Twelfth Snow
Now that's a wild word. TWELFTH. I had to look it up to make sure I was spelling it right.
Anyway, the white stuff is coming down and sticking in clumps to the grass. It has pelted down periodically all day, and I was in the office, watching the pellets bounce on the asphalt and melt.
This morning before eating I went in to get my blood drawn. The woman punctured my vein without hesitation, and filled five small vials with the deep red fluid. I'm going to get tested to see if I've been exposed to strep A--and if I'm a carrier, to check my iron levels and liver function, to assess my thyroid function, blood sugar, triglycerides, cholesterol, creatinine, etc etc etc. I started getting my blood tested two and a half years ago, mostly out of curiousity--it is a powerful assessment tool. I want to be able to do some slight assessment of blood and urine in-house at my practice, when I open it. I also want a reliable lab to which I can send samples to get further testing done.
With a bandage on my arm I fetched a bagel from Biff's and went to work. I was early and so was Beth, my mostly absentee boss. She came to my desk soon after arriving and said she was glad I was early because she had something to tell me. She said I would have mixed feelings about it. And indeed I do.
The big news is that this company for which I work is suddenly offering health insurance to all employees. I have been there over six years without any benefits whatsoever. The best perk I've had is the use of the company boats. All I could say is "That's a pisser." Every rookie grunt in the warehouse now eligible for health insurance, and the company is going to make matching IRA contributions. I just feel mad and sad. Shitty timing for me, thanks a lot. Great for all those folks who just walked in the door.
The other thing that is happening at work is that I am actually training someone who is competent and capable of doing my job. One of the outfitters in town changed hands and the entire staff was fired. This lady was managing 80 boatmen, and she's an ideal person to take over scheduling drivers and maintaining a fleet of vans & trucks. I did not want the job of "drive manager", it is simply a pile of responsibilities that was dumped on my plate because I was capable. I tried to give it away a number of times, and expressed many times to the owner of the company that I am much better at other parts of my job, and I find them more satisfying, and I'd rather DO those things.
So suddenly my two largest gripes about my job are dissipating--right when I have finally managed to set my course far from here. Right after the owner came to my desk and said "I hear you are leaving" with a tear in his eye. He's a good man, I have enjoyed working for him.
AAAAAAAaaaarrrrrrrggggghhhh!!!!!
So what do I do but make the best of it. Nothing else I can do. There's a $2000 deductible, so the question is: do I now pursue all the appointments and tests that I have not been getting because I couldn't afford it? I still can't afford it. The dough that I make in the next few months is slated to be my living money when I move. If I spend that now on healthcare, what will I do? I still feel cornered. On the insurance forms I didn't confess about my recent health questions, because they do not exist in formal record.
In other work-related news, the other day we launched a trip for a permittee with the surname "Ho". In the warehouse the guys are calling it the nappy headed Ho trip. =-]
Anyway, the white stuff is coming down and sticking in clumps to the grass. It has pelted down periodically all day, and I was in the office, watching the pellets bounce on the asphalt and melt.
This morning before eating I went in to get my blood drawn. The woman punctured my vein without hesitation, and filled five small vials with the deep red fluid. I'm going to get tested to see if I've been exposed to strep A--and if I'm a carrier, to check my iron levels and liver function, to assess my thyroid function, blood sugar, triglycerides, cholesterol, creatinine, etc etc etc. I started getting my blood tested two and a half years ago, mostly out of curiousity--it is a powerful assessment tool. I want to be able to do some slight assessment of blood and urine in-house at my practice, when I open it. I also want a reliable lab to which I can send samples to get further testing done.
With a bandage on my arm I fetched a bagel from Biff's and went to work. I was early and so was Beth, my mostly absentee boss. She came to my desk soon after arriving and said she was glad I was early because she had something to tell me. She said I would have mixed feelings about it. And indeed I do.
The big news is that this company for which I work is suddenly offering health insurance to all employees. I have been there over six years without any benefits whatsoever. The best perk I've had is the use of the company boats. All I could say is "That's a pisser." Every rookie grunt in the warehouse now eligible for health insurance, and the company is going to make matching IRA contributions. I just feel mad and sad. Shitty timing for me, thanks a lot. Great for all those folks who just walked in the door.
The other thing that is happening at work is that I am actually training someone who is competent and capable of doing my job. One of the outfitters in town changed hands and the entire staff was fired. This lady was managing 80 boatmen, and she's an ideal person to take over scheduling drivers and maintaining a fleet of vans & trucks. I did not want the job of "drive manager", it is simply a pile of responsibilities that was dumped on my plate because I was capable. I tried to give it away a number of times, and expressed many times to the owner of the company that I am much better at other parts of my job, and I find them more satisfying, and I'd rather DO those things.
So suddenly my two largest gripes about my job are dissipating--right when I have finally managed to set my course far from here. Right after the owner came to my desk and said "I hear you are leaving" with a tear in his eye. He's a good man, I have enjoyed working for him.
AAAAAAAaaaarrrrrrrggggghhhh!!!!!
So what do I do but make the best of it. Nothing else I can do. There's a $2000 deductible, so the question is: do I now pursue all the appointments and tests that I have not been getting because I couldn't afford it? I still can't afford it. The dough that I make in the next few months is slated to be my living money when I move. If I spend that now on healthcare, what will I do? I still feel cornered. On the insurance forms I didn't confess about my recent health questions, because they do not exist in formal record.
In other work-related news, the other day we launched a trip for a permittee with the surname "Ho". In the warehouse the guys are calling it the nappy headed Ho trip. =-]