Are you interested in learning how to motivate voters and create change in the upcoming elections?

VoteBuilder Training is taking place Thursday (3/3) at the John Germany Library in Tampa from 6:30pm-8:30pm. Email to sign up!

So, this is my attempt to try and give some tips that I use to save money in the budget. Right now I’m pretty comfortable moneywise, but that wasn’t always the case. Especially for the period in my life when I was working full time retail and going to college.

One major expense (at least for me, with my fucked up reproductive system and mental health issues) is medical care. It you are lucky enough to have insurance through work, it may not be enough to help you. Most people who file bankruptcy for medical bills do have insurance. But insurance doesn’t pay for everything (see the movie Sicko for more details on that!). It’s important to really understand your insurance coverage. For example: my policy charges $25 for primary care visits, but $50 for all other visits. By getting my pap test at my primary care doctor instead of my OB/GYN I save $25 bucks. Also, the co-pay is the same to matter how long the visit is. So feel free to stack your visits together to save money.

Prescriptions are another out-of-pocket cost that insurance doesn’t completely cover. First of all, you have to shop your script around to different pharmacies. When I switched from Walgreens to CVS I ended up saving $10 a month on my birth control. That doesn’t sound like much, but it ends up being $120 per year, which is enough to buy a couple video games or a discount plane ticket for a vacation!

Some insurance plans will give you discounts if you order your prescriptions through them. Aetna has a program where they’ll give you 3 months worth of pills for the price of 2. That can be really helpful if you have a few expensive scripts.

And, there is always the samples. Don’t be ashamed to tell your doctor about your financial situation. They may be able to suggest a less expensive alternative medicine or provide you with samples to help cut down on the cost.

If you don’t have insurance medical care can seem overwhelmingly expensive. There are local resources that can help. The Planned Parenthood resources in Tampa Bay are amazing. If you need testing or treatment for sexually transmitted infections, they offer a sliding scale based on your income. They also perform gynecological exams, pap tests, and have discounted birth control pills.

If you know of any other resources for free or discounted health care in Tampa Bay list them in the comments.

 Here’s the facts: Sign-up starting tomorrow at www.tampasuperbowl.com. You must agree to a background check, be at least 18 years old, be willing to work two 4 hours shifts and attend training this fall. Also, you won’t actually see the big game. The volunteer opportunities mostly consist of helping out at the NFL experience or serving as the information booth for confused tourists.

Ok, now here the snark… should the hotels and businesses that are making money from this event be the ones who are providing information instead of volunteers. Also, I suspect that the sights that most visitors want to see (2001 and Mons Venus) are not the ones that Tampa is going to want to highlight.

Before you go sign up to be a Super Bowl volunteer, go over to www.volunteermatch.com and see the other great opportunities where you could serve instead (or in addition to). You might not get a collectible t-shirt, but you’ll probably be having a bigger impact on our community than you would passing out maps at TIA.

Stop Loss- this drama centers on a group of young people who are coming back from Iraq and trying to pick up the life they left behind. It’s hard enough trying to deal with what they saw and did while at war, but things get even worse when some of the men are “Stop Lossed” or forced back into service after their duty has ended. Ryan Phillipe stars as a patriotic soldier who doesn’t know how much more he can give to his country. This isn’t a movie that is pro or anti war, it’s about taking care of our troops.

21- Based on a true story, this flick follows a crue of MIT math geniuses who are behind the most successful card counting ring in Vegas history. It’s a fun movie, although it does bring up the disturbing question of why Kate Bosworth is in so many flicks with Kevin Spacy. This is the third pairing by my count (their previous team-ups were Beyond the Sea and Superman Returns).

Run Fatboy Run- Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz) is a slacker who has run away from everything important in his life, most notable his wedding to pregnant girlfriend Thandie Newton. It sounds like a rote exercise in blandness but the flick was written by MICHAEL IAN BLACK. AKA one of the brilliant minds behind The State, Viva Variety, and Stella. Between Black’s odd sense of humor and Pegg’s off kilter acting style this movie steps up from average to charmingly different.

Married Life- This movie has been getting great reviews for weeks and it finally has come to Tampa (although it’s only playing at Channelside). Another in the neo-noir style, the film is set in the 1940’s as a husband (Chris Cooper) decides to leave his wife (Patricia Clarkson) for a younger woman (Rachel McAdams). But since he doesn’t want to hurt her feelings by divorcing her, he decides to murder her instead. A great little movie with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

Of course if you don’t feel like sitting in a dark room we have plenty of those great activities going on in Tampa Bay this weekend.

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But the song I’ve been playing over and over again is “Faith”. Because, really, underneath the great hook (and this classic video) is something vaguely inspiring.

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But it can be hard for young professionals to find volunteer opportunities because of the time we spend at work. Every Tuesday Sex and Tampa Bay Highlights a few upcoming volunteering opportunities that don’t require a large time commitment or any special training.

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 Ready?

I’ve never been married and have no children. I am proud of the fact that I have been able to live this life without getting that baggage, because when I do get married and have kids, I want it to be forever.

Here comes the asshole part.

I find myself looking down on people who are divorced or are single parents. I secretly think that I am better than them because of the fact that they have more baggage than me. I could never date someone with kids (unless they were a widower) and I would have serious reservations about dating a divorcee.

 So, I ask you internet, does this make me an asshole? Vote and comment below.

The suit makes some allegations which make Hulk Hogan look like an even worse father than we thought he was after it came out that he was fucking his daughter’s friend. According to court papers Hulk Hogan aka Terry Bollea was in the car with Nick when he received two speeding tickets less than a mile apart, and even though he was aware of Nick’s need for speed he still provided the boy with fast sportscars. Not only that, but on the day of the crash he loaned his Silver Viper to another friend of Nick’s. Before the August crash many witnesses reported seeing Nick’s Toyota Supra racing with the Silver Viper.

Here’s a question, what parent allows a friend of their son to borrow their expensive sportscar? That doesn’t happen in regular land. Also, the police report said that everyone was going to Arigatos for dinner. So, why the need for two cars, unless they were going to be racing around?

If that wasn’t bad enough, the suit also suggests that Hulk Hogan was providing his 17 year old son with alcohol on the day of the accident.

Sounds like another case of trying to be your kids friend instead of their parents.

The Hogan/Bollea family’s statements on the case focus on the fact that John Graziano was like a member of their family (is that a good thing?) and that Graziano hold most of the responsibilities for his injuries because he wasn’t wearing a seat belt.

In Florida fault is divided by percentage. For example, the jury could find that Graziano was at 50% fault for not wearing the seat belt and they would reduce the award by 50%.

But I wonder, since Nick was the driver doesn’t he have some responsibility for making sure his passengers are buckled up? If he had been pulled over it would have been Nick who got the seat belt ticket, not Graziano. At least that’s what they taught us way back in Driver’s Ed.

Do you think the Hogan/Bollea family should pay up? Or is it Graziano’s fault for not buckling up?

In case you didn’t catch it, Brit played a mousey receptionist a Doctor removing Ted’s Tattoo. Ted is in love with the Doc, the receptionist is in love with Ted. Wackiness and all of that.

Again, this was a small part. Maybe a totaly of 5 minutes of screen time. But she got all the lines, got a few laughs, and seemed really with it. A far cry from her last TV appearance on the MTV Movie Awards.

Someone sign Brit up for a special that’ll allow her to play to her strengths. Something similar to the Old Sonny and Cher Show. Brit and Cher actually have a lot in common. They aren’t great singers but make up for it with tons of personality and an inner spark.

Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts in the comments.