Dentist @ MindSay

extremely slow...

I guess it made up for the HUGE day that I had yesterday.

I went to the dentist this morning, and I was going to take the day
off until my supervisor called me and asked me to come in, now she
is saying that I might get to go home at 12:30...

I average about 120 calls a day, well yesterday I took 543.
and today my computer-phone logs show that I have only
taken 34, and 2 had to be turned over to the supervisor.

so yeah slow.

I can't wait to here back (if I do) from the insurance agency
that I sent my resume to.

.A gift bag from a dentist and/or oral surgeon really says, "We're sorry for making your gums bleed profusely with a tiny, sharp hook during the routine cleaning, but it was really your fault because you don't floss enough."

.I read that Georgia is claiming that its airbases have been attacked by Russia. My first reaction was, "Georgia is so stupid. What? Do they think they aren't sharing the ungodly heat and humidity with the rest of the world?" Then I thought about this and realized something. It's Georgia the country in Eastern Europe. Right...

.But I still think they're just making it up.

.I suddenly had this realization of how much I like calling things "money." As in, "I am so money right now."

.And finally, after a long and happy two years with my phone, Marxbury, I'll be getting a new phone soon. Sadly, Verizon doesn't carry iPhones, so I'll probably get the iPhone knock-off that was rated higher than the iPhone. Yay/damn.

Personally, I've little issue with the dentist.

My biggest problem is usually what book to bring.

I'm giving Mere Christianity another read-through. I don't remember if I actually finished it last time. If you're in an ethics class (or you just like debating ethics), but you really don't like anything about Christianity, read just the first half. C.S. Lewis has a gift for putting kind of complex thoughts into metaphors that a fifth-grader could understand. (The problem, of course, arises when you start talking to anyone who HAS taken an ethics class, because they can refer to particular conundrums by name, and you still have to explain everything. On the other hand, I know a couple of male fluffheads who have the impression that if they know the name of something, and you don't know what it is or how it applies, they don't have to be able to explain it (or, for that matter, have a clue what they're talking about, on occasion.)

It's also good if you're not a big reader, because it actually started as a radio show C.S. Lewis had. He had a 5-7 minute time slot to discuss a concept, and that was the show. And when you put it in book form, that's the chapter. Time to expand on a theory, not too much time for tangents, and it's actually wrapped at the end, instead of trailing off into oblivion.

The nice hygienist and I got to talking about this book, and the one she just picked up the other night but hasn't had a chance to read yet. Yes. I go to the dentist, and focus on the books. I usually have some kind of goofy question for her, too. Last time it was a question about whether certain bodily fluids were harmful to one's teeth. For anyone who knows me well, you know that wasn't building to practical application, but definite curiosity. "Hey, this concept just occurred to me - I wanna know!!"

Today we got into why they always ask if you're on oral contraceptives. I had X-rays again - I can't believe it's been five years since I had my wisdom teeth out. Five years? Where have they gone? What have I done in this time?? Sometimes it scares me that we (this started in our circle of friends in high school - I don't know if the rest of the world does it) use relationships as landmarks. It also makes me want to take off for some country where I don't know anybody, have to learn the language, spend a lot of time working very hard, helping people, totally not caring what I look like - in effect, doing something substantial for people, where no one will want to date me and I won't have time to care about dating.

Yes, I know, Love Actually, the one couple didn't speak the same language but fell in love anyways. Engaging discussion forms another level of the relationship in my world - I can't yet discuss philosophy in Portuguese. I can define in my own terms whether another person is physically attractive, and I can see if they're kind, care about people, and enjoy life, but relationships are based on communication.

Something is seriously tugging on my arm, and saying, "We need you over here." The motivation towards the third-world country is getting strong. Sigh. We'll see what life brings. I want to, but there's too much here that I'm tied to and can't abandon at the moment.

Nice pretty dentist comes in, we exchange names, she pokes everything in my mouth once, announces, "Perfect," I hop out of the chair and get another toothbrush. And, hey, dude, what is with not getting to pick your toothbrush color anymore? I know I'm a legal adult, I don't care - I want purple!! And I kind of wonder if there's an arbitrary age when they stop asking you, or if it's just based on how old you look. Or maybe what kind of discussion you had. Or maybe thirteen-year-olds don't read ethics in the waiting room.

It's become a ritual. I always forget that the door is to be pushed out, not pulled. And I can't go straight out of the dentist building, I always have to turn and go check out the work in the bathroom. This is primarily because I had braces when I was a teenager, and every month I'd have to pick a new color, so I'd always want to go see what they looked like right away. The orthodontist and dentist are the same, just not the oral surgeon.

And now, I smile, and there's a very faint, *ping!* Shiny now!

Dixie currently feels:

 Neutral

 

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...So, to apologize for the lack of blogs for yesterday and Sunday.

 

On Sunday, I'd got myself worked up during blogging time.

 

Blogging time is between the hours of 10 and 12.

Only today, I'm blogging earlier.

 

I'd gotten myself worried to an extent where I panicked so much I had restricted my breathing. Being an athsmatic, this wasn't good - then I couldn't find my salbuatmol inhaler, thus, I panicked more.

 

I spent the next hour or so trying to calm myself down.

But having taken too much of the inhaler, I couldn't stop shaking.

 

My fingers were shaking the most, but my bottom lip was trembling, and my knees jerked on occassion.

Rather an uncomfortable time.

 

 

Yesterday, I was too taken up with wallowing in my own misery to start with - then I began re-writing chapter 29 of Fire of Glory, and I got a bit absorbed in it.

 

Along with that, I was also talking to Vicki.

Talking about the old times.

 

How I miss them.

How I miss the old days with Vicki.

 

It was Vicki who introduced me to MindSay, too...

 

 

So, I didn't ever get the chance to mention I was due a dental check-up today.

 

Being a dentaphobic, this wasn't my idea of fun.

 

As soon as I was in there, sat in the waiting room with dad, I could hear people being drilled in the other surgery rooms.

Having been drilled myself, I know it's not fun.

The noise itself is far worse when it's in your own mouth, of course, but I couldn't stand to hear this awful noise.

 

My dentist is scary.

 

She is really small, she stands even shorter than I do - and I'm a short arse at 5"1.

She wears pinstripe trousers, or checquered trousers.

She's got dark skin, dark eyes, and a flat-top haircut.

 

She doesn't sound scary by my description - but I think it's the fact that she's a DENTIST that scares me.

 

 

I've just finished reading one of Adam's blogs.

He doesn't blog as much as me - but his are a great read.

They never fail to make me smile. - Which is always good.

 

 

I'm well into my music organising.

I'm onto the R-S folder now.

 

I've organised all of my soundtracks into their respecting folders.

 

But saying that, I have a lot of things I want to download.

There's some songs I'm still to get from Guitar Hero 2, as well as some more Final Fantasy VII soundtrack.

 

There's also some more songs I want from certain bands and certain albums that I like.

And I'm after getting some of the songs from Rolling Stone's 500 greatest song list, which is on their website here.

 

 

 

One song that was in my downloads folder for AGES, and I hadn't even listened to was Valley Of The Damned, by Dragonforce.

 

It's so much better than Through The Fire & Shite.

It would be a far better song to play on a Guitar Hero game.

 

It also reminds me very much so of Fire of Glory.

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, I was discussing with Emily all of the things that I wouldn't have done, have in my possession, or have thought about, etc - if I hadn't met her.

 

I've been taken some more thought to it, and I'm ready to make a list.

 

 

- Fan fictions and original works which wouldn't exist:

 

• Fire Of Glory wouldn't exist.

- Nor would the playlist, any of the artwork, all of the in-jokes, or many of the shared experiences Emily and I have gained via creating reenactment videos, recordings and Planerium characters.

• Experiment #1263: The Beginning wouldn't exist.

- #1263 herself wouldn't exist, for she was created, based on Emily herself. None of the secondary characters wouldn't exist either. It's all down to Fire of Glory that Experiment #1167 was created, and it also helped in aiding the development of Experiment #1264's character.

• One Goomba's Adventures In Glitzville wouldn't exist.

- I wrote this before I met Emily, but it was Emily who encouraged me to keep writing it. Fire of Glory also helped to aid the continual of it, due to the similar themes, such as setting and characters.

• The Fox & The Houndour wouldn't exist.

- The whole story stemmed from the idea of having a sibling of a character going missing. I had the idea of an Eevee family playing a major part. Emily and I are both fans of Eevee; and the character I had in mind was both named after her, and built up around her personality.

• Super Mario Bros. VS Planet Earth! wouldn't exist.

- I got my inital idea involving the Mario brothers taking a trip to Canada and bashing it for all they were worth. - Naturally, this idea stemmed from my Canadian friend.

• Black Sheep Of The Flock wouldn't exist

- You could call this story "War & Peace 2". Instead of continuing with War & Peace, I started a new fic. Inspired by my new internet persona at the time; Dixie Stonehall. Her best friend was also based off Emily, sharing her apperance and name, though having a varied personality.

• Fortnight With A Friend wouldn't exist

-  The whole idea was stemmed from Emily and myself wondering what we'd do if we got the chance to meet. Naturally, she played a huge part in the brainstorming for this.

• Many of my other fics would have been discontinued if it were not for Emily's reviews and encouragements.

 

 

Bands I would not be listening to now:

 

 

• Pink Floyd

- Pink Floyd were discovered along with a few new songs when I typed in 'Emily' as a keyword search. I found See Emily Play, and loved it. I then downloaded more of their songs, and grew to love them.

• Thousand Foot Krutch

- A band reccomended to me by Emily. One of the 'three', as I like to call them. The best of the three, I'd say. I only like two of their songs so far, but.

• Red

- Another of the 'three', I also only like two of their songs. Emily reccomended them to me, also.

• Skillet

- The final of the 'three' - I really hate this band, but I have an odd liking for three of their songs. They're nowhere near as good as the two above, however. I often make jokes about them - mainly how terrible their singer is - but. As I say, not for Emily, I'd have not heard of them.

• Dropkick Murphys
• Thompson Twins
• Jonas Brothers
• Three Days Grace
• The Ramones

- All of these, I found whilst doing keyword searches for the FoG playlist. Three Days Grace and Jonas Brothers were found by Emily - the others were found by me.

 

 

Games I wouldn't own

 

• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
• Pokémon XD
• Mario Party DS

- Emily reccomended these three to me, all of which, I now own - and really enjoy playing.

 

 

Everything else:

 

• I wouldn't have started drawing in my black folder. - My black folder contains artwork from #1263: The Beginning and Fire of Glory. As I mentioned, were it not for Emily, these would not exist.
• I wouldn't have some of the wonderful gifts Emily has sent me.
• Relating to above - I would never have tasted Lifesavers.
• My obsession with Canada wouldn't be as extreme.
• I'd be lacking in some of the knowledge I now have - I still might not know what a Zamboni was.
• I wouldn't have made some of my wav mixes - like LFBR and TLSOB.
• I wouldn't have made some of my videos - like the Masterball Glitch or some video blogs.
• I might be lacking a hell of a lot more in self confidence - Emily helped me recover a lot from my former self.
• I'd be missing a lot of important memories.

 

• Of course... you can't forget... If I'd not met Emily - I'd be missing a very important friend, who I can no longer focus or function without.  

Once again, it’s been a while since I’ve updated. For some reason, I can never quite find the time to write up entries. So I thought I’d take advantage of Single’s Awareness Day to make a post.

Of course, some have asserted that I have no right to be “celebrating” Single’s Awareness Day, given that I’m not exactly single. But from where I stand, if you don’t have plans on Valentine’s Day (and not due to circumstances like the significant other being out of town or something), then you qualify as single. So that would be me.

But y’know, this whole relationship thing… I know I’ve been through two divorces, myself, so I’m not one to be taken by surprise when they come to an end… But today I learned that two couples of my acquaintance have separated. One of them in particular really surprised me because they just seemed to have a really solid thing going on. But appearances can be deceiving, as I know too well. Whatever happens, I wish them all well. They’re good people, all of them.


About six months ago, some of you might remember, I ordered a digital projector for my home movie-watching use. It came with a rebate offer: a free 92” projection screen. Yesterday, I finally received the thing, which had apparently been on back-order for five months. Ludicrous.

It’s still in the box, though, until this weekend. But this sucker’s huge. I’m having to re-evaluate just how the setup is going to be in my li’l one-bedroom place. And of course, I have to hope my landlord’s okay with me putting a couple molly bolts in the ceiling.

Then there’s the question of sound. The projector has a built-in speaker that’s actually pretty good, but for something approaching home theater quality, I’d need more than that. I’m tempted to just buy a cheap home theater system, including DVD player, and just use the projector as a projector and not a player at the same time. Either way, with or without all that, it’s going to require some significant adjustments in my living room furniture set-up.

I had the last of my dental work done on the 2nd, but I’m a little concerned. It’s been nearly two weeks, now, and the teeth I had worked on are ultra-sensitive to temperature. I’d have thought such sensitivity would’ve lessened by now. But maybe not. I emailed my dentist for his thoughts.

On the other hand, my shoulder is doing quite well. I’d say it’s very nearly back to normal. That’s cool.

Also cool is the fact that I no longer have sleep apnea. Five years ago, I did a sleep test and was confirmed for apnea.  But before I could acquire a CPAP machine, I lost my job and, hence, my benefits.  And even though I've been employed for the past four years, I've only now gotten around to re-doing the test.  Well, I got the results of Sunday night’s test back, and there’s no indication of it. Good blood oxygenation, etc. Guess losing 70 pounds can help that, huh?