The Visible Woman...April 28, 2003

as much fun as the dentist's chair

As predicted I'm not up real early. I have brushed my teeth and had some coffee and slipped on shorts, T-Shirt and gym shoes by eightish. I start some laundry. I check my machine and realize that my network backups and the bookkeeper's haven't been working. I go make an attempt to fix it and start the bookkeeper's machine backing up to FFP's.

But I'm at the gym around 9:15. I do the regiment called 'lower body' on my current charts. Although careful readers may note that it contains biceps and triceps work. Yes, I try to do some of the hated ab and back work. I've increased some of the weights. It is sort of hard to finish some of them. (Triceps, leg extensions.) But I'm still in wimp weight territory so I have to use those half weights. I get through it and do bike riding (while still reading The Object Stares Back) before and after for a total of about 45 minutes. I feel good and sort of euphoric and strong when I finish.

I go home. FFP has changed the wash and one load is dry. I fold that, take a shower, dry my hair and work on my computer a bit.

FFP gets a call that the tenant in the building we own who has leased it for six years is going to retire. We have to find another renter. I won't say that the building rent is a critical part of our income because it's not that bad but it's not a trivial thing either.

We will need to get the place rented. And these economic times aren't real great. FFP is very worried about it, but I somewhat sanguine. Or try to be. Maybe just to balance his worry. It's a great size property for certain tenants and it has good parking and we rent it for a fair price even given the economic downturn. Change is inevitable. This guy also fitted Dad's hearing aid and I wonder if they will actually see him on Friday. It would be hard for me to begrudge someone retiriing, wouldn't it? Oh. Well. It's that old feeling when something doesn't go your way, when you remind yourself that you live the good life and aren't digging around for your relatives around the prison after maybe having your house bombed.

We act on the news by letting certain connected friends know about the property including FFP's clients and by discussing it with a couple of leasing agents.

I work on this journal a little and eat (salad with broccoli and carrots and onions and lettuce and some strawberries) and then I brush and floss my teeth again and go to the dentist. Just not that pleasant a day, you know? Economic setback, long dental appointment.

My dentist is disappointed because this is the end of his recommended restorations of my mouth. He moved out of space that the dentist he bought out had leased and still hasn't sub-leased it.

Whoa. Nothing like three hours in the dentist's chair getting decades old cracked fillings drilled out and replaced. He does porcelain on the spot (you have to listent to the machine mill it out for twenty minutes and one cracked so when he tried to trim it up...so then twenty minutes more!). He couldn't do one in porcelain so that is a temp. They warn me I may have a little pain when it isn't numb. Oh, really.

On the way out, I look at a 'before' and 'after' picture adverstising their restoration work. It is my mouth. (I knew it was there but it was creepy so I wouldn't look much before. And, no, they didn't ask my permission.) Checking it, I decide that maybe the front ones look just like they did when the 'after' picture was made so, maybe, you know, I was imagining that I saw wear on the crowns.

At home I realize that the event we are supposed to go to is at six o'clock. It's the UT Women's Athletics Awards Banquet. It's in Erwin Center and the food is served at six. Right now I can't see eating. But it's almost six. We put on suits.

We manage to get there and to park although we are down near Brick Oven. We are only a little late. I surprise myself by getting through some chicken and salad and a little cake and a cup of coffee. That give out upwards of a hundred awards. Somewhere in the middle there we give ours to a graduate student in advertising. When it's finally over we introduce ourselves and she's with her parents. She competed in rowing. They are a good native Texas family and there are four daughters. This is their youngest but another one is still in Law School. Whew. Glad we don't have kids. Very expensive, kids.

We get home around nine. I took a strong Motrin and my mouth feels fine. I feel fine. Motrin and I are friends.

Was it a productive day? Well, I read fifteen pages of a book (Robert Massie's Peter the Great) while getting drilled, I got my exercise done and I made a couple of social engagements. So, yeah, probably not. As my friend from South Africa says...tomorrow is also a day. Before I go to bed, my mouth feels sore and I end up taking another Motrin. Oh...and we nibble on cheese and tortilla chips and turkey bacon and salsa. Because we have a wonderful diet, you know. I didn't have any alcohol or sodas today, though. Big deal, huh?

self protrait of confusion

"The most prolific period of pessimism comes at twenty-one, or thereabouts, when the frist attempt is made to translate dreams into reality."

Hewood Broun, Pieces of Hate, 1922

JUST TYPING
sitting with mouth open
painful enough
even though numb
drowning in saliva
and spray
choking on impression material
and instuments
listening to drills and machines
inside your head bone
over
none too soon
we pay money for this

			as much fun as the dentist's chair As predicted I'm not up real early. I have brushed my teeth and had some coffee and slipped on shorts, T-Shirt and gym shoes by eightish. I start some laundry. I check my machine and realize that my network backups and the bookkeeper's haven't been working. I go make an attempt to fix it and start the bookkeeper's machine backing up to FFP's. But I'm at the gym around 9:15. I do the regiment called 'lower body' on my current charts. Although careful readers may note that it contains biceps and triceps work. Yes, I try to do some of the hated ab and back work. I've increased some of the weights. It is sort of hard to finish some of them. (Triceps, leg extensions.) But I'm still in wimp weight territory so I have to use those half weights. I get through it and do bike riding (while still reading The Object Stares Back) before and after for a total of about 45 minutes. I feel good and sort of euphoric and strong when I finish. I go home. FFP has changed the wash and one load is dry. I fold that, take a shower, dry my hair and work on my computer a bit. FFP gets a call that the tenant in the building we own who has leased it for six years is going to retire. We have to find another renter. I won't say that the building rent is a critical part of our income because it's not that bad but it's not a trivial thing either. We will need to get the place rented. And these economic times aren't real great. FFP is very worried about it, but I somewhat sanguine. Or try to be. Maybe just to balance his worry. It's a great size property for certain tenants and it has good parking and we rent it for a fair price even given the economic downturn. Change is inevitable. This guy also fitted Dad's hearing aid and I wonder if they will actually see him on Friday. It would be hard for me to begrudge someone retiriing, wouldn't it? Oh. Well. It's that old feeling when something doesn't go your way, when you remind yourself that you live the good life and aren't digging around for your relatives around the prison after maybe having your house bombed. We act on the news by letting certain connected friends know about the property including FFP's clients and by discussing it with a couple of leasing agents. I work on this journal a little and eat (salad with broccoli and carrots and onions and lettuce and some strawberries) and then I brush and floss my teeth again and go to the dentist. Just not that pleasant a day, you know? Economic setback, long dental appointment. My dentist is disappointed because this is the end of his recommended restorations of my mouth. He moved out of space that the dentist he bought out had leased and still hasn't sub-leased it. Whoa. Nothing like three hours in the dentist's chair getting decades old cracked fillings drilled out and replaced. He does porcelain on the spot (you have to listent to the machine mill it out for twenty minutes and one cracked so when he tried to trim it up...so then twenty minutes more!). He couldn't do one in porcelain so that is a temp. They warn me I may have a little pain when it isn't numb. Oh, really. On the way out, I look at a 'before' and 'after' picture adverstising their restoration work. It is my mouth. (I knew it was there but it was creepy so I wouldn't look much before. And, no, they didn't ask my permission.) Checking it, I decide that maybe the front ones look just like they did when the 'after' picture was made so, maybe, you know, I was imagining that I saw wear on the crowns. At home I realize that the event we are supposed to go to is at six o'clock. It's the UT Women's Athletics Awards Banquet. It's in Erwin Center and the food is served at six. Right now I can't see eating. But it's almost six. We put on suits. We manage to get there and to park although we are down near Brick Oven. We are only a little late. I surprise myself by getting through some chicken and salad and a little cake and a cup of coffee. That give out upwards of a hundred awards. Somewhere in the middle there we give ours to a graduate student in advertising. When it's finally over we introduce ourselves and she's with her parents. She competed in rowing. They are a good native Texas family and there are four daughters. This is their youngest but another one is still in Law School. Whew. Glad we don't have kids. Very expensive, kids. We get home around nine. I took a strong Motrin and my mouth feels fine. I feel fine. Motrin and I are friends. Was it a productive day? Well, I read fifteen pages of a book (Robert Massie's Peter the Great) while getting drilled, I got my exercise done and I made a couple of social engagements. So, yeah, probably not. As my friend from South Africa says...tomorrow is also a day. Before I go to bed, my mouth feels sore and I end up taking another Motrin. Oh...and we nibble on cheese and tortilla chips and turkey bacon and salsa. Because we have a wonderful diet, you know. I didn't have any alcohol or sodas today, though. Big deal, huh?
	self protrait of confusion "The most prolific period of pessimism comes at twenty-one, or thereabouts, when the frist attempt is made to translate dreams into reality." Hewood Broun, Pieces of Hate, 1922

	JUST TYPING sitting with mouth open painful enough even though numb drowning in saliva and spray choking on impression material and instuments listening to drills and machines inside your head bone over none too soon we pay money for this