COBRA in the US stands for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, aka Continuation of Health Coverage Act, that allows workers to keep their health insurance that they had while on the job even after they leave the job. It directly applied to our case when MJ left her job, which was providing the health insurance that we were both using, so it was a good idea in theory to keep that insurance and have continuous coverage, but in Exhibit 178 of things they don't tell you in adult life, COBRA was not the right fit for us as we would have had to pay much more for the insurance on our own than just going out and buying some insurance on the open market. A friend who ironically used to do a "cobra" hand motion told us unequivocally not to get COBRA. The plan we have now is not cheap by any means (I just paid the balance for this month and I am giving thanks that I have enough money to cover those costs) but we get the gold plan and we have quite a lot of doctor's visits and fertility clinic visits that it covers (partially, we always still have some co-pay) but COBRA, by all accounts, would have been worse.
I realize I've never been cognizant of living through the year of the snake, which is coming up in 2025. I guess I was just so caught up in everything in 2013 I didn't even think about it, and 2001 it was that rough transition from 8th grade to freshman year in high school, not a fun time for any kid especially a nerd like me. The sanke in the Chinese zodiac is known for its wisdom, creativity, intelligence. Sounds fine to me! Is there any animal that gets as much negativity for being relativity harmless as the snake, at least in western society? Every movie, TV show, book, story, etc., usually has the snake as the bad guy.... has any story ever started out with the premise of the snake being the good guy, or even the hero's sidekick? MAYBE Jackie Chan's adventures where the snake talisman (based on the zodiac) graned Jackie invsibility? I'll admit, I flinch a little when I see a snake on the ground too, either in the wild or in a zoo.....they don't look pleasant. And the slithering, slimy thing is creepy. Other than that, they seem like cool dudes. Except.....yea the cobra is intimidating, there's no quibbling about it. The hood on the back of their head usually has an eye or something to scare away predators, and the way it coils up to appear larger than it appears can give you nightmares. Apparently, not for the Chinese..... although not as good as having a baby in the year of the Tiger or the year of the Dragon, snakes are considered baby dragons, so just one step down! And the way snakes could shed their skin and regrow it symbolized fertility! (I think MJ would be fine with having that shedding ability to shed a few pounds, not scales). And I imagine (no article linked, just conjecture) that snakes could eat mice and other small animals that feasted on the crops for farmers while eating none of their own (although, watch out if they got into the chicken eggs) so snakes could have been a net gain. Bring on the Year of the Snake! (We just got done with Thanksgiving so still a while away until Chinese New Year on January 29, but "bring it!" anyway.)
Also, the Cobra design on cars is well regarded, with a sleek design like the AC Cobra driven by Carroll Shelby, the race car driver who designed cars for Ford.
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