Express-o

After I lost my job, I did two things-

1. Went to the Baltic States to clear my head (more on that later)
2. Got a part time job at a cafe.
   

The cafe job is not about making money. I make about enough to keep gas in my car and food in my belly (and the cat’s belly). It’s about health insurance. I have had health insurance my entire life…until 4 months ago. The company is one of the few places that offer health insurance to part time employees, and I like getting my teeth cleaned 4 times a year. I also don’t like having to worry that a tumble on the ice might lead to a hospital bill that would bankrupt me.

So I have been making mochas and soy lattes, and have been happy to be chosen to do it (trust me, lots of folks experiencing joblessness are stopping in for an application). In exchange for working 20 hours a week, I will qualify for health insurance benefits on March 1st, and that’s more than a “Fair Trade” to me. But then the company announced layoffs and store closings, and then a week later announced more layoffs and store closings. Scheduled hours have been cut, enough that I may lose my insurance as soon as I become eligible to receive it.

So now I’ve had to make time in my search for a full time job to work a little damage control on my part time job. I’ve found some extra hours covering shifts at a couple of other locations inside and outside the city, so I’m good through next week.

I am now a traveling remote deployment barista.