California we have a problem

For a month or so at least.

And it's all because of a baby tooth. One of my baby teeth doesn't have an adult tooth underneath it. I had the same problem on another tooth and had to have it removed and an implant inserted. I won't go into the nausea-inducing details but it's an expensive process that takes a few months. i knew that I'd have to get it done eventually but was planning to hold off for as long as possible since it's so expensive. But when I went to the dentist last week he told me the tooth had to come out.

Ugh.

And that my insurance would cover a significant portion of the costs.

Oooh?

Apparently the reason insurance didn't cover it for the other tooth was because I had different insurance when I initially had the tooth removed. Obviously I'm going to get it done if insurance covers it. Unfortunately that means I'll have to stick around for a couple more months until the process is complete. So as I'd feared, insurance is holding me hostage at my job. Curses! That also means I need to start looking for a new apartment as my lease is up in a month. It's disapointing but I'm not that upset about it. I'll be able to save more money and have a shiny new tooth.

The procedure is scheduled for tomorrow and then I have to wait for it to heal before they can screw the new tooth on. I'll have more details on how long it'll be tomorrow. Hopefully not too long. I really can't fathom spending another winter in the east coast. Last winter was B-R-U-T-A-L.

Text Life

I recieved this text today from Jill out of the blue (as are all of her texts). If I had to sum up Jill in a text message, this would be it.



*if she'd texted me while I was listening to a different song (ie. Taylor Swift), this would've never seen the light of day.

I went to Rwanda and all I got was this national healthcare

In my last post, I mentioned that my only fear of quitting my job is losing health insurance. Interestingly, right after I wrote it, I stumbled upon this article about national health insurance in Rwanda. Some food for thought.

Excerpt:
He met an American college student passing through last year, and found it “absurd, ridiculous, that I have health insurance and she didn’t,” he said, adding: “And if she got sick, her parents might go bankrupt. The saddest thing was the way she shrugged her shoulders and just hoped not to fall sick.”

Click here for the full article

Progress is a town in Texas

Holy crap it's almost July!

To be honest, progress hasn't really been made on the trip planning. Chris is applying for a job that would keep us on the east coast for a few more months. He really wants this job so I am willing to put the trip on hold temporarily. Best girlfriend ever. I am still planning to quit my job and leave New York City at the end of July. I might get a freelance job in Philly or move down to South Carolina for a couple months or travel abroad. It's all up in the air until we hear back about this job. For some people this would cause panic, but I operate best under pressure.

I have 3 doctors appointments to make sure everything is okay with my health before I quit. It's my only fear about giving up my job: that I'll get sick and be without insurance. Until Universal Healthcare kicks in, such is American life. If I get a clean bill of health, I'm good to go. I'm so ready for this adventure. After five years of floundering in maddening office jobs, I want a break. Will I end up back in corporate America? It's a possibility. But I hope that I'll take advantage of this adventure to figure out what I really want to do.

It's easier said than done. I'm an inherent contradiction. I crave both adventure and stability. And as much as I hate working a 9 to 5, it does provide stability. Luckily I am in a relationship that will hopefully provide the stability I require while we pursue the adventure. This will be a true test of our relationship, our perseverance and our sanity. But that doesn't scare me. What scares me is looking back on my youth one day and being disappointed that I didn't take more risks and embrace change.

I'm doing this for 50 year old Zina. She's married with 3 teenaged gay sons and 4 elderly chihuahuas. She wears a (sequined) mumu on the weekends and can't remember the last time she had a vacation. But she looks back on her 20's and smiles. Her eyes light up as she regales her boys with stories of her well-spent youth. They listen to her tales, enraptured.

"My God" they think, "our hag has lived."