Blizzard of 2006

Probable Answers to Some Frequently Asked Questions for My New Dentist

Q: Is it really true that you do a painless cleaning?
A: Yes, if I don't do too much work on your teeth, there's not a whole lot of pain I can cause.

Q: Do I have to endure a significant amount of chit chat and stupid jokes?
A: How else am I supposed to distract you into thinking that I've actually done something?

Q: Should I be a little concerned when you become audibly involved in figuring out my insurance (since no one on your staff was able to do it) and then loudly yell out "Done and done" to signify that you've finally gotten it?
A: Don't worry-everything's fine. Can I interest you in a stock purchase later on?

Q: What if nobody notices that I have a slightly receding gum line that requires special care during cleaning? It's been the first thing that all of my other dentists have noticed.
A: Hey, we're not mind readers here. If you know something that we don't, you're going to have to speak up!

I had my first dental cleaning in New York today. I got the recommendation off the website of my insurance that turned out not to be my real dental insurance. At first, I was a bit skeptical of ever coming back since his modus operandi was completely different from all my other dentists. But after the cleaning was done, the dentist told me that I had the most beautiful, cavity-free teeth he'd ever seen and that I owed absolutely nothing for the visit. Ahh, good, honest dentists are hard to find. I have my next appointment in six months.

Valentine's Day Shopping

Valentine's Day is coming up again, and the only day I'd have to shop was Saturday before the big blizzard hit. I had a good idea of what I wanted to get for the Boy and spent time researching different designs on the internet, but of course the Boy ruined my surprise as usual and told me what he'd really really like for Valentine's Day. I'll have to save the idea for another occasion. The Boy wanted an 8" stainless steel pan with copper plating on the bottom and an 8" chef's knife by Global. Why? Because the Boy's an amateur cook and noticed a few days earlier that every cook at Jean Georges uses two basic items: the chef's knife and stainless steel pan with copper bottom.

So, off I went to Macy's to pick up the Boy's *surprise* gift while he shopped around for my gift. At least he won't know what the card looks like. It wasn't hard finding stainless steel pans, but the copper plating on the bottom sent me searching through every pan in Macy's inventory before finally finding one.

The upside of this is that the Boy cooked me a really nice steak dinner with sauteed mushrooms in his new pan later that night. Mmm!

Putting Things into Perspective

The Weather:

All bundled up with jacket, scarf and gloves outside.

Coworker: It's a really nice, warm day today, isn't it? I can't believe how warm this winter has been.

Me: Uh-huh.

Running an errand later that day without jacket, scarf and gloves (stupid me).

Me: Ahhaha! It's cold! It's cold! I wanna go home!

Apartment Hunting:

Me: Wow! This is a really nice place. Look how much space it has!

Broker: Like it? It's $2000/month.

Me: What?! You expect someone to pay $2000 for this piece of $#^%?!