Food and Clients and Insurance

I am monstrously happy this morning, having awakened late. The late rising came, I am sure, as a result of the fact that I know I must go to the office today to get some backlogged work out of the way and to prepare for a meeting tomorrow with a new short-term client (tomorrow, I attend a membership meeting, then Tuesday their board meeting followed by facilitating their strategic planning session Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday). The new client work is actually interesting; I like clients that come, let me help them clear the weeds, then go away and leave me alone until they need more help.

Having awakened late and having had a desire for food, I went to work. I diced some remnants of turkey we had frozen after roasting a turkey at some dim point in the past. Then I chopped some onion and red and green bell peppers and two Roma tomatoes and some jalapenos and then nuked (and then removed the skin from) some red potatoes which I cut in cubes. I sauteed the turkey and peppers and onions, then added the potatoes and finally the tomatoes and then, when the pan was awash in color, I added four beaten eggs. In no time, I had a strange breakfast, just in time for my wife to join me to share in the wonder. It needed salt and pepper and some salsa, but other than that it was a nice meal. After I had already gotten deep into this process, my wife mentioned that she had purchased some chorizo, but it was too late to change course. Plus, I started salivating about what might be tomorrow's breakfast of chorizo con juevos.

Now, I must drag myself away from this keyboard and addictive screen and go to my office to do my duty.

Oh, before I forget: we learned yesterday that our insurance costs are going up dramatically...in some cases, the choices of coverage are increasing 100% or more. The very basic plan for which we have been paying for our employees at 100%, which cost us $350 per month, is rising to $428 per month, about 22%. In order to keep the coverage for employees, we have to pay at least 80% of the premium. Because we have been unable to get our clients' fees to increase this year and have been unable to get more business (except this little one-off strategic planning gig), we're going to have to pass on the increased cost to our staff, so we won't be paying 100% of their insurance any longer. They're going to have to contribute. And this is at a time we cannot afford to give any raises. Life sucks, sometimes.