♫People…People Who Need People…♫

I love my friends! And I’ve got a great group of them. Whatever I might need, be it a recipe, tech support, or a pat on the back, they’re there for me.

We all have something special to bring to the party. My specialty is dental health, of course. But there are also proofreaders, gadget lovers, crafters, gardeners, animal activists, nurses, comedians, and chefs. Whatever we might need to learn all we have to do is ask.

This morning my cell phone rang at 7:15 and it was the dear friend I’ll be visiting in 3 weeks. We hadn’t touched base in a while and she wanted to talk about our plans for the time I’ll be in her state. We had a few good laughs before I had to leave for work and set a good tone for the day.

Halfway through the morning, one of my coworkers called to me from down the hall and said, “both your pant legs are tucked into your socks!” Thanks! It must have happened when I put my socks on in a standing position and then walking into my crocs on the way out the door. She is used to taking care of her 83 y.o. father and two young sons, so getting my socks back under my pants was a piece of cake.

Tonight I was attempting to install a wireless router so I could surf the net in any room of my house and hit a roadblock. I called one of my “webbie” friends for help and she came through with flying colors. I think she may have even turned a deaf ear on my rampage of foul language when the easier pass code didn’t work right away. But that is just me, always on the verge of a meltdown. She helped me figure out the problem, FROM OHIO, and then it was smooth sailing.

I can do a lot of things by myself, but sometimes I need help.

♫I get by with A LOT of help from my friends! ♫

No Really, I Do Like The Color Purple

I can’t say this enough…I love it when I get a compliment from a patient.

Today was one of those days when I was running behind all dang day. I needed to take xrays on each one, then my light burned out and I needed to find an open room to finish. Luckily that was with my favorite patient (that I would steal from his wife if she wasn’t such a good friend of mine) who is very mellow and goes with the flow.

My last patient of the day gave me the nicest compliment. She said that one time, I was out for whatever reason and she got a substitute. She said the prophy was completely different from the way I operate and it hurt. She said “never again! I only want to see you.”

No problem. She does what I tell her. She brushes her teeth as many times as I like. She’s easy to work on and is a nice person.

What she chooses to wear out in public is another story.

Here’s where I become a complete and utter SNOB. This gal is only 2 years younger than me, yet looks and dresses like her 94 year old grandmother. I realize it’s been ungodly hot around here lately, but I’m gonna just say it…

If I ever walk out of my house wearing one of those polyester house coat dresses in a lavender print with matching Crocs, the bullet should point blank hit me between the eyes. Make it quick and painless!

In an unrelated story…

My AC unit arrived today and wouldn’t you know it, it is cooling off!

I’m ready though, Mother Nature and Global Warming…bring it on.

All In The Name Of Mooching Air Conditioning!!

We're having a heat wave...did I mention that?

I'm waiting on the delivery of my AC unit, but in the meantime I got stuff to do. I've got laundry, grocery shopping, knitting... The first two are completed in the morning before the sun rises over the yard arm (whatever that means). Now what? Do I just sit here and watch the drips of sweat race down my leg? Nope.

Yesterday I filled my water bottle and walked the short mile to the Public Library and sat in there for the afternoon. I got a lot accomplished on the "Clapotis" wrap and should be done knitting tomorrow or the next day. All in the name of mooching air conditioning from the city.

While walking the mile home I stopped at the local movie house and bought a ticket for an 8 o'clock show. There is a method to my madness here. I could go home now, eat some dinner, take a shower and dress faster than my sweat glands and get the heck out and sit at Starbucks for an hour while I wait for the movie. All in the name of mooching air conditioning from corporate America.

I can actually recommend "Get Smart." It was at times laugh out loud funny. Perhaps in my light T-shirt, skirt, and flip flops it got uncomfortably cold in the theatre, but was I complaining? Nope!! I was going to sit there and take it if it killed me. All in the name of mooching air conditioning from Hollywood.

Hey, it isn't like I'm buying pirated DVD's from China or anything.

So this morning I call my Mom and ask her if I can come hang out at her house and if she would come walk up onto CSULB's campus to take more photos for my little slide show production. She would. We found shade and a much nicer breeze than at my house. It amazes me how much difference in temperature 6 miles makes. I even brought over stuff to grill for dinner and invited one of my brothers to join us. I mentioned we had ice and didn't have to ask him twice. He brought dessert!

There's no air conditioning to mooch at Mom's. But it's Mom's house. The comfort zone for three grown children.

Heat wave or no heat wave, Mom's got the cool house. It doesn't get much better than that.

94°

Was the temperature inside my little house when I got home today!!

HOLY CRAP!!!

My feet are swollen…that just doesn’t happen to me. But then, I’m uncomfortable, so forgive me while I bitch about it. My AC unit is in transit and I cannot wait to fire up that puppy!

Today was a good day! It started out at the Breast Center for my annual “smash-o-gram.” My tech Dianne was awesome; she didn’t mess around and had me out of there in 32 minutes. I’m talking from the time I walked in the door until the time I walked out…32 minutes! I’m going to request her next year and she better still be working there.

Then I droved my pre planned travel circle to take pictures of my hometown for a slide show I’m presenting to friends on the east coast who will be visiting over New Years! Of course with my own special twist to it. That was fun for me, revisiting my youth for part of it. It was a warm sunny day and I would have loved to dive off the Bayshore Bridge into the bay to cool off, but as I was fully dressed and didn’t want to attract any “wet T-shirt” attention, I stayed above the water. Besides it was less than 30 minutes since I’d had my sandwich from Subway and I didn’t want to get a cramp.

I would be spending the afternoon at the Annex with my Stitch & Bitch pals so I would be needing caffeine. “I’d like a Grande Light Mocha Frappuccino,” I said to the barista at Starbucks to which his reply was, “that means you don’t get whip cream.” Duhhh! However will I live? Like my old grand pappy used to say (people are just no damned good) “if you don’t have anything good to say, shut the heck up!”

Don’t waste my valuable knitting time…especially when I’m getting my mojo back and have 2 projects to finish before summer school starts.

I’m getting close! I’ll keep you posted.

Now if it would just cool off in here…

Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Just Me?

I think Matthew Broderick said it best in the film Biloxi Blues:

"It's HOT here! It's like Africa hot! Even Tarzan couldn't survive in this heat!"

It isn't often I need to complain about the heat here in beautiful Southern California. More like the crowds and the traffic, but there are times, about 4 weeks a year that I wish I had air conditioning. The rest of the year it is mild enough to get by without it.

Enter CLIMATE CHANGE!

Two summers ago we had a heat wave that lasted over a month. Unfortunately the thermostat for my wall heater is within my range of vision in my living room. I can sit on the couch, watching the TV and sweat dripping down my leg at the same time. Who really wants to see a thermostat that reads 94°?? Certainly not me. Who really wants to sleep on a hot mattress? Not me! For anyone who is interested in purchasing a "feather topper" for their bed, let me just tell you, they retain heat!!! I yanked that bad boy off my bed and chucked it as far as I was able, never to darken my doorstep again. It is just wrong to be happy to leave the house for the office because it is cooler there.

Can I really afford the electric bill? Sure I can if I’m reasonable. Temps under 80° I can live with having my ceiling fan blow on me. Above that, I don’t want to think about how hot it can be in here.

So even though I’m consciously trying to reduce the size of my carbon footprint (remember I did buy a compact car 2 weeks ago) I came home tonight, saw 87° on the thermostat and then walked straight into my front bedroom, turned on the computer, dialed up the friendly Costco website, browsed their portable AC units, picked one and proceeded to checkout!!!

I did it! I bought one! It is small, has casters on the bottom so I can move it around the little Kracker Shack, and I will be able to sleep in comfort. I won’t have to threaten to sleep standing up in a cold shower.

It is the least I can do to put myself first. Isn't that the point?

Really, who do I need to sleep with??

I have this boss

He has many personalities

Sometimes, I think he is great. He can really come through in the clutch, like when I called him from Savannah, Ga dying from a sinus infection and he called in a prescription for a Z-pak without question.

Then there are days like today

He fancies himself quite the comedian I think. He comes into my operatory to do an exam on my patient, who just happens to be one of his best friends. They exchange their little pleasantries and inquiries as to where they will go have lunch after. He, for the zillionth time, tells our patient that he wants to do porcelain veneers on 6 of his front teeth.

The patient wants to know if the price has come down, like, you know, "calculators." Or is it going up up UP like everything else in our economy. We all laugh...

Then Dr. Butthole goes on to tell him that his expenses have gone up, lab fees have gone up, MY salary has gone up (???)

"It HAS???" I ask incredulously.

"Yes, 5 bucks, remember." (Oh yeah, dickhead, I remember that slap in the face)

My eyes roll so far back into my head I see black spots and my fingers go numb!

"Better than a poke in the eye," he laughs at his own unfunny.

Little does he know that we three hygienists have already started "circling the wagons" as it were. We have been talking since the day we got those big ol' honking raises of how we will be presenting a united front next "raise season" or like we say in America, January. To say we'll be storming the castle would be putting it mildly. We've already been making notes, separately, of all the little extras we perform around the office. Procedures that we do on our time that honestly, the assistants should be doing. Procedures that make money for them, but do we see any profit? NO.

I've taken more full mouth Xrays in the last six months than any of the back office girls, but then, their Xrays are diagnostic CRAP!! It's better for me to do it. How about a little something extra? You know, for the effort.

Ammunition. It's a wonderful thing!

Be afraid! Be very afraid!!!

Does He Seem To Be Moving Faster Than Usual?

I love my little nephew. I love to spend time with him. I love to hear him giggle.

I had gotten rave reviews from one of my patients about a Cupcake Bakery near my house and went over there yesterday (after Curves!) to buy a Red Velvet cupcake as a treat. Lo and behold, they sell little "biddles" those adorable 2 biters. I bought one for Big H! He'll like that, it's vanilla not chocolate, has white frosting and colored sprinkles!!

When we got over to the bro's house, they left for their night of sushi and we put the little dude into his stroller and walked up the hill to the little park in their neighborhood. We played on the see-saw and climbed up the stairs on the fort until it was time for dinner.

My sis in law had shown me what to serve for dinner. Raviolis in a tomato sauce, bites of chicken, squash and green beans. I must say he was more interested in my rotisserie chicken than the stuff he had that had been simmered in sauce. He's a good eater and finished all the veggies on his high chair tray.

Time for dessert I tell him. Don't tell your Mom & Dad! I bring out the cupcake and he starts kicking his legs and bouncing in his seat. The GIGGLES were hilarious. I set the cupcake in front of him and he looks at me with the sweetest smile of "I love you AunTEE!" Then he sticks his finger in the frosting and tastes it..."MMMMMMMMM!" he says. He then picks it up and starts taking bites, frosting up his nose, crumbling cake going everywhere, Auntie taking pictures fast and furious.

"Numma, numma, numma!" he sings.

I get him out of his high chair and clean him off, removing any evidence, like the sprinkles on the floor and set him down by his toy box for some after dinner play. He's chattering, moving his cars all over the place, crawling at what seems to be the speed of sound.

"AunTEE"..."Grama"..."AunTEE"..."Grama"

I ask, "does it look like he's crawling faster than usual?"

"Uh huh," Mom answers.

His face and breath smell like frosting!!!

Oh Shit! Maybe giving him sugar at 6:30 was a bad idea... my stomach starts to gurgle like it does when I get really nervous. I put our cupcakes back into the box and hide it in my cooler bag. Then run to the bathroom where the contents of my large intestine are emptied.

His parents come home and we play a little longer. We let him crawl up and down the stairs in their house for exercise. I comment (innocently), "Wow, he's going up a lot faster than last week." And they agree, but are not alarmed (or suspicious) in any way. I start to calm down.

He gets put in his PJ's and is starting to rub his eyes and yawn like he does when he's ready for night night. I drive Mom home and we enjoy our cupcakes with a little decaf at her house. Reviewing our photos on our cameras we laugh at the memory of the little dude enjoying his "bit of sweet."

I haven't heard from them so I'll assume nothing out of the ordinary happened after we left.

I'd do it all again just to hear him sing, "numma, numma, numma!"

Who Wants To Be Me?

I always have the best intentions.

Invitations? How can I say no.

New projects? How can I say no.

Go to the gym? How can I say no.

When do I get some "me" time? Whenever I can slip it in I suppose. This is the story of my life.

The worst of it is, my neck, shoulder, and right arm hurts! A lot! And it scares me...A LOT! These are my "tools" that I use to make a living. If they leave me I'm shit out of luck! That is until I finish my degree and can be eligible to teach dental hygiene full time. I can only go so fast as far as completing my classes...it's not fast enough for me. Where's that sugar daddy when I need him?

It's my fault. I ignored the chiropractor and his warnings. The very thing that pisses me off the most about my patients I was doing to him. So I dug out my old traction wedge and started doing that 3 weeks ago. One minute for a week, two minutes the next, three...you get the picture. My spine is so stiff that bending backwards for even a short amount of time HURTS and then is sore the rest of the day. As instructors we warn our students about their wrists and carpal tunnel syndrome, which is prevalent in the profession. My wrists are great! Nobody ever told me that bending to see the maxillary left linguals would be the death of me. Bastards!

So I make an investment in loupes. The Dr. Frankenstein looking magnification glasses that would enable me to see "close up" while sitting up straight. Yeah, just try to get used to those things. At $999 a pop, I better get used to them. I try everyday. I get frustrated everyday. I put my own "cute" glasses back on and pop another ibuprofen. At least I can write them off on my taxes...right???

It's not easy being me!

But once again, I'm reminded that it could always be worse. Even though I make it a point not to watch the news on TV, I see that the Boy Scouts lost 4 to a tornado in Iowa, that water is rising in the midwest, that northern CA is on fire, AGAIN! I have my health, a family that loves me, and good friends. So I have a stiff neck...that is temporary!

Who wants to be me? I do!

The Tags Are Expired!!

So I go and buy a new car, figure out financing and pay the registration. I drive away without a care in the world except for trading in a SUV with a full tank for a 4-cylindar with ¼ tank. Where is the justice? ($60 bucks later)

I love everything about this new ride. It’s comfy, it’s quiet, it will save me big bucks in the long run… However, I’ve noticed that the tags on the license plate are expired. Like almost a year expired. The registration IS current, this I know because I am in possession of the paperwork to prove it. The Long Beach Police are another matter. They DON’T know!!

I saw the police cruiser in my rear view one lane over. I watched him change into my lane and pull up behind me. I watched as he leaned in to key in my license plate number on that little computer thingee they have in the front dash. I watched as he looked up again, only to lean over and switch the car’s flashing red and blue lights at me.

SHIT! “This is about the tags, isn’t it?” I ask the nice officer as he approached my window.

“Yep.” He replies.

“I figured. I only bought this car Thursday night.”

“I’ll need your license and proof of insurance. Do you have any of the paperwork from the dealership? Receipts from the sale?”

“At home. But the registration is on the windshield.”

The nice officer walks around to the passenger side and lifts the registration paper off the glass and takes a look. “June 5th, that would be last Thursday. I’d keep that paperwork in your car until you get the new tags from the DMV, if I were you.” He then took my license back to his cruiser, probably to check for any warrants and seconds later came back, gave me back my license and thanked me for my cooperation.

Now what? How many times should I expect to be pulled over until the DMV, always known for their promptness, sends me my new tags? Hopefully, AAA can give me new ones tomorrow.

As much as I enjoy looking at a cute police officer, getting pulled over isn’t my favorite way to do it.

Downsize NOW

I need to downsize! Really downsize! Sooner better than later.

I'm driving the dread SUV. Used car lots are becoming saturated with them. I see reports on the TV news about it and it scares the crap outta me.

I need to rid myself of the beast...the rub is...what can I afford to replace it. I kept telling myself, "well, you can afford the gas." I don't want to afford the gas anymore. I don't want to keep increasing my carbon footprint any larger than my size 10's.

So I surf the net...

Maybe I'll get more in trade for Big White than I think.

Maybe I can scrape together more of a deposit than I think (MOM???)

Maybe I'll be driving "Small White" by tonight.

I need to make more calls... I need answers!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!

Those hurdles I spoke of getting smaller? They grew!

A Thankless Job???

Sometimes I wonder why I chose the profession I did. I am a dental hygienist and a pretty darn good one too. But I say thankless because the response I get most when I answer the question “what do you do?” is I HATE THE DENTIST. I’m not a dentist so I turn the other cheek, while rolling my eyes. What do I care if she would rather go through natural childbirth than get her teeth cleaned???

I mean, did you wake up one morning with periodontal disease? Nobody can answer that question with yes any more than I can admit that I somehow gained 50 lbs over night, but it progressed like a mad snowball with my neglect of watching what I ate. Perio develops over time, sometimes it is inherited or autoimmune and there is nothing the patient can do, but mostly it is from neglect. So is my patient’s lifetime of neglect my fault? NO! I try not to let it get me down, but sometimes that is really hard.

My first patient this morning was new to my office and hadn’t had her teeth cleaned for almost 5 years. It was a big job. I anesthetized her lower right and went to work. She informed me she had taken ½ a Xanax before she arrived so as not to be so anxious. YAY! I sat and talked to her for a few minutes about how I need to unload my SUV as soon as possible and I could see her relax as she told me what she would do in my position. “Just get a For Sale sign in the window and see what happens.” She even told me to park it over by the restaurant she works at because it would get lots of foot traffic. By the end of the hour what do you think she said to me? “Wow, that wasn’t so bad! Can I make the rest of my scalings with you too?”

But of course! I may even get a free martini out of the bargain…

I’m not going to lie, in my time as a dental hygienist I have come across all manner of personalities within the profession. Heavy handed—light handed. Aggressive— Conservative. Shy—Outgoing. Why lump us all together as a Sweeney Todd type. We’re not all bad. If you don’t like the hygienist you got, why not ask to try the other one if there are 2 in the office. We aren’t offended (and may not like you either). If you take responsibility for the health of your mouth, dental visits can be fun and easy, trust me. A cleaning appointment with me can consist of an hour of conversation about our latest travels, whether or not the Dodgers are winning or who we like on Dancing with the Stars. It doesn’t have to be a lecture, a hack job, or me begging the patient to PLEASE see the Periodontist before (as my worst patient says) you spit your teeth out onto your plate! That isn’t any fun for either of us.

Some days though, I get the little atta girl I need to keep going. Yesterday I saw one of my favorite patients that I rescued from her fear of the dentist. She came in several years ago, her teeth and gums in horrible condition. I diagnosed quad scales and explained to her the process of periodontal disease and the rationale for the treatment I was proposing. She agreed and made her appointments. The first one, again I anesthetized ¼ of her mouth, scaled and root planed to my heart’s content and at the end of the hour, guess what she said to me? “Wow, that wasn’t so bad!”

She has come to see me every 3 months since we finished that initial treatment. Her fear of the dentist has abated and when she is in my chair we talk about her dogs, what movies we’ve seen, and my classes and basically giggle for an hour. She made her next appointment, and left to go home, but not before telling me this:

“I don’t tell you this enough, but it is a delight to work with you. Remember how I was so afraid to come here? Well it is because of you, that I will never have a problem going to the dentist the rest of my life. You have cured me of my fear. Thanks.”

I may have become a dental hygienist because of the money, but I stay because of patients like her.

20 lbs gone!

This morning I got my 10% award at Weight Watchers after losing 20 lbs. Some weeks I think there is no rhyme or reason to my success as I know I’ve strayed (way off) from the plan many times.

However

I must be doing something right. Something must be working. The hurdles that seem to constantly be in my path are getting smaller and easier to hop over.

I joined Curves over a year ago, mostly for convenience. The workout is hardly challenging, but the 30 minutes fits into MY schedule and I am not limited to class times. Especially when my evenings are spent either at the university or keeping up with my studies (and life!). It doesn’t burn calories to read a chapter or two, but it still needs to get done.

Luckily, I stumbled upon an early Saturday morning “Boot Camp” that is on hiatus until late June. I can’t wait to get back to it. I have much more road ahead on my weight loss journey and running that mile without stopping can only get me there that much faster.

Last night was yet another adventure in babysitting for Mister H! I have more fun playing with him now that he interacts more and even has started saying my name—AunTEE! I must say that everybody in the family laughed at and mocked my attempts to encourage him to “SAY AUNTIE!” That is, until it worked. Hey, it only took 3 months! Now what do I hear? (Say Grama LOL) The little dude looks at me, smiles and holds his arms out to me, and says AunTEE!

Persistence pays off! I am happy for many things today. I have not only lost 20 lbs and fit into the smaller jeans in the back of my closet…

He said AunTEE!!