The Sessum bunch is supposed to head up to Chattanooga this weekend to watch George play at the jazz festival there, and another gig after, after which said gigs we sleep, then drive back here and see him off over the sea for not too long this time. Says me.
Only problem is we're all sick. Not that kind of terrible sick like you're familiar with me going on and on about. I think this is job loss let down sick. Just enough defenses letting down to make you feel like shit without killing you. All three of us have ear aches. I guess we'd better get in to the doc with the $10 copay while we've got it--clock ticking on that. April 15 is the day I won't have taxes done and the day we won't have our good old insurace, etc.
Leaning toward going to BC/BS of GA PPO for a family policy. A couple cons--ONE, no stinking mental health benefits (attention health care smarties--the mind is only, like, the most important organ, or is it a muscle, or in my case it might be bone, in the body). Like zero. Nada. I think they pay $100 a day if you wind up on the inside for your troubles, which makes me just slightly nervous since I always keep tucked neatly in the left side of my gray matter that if worst comes to worst, I can have a one-month vacation hooked up to IV Valium. Just a rest, of course. Nothing permanent.
Call it a fantasy if you will.
SO no mental health benefits, and also some bizzare exclusionary 12-month waiting period for pre-existing conditions, which is basically anything you've ever had, so then unless I wind up with something fatal, which I had a dream last night I did indeed have, but more about that later, you're basically SOL if they decide to be nosing around.
I guess the deal is, insurance companies would prefer that you pay them for a year, during which time they do not to have to cover you for anything, after which time you will most likely be on some sappy employer's plan again, having remained on the first insurance company's plan just long enough for you to not have anymore pre-existing conditions, allowing them to brush you off their crusty lab coats before you cause them any trouble and politely begin your next 12-month waiting period.
AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!
Meanwhile, back at unemployment, I haven't appeared in the system yet. Which means I'm not sure what. The lady I spoke to the day I went in said CERTIFY WEDNESDAY OR YOU WILL HAVE COME HERE TODAY FOR NOTHING (Nothing, I tell you! - she didn't say that part, but it felt like she did). After an hour on hold today, another lady said, "Don't even TRY to certify til Sunday."
Ah mixed messages. Just like having a real job!
Meanwhile, I can only claim one week so far because the other week I did indeed work on my consulting stuff.
But hey, you don't see me whining. No more. Nut-uh. Too much to be thankful for.
Like that my dream last night, where I traveled inside my throat--what was I, some kind of surgical instrument?--around to the left, where I saw several polyps and one nasty looking malignancy, or at least I knew it to be such in my dream, because it was black and had jagged edges, and then a weird thing happened, it grew silver around the edges, kind of forced it into a circle, and then it popped up 3-D style. And I was so relieved.
Please tell me it all means nothing. Or at least something good.
Alright then, if you won't I'd best go off to sleep now. Busy few days coming up. If I can FIND my sidekick, I'll take it to Tennessee and blog on HipTop Nation. Problem is, I haven't been able to find it for 24 hours... and I'm getting a little nervous.
I think I'm getting a little less good at handling stress every day. I lose something new every day.
In other and more important news, THANK YOU to the folks who have contributed to my laptop fund. Marek's and my ciphering has the number round/bout $550 (including my little contribution), and I can't BELIEVE the generosity of you ladies and gents. Slowly but surely. I've started nosing around. Looks like you can get some used Dells on ebay for that. But I think I'll hang on a little longer to see if I can get into Powerbook territory.
I can't blog from the blogger window--using this GREAT TEXT PAD application instead. I've lost about six good posts by blogging in the blogger window because the backspace key over here is hooked up to some groovy feature that, whenever it deems proper, turns into a BACK button on the browser, after which jump all your text gone. Hopping forward again reveals blank window. You lose, try again.
But Hey, I'm here and I'm grateful and I'm blogging, and I now have a new text editor to love in TextPad.
okay, sleeeeep well. and thank you again and again and again.
A list of contributors and proper thank yous coming probably sunday when this insane week ends.
