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go visit my new friend Rob @ http://cafeconrob.blogspot.com/

Day Off

This is how I spent my day off yesterday:

1. drop my girls off at school
2. Coffee with my posse
3. @ church to finish the newsletter
4. Looked in a couple of shops for needed items
5. Lunch @ the Vietnamese Garden (yum)
6. To FastSigns to order a sign for the Band Boosters’ Jazz Fest sign
7. Went to the physical therapy place to set up an appointment
8. Pick up my girls at school

Monday was another day off, because of President's Day. Boy, it's nice working for a business that closes for federal holidays! Anyway, I spent a bit of Monday morning at the dentist office.

I used to joke that I was responsible for funding my dentist's family trip to Disneyworld every year. I've had a mouthful of fillings ever since I was about four years old. I did recently have a streak of cavity-less check ups. Alas, the streak has ended. A molar, already mostly metal, had a small cavity that needed to be attended to.

I loved visits to the dentist when I was young. Dr. Wong was a WONDERFUL dentist. I even made up toothaches to go see him and his nurse. I didn't realize as a preschooler that the visits cost money. And my teeth weren't so good, anyway. I remember Dr. Wong talking non-stop, and telling me that I could watch what he was doing in the reflection of his eyeglasses. I went to Dr. Wong for years.

I had a new dentist when we moved to Pennsylvania from California. Dr. H lived in our town and his kids were classmates of my younger siblings.

I clearly remember the first time that I was in to get yet another cavity filled. I was 13 years old. He turned from his intruments towards me, a hypo in hand with the longest needle that I had ever seen.

"What are you going to do with THAT?!" I just about jumped up from the chair.

He looked both annoyed and puzzled. "I have to numb you before I start drilling." He sat back a bit. "You've had this done plenty of times before!"

Yeah, but I had NEVER seen or known that a needle was involved. Dr. Wong was THAT good.

Dr. H had to double-dose me for years because I was so keyed up that I would still feel the drilling after just one shot.

So, while I am better about the dentist - well, I was never bad about it, just really didn't like it anymore - drilling still just about ruins my day. So there I am on Monday to get another filling. The dentist's office was full of people, apparently they were all booked up. I sat in the chair, waiting for Dr. N (Dr. H retired years ago), trying not to get nervous. okay, trying not to get more nervous.

I could hear people talking from all over the office - it was actually quite loud. There were all sort of other noises, too: the whine of a drill, the strong swoosh of that air contraption, some other machinery that I don't know, and under it all, soft pop/rock music coming from the overhead speakers.

Dr. N came in and told me that this cavity was a small one in a molar that already had a large filling in it. He was hoping to just fill the cavity, but said that the tooth might crack because of the thinness of the tooth wall. He's skillful and was able to drill just right.

People Annoying People

Let me start by saying that I don’t have a good sense of how old I am. I rarely can answer the question about my chronological age without thinking about it and doing some arithmetic. Mentally/emotionally I think that I’m pretty darn immature often … just ask my offspring! I am painfully aware of my shortcomings, which would fill a notebook. I have tried to better myself and learn from my mistakes.

I have tried to keep my mouth shut and not respond too quickly (speaking before thinking!). I’ve had some success, but still manage to pull some doozies (to the amusement of those around me, I think).

I noticed some time ago that I tend to play the devil’s advocate. There have been plenty of bestselling books or blockbuster movies that I never read or saw just out of orneriness or a desire to not be one of the lemmings.

Part of this devil’s advocate-ness is my tendency to act and think the opposite of those around me when they are displaying traits that I’m annoyed with or alarmed by. For example, when my Nod freaks about some minor emergency (we’ve not had any major ones at home), then I’m ultra-calm.

So this has definite benefits.

I don’t know what fuels this behavior, but it has helped me to see how, to put it bluntly, stupid people can act. Not that these people are dumb, mind you, but they do act dumb.

I really, really enjoy my new job. Great people to work with. However… (you knew it was coming, didn’t you?) the newest associate here (yea, I’m not THE newbie anymore) is driving me a little nuts. I can sympathize only so much before the umpteenth “I’m sorry” or “can you tell that I’m new?” or “I’m bored!” sets my teeth to grinding.

Hey, I just went thru all this stuff for the first time, so I know what she’s up against. I guess if Newbie was twenty years my junior, then I wouldn’t be so negative in my attitude. However, this gal is five years older than I am. And I guess that perhaps I’m unfairly irritated that she lives nearby and many of our customers know her - which leads to another annoyance: she gets really chatty with some of them and the rest of us will take up the slack. And ya know how it is when something about someone bugs ya … you find more things about them that are irritating, too. She has three sons, teen to 30s, and she thinks that girlfriends and wives are the bane of her existence. Excuse me, but it takes two to tango, eh?

... I just re-read this. boy, ain't I the bitch?

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Happy Fat Tuesday!