Since Mark got retired, we decided to become domestic partners, so that we could use each other’s benefits sequentially. The way it works in WI is that you do an Affidavit for Domestic Partnership, state form ET-2371. Then you submit the form to the Dept. of Employee Trust Funds, the state agency that manages our retirement and other benefits – that the governor is trying to hamstring as best he can. It’s kind of sickening, this report, which, oh by the way, points out that the WI Retirement System is one of the best in the nation, is addressed to the most mean-spirited, weasel-est of our legislators, Gov. Walker, Alberta Darling, and Robin Vos. All of whom would just love to dismantle it if they could. Anyways you send the form off to ETF, and they send you back an acknowledgement, and then you apply to get your new partner and any of their dependents under 26 onto your health insurance – and, also oh by the way, I will be taxed on the value of the additional insurance, as if it was extra income to me, so it’s going to cost about $200/month. Although hmm, that’s what the retirement benefits person told Mark – I just did a calculator that I got off the UW employee benefits website and it says more like $288. But since it’s taxes, maybe I’ll get some of it back at the end of the year – ha.
Anyways, all that unpleasant stuff aside, we had a little domestic partner celebration last night – the state calls us DPs. We had cake and champagne and just a few friends over.
It’s Wensley cake, from Laurie Colwin’s More Home Cooking, that I used to make as a spider cake for Al’s birthday, and flourless chocolate cake, and in addition to the raspberries, I made Crème Anglaise to put on top. Since it was my party, I put a big spoonful of the Crème on top of the last couple of raspberries, and ate them right out of the serving bowl, and no one stopped me.
