so i went to one of the dentists on my list, and he was nice enough-the front desk was lovely. i had to get the x-rays and all of the fun intro stuff before getting the news that i was in the market for some root canal work, crowns, etc, etc, etc. my mouth is the worst! so, um...i was told to come back on another day and when i went in, the dentist began his work, and he was wise-he realized that this was a job for someone much
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| #sucks. |
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| ouch.and.yikes. |
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| best part about craig's office-they let me take control of the suction! |
while i was there and waiting for the numbing shot to take effect, he went to the guy in the next cubbyhole and was talking to him-the young punk i'd seen in the lobby looking like he was so large and in charge...he seemed a jerk. in fact, the way he was talking, like he was a dentist himself-he apparently didn't trust his dentist, and wanted a second opinion...but then he was arguing with craig-yes, we're on a first name basis-but craig was having none of it. the whole conversation made me snicker inside. i was thinking, 'what a douche.' and he kept going-he was contradicting craig, and finally this endodontist said something that i have never heard a dentist say to a client, "well, i'm done. you aren't listening to me. obviously you just came in to get an opinion-i've told you my opinion and you don't want to listen, so you need to just make up your mind and stop b@#$%ing about it and decide what you're going to do. but i don't have time for this. so you need to go find a dentist that you trust and make some decisions."
woah.
yes.he.did. the guy was shown to the front desk and i once again had craig all to myself-and his assistant and anyone else nearby. so we continued (i was somewhat surprised that after all of the time that had passed, the numbing agent was still going strong!) i received the sunglasses-interesting choice, but it did safeguard my eyes from the light, and from the water spray. the lady manning the sucker-tool was great at her job-she kept the water from going where it shouldn't. and the conversation for the remaining hour was straight up about the young man who'd been arguing with him for far too long. he was also very complimentary on my dentist for realizing that this job was beyond him in time, before boring into the nerve and messing everything up. wise, he called him. he didn't really seem that wise, in fact he was a little goofy. anyoo, craig gave me his card, and i thought, "you cost a lot, you are a specialized niche, the only way i come back is if my dentist can't handle the truth!" so i then returned to my dentist to finish the temporary crown.
when i got there, i had the asian lady as the assistant to my dentist, and i swear she is a ninja. i sat down and was about to turn around to say something to her, and she had vanished into thin air. then she'd pop up out of nowhere. she was stealthy. but when she sat to do the air/suction thing for the dentist, i decided that ninjas are not the best dental assistants. it was rough. i cannot tell you how many times i felt like i was being waterboarded (not that i have ever been tortured for information), but close. almost drown a couple of times. but God wasn't ready for me to go yet-so. we finished up, she put the temporary crown in, and explained that this wasn't the end. great. so i had to come back on the 27th of december. that was not what i wanted to hear.
what i didn't mention is that while i was there, i heard someone behind me and i SWEAR it sounded just like my friend nafia-another teacher at my school. her mannerisms, intonations, voice, everything about the way she spoke and the expressions that she used-i was CERTAIN that nafia had come to the dentist! in fact, i was tempted to look around that corner and introduce myself and ask this lady if she was related!!! no freakin joke! i mean to tell you it was for REAL her auditory doppleganger (if there is such a thing..if there isn't, there is now!)
i came back to dallas, early from Christmas break, for this dental excursion, and as i mentioned in a previous blog, it was much too early, and no one else was really around, so i was bored to the hilt-but i went in and ninja was my assistant again...i was very cautious not to say anything, because i've heard about tiger moms...i certainly was about to be in a vulnerable position, so there was no messin' around here. but surprisingly, she must have either taken some sensitivity courses between visits, or on the previous visit she'd been in a bad mood...OR this was her twin sister, who happened to be a more competent asst.-idk...but needless to say, this visit was a bit more pleasant...until she had to force the floss between the tooth and the crown to ensure that the cement was cleared out so i could floss. hurt like a...piece of floss. yep.
then they set me up to return in january and i had another small deal taken care of...and back again today- i was not looking forward to today. possibly another root canal. boo. so this morning i went in expecting the worst. fortunately i was greeted by another lady who took me back and got it all started. while i was sitting there getting a mold made, i looked out the window, 13 minutes after 8, and i saw my goofy dentist pull up and get out of his car-must be good to be the man in charge. anyhoo, we got started with an injection-or two into the gums, and i am pretty sure that i have built up the muscles in my forceps over the past few visits, quite nicely. i don't make much noise, but i tense up quite a bit-hate every moment of the needle. "ok, i'll be back in just a minute, let's get that to set in!" and then i wait...and feel a huge bump where the injected numbing agent is at work. and so i waited-until i couldn't feel a thing. this was a new assistant and thankfully once they got started, he was thrilled to tell me that there were no nerve endings in the way, and that we'd not need the root canal!! THANK YOU, JESUS!! best news today! so temporary crown-no gum or candy, no flossing around that tooth-but...NO ROOT CANAL!!! and while there was no root canal, i believe that the water-spray was worse than ever! not in my mouth, i was not in dire straits of drowning, no. it was more like they thought they were hurricane harbor attendants. seriously. i needed that swimsuit today...i'm pretty sure my mascara started to run from all of the over-spray. (not even exaggerating). but did i mention i really didn't care because i didn't have to get a root canal? it's true- i go back in a couple of weeks for the permanent crown. good for now.
i got back to school early, and made it to some of the meetings. what i am seeing is that you cannot please all of the people all of the time. and sometimes the best of intentions are not taken in the manner that they were intended. it is difficult to be in a position of trying to do what is best for teachers and at the same time to support admin and help them understand what different people appreciate. some things just need to be mandatory, some things need to be choice, and it is a fine line to figure out which should be which. i think one of the biggest pieces to the puzzle is building strong relationships and using those relationships to really build trust and understanding. i may exhaust myself trying to figure this all out, but it has been a good exercise in discrimination and discernment. we keep moving forward and with every step we grow, and growth is good.
this afternoon i had a long conversation with one of my teachers after our catch up and read pd-i was a little frustrated toward the end of the pd, and i may or may not have expressed to the rep that was with us how i was feeling. it frustrates me when my teachers get the raw end of the deal. i get an agenda sent to me shortly before our meetings, and i think they expect me to go strictly by what they include. coincidentally, my teachers end up not getting the time that they really need to work on their plans for the week. i am not okay with that, and today when i looked at the clock, it frustrated me, so i mentioned it to the rep that was with us. i am not okay with teachers having to spend time outside of this pd session having to do their planning for their after school lessons. they don't get paid extra for that, so i am not willing to set the expectation that they do such. anyhoo... i stayed late and spoke with one of my teachers whom i could tell was frustrated with something that she'd experienced earlier in the day-it was a good conversation- a necessary one, and i think we both were able to share and receive valuable exchange.
imago dei-ut diligam eos- must picture everyone in the image of God- LOVE THEM all.
my work. love it.
OH!! almost forgot-nicolette and i were talking about fat pictures-there was a time about 4 years ago, and i was reminded of it today in a facebook flashback post...i am going to share something that i don't really talk about or share- there was a period that i went through; i think it was around the same time that i had my back problems, and was dealing with the moving of some of my closest friends...
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| this was rough. |
so a couple of things: the hobbit movies that i purchased- i was planning to watch another marathon yesterday, but unfortunately after the first one, i popped in the net one that i had purchased, and realized that there was a huge chunk that was missing. i was missing the desolation of smaug. boo. i couldn't watch the last one without it. so i need to make another purchase. sigh. so i switched back to dexter-which was fine, because it had been awhile, and i certainly am appreciating the unique flavor that it brings! also in the news, new phone. i'm not thrilled, and it will take a little getting used to, but i will take it one step at a time, get used to it, and use it to the best of its abilities!
g'night!
jules
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