Rinquist
2007-10-15, 12:06 PM
She really does. So last Thursday I asked her if she'd like to go out for dinner on Friday night. I figured I'd go and pick up a couple stems of lilies in a nice vase and give them to her as a "just because" gift.
I had a root canal scheduled on Friday morning, so I had the day off from work. I don't think root canals are a big deal, and I recover fast anyhow. So I figure I could utilize the daytime to get all my stuff done, and pick up some lovely flowers for the lovely lady in my life. I set my alarm for 6:00am and went to bed early Thursday night. Friday was going to be perfect.
Or so I thought.
I woke up with a horrible crick in my neck, which I didn't realize was there until I jerked out of bed when my alarm went off. It hurt like holy hell for a few seconds, but no big deal. Hop in the shower and get this root canal out of the way, and everything'll be alright!
I finish getting ready, step outside of my apartment, lock the door, and admire the early morning Phoenix weather. It was a beautiful day, it just started cooling down here in the Valley, so to step out into an 85 degree morning is pretty amazing.
I head to my car, and I notice my gas tank is open. Weird, I didn't think too much of it, I had just bought a full tank on Thursday, so maybe it skipped my mind to close it. Whatever, with a quick flick of the wrist I slap it shut, and hop into my ride, and turn the key.
You know how in most newer model cars, how your gas gauge reads empty until you start the engine? Yeah, that's how my car is, except at this point my car has been started, but my gas gauge isn't moving. Matter of fact, my gas light is on.
I don't know how much fuel costs in other parts of the states, or even the world, but it's not exactly cheap in Phoenix. That's why I've resolved to get a locking gas cap, because some jerkass had been nice enough to siphon my fuel while I slept.
Whatever, I drive to the gas station, drop another 35 bucks on a tank, and head along on my way to the endodontist to get this root canal out of the way.
I stated before, dental work in general doesn't scare me. Root canals are fairly simple procedures these days, and the beauty of anesthesia means that you can't feel a thing while they drill down into your nerve endings. So bring it on, I say!
My appointment is at 8, I figure at the very worst I'll be out of there at 10.
Wrong again.
I'm sitting in that chair, and I get my first three shots of the numb stuff. We're doing good, really good. The dentist is just a couple years older than me, friendly dude. Probably drives a Benz and goes home to a trophy wife. His tech puts that goofy rubber dam on my tooth, and I'm thinking numb thoughts. "Let's get this over with, doc." I say, but it comes out more like "hehs hek hih hohar hee hok!"
We all know that sound. That high pitched "whirrrr" (yay onomatopoeia!) of a dentist's drill. Bring it on, I say! I feel the pressure as it hits my tooth, and after a quick moment of nothing, I suddenly feel excruciating pain.
When I was a kid, I played short stop on a little league team. I remember it was like game six of the season, and I had been up way too early getting my deliveries ready for my paper route. So I wasn't quite ready for that fast grounder when it popped up and hit me in the junk. That was probably the worst pain I've ever felt in my life.
Until that dentist's drill sunk into my tooth, that is. Long story short, he had to reapply anesthesia three times, and burn of a major portion of my gum off because it had grown into my cracked tooth. Doc was like, "So yeah, root canals aren't usually this bad, Mike ..."
No kidding, Doc.
"I'm gonna put you on narcotics, you're going to be in a lot of pain once the anesthesia wears off"
Thanks Doc.
The whole thing took 4 hours. I step outside, try to light up a cigarette, and it falls out of my mouth in an almost comical fashion. Good old anesthesia.
Let's go get those flowers for the lovely lady in my life. I hit the US60 Westbound, traffic was pretty light, we're looking good, real good. I merge onto the 101 Southbound, and exit on Ray Rd. and take a right turn onto Alma School. That's when this 17 year old girl who's cutting class zips out of a shopping plaza and t-bones me into the median.
My poor car is wrecked, I pull myself out of my car, and I'm now standing on the median. I can see the florist from where I'm standing, my face is numb, my stomach hurts from being empty, I have a crick in my neck, and the girl who hit me is now crying hysterically, and all I can think about is how they're going to tow my totaled car away after I just bought a brand new tank of gas.
Things could be a lot worse than this. I'm not being unrelentingly positive here, I'm still pretty peeved, but I'm still alive. We file the police report, I rip my CD changer out of my car, and I watch them drive away with the most expensive thing I own on a tow truck.
Defeated, I walk to the plaza where the florist is, buy some beautiful lilies for the lovely lady in my life, and call a cab home.
She had to drive us around that night, but dinner was great, and she loved the lilies. I guess that's all that really matters.
I had a root canal scheduled on Friday morning, so I had the day off from work. I don't think root canals are a big deal, and I recover fast anyhow. So I figure I could utilize the daytime to get all my stuff done, and pick up some lovely flowers for the lovely lady in my life. I set my alarm for 6:00am and went to bed early Thursday night. Friday was going to be perfect.
Or so I thought.
I woke up with a horrible crick in my neck, which I didn't realize was there until I jerked out of bed when my alarm went off. It hurt like holy hell for a few seconds, but no big deal. Hop in the shower and get this root canal out of the way, and everything'll be alright!
I finish getting ready, step outside of my apartment, lock the door, and admire the early morning Phoenix weather. It was a beautiful day, it just started cooling down here in the Valley, so to step out into an 85 degree morning is pretty amazing.
I head to my car, and I notice my gas tank is open. Weird, I didn't think too much of it, I had just bought a full tank on Thursday, so maybe it skipped my mind to close it. Whatever, with a quick flick of the wrist I slap it shut, and hop into my ride, and turn the key.
You know how in most newer model cars, how your gas gauge reads empty until you start the engine? Yeah, that's how my car is, except at this point my car has been started, but my gas gauge isn't moving. Matter of fact, my gas light is on.
I don't know how much fuel costs in other parts of the states, or even the world, but it's not exactly cheap in Phoenix. That's why I've resolved to get a locking gas cap, because some jerkass had been nice enough to siphon my fuel while I slept.
Whatever, I drive to the gas station, drop another 35 bucks on a tank, and head along on my way to the endodontist to get this root canal out of the way.
I stated before, dental work in general doesn't scare me. Root canals are fairly simple procedures these days, and the beauty of anesthesia means that you can't feel a thing while they drill down into your nerve endings. So bring it on, I say!
My appointment is at 8, I figure at the very worst I'll be out of there at 10.
Wrong again.
I'm sitting in that chair, and I get my first three shots of the numb stuff. We're doing good, really good. The dentist is just a couple years older than me, friendly dude. Probably drives a Benz and goes home to a trophy wife. His tech puts that goofy rubber dam on my tooth, and I'm thinking numb thoughts. "Let's get this over with, doc." I say, but it comes out more like "hehs hek hih hohar hee hok!"
We all know that sound. That high pitched "whirrrr" (yay onomatopoeia!) of a dentist's drill. Bring it on, I say! I feel the pressure as it hits my tooth, and after a quick moment of nothing, I suddenly feel excruciating pain.
When I was a kid, I played short stop on a little league team. I remember it was like game six of the season, and I had been up way too early getting my deliveries ready for my paper route. So I wasn't quite ready for that fast grounder when it popped up and hit me in the junk. That was probably the worst pain I've ever felt in my life.
Until that dentist's drill sunk into my tooth, that is. Long story short, he had to reapply anesthesia three times, and burn of a major portion of my gum off because it had grown into my cracked tooth. Doc was like, "So yeah, root canals aren't usually this bad, Mike ..."
No kidding, Doc.
"I'm gonna put you on narcotics, you're going to be in a lot of pain once the anesthesia wears off"
Thanks Doc.
The whole thing took 4 hours. I step outside, try to light up a cigarette, and it falls out of my mouth in an almost comical fashion. Good old anesthesia.
Let's go get those flowers for the lovely lady in my life. I hit the US60 Westbound, traffic was pretty light, we're looking good, real good. I merge onto the 101 Southbound, and exit on Ray Rd. and take a right turn onto Alma School. That's when this 17 year old girl who's cutting class zips out of a shopping plaza and t-bones me into the median.
My poor car is wrecked, I pull myself out of my car, and I'm now standing on the median. I can see the florist from where I'm standing, my face is numb, my stomach hurts from being empty, I have a crick in my neck, and the girl who hit me is now crying hysterically, and all I can think about is how they're going to tow my totaled car away after I just bought a brand new tank of gas.
Things could be a lot worse than this. I'm not being unrelentingly positive here, I'm still pretty peeved, but I'm still alive. We file the police report, I rip my CD changer out of my car, and I watch them drive away with the most expensive thing I own on a tow truck.
Defeated, I walk to the plaza where the florist is, buy some beautiful lilies for the lovely lady in my life, and call a cab home.
She had to drive us around that night, but dinner was great, and she loved the lilies. I guess that's all that really matters.