Getting Over the Guilties

I don't know why I don't feel bad when I sit down and watch television in the middle of the day, but it just feels wrong to sit down and read a book.

But today, I found a guilt-free way to spend a couple of hours enjoying a book. Take along an audio book to play while you're having 2 hours of dental work done.

Instead of my normal cleaning, I was scheduled for the first of two appointments to have root planing done. I was a little nervous about it. I remember back in the 1970s when our neighbor had root planing done. I remember seeing him with cottong packed in his mouth and looking like he was in a lot of pain.

In the years I have been seeing Cindy, I can truly say I have not had any painful procedures done, so I wasn't exactly a basket case when I got to the office, but I was more nervous than I would be for a cleaning.

My hygienist, Christina, was going to do the procedure, which I had been told would take 2 hours. She shocked me by saying that she could see from my chart that I had my last root planing in 1993. Huh? I had root planing before? I truly have no recollection of having it done. But I also don't remember any painful procedure, so maybe this wouldn't be all that bad.

And it wasn't. The entire right side of my face was frozen from the novocaine so I just lay there, listening to a Michael Connelly book while Christina did her thing. The time just flew by...harder for her than for me, I think, since she took a break after an hour to do some back exercises. Me? I was so relaxed I nearly fell asleep in the chair.

It was a little weird because she kept asking me questions. Not only could I not hear her because of the ear buds, but I couldn't answer her because of all the stuff in my mouth!

She sent me home with a bottle of stuff to swish around in my mouth, a discount coupon for a Sonicare toothbrush, and a promise to see me again on Monday, when she will do the other side of my mouth and I'll hear two more hours of "The Concrete Blonde."

I stopped at CVS Pharmacy on my way home and bought a new $150 toothbrush. It's weird to think that I'm going to need the read a manual to figure out how to use the damn thing. But it's supposed to be the very best way to keep the gums from dying off, so I guess I will do it.

I came home to spend the afternoon immersed in my big project, which I had not intended to do, but which was necessary. And I planned a soft food dinner -- Spam and mashed potatoes. Funny how people turn up their noses at Spam. I remember it as being one of my favorite meals when I was growing up and, of course, Walt grew up in Hawaii, where Spam is king, so we both enjoy Spam for dinner now and then.

I went back to working on the project after dinner, and so late into the night that I was too tired to finish this journal entry until morning, after I'd watched the DVR recording of the very emotional latest episode of Project Runway.

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And then there is my continuing parking ticket saga. It has been forgiven, as I said, but there was no response to the message I sent giving my opinion about why this shouldn't even be an issue. OK, it was a little snarky, but not a lot.

I am soon going to be the most credentialed person ever, since not only is the Department of Theatre and Dance going to make my own special placard that I can place in the car when I'm on campus, but the newspaper editor decided to make an exception for me and have personalized cards printed for me. I'm glad she's going to do it, which will eliminate all problems in the future, but it is such overkill. At the most I will need 2 or 3 cards, in case the first wears out