Ouch

I went to the dentist this morning.

It's not a visit I've been looking forward to.  I've got a couple of teeth that need crowns.  At a thousand dollars a pop it's something I need to save for, and I'll admit the reality spending that kind of money on my mouth hurts more than the procedures themselves.

Some may remember that last spring I had a root canal - no fun there either.  But I've got my mom's teeth and she's had the exact same "problems" so I try to convince myself that these investments in my teeth are actually good things.  Which they are.  I just wish it wasn't so bloody expensive.

I've basically had two dentists in my adult life.  One was back in Rochester, and I made it a point to go and see him whenever I went to visit in the years after we left.  He's my sister's dentist, he was my mom's dentist, he was my dad's dentist, and I've known him ever since we were both 20 something year olds....we're around the same age.

But I've gotten comfortable with a dentist here in Charleston so for all intents and purposes, she's in charge of my teeth now.  It's another of those things that comes with settling somewhere and making it feel like home - finding a hairdresser, and a doctor, and a dentist....  I have those things here.

While this dentist works she provides headphones and an iPod to listen to music. One song that played today while she was working left a lasting impression.  It's a wonderful version with a unique, soulful treatment, of an old Cure song:


It's well worth closing your eyes and listening.  For me, It's haunting.  A question - when you listen to it does someone in your life immediately come to mind, without actually thinking about it?  Not necessarily an "I'm in Love" with you kind of person, but a person that you can honestly and truly tell that you love them?

Anyways,  I will admit that it's much more fun to listen to without a bright light in your eyes and a drill in your mouth.  I suppose that's true with most things in life, tho.

I went to the Mt. Pleasant Holiday parade yesterday evening.  It was actually pretty nice...they make a big deal of it.  Fireworks, floats, bands...it was quite the production.  Very festive.

My schedule this week is a bit "off" because of a number of things.  I'll be going to see Hall and Oates perform here in Charleston, I've got a number of meetings at work on Thursday, then there's an all-day off-site work event Friday.  The week is topped off with the company Holiday party on Friday evening.

The only thing I didn't get done yesterday that I had planned was a visit to the gym.  That's actually pretty good, I think.  My my weekends seem to take on a life of their own and I don't try to "plan" them so much as set flexible goals.  I'll catch up on the things I didn't get done today and tomorrow.  :)

I did some little things to get settled more lately.  For example, I took all the little keychain bar-code thingies for the various grocery store chains in Phoenix off my keychain.  I've still got old Wegmans/Chase Pitkins ones that I wouldn't get rid of for anything, but when it comes to Albertson's or Fry's or Basha's....I don't expect to need those anymore.  Same is true for my Blockbuster card.  Old news.