_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Out of Pocket

I have an appointment at the VA this morning and have to run into Anchorage.

No, they have not finally completed my compensation and pension process. Argh!

However, I am getting the final gold crown this morning, which should finally fix the dental problems I've been having since the Persian Gulf. I am thrilled by this. Thrilled. No really, I am. I've had a temporary crown on the bottom rear molar since right before Thanksgiving, and while it's held up pretty well, I'll be glad to have the real crown done and the problem fixed. Want some advice? Don't get hit in the side of the jaw, just saying.

Hopefully I'll be back early enough to get some writing in before the kid gets home from school. We'll see. I made good progress yesterday, managing to complete almost an entire rough-draft chapter of Iyes of the Dead. If I can get enough time to edit and revise that today, I will be happy.

More later.

29 comments:

  1. I'll see your "hit in the side of the jaw" and raise you "I smashed myself in the mouth with my camera pulling it off the neck-strap". Dental implants on the way for two front teeth. Mine didn't earn a purple heart, though. Did yours?

    I do feel like I at least deserve a Darwin Certificate.

    Ouuuuuuuch!

    ReplyDelete
  2. How very odd...I made an appointment today to see a maxiofacial surgeon for an implant of my own.

    No Darwinian accident in my case - simply a cracked molar that couldn't be repaired.

    ReplyDelete
  3. No Nathan, I do not wear a Purple Heart. That's an award I'm just as happy not to have 'earned.'

    The tooth: I got hit in the side of the head wrestling with some shithead during a boarding. It really wasn't a big deal, just another day in the Gulf - and about as heroic as your camera story :) I shouldn't have let myself get into the situation in the first place. I cracked a tooth and knocked out a filling (He also lost a few teeth, fair is fair). Wasn't even worth talking about, except that the Navy and, later, the Air Force dentists couldn't seem to fix it. They'd tell me I needed a root canal and a crown - I'd say OK, let's do it now - and then they'd say, uh well maybe we'll just patch it up and see it that works. This has gone on for 3 years. I mentioned it to the VA, they immediately sent me to their dental clinic. Dentist said, predictably, Root Canal, Crown. I said the usual. And surprise he said, great, get in the chair. Which bring me up to today. Done. Feels like normal for the first time in years. I'm happy. Great job.

    ReplyDelete
  4. (hands over mouth)

    m mmfm mfm'fm mffffmm mmffmm.
    (I hope you're feeling better)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Glad it all came out okay for you, Jim.

    So, since you have the crown, is this one more step on your eventual Supreme Ruler of the Universe?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Uh, Steve, aren't you supposed to be, um, not commenting? Bawahahaha! It's an addiction, isn't it?

    Yeah. gold. crown. I can check those off the list. Now, all I need is a gallon of crisco, a rubber chicken, three 8 foot 2x4's, a 3/8" Allen wrench, Jimmy Hoffa's skull, and some Naquida - then I can put my plan for conquest into action. Again, BawahahahaHA!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You know, I'm not even going to ask about the gallon of crisco. Because...ew.

    Glad you're feeling better.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Janiece,

    My GF told me I had to let you know that the couch shook when I read your comment. She has no idea who wrote it or what it said, but I laughed a bunch.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Why, what did you think it was for?
    ::innocent look

    ReplyDelete
  10. O.K.... reacting to the commercial that was just on.

    Remember the whole deal when they couldn't sell the Chevy Nova in Mexico because it meant "Doesn't run" in Spanish? Why on earth are Americans buying a car named KIA?

    I thought that would be a monumental flop. Stupid me.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What is Naquida and why is it essential to your plans for conquest?

    (I could google it, but your definition is probably funnier)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well Jeri, Naquida is basically Phlebotinum, i.e. a magical substance that may be rubbed on almost anything to cause an effect needed by the plot.

    In this case Naquida is a magical power source from Stargate Atlantis - no matter how bad the situation is, Rodney and Sam will coble together a can of crisco, a rubber chicken, a couple of 2x4's, tightened with a 3/8" Allen wrench and topped with Jimmy Hoffa's skull - and they will power the whole thing up with a couple Naquida reactors wired together (because in the Pegasus Galaxy all power connectors, our, theirs, and otherwise, are all standardized) and bing bang boom! go the Replicators or the Wraith or whoever the stock baddies are this week.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nathan, yeah KIA, what were they thinking? Better than POW I guess. What nexts the Extreme Measures? The Rendition - oh, wait.

    I miss the days when Detroit named their products after large predatory animals or wild horses (except for the Pinto, what the hell was that?).

    ReplyDelete
  14. And if you still want to Google it, the correct spelling is "naquadah."

    They haven't actually done much with the stuff on Atlantis. It's been primarily a substance found on SG1. The main power source for Atlantis is Ancient-manufactured glowy crystally cylinder things called Zero Point Modules (ZPM). ("Ancient" is basically a race of humans from 10,000 years ago.)

    Yes, I'm a hopeless Stargate nerd. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Also, a pinto is a type of horse as well as a type of bean. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. And just so you don't think you're only nerd in the room - during the first two seasons, before they acquired the fully charged ZPM (or Zed PM as the Canadian Rodney calls it) they often used naquadah power cells to boost the city's power or for certain mission applications.

    Nayah Nayah, so there.

    I really don't like the show, but my wife enjoys it so we watch it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Technically, a "pinto" is color scheme, like a "paint," or a "palomino."

    ReplyDelete
  18. Actually, you're both wrong. Pinto was a fraternity nickname bestowed upon Larry "Pinto" Kroger by John "Bluto" Blutarsky during the final pledge ceremony at Delta House.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Janice,

    Did you know they sell lard in five gallon buckets?

    My friend and I almost laughed ourselves sick one night creating scenarios for when one might need five gallons of lard.

    ReplyDelete
  20. A Pinto is also a notorious 70s Ford model, known for its propensity to blow up when impacted from the rear.

    I drove a Chevette instead in high school. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Well, you already outnerd me in such things as Heinlein, so I plead no contest. :)

    Yeah, I looked up "pinto horse" after I'd already posted. Doh...

    And you need to work in a restaurant if you want to see who uses 5 gallons of lard at a time. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oh I've done my time in restaurants, so I know all about those uses!

    It was just that we saw a five gallon bucket of lard being sold in the grocery store.

    ReplyDelete
  23. And you need to work in a restaurant if you want to see who uses 5 gallons of lard at a time.

    Or a house of ill repute. Or a wagon wheel shop. or a soap factory. Or at Revlon (what, you didn't know there was rendered animal fat in your make up, Bacon Face?)...

    ReplyDelete
  24. Or a grocery store, apparently. ;)

    And now to be completely unrelated even to lard... I've started getting google hits for "Laura San Giacomo Nude" on my blog. This is all your fault, Jim. *shakes fist*

    ReplyDelete
  25. Our favorite theories were "the old couple coming down outta the mountains for their once a year trip to the 'big city' to get supplies" or two entirely leather clad men.

    * mind you, our 'big city' was 30k people at the time. I think we're up to almost 50k. At least when the students are in town.

    ReplyDelete
  26. "Laura San Giacomo Nude"

    Yeah, what's the deal with that? That phrase is still in the top ten searches that hit my blog.

    I mean I like the lady, she's a funny, terrific actress and reasonably attractive in an odd eyebrowy, gap toothed, horse laugh sort of way. And yeah, she's pretty well endowed, as they say. But, seriously, how many people could be looking for nudie pictures of her? A shitload, apparently. I find this very strange.

    ReplyDelete

Comments on this blog are moderated. Each will be reviewed before being allowed to post. This may take a while. I don't allow personal attacks, trolling, or obnoxious stupidity. If you post anonymously and hide behind an IP blocker, I'm a lot more likely to consider you a troll. Be sure to read the commenting rules before you start typing. Really.