Monday, May 8, 2023

 Monday, May 8, 2023

     The scale showed another half-pound loss.  

       I had a dental appointment today. The dentist removed the temporary cap and filled a large cavity on the side of a tooth. I reminded him I had another cavity in a tooth further back. He wouldn't have time to deal with that today. He had to install the permanent cap and grind it to fit my bite. It was hard to judge how the bite fit because I got Novocain for the cavity. He said not to worry about it for now. He didn't want to take off too much. Taking off more was easy. There was no way to add back on to the tooth.   

   I got instructions from the orthopedic surgeon to remember not to have dental treatments for a month before my THR surgery and three months after. To ensure that happened, I called the dental receptionist immediately and asked her to post that on my file. That's the easiest way to deal with it. There was no way I was going to rely on my memory. However, I remembered to take my four antibiotic pills before the dental care today. I also checked if I had more antibiotics on hand. I had ordered a prescription renewal, so I always had it on hand for emergency dental care. I couldn't find it. I reordered it. The process didn't look familiar. I must not have completed all the steps the last time. This time, I was notified that it had gone through and was on its way.  

       I told the dentist that I had finally got the message of the purpose and procedure necessary for good dental hygiene. I always thought the sole purpose of brushing my teeth was removing food. It's not. That's one of the objectives, but as important, if not more so, is eliminating plaque. Plaque builds up daily. It has to be removed within twenty-four hours of food consumption. We remove plaque by scraping it off the teeth. If it is removed daily, it is soft enough to remove it with domestic equipment, brush toothpicks, dental floss, and an electric toothbrush. All three are needed. It hardens if left on too long and requires dental tools to remove it.   

     The brush toothpick scraps the plaque off at the gum line. Make sure you work on both available teeth. The dental floss scraps the plaque off from between the teeth. Again, make sure you work the sides of both of the teeth. Finally, the toothbrush, preferably an electric one, scraps the plaque off the front and back faces of the teeth. 

      I like to finish off with a water pick. No matter how much I have done with the other equipment, I loosen up miscellaneous bits of food left between the teeth and tucked up between the gums and the lips. Understanding that plaque removal is the main objective of dental hygiene has changed my perspective.    

      Today, I put on a bit of mascara for the first time since my twenties. Then I wore mascara and eyeliner. The people I knew then said they liked me better without it. I gave it up gladly. Now, I see how my eyes, one of my best features when I was young, are shrunken and colorless. I see people highlighting their eyes with paste on eyelashes. They look pretty good, but it's not for me. I rub my eyes. I found an ad online for mascara for old ladies. Why not?    I put on just a little, but I could see the difference.   

     The dentist's assistant is his wife; his hygienist and receptionist are his sisters-in-law. The receptionist was his mother-in-law until recently. Not only do they all work together, but they also live together- fifteen people in one good-sized house. The dentist, his wife, their three children, and one of their dogs live in one bedroom in that large house. They are building their own house on an adjacent property. It sounds like an extraordinary situation. They all manage to get along. All the sisters apply glue on their eyelashes on each other.   One of them carried the other sister's baby.

      I asked KC if she saw anything different about me. She guessed something. I can't remember what, but it wasn't my mascara. I told her what it was. She said she did notice. I don't remember why she chose not to comment. I love being around these folks. I envy their lifestyle.

      I texted Tommy, reminding him to give me access to my YouTube Channel. Tommy used to live on the Big Island and edited and posted the completed Phonics Discovery System videos on YouTube. Given that he has moved to Washington, I figured I was on my own. I asked him to transfer the administrative access for my channel to me. I have eighteen subscribers, although I haven't posted anything new. I have several videos in mind, but I need help getting it together to make them. It isn't just the absence of Tommy. It's like I've lost the nerve. I made the first ones for the Step UP Tutoring program tutors. I had a specific audience. People I had to help. That does it for me.  

       Tommy called. He explained that he had just moved and gotten Internet access two days ago. Also, his dog had gotten sick. His girlfriend worked as a wedding planner, and he commuted to Portland, an hour there and an hour back every day, to work in a motorcycle shop. He had thought of opening his own but was concerned that all bikes would become electric, making his skills obsolete. His pleasure was in running a business. He liked the logistics of it.  

        His girlfriend was no longer a girlfriend but a fiancé. I said they had a wedding planner lined up already. He emailed me the access information to the channel so I could add new videos. Tommy said he could still help me edit my videos and post them if I sent my work by email. He could work on them on the weekends.   

     Scott is working on learning those editing skills. He had two drones now. He was making videos of The Big Island. He wanted to post them. I needed to remember to tell him Judy's suggestions for possible business opportunities, realtors, and landscapers. Scott has a little drone and a big, noisy one. For the latter, he needs a pilot's license.  

      I had Adolescent D today. I spent the whole session haranguing him. I said the rate he was going, he would be twenty-five and living in his parents' home, hanging out in his bedroom playing video games. He had to take the steering wheel of his own life. His passivity, if not downright resistance, drives me nuts. I can't imagine how his parents feel about it. They must be worried to death. He is fifteen now. In three years, he will be an adult. Yikes!   

      The daughter of the friend whose brother-in-law committed suicide called. She just needed a sympathetic ear. The whole family is devastated. Understandably.