Timelies all!

Hmmm, doing the pseudo-single thing these last few days has meant getting a lot of uninterrupted sleep and eating stuff that isn't very good for me. Ah, well, back to normalcy soon.

Tom, I'd classify no-broken-picture-tube as a mitigated disaster -- it could have been a lot worse, including bleeding, et cetera.

Particularly if it was a very old TV set, whose picture tubes tended to explode like bombs rather than just shattering. My dad used to be a TV repairman, and he has seen a TV set blow the corner off a house when it was struck by lightning. He also once began the digging of a well by shooting an old Zenith placed at the appropriate spot, and got a several foot head start.

when I went freelance, I joined NASE and got health insurance through them. (The provider is MEGA Life & Health.) They sent someone to my house who sat down with me and walked me through all the different options I had (HMO, PPO, etc., plus dental and life insurance options) and what they would cost.

Funny - I used to sell health insurance for NASE. It's really good for self-employed people. Just be sure there are doctors and hospitals near you that accept MEGA. This was over ten years ago, so maybe there are more now that do.

He also once began the digging of a well by shooting an old Zenith placed at the appropriate spot, and got a several foot head start.

That's really cool.

Weekend report so far:

Friday night: Babysat for a soon-to-be-divorced friend who was going out on her fourth ever post-separation date (opening night at the SF Opera, including red carpet walk, so my babysitting duties included lacing her into her Dark Garden brocade corset). Midway through the evening, her 9-year-old rested his head on my shoulder and said, "I like it when you're here."

Saturday morning: Dissected date (nice but no sparks) and got caught up on gossip (a mutual friend who's been coping with clinical depression, nursing school, and three children under 6 years of age, has suddenly decided to make her marriage poly, complete with LDR with some guy in Boston -- any one or two or even three of these might have been manageable, but all four together don't bode well; I was too afraid to ask if she's still bound and determined to homeschool all three kids).

Drove out to my dad's place in Oakland to housesit his cat; visited friends and their 6-week-old daughter, who feels like a compact little feather pillow compared to Matilda; did 80 billion loads of laundry; had dinner with friends and daughter; bounced and swayed and soothed said daughter out of colic and into a nice hypnotic state (their pediatrician had sternly told them, "Whatever you do, don't bounce her, it's a myth that bouncing colicky babies helps;" WTF, Doctor Asshat!); bundled Matilda back to dad's place.

Today: Awoken at 5:20 by wrong number witlessly screeching into my cellphone, "HEY SHELLEY! HEY DOLL! IT'S ME! SHELLEY? SHELLEY? OH, SORRY!"

I'm so very tempted to hold onto that number until the next time Matilda wakes fretfully at 3 a.m. and call her up for a few joyful minutes of Screaming Babe.

The news that "Dick in a Box" has won an Emmy is going a long, long way toward making the morning completely better, though.

Thanks for the greeting card, Nilly. Good Year to you.

jz - do it!!!

Otherwise it sounds like you've had a busy and good weekend.

I woke up strangely early, made pancakes and eggs and sadly failed at both. Then realized that I have no clean mugs for tea.

Must do dishes so I can have tea.

He also once began the digging of a well by shooting an old Zenith placed at the appropriate spot, and got a several foot head start.

Now I really want to do this. I'm so sad I didn't take the opportunity to shoot my last TV.

Strega, I've been freelancing since 1998, and I'd be glad to talk with you. Insurance can be a problem, but it's easier when you're younger than I was. As Kristen notes, there are several organizations that offer access to health insurance, plus Blue Cross can offer some decent plans. For healthy people, a high-deductible policy and a health savings account can be a good deal. Also, now you can deduct the cost of health insurance. Freelancing can have scary, "I'm going to be living under a viaduct" moments, but you also get a lot of work by serendipity. You'd be surprised by how many magic phone calls you get, in which a friend of a friend of a friend calls from out of the blue.

Baby GSD!

PUPPY!

t Poking my head

Thanks for the greeting card

Oh, good, it arrived. For the record, quite a few of the "Good Year" cards I sent this year bounced back. I have no idea why. So I'm afraid some of you - and I'm not even sure who! - won't get any. Sigh. I'm sorry. I wish there was a way for me to fix that.

Also, according to the Buffista Calendar, today is Spidra's birthday. I haven't seen posted from her in forever, but I hope the well-wishes find their way to her, somehow.