Steph, here's a simple hip flexor stretch I use when I'm not feeling yoga-y:

Put your weight on one foot. Hold on to a chair. Reach your other foot back until just your toes touch the floor. Bend your weight-bearing knee and lower your body a little. Let the other ankle slide back, heel moving toward the floor, until you feel a stretch in the muscle on top of the thigh. (The heel doesn't have to touch the floor. Just a little bend in the knee, it shouldn't hurt or cause your back to sway.) Hold for a second, then stand up on both feet again. It's like a lunge, so it strengthens the weight-bearing thigh and calf muscle as well. But don't go too far down. It's effective without a deep knee bend. You can also do it with both hands against a wall if you want more support - your bending knee shouldn't come any farther forward than your outstretched elbow.

Disclaimer: Not a health professional.

11 hours at work today, didn't leave the building once. But I ate all three meals there, with breakfast and dinner on them...

Oh! I was always making Little Missy's name rhyme with Tara

I know you call her like car-a, but I always read it care-a, because my sister is named Kara, and pronounces it the second way.

Her middle name is "Celia", but when she was about two, she thought her middle name was "Ceiling".

I checked the Usual Suspects for job hunting today, and things gloomier than they were this time last year. Yipes.

Knock wood that the big EE reorg doesn't totally hose the back-to-work plan.

Of course, when Paul checked today to see how far up the wait list for daycare we were (we applied before she was born), he was told 18-24 months away from a slot. So, y'know, maybe the silver lining is "won't have to find daycare" or some such.

Thing is, there aren't a lot of jobs, and I've been sitting in the university the last five years as a lackey, despite the fact I am the alpha geek in this school, run all the web stuff, and even spent three months as interim academic programs manager. I'm not sure how any of that could translate in the real world anymore.

It's like contracting! Only more stable.

I have a hell of a time translating my contracting skills into RW stuff.

Seriously, I'd love to get out of tech, but I have no other skills. Well, I expect I could edit, but there's not much call for that, and I don't have much of it on my resume.

I just checked the new 2006 premiums for the University health insurance plans.

Hmm. I should have Paul do that. See if the budget needs adjusting.

I just sent two recipes to the cookbook...

I have one more I want to send- but it isreally hards to write them up when 90% of them are vaguely inspired by things I have done before and have no real measurements. Hence, I put them off.

In job news I sent DH three diffent want ads. I am guessing one was above his skills, I know one was below , and I think one was pretty much what he does now.

Knock wood that the big EE reorg doesn't totally hose the back-to-work plan.

I only heard about that this afternoon. I don't know how to read their new Evil Plan. But it continues to confirm my decision to never work for them.

Hmm. I should have Paul do that. See if the budget needs adjusting.

I expect there will be a LOT of switching this November. The difference between the cheapest plan and the next cheapest is $100/month.

Do you know that the U offers medical savings accounts now?

And did you have any interest in that Web Computing Specialist position on the U job site? Like I said, I know the guys over there.

Knock wood that the big EE reorg doesn't totally hose the back-to-work plan.

No news had filtered down to my level by the time I left today. If I hear anything, I'll let you know.

And did you have any interest in that Web Computing Specialist position on the U job site? Like I said, I know the guys over there.

It looks slightly too DB focused for my rusty self, drat it. Time to brush up the skills as well as the resume. (I've spent the last year looking at nothing but XML. It's been less than exciting.) But thanks.

I expect there will be a LOT of switching this November. The difference between the cheapest plan and the next cheapest is $100/month.

Wow. That's quite the difference.

Huh. That UMP price isn't a typo? Weird.

::blinks::

Where are the sacrificed chickens? Our premiums really did go down...

I really don't get it. And the really confusing thing is that the PEBB is talking like the average take from employees would be $81, making me wonder if they accidentally posted the per-paycheck number rather than per-month.

But the numbers are correct all over. Even if this number is wrong and it should be doubled, it's still a double tall latte cheaper than last year, while Group Death's premium doubled.

OK, this isn't an error. Here's the press release: [link]

For individual UMP PPO subscribers, the 2006 rate will be $14 a month, less than half the current rate of $33. Full-family coverage will cost $49 a month next year; the 2005 family rate is $101 a month.

YAY!