[doodlebug]

cob: shoe shopping with size 9.5 EE feet, in a small community, where it doesn't matter HOW much money you're prepared to spend b/c there's nothing to buy anyway.

cob: having to spend $120 CAD (plus taxes) ON SALE for a simple pair of black leather slides.

cob: they were the ONLY respectable pair of shoes in the entire store that fit me (excluding the retirement-home-style lace-ups).

cob: wasn't NAFTA supposed to increase consumer choices for Canadians? Lying sacks of capitalist pig shit.

anti-cob: at least I have one respectable pair of shoes now. I'll have to find something with a closed back before winter, though. Mebbe I'll just get them cowboy boots I've been coveting for 12 years. I could totally get away with it, being from a ranching region.

cob: inheriting the exact size, shape, and structure of foot from my flat-footed, high-instepped father.

anti-cob: my father's flat feet kept him out of the Royal Canadian Army during WWII.

cob: the Royal Canadian Navy took him instead.

[bklynhermit]

long drawn out cob: Planned Parenthood of New York. I support fully the Planned Parenthoods of other states, as well as their national apparatus. I am 100% in support of the group as a whole's causes, as well as their current plight in Bush Administration Amurrica. But the New York branch continues to prove its total asshattery.

For instance. I have relatively spotty health insurance, and a recent abnormal pap smear i need to see an actual gyno about rather than my lovely regular midwife. Seeing as I need somebody who I could conceivably go back to when/if i lose my insurance and the HPV/Cervical Abnormalities/Abnormal Pap Smears turn out to be recurring, I called up PPNYC this morning.

Only to be told, without asking for this information, that my health plan doesn't cover the diagnostics I need, and that I will be charged $250 for the procedure. Which I proceed to freak out about all day on both pragmatic and political grounds (i don't have $250 to cough up for this! also, my health plan covers infertility treatments and post-mastectomy breast reconstruction, not to mention screenings for every other kind of cancer under the sun -- but it doesn't cover CERVICAL CANCER SCREENINGS?!!!!!!!).

Only to come home from work, pull out all the HMO paperwork, and figure out that, actually, it should cover everything, considering it covers all necessary pap smear follow up labwork, and any other labwork or outpatient procedure deemed necessary by my primary women's health clinician. In the event that this escalates to a more invasive cancer treatment level, that would also be covered (if, of course, i magically was able to keep coverage).

I ended up cancelling my $$$ PPNYC appointment and calling one of the gynecologists my midwife reccommended as In-Network under my HMO. fuck you, planned parenthood. fuck you very, very much.

we now return you to your regularly scheduled concise cobs.