Mwah ha ha

I am 26 today. Hurrah! According to 'This Day In History' I share my birthday with Hans Christian Andersen and Emile Zola, which is not bad company, especially since I want to be a writer.

Being the old lady that I am, I had to be an adult and do two of my favorite things. Insurance. Talk on the Phone. Simultaneously. Ugh. Why is it that talking to my insurance provider for 15 minutes can put me on the verge of tears? Well I guess part of it is that I was my bravest self and put up a futile last ditch fight to keep my current doctor. And lost. I have to have a lovely HMO now and she is not a preferred provider (bastards), but when I was looking online to figure out how to change my primary care physician from the assigned male doctor, I found a pdf booklet of frequently asked questions including my all-important question: "What happens if my current physician is not a network provider?" The answer according to the booklet: "You may be able to nominate him or her. Call our Customer Service number on your ID Card." Now, those of you that know me will know that I hate Hate HATE talking on the phone, and also that I am a total chicken and avoid confrontation if at all possible. I do have a brave side though, and she decided to step up to the plate and ask if she could nominate my doctor (who is the first doctor I've ever really liked) like the booklet suggests. Well, of course I got Ms. Testy on the phone as is my luck. I read her the FAQ booklet's question and answer and here is how the conversation went:

She said, "This is an HMO, you have to use the preferred providers."
"Yes yes, I know all that, but the booklet said..."
"What booklet?"
"The FAQ booklet on your website."
"You must have been looking at the PPO."
"Um, no, it says HMO on it."
"Well, you must be looking at the large group provider booklet."
"Um, no. The front of the booklet says 'Members' Frequently Asked Questions About Blue Cross of California Individual HMO Health Plans'" (Ha! Angie silently cheers herself.)
*Audible Humph* "Ma'am, I don't know what you're talking about, can you read me exactly what it says?"
I read the question and answer (above).
"Well, I don't think that's possible."
*sigh*

So I didn't get my doctor, but I do get an extra large birthday trophy for standing my ground and proving mean insurance lady wrong, even if I lost in the end.

As for my birthday, it's nothing too exciting this year. I woke up with a migraine (woo hoo!), tried to sleep it off, but it keeps fighting back, so probably no birthday glass of wine for me. I wanted to watch a fun movie today and get some cleaning done (very exciting, I know), but I didn't want to neglect the writing completely, so I made myself write my 500 morning words with my coffee, so I have been fairly productive today. I think now I'm going to skip the cleaning, hunker back down with some tea and my movie, and try to fight off this headache before Adam gets home.