gotta give him some thumbs up for his speech the other night. It was forceful, revealing, and heartfelt. Healthcare in this country is thrashed, and it needs to be fixed. It's not a massive takeover of the healthcare industry, but rather looking out for the people and providing more options with less risk on the patient. 10-15 years ago, the health insurance that I currently have would have cost about $50 a month, and my out of pocket expenses would have been around $200 total annually for any treatment, surgery, hospital stay, doctor's visit, etc. I would not have to fork over more than $200 a year to make sure I was taken care of. The current state of my insurance is costing my husband's boss tens of thousands of dollars, and our out of pocket maximum for Erik and I is $2,500 per individual. And when you have a year like ours, we're paying $5,000 cash, easily. Or, I should say we're trying to. The costs have skyrocketed and wages have not followed. That's why we need a revamp of health care. Not to mention, the situations of pre-existing conditions, caps on coverage, etc. We need a change, and President Obama has taken us closer to change than ever before. He has insurance companies on board, he has the American Medical Association on board, and even some of the drug companies on board. It's time. A tip of my hat to you, Mr. President, for the bold speech & the bold move to make something happen.