That is freaky about your water, Liese. Glad you are all prepared! Boiling would make it safe, though I can see where there might be a residual ick factor.

Oragel has been my friend on occasion, though even when it works it doesn't seem to last very long.

Apply an OTC antiseptic containing benzocaine directly to the irritated tooth and gum to temporarily relieve pain.

Anbesol works pretty well. If it's pain from a gum infection, swishing warm salt water or half peroxide/half water can help.

I'm loving the Sarameg house saga.

Wine also works for a tootheache! But don't take it with narcotics or anything.

Wouldn't any kind of medical office have some kind of emergency set up? Even if it's just, "Call these people"? I just called my dentist's office, and they gave a number for a service on their voicemail message. Not sure what would happen if I call them, but it sounds like it would at least be a person.

At least two of my doctors have "If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 911" on their messages. With no number to call if it's an emergency that requires that particular doctor, which was a huge pain once when I needed a medication refilled before I went out of the country for two weeks, and he wasn't returning repeated calls and emails.

My dentist gives out her or her partners' cell #s on their answering service.

My dentist has an emergency call in number, for middle of the night toothaches and so on. Even if they can't see you, they'll prescribe mild painkillers like Tylenol-3, in my experience.

"If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 911"

Oh, that's not much help. I mean, sure, if you're bleeding out, you shouldn't wait on voicemail, but there's a lot in between "can wait for an appointment next week" and "need an ambulance STAT."

Heh. No juliana-influenced SF move is complete without some moving truck shenganigans, it appears. (See also: the cross-country-move truck getting sideswiped in Utah, and then the entire fleet of 10' UHauls having their catalytic converters stolen the morning I was supposed to complete my most recent move.)

So, megan picked me up at gronk o'clock, and we went to UHaul to get the 14' van. I drove the van through the windy roads of West Portal, in time to meet up with the movers that (my boyfriend) M had hired for megan.

M's team of tiny Mayan moving dudes were awesome and packed up megan's stuff quick as you please... except for the bed, which, due to miscommunication, we left behind and had to go back for. No problemo, we swung back and got that. Mind you, megan's neighborhood is hilly, and a couple of the guys had to ride in the back of the UHaul to keep things from moving around too much. Oy. Then we stopped for a sofa in the middle of Nob Hill (one of megan's friends is giving it to her, we didn't just pick it up from the corner). Stuffed that in, parked on the busy street that megan is now living on, unloaded everything. We wished the mighty Mayan movers well, and went to start the truck... which was dead. Apparently, if you leave the flashers and dome light on that long (30 minutes), it drains the battery. So then we got to do our best sitting duck impression as traffic rocketed by and drivers expressed their displeasure in new and fun ways. Naturally, the cable guy and the AAA guy showed up at the same time, so I left megan to the tender mercies of Comcast as I drove the UHaul back to its final resting place.

Congratulations, megan! I hope you're very happy in your new space.