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Options (Part I)

One of the things my boss and I talked about while I was out at his place last week was health insurance.

They sent him papers back in late June notifying him they would be cancelling the company's policy as of Aug. 31. He also told me I'd be receiving papers from them letting me know of my options. That hasn't come, but I've learned of a couple of options from the same company; it means, though, that I have to pay half of the monthly cost of having health insurance out of my own pocket, because my boss said he (the company) couldn't afford to pick up the entire tab. I've learned the cost of one of the options: around $180/month, of which I'd have to pay $90.

He said he contacted the company, and they said there's another, cheaper plan I could get that allows me to keep the same amount of coverage, but I have to call them directly for it.

I'm also looking into plans from other companies. The only problem is that I'd like to see some of this in writing before I sign off on coverage, but with just a few days left in August, that's not likely to happen.

And then there's still the idea of me finding another job. There's good and bad to pretty much every option I see, and I'm trying to weigh those and decide on the best course of action.

Even my boss said that if business doesn't pick up, he may end up asking me to look for another job, because he's not far from the point where the company can support only one of us, and not two.

In another entry, I'll lay out my options (at least as I see them) to flesh out my thinking. Things are still too muddled in my own head at this point.

Priced Out

$56,132.

That's how much a new study says I'd have to earn to afford a house in Richmond, VA, an hour south of me. That market is the 77th least affordable. And DC is the 22nd least affordable. I live in between those two markets, and make about $20K less than that. Housing prices have gone up 20 percent in a year-and-a-half, and with the average median price of $225,000, the study notes that it now would take a salary of $71,354 (up from $54,855) to afford a house.

Housing prices continue to get further out of reach for most workers, said Barbara Lipman, research director for the Center for Housing Policy.

"I am not surprised at the results of the study, but I am dismayed," she said.

"It used to be a bicoastal problem affecting California and New York. That is not the case any more."

The answer is to create a supply of affordable housing, Lipman said. For instance, zonings for new developments could include some higher density allowances that would be cheaper, she said.

"The pressure is building for low to moderately priced housing."

 

The Nerve

Short takes (at least I think they will be):

* Drove over 1,000 miles last weekend just for soccer, and at least double that in the last 17 days of July working on a feature story/journal of the 13 matches I saw during that time.

* Almost got into a skirmish with UK tabloid "reporters"; seems they paid off a star player for exclusive access, even though they were conducting the interview in a public setting.

* My parents went to Nags Head to the beach house my sister, husband and nephew are renting for the week.

* I'm watering plants for my mom in her absence. She should hope they're still alive when she returns.

* it's still too darn hot--another 100 degree day today.

* It's what I'll need to go after a new job. I'm seeing a few possibilities.

* What I lack about medical stuff, as I'm pursuing a story about sports hernias and how many are going to a specific doctor in Germany for this. I nterviewed someone who had this surgery last night, and today, continuing doing the research is making me a bit queasy.

*  If you're in Vancouver, (not sure if there's a webcast), I'll be on your radio either Saturday, Sunday or both. Their soccer team is in my region this weekend, and I've been asked on for Sunday, though they're also broadcasting Saturday and there's a possibility for me then too.

* If you're not listening to Amos Lee or Over The Rhine, you're missing out. Thanks April.

* Drive-in's still exist. I saw a few over the weekend, even showing current movies. Funny, though, how more places (such as large parks or schools) are showing outdoor movies on the big screen. Something to be said for outdoor movies. Reminds me of a scene with J-Lo in The Wedding Planner. First movie I saw was when I was 6, Star Wars. First in the movie theater for me was Grease.

* Got called babe last night by a woman, as well as The (followed by my last name, which I don't post in the journal, but it's not really a state secret).

* Had a little boy in the bookstore Tuesday compliment my tie-dye t-shirt.

* When people don't realize how hard you work at something just because you love it, and then they find some small flaw in what you do, instead of saying something nice about the effort made.

* I have some really good background material from my travels, at least I think. I'll point you to it when it's ready.

* The players on the team I followed over the weekend were really nice and thanked me for making the long trek, and even met one player's parents--again. Couldn't find the restaurant they recommended, though.

* Monday morning I slept about three hours in the backseat of my car (from around 5-8 a.m.). Thank goodness it was still a bit dark when I went to sleep, and thank goodness it was safe and I had a pillow.

Insurance

Just found out I may have to dig into my own pocket for health insurance starting in September, as Kaiser said they wouldn't provide insurance coverage for our company because they say we now work outside their coverage area.

Technically, my boss does but I don't, but it's all semantics anyway. They say they have optional individual coverage. Boss says he's paying $100/week to provide for our coverage now, and with no new business coming in, he can't afford to continue doing that. He said he's asked them about keeping the company's coverage and seeing what they can offer that's more affordable, but it's likely that I'm going to have to find something on my own. He said the company would pick up half of the premiums, which means I'd be on the hook for the other half. It's not as if I've used the coverage a lot now, but still, I can't be caught without health insurance either. But still, that's just another bill I'm going to have to account for, and it'll mean I'll have to do my own cutting back--again.

I've already cut a few things out now--cable, dial-up instead of DSL, fewer trips to the grocery store (and am buying less at that), and I've got my landline phone in use for very local calls only (I use my cell almost exclusively). I'm also not running the AC but for limited periods. I could easily run it all day, especially since the next 3 days are supposed to be over 100 degrees. And I'm trying to cut down on extra trips when I can. The only extracurricular I really allow myself is going to watch soccer matches, which takes up considerable gas at $2.30/gallon, so I may have to reconsider some of that as well.

Without new business, I can count on not getting a raise anytime soon, which means I'm going to have to watch my expenses even more. And any new job for me, if I choose to go full-time into sportswriting, will mean an almost guaranteed paycut too. it's a lose-lose situation at the momemt, but I still have a lot, so this is more of a lament, and not really an outright complaint, but still, it's a bit frustrating. I've got to figure out something to improve this situation, and soon.

Yesterday

This I took while I was working yesterday. I went to ceremonies that honored the service and sacfifice of merchant mariners. I may post another picture or two, but for now, just this one.

Scenery Change

In the continuing work-at-home adjustment, I decided it'd be best to move my office away from the couch and into the spare bedroom.

Now, that might seem obvious, and it is. But, for the first week or so, I just figured it'd be easier to have the laptop in the living room, especially since the wi-fi connection seems to be better in there, but after moving things back into the spare bedroom (with all the maps on the wall) with the desk and other office supplies, I haven't had connection problems so far, though the signal isn't quite as strong here as in there.

The isolation issues are still something to consider.

If anyone ever decides to work from home, or write a novel full time and isolate themselves somewhere, they'd better know that they can stand themselves and create their own energy. I like working alone without anyone over my shoulder, but I also get energized when others are excited about what they're doing. I'm not excited by my subject matter to begin with, so it's that much more for me to get going. The pluses outweigh the minuses so far--less traffic to deal with, still getting paid, no one over my shoulder (as I mentioned), less $$ spent on gas, can wear whatever...

I'm fortunate in that respect, but I'll continue looking at other options. There's a lot of options in sportswriting that don't necessarily mean working for a newspaper, and I'm going to consider them--and even non-sportswriting options--as I go forward.