Yes, COBRA gives you 90 days to activate it. If you don't cancel officially, you are "deciding" whether to use it or not. You have the option to keep your insurance, but you don't have to. If you get into your other job with no need to use it, just cancel as of your first day of COBRA and you don't have to pay anything.

Congrats on your decision, smonster. I applaud your big adventure to do good in the world and work with your hands and fix up New Orleans.

Hubby has discovered that some of his medical problems are a result of morphine-enduced low testosterone. Seems he's been needing to shave barely once a week recently (I'm a bad wife, I didn't notice). So now he's on testosterone replacement therapy. Kudos to Hubby feeling better, but I know the man, and extra testosterone running through his system does not inspire excitement. This is the guy who used to think jumping out of helicopters into burning forests was a good thing.

And I'm not a fearsome enough employer...nobody teaches you how to do it and I can't really use Ari/Lloyd as a template. I have no real sticks nor carrots.

Heh. I know what you mean. I've been a teacher, and I can be stern and a bit scary when necessary in that role, but not as a PA employer. I get all wheedling and passive-aggressive and then The Girl has to sort them out. And then I fire people. I do that a fair bit.

ETA: Connie, yay for hubby finding out a cause of some problems. Less yay for the thought of him deciding to climb mountains.

Smonster, backflung.

Thanks, Vortex.

I used to have a button that said "High on stress". I wish I could find it. I could wear it while working.

Thank you all so much for the ~ma and for seeing me through this whole process. I finished what I started, and I'm really proud of that. You all helped more than you could know. I am kind of (kind of) chuckling to myself because today turned out to close the case on whether the universe wants me to head in a different direction or not. At least it seems like it. So I'm especially glad that I actually finished the test.

To sum up: Sox: 0, migraine: 1.

The longer story:

I'm not allowed to say anything about the test center, so I won't; it is completely unrelated that bad fluorescent lights, flickering computer screens, and strobe camera flashes are one of my migraine triggers. I'd add horrible leading and kerning to the list of triggers just for kicks.

Which all hit me about 1/2 way through the test. I truly believe that the ~ma is the only way I didn't pass out in the room, and actually made it home. Also, this:

I guess the score could be Sox .75, migraine 1. Because I finished the damn test.

I couldn't read the last section (which was math), but i finished it. And i saw my math and verbal scores even though i won't know my essay scores yet. Unofficially I kicked ass on the verbal, but got 520 on the math, quite literally with my eyes closed

So I'd say that this was likely another example of the universe telling me in not so subtle ways to go in another direction.

...

If it weren't for the fact that as I drove home (stopped twice to rest and recalibrate my head), the GIANT striped spider that had been making a web on the drivers side dashboard, started crawling towards me and I had to squish it with my shoe.

if I kept going in this direction, I wonder what would happen next

(turns to page 94....)

"Your path is blocked by angry polar bears who tear off your arm. To keep going, turn to page 98..."

this could be the drugs talking

but i am rather amused at the universal messaging system, and do not want to see a polar bear.

eta: hooray smonster & shifting the spoiler tag for Jilli.

~ma for Sox and Jilli.

x-post: and I gather Sox no longer needs it?

doctor's appointment this morning-- new diabetes drug is doing good things. 11 pounds gone and I am impatiently waiting for my A1C results