MegAnne
The musings of a Midwestern New YorkerClinton, IN 21-year-old raises money for her own funeral
Today’s post isn’t about my literary prose; it’s about helping a girl dealing with the end of her life by raising money to pay for a funeral her parents cannot afford. Please read the below article by WTHI anchor Amanda Jarrett and help Sierra Cooper fulfill her wish of planning her funeral.
CLINTON, Ind. (WTHI) – Just days before Christmas, a young woman with muscular dystrophy is planning her own funeral, so she won’t leave the burden behind for her family.
Sierra Cooper, 21, has battled muscular dystrophy her entire life, then she received another blow: Being diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Now, Sierra faces a grim outlook and doctors said she has little time left.
“If it was up to me, she’d have another 30 to 40 years and she’d bury me,” Sallie Cooper, Sierra’s mother, said. “You’re not supposed to bury your child.”
Sierra may only have weeks left. This Christmas, her wish isn’t under the tree this year. She’s asking for donations to help pay for her funeral.
“I love my parents and I don’t want them to be struggling when I’m gone,” Sierra said.
Sierra isn’t eligible for life insurance. Every day is a struggle for the 21-year-old, as she’s hooked to a pack of oxygen and medicine. That’s why her mother wants to give her the only thing she can: A proper funeral.
“She’ll never get a wedding, so I want to do something special for her,” Sallie said. “She’s been planning her own funeral, so of course I want to give her the funeral she wants.”
While she’s planning for her final days, Sierra said she’s found peace.
“I’m going to be with God and I’m going to be pain-free, no oxygen, no pain pump,” Sierra said. “I’m going to be normal for once and be able to do the stuff you guys take for granted.”
For now, she’s living life one day at a time. Sierra prepares for a final Christmas. She’s hoping for help as she leaves her family behind.
If you’d like to help the Cooper family, you can make donations to the Sierra Cooper Benefit Fund at any First Financial Bank location . Contact First Financial Bank at 812-238-6000.
First Financial Bank
PO Box 220
Clinton, IN 47842
My first Christmas 775 miles from home
Wow, here we are, 22 December of my first year out in New York. Where did 2009 go? It seems like only a couple of months
ago I was in the cozy town of Broad Ripple, Indianapolis, living the Midwestern life with good friends and working in the Startup world. So much has happened since 31 December 2008, yet it really doesn’t seem like it’s already time to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
While I couldn’t be happier to have the privilege of calling myself a New Yorker, the Christmas and New Year’s Eve season has definitely been an interesting one with proximity to my family and friends back West no longer a quick two-hour trip down I-65. Let’s take a look at some of the fun differences in my season this year…
First of all, I was practically always able to say ‘Merry Christmas’ in Indiana and know that I wasn’t stepping on anyone’s toes. In New York, my direct supervisor -and a large percentage of residents- celebrate Hanukkah, and while I am certainly no PC darling, I definitely don’t want to remind a Jewish person to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
My mom just called me because she was online ordering gifts for me and we had to decide if we wanted to pay a ton extra to have the items shipped by Christmas, or just have them sent to me later in NY. This, in turn, led to the conversation of which location, home or office, to which to have them shipped. Shipping’s a tricky business when your concierge sits in the building two doors down from you and can’t accept packages during the day when you’re not home if he doesn’t see the UPS guy. My gifts should arrive at my Broad Street office no later than 4 January.
I ordered my parents’ Christmas gift (no D&T, I’m not going to say what it is here!) on Borders.com and had it shipped directly to their house in New Albany so I wouldn’t have to lug it back from NYC. No one was home when FedEx arrived, so now the package is at one of a handful of post offices in New Albany. (FedEx must assume we live in the middle of nowhere, as they said ‘check with your local post office to claim the package’. Umm, local post office? Which one?)
Don’t even get me started about travel. My fabulous roommate, Missy, has graciously offered to allow me to accompany her on her drive back to New Albany. Google Maps clocks the trip at 11 hours, 47 minutes. That’s with no breaks in the trip. We’re leaving at 3:30pm on Wednesday, meaning we’ll reach my front door around 4:30am Christmas Eve, if we’re lucky.
Then of course, there’s the fact that I’m riding back out to New York with my dearest Brennan, who will be in New Albany for our Christmas Eve party and part of Christmas day, but will be traveling back to his parents’ place just on the Indiana side of Cincy on the 25th. It’s such a long story here of how we settled on these logistics, as I was hoping to spend part of Christmas with his family. In the end though, we ended up with my parents -and Josh & Lizzie Suiter- driving me out to Lawrenceburg on Monday so I can spend time with the Huber/Knotts clan, then depart for NYC on Tuesday morning.
Don’t even get me started on New Year’s Eve in Manhattan.
I hope none of this has come across as complaining. I refuse to allow 
myself to be stressed over Christmas, instead finding humor in the ridiculous-ness that is the holiday season, particularly when you live so far from home. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The Big Ten + 1 = 12
There’s a poll on ESPN.com today asking which of five schools, Missouri, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers or Syracuse, would be the best addition to the Big Ten. The clear winner, at least in term of ESPN readers, was Notre Dame. Of course, we all know that Notre Dame doesn’t play in a conference for football and currently calls the Big East home in all other sports. Still, their proximity is helpful and, recent seasons notwithstanding, they have a pretty decent rivalry with a few of our teams.
As annoyed as I am that a conference called ’The Big Ten’ would house twelve teams with a new addition, I must admit that I would love to see a few more weeks of regular-season play tacked on each year. Visibility would greatly increase as play would no longer halt for weeks between the season’s end and bowl play, and a championship playoff, instead of the title by rankings system, would become a possibility.
Seriously though, is this really going to happen, or did someone just overhear JoePa sharing his Christmas wish list and turn it into a story? Is this just something the conference discusses every five years or so, only to cause a storm of speculation that eventually gets pushed to the wayside? I’ve heard reports on both sides, and I’m interested to continue coverage on the happenings of the conference.
Unbunch your panties, Maurice Jones-Drew
Apparently in the NFL, players care about one thing above all; respect. Recently, ‘respect’ seems to be the word on many players’ lips during interviews. And why not? No matter what your mother tells you, on varying levels, it does matter what people think about you in professional football.
Still, I take umbrage with Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew’s claim that in resting key players after clinching the AFC South, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage, the Indianapolis Colts would ’show they disrespect [the Jaguars]‘. I must say, I thoroughly disagree. It’s not so much that the Colts think that their third string could pummel the Jags, but more so that they don’t need to win this game to move ahead in the rankings. A loss here could potentially be vastly outweighed by the chance to give Peyton and the boys some rest before heading into the playoffs, particularly since a win or a loss, either way, would have no impact on Indy’s standings*.
*Please let’s not overlook how boiling mad we, the fans of the Colts, will be if our perfect season is ruined, however. Something to keep in mind…
Also, let’s remember that head coach Jim Caldwell has already confirmed that Indy are in fact going for the perfect season -as they should- and will not be pulling the starting lineup in the Jags/Colts matchup. “We’re going to approach it like we do any other game,” Caldwell stated.
Unbunch your panties, Maurice.
Mark Suster’s take on tenacity and the stuff entrepreneurs are made of
I typically prefer to put my own spin on ideas and events of the world, but today I will simply pass along the work of a great blogger worth following. Mark Suster writes the blog Both Sides of the Table, an Entrepreneur turned VC, and yesterday’s post marks the beginning of his new series, ‘What Makes an Entrepreneur?’ The first of his list of ten attributes required to make an entrepreneur successful is dedicated to Tenacity.
“Tenacity is probably the most important attribute in an entrepreneur. It’s the person who never gives up – who never accepts ‘no’ for an answer. The world is filled with doubters who say that things can’t be done and then pronounce after the fact that they ‘knew it all along.’”
I look forward to becoming enlightened by Mr. Suster’s take on the DNA of a thriving entrepreneur as the days roll on. Today’s post: Street Smarts. Enjoy!
The Google smart phone will change everything
That’s right, I’m taking a side, making a stand. I’m planting my flag in Google’s corner.
Everyone loves a smart phone. (Okay, most everyone loves a smart phone. My dad still has his original Cingular phone from December 2006.) Anyway, everyone loves a smart phone, but not everyone wants to make the choice to switch carriers to get the latest craze. Fortunately for me, I was already with AT&T when I wanted an iPhone. Brennan was already with Verizon when he wanted a Droid. (Which he has now returned within the 30 day refund window.)
What about those poor souls who want the latest technology but aren’t with the chosen ones of the provider world? They are forced to a. Cut their contracts early, face extra fees, and switch or b. Wait for their contracts to run out, spending many frustrated months on an old Razr.
Cut to January 2010 and the release of Google’s new Android-based smart phone, the Nexus One. Google already has its employees out testing the phones for usability and kinks, and once released, they will be able to operate on any system in America. That’s right kids, if you’re on T-Mobile or Sprint, you can finally have the latest craze in smart phone technology. It’s mind-blowing, truly.
Another key change is Google’s pricing strategy. In an attempt to get a Nexus in the hands of every man, woman and child, Google is pricing the handset at much lower prices than its competitors. That, in addition to its reportedly ridiculous speed, will make this new smart phone the most talked about, and purchased, phone of the year. I’m sure of it.
As with any supposed ’sure thing’, there are some caveats to the importance of this release. I have read competing reports about which carriers will be able to support the Google phone. Computer World and Channel Web say all wireless providers will be able to house the Nexus, while Wired says only AT&T EDGE and T-Mobile. Obviously, if we have restricted options, there’s no change at all and I’ve wasted my day’s post on absolute rubbish. If not, it’s a whole new ballgame folks.
Just how dramatic will the loss of Tiger Woods be for the PGA?
Get-togethers in the Shireman family, while for different occasions, often include many of the same features: Grandma’s sweet tea (with a small pitcher of unsweetened for her Yankee-self), Aunt Michelle’s cheese grits, Grandpa’s homemade ranch dressing, family bonding, and whatever PGA event is currently airing on TV. At a young age I came to know that every trip to my dad’s side of the family, for a graduation party, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc., would always involve some form of professional golf. Sometimes we all gather ’round the TV Norman Rockwell-style, and sometimes it’s more of a background feature, but well before Tiger Woods came on the scene as the world’s number one professional golf player, the Shiremans (no, it’s not Shiremen) were PGA loyalists.
Obviously my family is somewhat of an anomaly. The pre-Woods era certainly had its core group of followers, but Tiger’s ascension to the throne brought with it the crowds and glory formerly reserved for the NFL and MLB. Also with him came the Happy Gilmore-style fans, fearless to yell out whatever they felt before the player even had time for the follow-through. I remember the first time I heard someone yell ‘Get in the hole!’ after Tiger made a putt at a Masters event and asking my dad when it became okay for people to make noise while a player was up. It was certainly a new world of golf, and we were happy to have more focus being paid to the sport.
Tiger was a breath of fresh air for a sport that was formerly known primarily as a sport for those with trust funds and country club memberships. His child prodigy, coached-by-my-father-to-be-nothing-but-the-best story gave a new face to the game and made it a more open and welcoming sport for the masses to enjoy. Tiger shot to fame and glory as the sport’s it-boy, with companies from Nike to Buick, TAG Heuer to AT&T clamoring for a piece of the star.
After Woods’ Thanksgiving Day one-car crash near his Orlando home, and his scandals subsequently coming forth, golf’s number one player has decided to take an indefinite sabbatical from the sport. Obviously, this means little to nothing to families like mine, apart from being embarrassed to hold someone with such an ability to ruin his own family in such high regard. We will continue watching even without Gillette and Gatorade commercials featuring Tiger, but there is a distinct possibility the sport could see a major dip in popularity from the rest of the country in his absence.
Obviously only time will tell exactly how great of an impact Woods’ hiatus will have on the PGA, but I would be hard-pressed to find someone who thinks it will be anything but negative -to varying degrees- at least in the immediate future. I’ll keep an ear to the ground on this and update as the first PGA events begin to take place without its money leader.
GQ’s Andrew Corsello takes on Ayn Rand and the ARAs
If you happen to know anyone who ascribes to Ayn Rand’s Objectivist philosophy (or if, like me, you happen to be in a loving, committed relationship with one) you won’t be able to get enough of Andrew Corsello’s December GQ article dissecting the life and works of Rand and her followers, whom he lovingly refers to as Ayn Rand A**h*les.
Pardon the language and breadth of this article, but it is an absolute must-read for any who have endured the lengthy literary wonders that are Rand’s Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead and ever pondered what it would be like to see the philosophy embodied in human form. Corsello gives a fairly accurate depiction of an ARA, citing examples from Rand’s life, as well as his own personal experiences.
Objectivists feel no remorse for walking past the homeless man begging for change in the subway, have no use for educators (my mom), environmentalists or social workers (my friend Alisha), and believe in living on the power of your own resources and abilities, lest you become a ’second-hander’.
A**h*les though they may be, it takes a certain kind of person to appreciate a person who strives for such a world. Dear Andrew is obviously and overwhelmingly not such a person, but I am.
The B*tch is Back by Andrew Corsello, December GQ
Journalism and Freedom, words from Rupert Murdoch
Many have questioned my desire to go back to school for my master’s in journalism, saying the industry is dying and I’ll certainly be without a job. While I concede that media in print form is being pushed to the wayside by the Internet, eReaders and the like, I have never put stock in the thought that providing the public with current and important information will eventually cease to exist.
In the midst of my struggle against well-meaning friends and family, Rupert Murdoch himself, chairman and CEO of News Corp., comes to my aid with the defense of my future chosen profession. In his remarks to the Federal Trade Commission’s workshop on journalism and the Internet, of which a partial transcript was posted in an article entitled ‘Journalism and Freedom’ in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, Murdoch discusses the pains of technological advances, and equally important, the deficit the government’s continued role can inflict upon the industry.
Click here for the full article.
To begin, my dream job is to write for ESPN discussing sports, namely football and the NFL. Do we really think that people will get over their interest in sports? It’s hard to imagine.
More to Mr. Murdoch’s point however, the natural human desire to be informed will never subside. There must always be a group of dedicated individuals to provide that information to the men and women of the world in order to make educated decisions daily.
In addition to the continued need for journalism’s dissemination of knowledge, Murdoch describes a more imposing threat upon the profession not from new forms of technology, but from government imposition. “Government assistance is a greater threat to the press than any new technology.”
The outdated regulatory practices imposed by a (supposedly) well-meaning government prevent investments and hinder growth opportunities. Citing the auto industry bailout, Murdoch explains the problem with the government’s intervention is that it gives aid to industries with goods and services no longer valued by consumers. Finally, with too much government ’support’ backing the industry, journalists and their employers would find it increasingly hard to act in the best interest of the people and provide full disclosure on any governmental affair.
“The Founding Fathers knew that the key to independence was to allow enterprises to prosper and serve as a counterweight to government power. It is precisely because newspapers make profits and do not depend on the government for their livelihood that they have the resources and wherewithal to hold the government accountable.”
Thank you for your words, Mr. Murdoch. I’d like to think I could have said it all pretty well myself, but you’ve just saved me the trouble.
Update: Chrome for Mac!
From TechCrunch:
There Are Already 500 Chrome Extensions. They’ll Work On Mac Chrome By Week’s End.
http://tinyurl.com/ykz8h6s
