Losing Teeth

Sitting on the dentist's chair. Already tense. An animation plays on the HD screen. About the horrific effects of progressive periodontal disease. How receding gumlines make your teeth look like hooves before they fall out one by one. The dentist laughs at the less than Pixar quality of the graphics.

Dentist: That's frightening to me.

Me (the left side of my mouth numb from the Lidocaine): I have dreams of that. My teeth falling out. A premonition, you think?

Dentist: That's one of the classic 14 dreams.

Losing your teeth.
This theme has a number of potential meanings because of the very different significances teeth have to different people. Our teeth are representative of our appearance because our smiles are one of the first things people notice about us. Therefore, dreaming about losing your teeth can indicate insecurity about your appearance, or even fears of sexual impotence, as teeth are often used to flirt with a desired partner. We also use our teeth to bite, chew, and tear, so losing them can mean a loss of power or fear of getting old. Interestingly, this dream is most common among menopausal women, perhaps for all of the above reasons.

Part 1 of 2 of the deep cleaning. So not looking forward to the other half.

Brain Mets

Brain metastasis can sometimes be hospital-funny-sad.

Patient: I can't stand up! Wh-why is that? Wh-What's happening?

Patient's Friend: Babe, you're sick. You have cancer.

P: I have cancer? Oh. I forgot. I have cancer.

I.T.

Far from a super-user here. The consultant's just like me - when I'm at work. There has to be a limit to the number of failed return demonstrations and then one must be officially branded stupid. Patience is a virtue, I'm told.

Too Soon?

This morning. (The RN version.)

Coworker: (referring to her patient) He's anxious. He's ordered for Versed prn.
Me: Who's your patient? Michael Jackson?

The other night ... (For all.)

Coworker: Did you hear? They found out what killed Michael Jackson.
Me: What?
Coworker: Food.
Me: Food?
Coworker: A food allergy.
Me: Really?
Coworker: Yeah. He died eating 10 year old nuts.

Sweet

How to kill your nurse with kindness: M&M encrusted pretzels presented by a patient.
Of course, I ate it. And rued the sugar crash that ensued.

Brooklyn Bridge

Joined the Ladies Who Lunch at River Cafe in Brooklyn. Partook of their Restaurant Week menu: roughly 25 bucks for a three course lunch. I understand it's a place where one pays for the view, and not for the food. But seriously, $6.75 for a glass of iced tea?

Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan. Worked off the calories from dessert and enjoyed the breezy summer afternoon.

FOOD, INC.

FOOD, INC. (dir. Robert Kenner, 2009).

Less preachy than I thought. More anecdotal in its indictments, which worked for me and might not for fans of number-spouting, a la Michael Moore. Would put me off certain foods for a while. But I know that I'll be reaching for that GMO basted in high-fructose corn syrup in no time.

Choice nibbles:

• “We're teaching fish to eat corn.”
• Unblinking comparison between “organic” farm slaughter and industrial slaughter. Yes, people, that's where food comes from.

The audience, as I expected, is the choir. We already know this, in general, if not in detail. To effect real change, the movie's exposure has to stretch beyond the choir box.