"The label you give yourself cannot impact external forces that are not motivated by your own psychology or influenced by a third party's pre-existing consciousness of you. We are all presented with reasons to struggle which come from completely external forces; to pretend that one is not struggling is either arrogance or an admission of defeat. To admit that one is struggling is a sign and a source of strength." - Evan A. Baker

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Health Insurance for Actors

If you're like me, you live a freelance life; you work a couple of odd part-time jobs so that you can be available for auditions. If you're having a fantastic year, you book a few commercials and end up qualifying and getting Sag-Aftra's health insurance! If you don't.....you don't have health insurance.

But you need to have it by January 14th, 2014. What do you do?

You go here: http://www.coveredca.com/

Although insurance plans aren't technically being offered until October, you can already go to the link above and get an idea of how much money you'll be required to pay, and what those costs will get you. They base it off your age and adjusted gross income (and they show you how to find that).

AND NOT ONLY THAT, but if you have questions and/or are completely lost about what all that means, you can request information from them! I requested someone call me in the next few weeks so I can better understand how our insurance needs will be met by our always fluctuating income and the very likely possibility of a new family member.

For years, my insurance plan was Hope & Prayer, and as I was looking at the estimated costs and the breakdowns, I nearly cried. I can make sure that should my husband or I get sick, we can get the care we need immediately - AND I can get free preventative checkups! No more hoping and praying that we don't get sick, because believe you me, that shizz is scary.

Be healthy, be safe this year and always.

xoxo

Friday, September 6, 2013

August

I kinda took some time off from blogging to clear my head, clear my thoughts. There's been a lot of change, and yet, there hasn't been any at all.

As my husband and I get closer to our D(etermination) Day in Jan 2014 where we will discuss when we should start trying for a family, I've been....excited and tremendously scared. I'd be out of the acting game for around a year, and to be honest, I'm scared of that. But I'm also excited.

I've spoken to actresses with children, and they always, always say how much better their life is because they're no longer focused so much on their career - that looking after their child gives them a sense of clarity and understanding that they don't need to sweat the small stuff, and time with no auditions is different than it was before.

So, although yes, I'm tremendously scared, I'm also excited. A new adventure with a man who makes my heart so incredibly warm and who is so clearly meant to be a father.

Of course, that time is still far away. There are still things to do. And there are things that I've done:
I cleaned house and got a new manager, theatrical rep, commercial rep, and new commercial headshots. I changed my hair from red to dark brown. I was hired as a staff writer for a weekly sketch show at Improv Olympic. I watched the paramedics take my trembling mother to the hospital.

I'm mentally and emotionally preparing for the next few chapters, which might mean very different things from what I originally planned.

We'll see. We'll see.

All I know is that things will change, and yet, things won't change at all.

Keep on keeping on.

xoxo