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News Blog posts insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domain of the quality of life. News Blog: Good-Life News 1 Threading needle to sew up good life: August 24, 2007 by Jon Stewart
A Frederick seamstress is loving life: Her health has been revitalized and she runs a business she loves.Mysty Olmstead owns Alterations, Plus in downtown Frederick. She does upscale, involved alterations that she said are difficult and require precision. Olmstead prefers working on the nicer clothes. "I'm a snob that way," she said. She started her business in January 2004, and enjoys the chitchat with customers and her flexible work schedule. "I can talk all I want to my customers instead of having someone tell me that I am talking too much and to get back to work," she said. Her business is open Tuesday through Friday, and Olmstead uses Monday to finish a lot of her work. "I set my own pace," she said. "I can take my own time on the garments." News Blog: Good Life News 1 (Continued) On a recent Monday, Olmstead worked overnight until 4 a.m. Tuesday and then opened for business at 10 a.m. Olmstead's sewing desk is right by the front window. While she works, Olmstead listens to book tapes. "I feel that I am reading while I work," she said. Clothes may make the man, but Olmstead said men's clothing tends to be very much alike. Women's clothes are another matter because she often has to reverse-engineer each piece. "You don't know how the clothing is constructed, so you take it apart and put it back together," she said. "The end product must be as good or better than the original." Olmstead believes she has a new lease on life after gastric bypass surgery in March 2005. News Blog: Good Life News 1 (Continued) She weighed 342 pounds on the day of surgery. Today, she is down to 200. "I was dying before," she said. "I had a huge stomach, and I couldn't walk from the shop to the corner. And the weight aggravated the back pain resulting from some bad falls while I was in the Army." Olmstead's 15 years of yo-yo diets has taken its toll, and even after the surgery her metabolism is shot. "The body goes into survival mode each time you diet because it is not getting enough food. I spent too many years on a feast-or-famine regimen." Olmstead said she exercises strenuously three or four times a week and eats less to keep the weight at bay. Still, Olmstead said that the surgery was a tool to a better life. "Every fat person wants the excess weight to be gone, and now it is. If this is life, I'm happy. I'm no fashion plate, but I can live again." News Blog: Good Life News 2 Woman Says She Stole To Have Good Life - She Allegedly Used Stolen Money For Vacations, Wedding: August 19, 2007
GOFFSTOWN, N.H. -- A woman accused of stealing more than $1 million from her nonprofit employer said she used the money to pay for medical bills, vacations and her daughter's wedding. "My daughter was getting married; I wanted her to have a nice wedding," said Linda Bevins, who has colon and lung cancer. "I had nothing, it all went to cancer. I thought I was going to die. I wanted to have a good life. I wanted my husband to have peace of mind." Bevins was fired in June from her job as a payroll supervisor for the Crotched Mountain Foundation, which runs a disabilities rehabilitation center in Greenfield. She, her husband, and daughter now are being sued by the foundation. A criminal investigation is also going on. News Blog: Good Life News 2 (Continued) Bevins was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and took a job as a payroll specialist with Crotched Mountain in 2001 to help pay her medical bills; she was promoted to supervisor a year later. She told the New Hampshire Sunday News she began taking money in 2004 after doctors told her the cancer had spread to her liver, and the prognosis was not good. Bevins said she's not certain how much money she took, but doesn't dispute Crotched Mountain's estimate of $1.3 million. She said at least $200,000 went to medical bills for her cancer treatments and another chunk paid for her daughter's wedding, which included a custom-made wedding dress. Bevins said she also took her family on two cruises and used stolen money to make donations to churches and other organizations. "It bothered me a lot because I was not the type of person to do that," Bevins said of the thefts. "I would get depressed that this was happening and I'd say 'I can't do this anymore.' But then something else would happen and all of a sudden I'm doing it." News Blog: Good Life News 2 (Continued) An audit commissioned by Crotched Mountain revealed allegations that Bevins issued payroll checks to her daughter, Holly Sears, and herself, and funneled foundation money into personal bank accounts. Bevins said biannual company audits didn't catch her scheme, nor did a co-worker who helped her with the payroll. Neither her daughter nor husband knew anything about the thefts, though she acknowledged that sometimes she asked Sears, 26, to cash checks for her, Bevins said. Bevins said she's ashamed of what she's done, but blames at least part of her actions on her former employer. As the only employee who could handle the payroll, Bevins said she was constantly on call, even while on vacation or sick leave. She said Crotched Mountain workers even called her cell phone while she was in the hospital, and nurses became so fed up by the they asked a doctor to put a stop to it. "If I didn't have the stress, maybe I wouldn't have gotten sick and wouldn't have had the bills and maybe (the stealing) wouldn't have ever started," she said. News Blog Comment: The quality of life depends on how one plays this game of life as per the rules dictated by these facts. This only decides if it is a good life or a bad one - a beautiful life or an ugly one! But different people adopt different approaches to tackle with each one of these. What is your approach? Wanna have some bidding fun with 'Good Life' on ebay auction? You might grab a bargain or two! Just say your bid and you're done: I invite you to subscribe to my E-zine titled Life Coach, free of charge. This E-zine publishes insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. A not-to-be-missed opportunity! Subscribe to it here: I also invite you to subscribe to my Life Blog - no need to provide your e-mail address here. This RSS feed keeps you informed about new developments taking place on this site. It also harbors 25 journal bloglets posting insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. In order to subscribe to the blog, right-click on the orange RSS button (see buttons up to the left) and then paste the URL into your RSS reader. Or click on add to My Yahoo! button or My MSN or Add To Google button if you keep a personalized home page there. If you are not sure what RSS or blogging is all about, click on What's an RSS Feed? here:
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