ghood moh-ning...

Went to the dentist this morning for a 7 am appointment to do a "deep tissue cleaning". I have periodontal disease - for many (like myself) that means little. Basically it just means that I have crap built up underneath my gums that's going to make my teeth fall out unless I do something about it. And today, I woke up at 6 am to go get my gums numbed and have the crap scraped off my teeth.

So I sit here in front of my computer making funny faces. You know the ones where your face is numb and you're sitting there slapping your own face like an idiot to see if the numbing is wearing off. Speaking of - how dumb is that? You're testing to see when the numbness is gone by intentionally trying to hurt yourself (*slap*... no not yet... *slap*.. no... not yet... *slap*... owww... ok, I think it's coming back *SLAP*... OWWWW... yup... it's back).

So along with the slapping and the funny face making (I think I can feel certain muscle groups coming back.... others are still kinda numb), I'm also poking myself in the face. And sorta going blind. The anesthetic that they use to numb the nerves in your mouth apparently go all the way up to your lower eyelid. For a while, I couldn't tell if I was closing my eyes or not (ok, aside from the darkness that comes when your eyes are shut). Apparently it's normal - so I just sat there and enjoyed the feeling of half my face going numb :). Incidentally, the anesthetic is now starting to wear off so I'm in this weird limbo state where half my nose is itching, but I can't feel myself scratching it. Oh well - suppose could be worse.

In any case, half of mouth is certifiably clean now after 2 hours in the dentists' chair. All I have left is to go remove the wisdom teeth and do the other half of my mouth.

Finally, I'd just like to say that with your face numb, you really really notice how your face must feel to other people who might touch it. And I'd like to say that my face is very very soft (or possibly enflamed...). *poke poke poke... slap*

yaking!

For once, I spent part of my weekend outside, getting burnt by the sun, sipping water from a nalgene and generally enjoying the outside air *without* there being any rocks that I was touching, clawing, scratching, clinbing, or even slathering myself on. Err... ignore that last bit. No - I actually spent some time with Johnnie at La Jolla Shores on a kayak.

Despite the hellishly large crowds that gathered there, Johnnie and I managed to paddle out on free kayak rentals (thank you honey!), without flipping over or hitting anyone in the noggin. Woo hoo! I knew the day was off on the right start if you don't injure anyone in your outdoor pursuits during the first 5 minutes.

The next 2 hours were spent paddling around the Cove area - going from the caves, avoiding the swimmers swimming around, watching sea lions bob out of the water near Johnnie, and just basically lounging. Despite not being anywhere on the rocks (ok, techincally I was *above* rocks, but that doesn't count), I was having such a great time.

The funny thing about the day was that it reminded me how much I enjoy being alone. There was something very soothing about paddling past the "pods" of kayakers, the packs of surfers, and the throngs of swimmers and being out in the open. There were moments during the day while we were just lounging amongst the swells where I'd see the horizon between the ocean and the sky and feel a pull towards that infinite destination point. I really wanted to just head out there so far that when I look all around, I'm just surrounded by that solid line of blue against sorta-bluish-gray sky color. Good thing Johnnie was there to keep me from paddling too far out :)

Waiting for cooler temps to arrive. Can't wait for not having to take into account this muggy humid air. And yes, I know that 65% humidity is something to scoff at, but I'm going to complain anyway. I'm used to 2% humidity levels in a desert environment - I'll take 110 degree dry heat to a 80 degree muggy heat anyday.

Ok - now I'm done ranting. Enjoy the rest of your day :)

unlikely commodities

Overheard during a conversation between johnnie and obi:

J: Dixon Cider
O: do they sell that at Mountain Liquor? Is it alcoholic or non?
J: I don't know, but it's certainly not as stiff...

Garrrr! <--- practicing carnivorous roar

Went to the dentist this morning for a basic cleaning. It went well - the dental hygenist was pretty cool, got to catch up on my MSNBC (anyone notice that they're New York-centric?) since they have a tv on the ceiling (very bright idea!), and my teeth are slick and slippery now.

It's been nearly 10 years since my last dental visit. I apologized to Rob, the dental hygenist, for the tough job he must be having with my teeth. His reply: "oh whatever. It's giving me a good challenge for the day". Very diplomatic Rob. I salute you. Did I mention my calculus buildup could have withstood bullets? It was the veritable Berlin Wall - and he was the German with his helpful dental pick axe, working his way at breaking it down. Thumbs up to you.

In any case, my teeth are slick. And they kinda tickle. It's a funny feeling - having clean teeth. One other side note to Rob: did you sharpen my teeth too? I heard a high speed drill sound and my teeth feel extra sharp today...

ack! Where is my warranty?

so randomly last night as I was quietly enjoying dinner at my friend Larry's, I bit into something hard.

"?????", I thought.

I spat put the offending object and closely inspected said object. As far as I could tell, it was triangularly shaped and was about 2 mm on each side. Being on the middle of watching a movie (a quality Pixar film called "Incredibles"), I figured it was either a part of anubpopped corn kernel or a piece of someone else's fingernail. And then I continued to enjoy themovie and promptly forgot about the "foreign" object.

The next day during lunch, I noticed that one side of my tongue kept feeling like it was being cut. I felt around mymoith with my finger and was greeted with the warm wonderful feel of a sharp Black Mtn crimper. In my mouth. At this point alarm bells started going off in my he'd and "nice" was no longer applied to the words "crimper in my mouth".

so here I am now, sitting in the dentist's office, waitng to get it checked out. Of course, I'm not sure how hard checking it will be - the chip in my lower wisdom tooth is so big, it's the size of a chasm you could rappel into with caving gear.

Date at Black Mtn

Taryn and I went on our yearly date - this year, to Black Mtn.

Oh yes, it was a HOT HOT HOT date (as in the temps were in the upper 80's...), and Taryn and I did a lot of climbing all over hard bodies (of rock). Then in the middle of the day, we pulled out the crashpads, crawled into a dark cool cave and laid down on the pads, completely crashing after the hard exertions we did during the morning hours.

Not much in terms of actual quantity of problems, but Taryn and I did make *lots* of progress on our respective climbs. "Missing Tooth Traverse" and Easy Mumblage for her and myself, respectively.

A fun weekend, not much to say other than it was HOT. And my backside is sore. And we saw an igrit on the drive back - which reminded me of the stork. Hrm... I think I'm pregnant again. I'm eating olives followed up with mochi ice cream. Definitely pregnant.

Oh well, I can look forward to an in 'n out feast in 9 months now.