My Damn Tooth

So, I'm eating a ham and cheese sandwich about two days ago, and all of a sudden there's this crunch. I figure, hey, maybe I bit into a sharp piece of the ham or something (hams, of course, being notorious for their sharp edges). But I'll be damned if something wasn't wrong with my back wisdom tooth on top (I never had them removed). Part of it was wiggling, and then eventually part of it fell off, and I had to chase it with my finger so I didn't swallow it. Currently the tooth in question has a large V-shaped indentation in it.

Now, I would be distressed, but I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have no dental insurance. People I have talked to insist that a wisdom tooth rotting out on you is not that unusual at all, and still others have assured me they've totally let teeth go and never had any pain or trouble with them. But the big thing is no dental insurance. Had I dental insurance, I would go get this "extracted" (wonderful, they hack at you with a saw for forty minutes or so). The other kicker is pain. I'm not going to say I'm NOT HAPPY I'm not in pain, but the problem is, when it's going to be like $300 or so to get this sucker out, well, when you're not in any pain, you don't feel an urgent need to go to the sadistic bastard who calls himself a dentist and have him take care of it.

Also, I wouldn't mind being sedated during the procedure, which would cost extra, but would get me away from seeing the bone-saw approach my mouth.

So, for the time being, I shall wander the Earth, the Mark of Cain, a damn v-shaped tooth, upon me, until I make a little bit more money or I get dental insurance.

Captain P's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Ah, Valentine's Day. Now, to break from the norm of navel-contemplating, self-pitying single bloggers out there, I'm going to say: I like Valentine's Day. Even being single. I have fond memories of rushing around Manhattan trying to find a suitable gift for my girlfriend at the time (ohhh yes, I found a suitable gift, and I was suitably rewarded), with the Empire State Building lit up in pinkish-red the whole time. And one particular Valentine's Day in which another girlfriend gave me a physical gift which would be rude (although fun and very interesting) to describe here. So, I say, what the hell, who cares if I'm single. I like seeing the couples moon over each other for a day. To sum up: get the hell out there, get your girlfriend some flowers or jewelry, go out to eat, have a blast. As for me...well, my Playstation qualifies as a significant other at this point, so I'll be sticking with that.

I just don't know what kind of flowers it likes.

Good Karma

Ah hah! I have succesfully pushed and succeeded in reuniting a couple of old friends, D.F and D.R from California. I've also gone on to do a lot of catching up with both of them, especially D.R., who is quite an interesting character and who I never got a chance to get to know well enough on the first go-round.

It all feels karmically acceptable.

In other news, I have been staring at the template for a tri-fold brochure for a little under a week now and nothing is coming to me. I hate that. The only thing to do is to continue to stare harder and harder at the tri-fold brochure template and...well, hell, maybe if I put on my tinfoil hat, aliens will zap ideas into my brain.

I am mired in the middle of The Confusion, the second volume of The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson, and I must say, I liked the first one, Quicksilver, a good deal more. There's even more minutiae in this one, especially about trading and movement of money, and it can get quite confusing. That being said, I still really like it.