“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 913 (Friday) – dental drama

It began as a  slightly above average morning. The dressing and departure process moved along and somehow, I accidentally left the house 10 minutes early for work. 

Thanks to the knuckleheads blocking the intersections at Aiken and Lakeview, Bridge and VFW, and French and John, the garage arrival was at the usual time of 8:15-ish, destroying the morning glow. Along the way, there may have been some swearing. Also, possibly a one finger salute and an assertive horn honk. Maybe. This is not a confession. But, IF it happened, it was deserved. 

The long route was taken from the garage to the coffee shop in order to blow off steam and maximize the step count for the wellness plan Step Challenge. It’s day five, and, as a testament to my shockingly sedentary lifestyle, the total step count currently stands at the target for mid-day for day three. Maybe I can walk ten or twenty miles on Saturday and Sunday to make up some steps. Also, maybe I will be crowned the Queen of North America and the army of flying monkeys ordered from Amazon of the dot-com will finally arrive. The likelihood of these outcomes is about equal. 

The workday was quiet. Tasks were completed and crossed off the list. There were two of us in attendance on the entire fourth floor, one on each side. We made a lunch plan and split a Formaggi pizza from TreMonte, conveniently located across the street. 

After the morning commute, it was a blissful, mostly stress-free day. The ride home was slightly less infuriating than the morning ride. Overall, it was a nice day for the working segment of the schedule. 

After work, there was the cheerful welcome home greeting from the Canine Overlord, followed by the preparation and serving of his royal kibble, lovingly embellished with homemade chicken bone broth and chopped chicken. He has been most agreeable to eating his food this week and it feels like a cosmic set up for a plot twist/kick in the ass. Life has taught me to never, ever, become comfortable with anything. 

Snack time.

While watching a show that included a wine tasting and feeling chilly on the couch, it felt like the perfect moment for a glass of vino, which generally elevates my normally low body temperature. While in the kitchen pouring the wine, it suddenly felt like a good idea to raid the baking supplies and mix an accompanying snack of nuts, chocolate chips and raisins. This was likely due to the absence of any other legitimate snacks like chips, cookies, crackers, or ice cream. 

While enjoying the homemade trail mix directly from a depressingly utilitarian plastic container, something suddenly had the wrong mouth feel – too jagged, too hard. It was initially assumed to be a piece of pecan shell. It turned out to be a chunk of tooth. Oh, and a bonus piece of filling. It’s been several months since the last dental drama and violent assault on the wallet, so perhaps it's simply the next option on life's expensive wheel of fortune. Heaven forbid there should be ever some financial or mental breathing room.

At least the dentist is open on Saturdays and a call can be placed tomorrow to schedule a visit. But come on. After the nonsense of the past couple years with the week of jaw paralysis from the ridiculous cycle of 18 x-rays at a routine visit and the pre-pandemic popcorn broken tooth that led to the ill-fitting crown, failed crown, and eventual expensive extraction, I’m kind of over the dental crap. All of it. I’m pretty sure this isn’t even a tooth we were “paying attention to” which means there is likely more bull crap ahead with the other potentially problematic teeth. Shoot me now. Seriously. Please.

On the bright side, there is no pain, just some very sharp edges and the risk of a shredded tongue. Yay!?