Living In the World, Not on It

It really was a long weekend. Normally five days is a little too long, but for once I really needed it. I've been going at 124% since April and while that is an expectation through May, while the hiring is happening in bulk, that's fine but timing and events conspired to make the headaches be much more than just the norm. I was ready for the norm; no one is prepared for what isn't expected or on the radar. At the same time, my weekend came with a price tag. I suppose there is the you can't have everything factor and this is it. (You can get the details on the 3 July post entitled Geriatrics and Pediatrics .) If there is not too much stress in this or that part of your life, then it will show up somewhere. I don't know if this is Fate's way of reminding us not to become complacent, but that is as good as any theory. In the world of don't tempt fate, here's a tip: don't carry too many items in your arms while walking on hot sand in Crocs. At least it ...

Your teeth are more important than you think they are. I listen to people tell me how their teeth are "soft" or prone to cavities and I want to slap myself. I have naturally strong teeth and I screwed them all up. They look awful. I have four crowns now and tons of metal - well, amalgam. This last visit was rather uncomfortable - enough so that I requested novacaine twice. Usually if Dr. Feredjian tells me I don't need it, I'm comfortable with that. But this time I tried it without and then asked for it. And then asked again. Of course, in this case, I had not only a crown put in but needed oral surgery prior to do a crown lengthening... a long and nondescript way of saying I really did a number on this tooth. Dr. Feredjian is a lot of fun and it's always worth seeing him, but at what price? Forget the money side of it. I don't mind spending money to fix things but the worst part is I could avoided all of this just by brushing and flossing my teeth. On the ups...

As it happens, I do love my dentist, Dr. Berdj Feredjian, and his staff. He's a nut. He sings while doing dental work! And the rest of the staff are all fun, lovely and intelligent people. You can't ask for more than that... unless you want free dental work, but how likely is that? It's easy to gripe about going to the dentist. I rarely hear people say, "Hey, I have my dental appointment today, how cool is that ?" I don't think I have ever said that. I do tell people about my dentist and that he is great, but I do have to say that this is a strange choice of career. I wouldn't want to spend my days tiptoeing through peoples' mouths! Yuck. However, I won't let anyone else tiptoe through mine. I don't say that about just anyone. And the gods know, he has the patience of a saint, being my dentist! I don't take good care of my teeth. This is not a mystery, folks, so don't be surprised. Some day I will reach a point where I take good enough...

I love my dentist. He's bright, he's funny, he's very good at what he does. This is my fourth crown and I can't say that the crown experience is all that and a bag of chips. But he does a stellar job and he doesn't do a shaddy job at all. But I was unprepaired for the amount of pain that this afternoon brought. He has numbed my mouth for all of my crowns. When I went in today, he was ready to dig in and I shut my mouth. Where's the novacaine?! He seemed shocked that I'd want it, and told me this would be better if I could feel the bite. There were a lot of adjustments to make and every time he popped the temporary cap off and on and off, the pain was something. It was unbelievably sensitive when it came off and then zinged like crazy when it went on. And then finally all the adjusting was done. He put in the adhesive and popped the new crown on and YOW! Fucking YOW! It was unreal. Tears in my eyes. Sensitive or discomfort does not come close. It was agonisi...

Well, trip #2 of the root canal saga has come to a close. I don't have the energy to write heaps about it but I was amused and completely aware of what Dr. Feredjian meant when he asked his assistant if there was a lot of "tomato". I said, "Yes. You don't really think I have no idea what you mean?" He laughed at that. Of course there is a lot of tomato. My gums bleed if you roust out the tooth and then whittle it down to a little teeny nub. In fact, while mine may bleed more , I'm sure ANYONE'S gum under that kind of duress bleeds at least a little! Unbelievable. But I was amused none-the-less. As if I wouldn't know exactly what he was referring to. It wasn't painful and he numbed the gum anyway, but it's throbbing a bit now and I have admittedly had a long day. But oh, that touch. And then I recieved a wonderful compliment, too! Life is sweet.