Woot!

Went outside to find my bike has a flat AGAIN. This is the third flat in 5 months. That's a record. Thank dog that isn't my only bike. I pulled out the recumbent and blew its tires up (not punctured, but flat from disuse) and cycled to TJ's. More crowded than it was the day before T-day!

Money spent on good puncture resistant inner tubes at a proper bike shop rather than Bell from Walmart or Kmart plus a bottle of green slime - this is worth the extra dosh. I speak from experience of using bike as primary mode of transportation in Arizona where Goats Head Thorns are the state flower.

Oh, good, Cass.

Uh, is there an HR person in the house? Or someone very familiar with how COBRA works? And yes, I'm already on the .gov FAQ page.

Thanks, WindSparrow. I have puncture-resistant tires and Mr. Tuffy liners. I do everything I can to prevent punctures since while I know how to change tires, my hands aren't capable of it. So I have to pay the disabled tax every time this happens.

I'm not impressed by the caliber of bike shops near me. That's another place the Bay Area has us beat. I will have to figure a way to get the bike to the shop. The local shop is within walking distance but not the most competent place. A slightly more competent place is up on Walnut St. in Pasadena but that would mean begging my brother to get dropped off there in the truck. Metro Rail will not allow my Xtracycle on board. And I'd kill my hands/arms pushing my bike the 4 miles up there.

I have no problem paying extra to prevent flats. I'm just frustrated as hell trying to figure out why all these flats. 2 out of the 3 have been complete mysteries. One was explained because it happened as I was passing a construction site. While I didn't see any debris, it's easy to believe there could have been some around a construction site. The other 2 times there's been no explanation at all.

I speak from experience of using bike as primary mode of transportation in Arizona where Goats Head Thorns are the state flower.

Oh, I hate those things.

My recollection of how COBRA works is flawed. My guideline is figure how much you can afford to pay on unemployment, then multiply by 10 and you have what COBRA payments come out to.

I may be bitter.

I'm in this complicated situation where I'm eligible for health insurance at current job, but don't know how long I'll be with current job, but don't know if I can choose COBRA over current job's insurance plan, and it's just all very confusing.

And yes, COBRA is freaking expensive.

I'm pretty sure my last COBRA made me certify that I wasn't eligible for other insurance when I signed up for it. Which was unfortunate, because I needed it for one day of coverage--I was covered for the other 30. However, I called the COBRA provider, and they said it was okay to overlap (just to get that day).

tl;dr: Check with your provider to be sure. I don't think it's allowed.

Buggeration. Neither of my mental health providers are in-network for current job healthcare. And the deductibles are $1500 for in-network, and $3000 for out-of-network. ::sigh::

Thanks, ita. I'll be calling the feds tomorrow, and my former employer's COBRA provider.

Ack, Spidra, that's a whole heck of a lot of frustration.