Guys and gals, I’m not there yet. But there is a possibility that at some point during this month I might need to beg for money. A few months before my heart attack I just happened by the good grace of the FSM to load up on short and long-term disability. I even bought extra STD and LTD, plus premium support in case it turns into LTD, which all makes me feel pretty damn smart right now. There was the usual paperwork delays with the STD, but this week I got the final approval. Of course there’s a waiting period for that STD and, naturally, they mail the checks instead of e-deposit. All my bills for February are paid, I do not lack for food or power or cable or Internet. I’m good on meds for at least a week.

But looking ahead to the next two weeks, co-pays for multiple doc visits several times a week, cardio rehab three times a week, and endless Rx co-pays are eating me alive. I’m not in dire straits yet and I think it’s going to be OK if those checks show up. But I just wanted to warn everyone upfront, I’ll know how bad it is by the middle of next week and there’s a chance it could be bad. If that happens, and you’d rather visit other sites come that time where you’re not pestered like this, I wouldn’t blame you one bit. I have some good news below the fold though … Regs Only!

This heart attack and the constant juggling of bills has given me a new outlook on life. I don’t mind letting you in on a little secret. First, the software company I work for makes a very popular video game, an MMORPG, that’s why I occasionaly post about the gaming community. It’s a neat job in lots of way, I work with some of the coolest people I’ve ever met, the customers I deal with practically adore us, and the insurance is superb. I would love to stay. But it just doesn’t pay a living wage, there’s no viable path to a living wage, and I’m not going to spend the rest of my life begging readers for money, stressed out about making rent in a shitty apartment, terrified that any routine health issue will get me fired due to an inexcusably barbaric attendance policy, and hoping I don’t get laid off because of how volatile the industry has become.

Two, I have been offered a new job that pays significantly more. That job is with an oganization that makes, get this, spaceships, rockets, and systems for spacecraft. The details haven’t been worked out yet, my first order of business is to recover from the heart issue. But I expect that will happen by the late spring, summer at the latest.