You're Going To Die.

We're all going to die. Eventually. At our age (let’s face it, no one over 50 is reading this thing) we are more likely to become disabled than to die unexpectedly. That's why if you're single and don't have kids or a house, long-term disability insurance is probably a better bet than life insurance. Another important thing to think about is who will make decisions for you if you become unable to do so yourself. Don’t get Schiavoed, people. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my crazy Catholic family keeping me in a vegetative state indefinitely.

Go here to learn more about how you can make your end-of-life decisions now. The site also has a sample Advance Health Care Directive for use in California. That’s here. You can fill it out and either have it signed by two witnesses or notarized.

Don’t just put it “somewhere safe” where no one will ever find it. Bring a copy to your next doctor’s appointment and have them put it in your medical file. It’s also a good idea to leave copies with the people whom you have designated as your decision-makers.

Finally, if you did become a vegetable, what kind of vegetable would you want to be? JNC and JFJ and I discussed this at JNC's local "tea bar" on Sunday. We eventually concluded that corn sounds pretty good. Those kernels are nice and soft, you get wrapped in silk strands and a protective husk. However, I've always been partial to carrots.