Normal to me is hispanic. B'more has grown on me, so my hispanic hometown looks awfully pale now. It's funny how your norms get defined. My standards of beauty are decidedly hispanic to this day. And I am not.

Oh man, y'all. I got an offer for a discount on cleaning from a dentist near my office. I really think I may have to try her out. Why?

With more than 68% of American families choosing to perform their own dental cleanings, x-rays, and dangerous dental surgeries in the comfort of their home or a makeshift backyard dental shed, the professional dental landscape is radically changing. Children who grow up performing their own dental work may never enjoy the artistry of a skilled dentist; instead they'll have to endure Pointy Elbow Syndrome, a medical condition associated with misusing consumer-grade dental hammers. But you don't have to suffer: take advantage of a highly skilled, professional dentist for 78% off.

Also this:

This Groupon gets new-to-Lillian customers an x-ray and cleaning from Dr. Lillian Obucina, a former Northwestern University dental professor who lectures for the American Dental Association and Comic Con.

Well, by the same token, I tend to get my dander up when other Latinos/Hispanics use the term "brown" to universally mean Latino/Hispanic and as some standard of measure where others don't measure up. I mean, it's such a self-limiting term to start with.

That dentist sounds awesome, brenda.

Well, by the same token, I tend to get my dander up when other Latinos/Hispanics use the term "brown" to universally mean Latino/Hispanic and as some standard of measure where others don't measure up. I mean, it's such a self-limiting term to start with.

Hey, they can't use that! That's our thing!

Take that up with "them."

Children who grow up performing their own dental work may never enjoy the artistry of a skilled dentist; instead they'll have to endure Pointy Elbow Syndrome, a medical condition associated with misusing consumer-grade dental hammers.

Hee!

I've heard "brown" to mean generic non-black people of color -- for a unity thing.

Well, by the same token, I tend to get my dander up when other Latinos/Hispanics use the term "brown" to universally mean Latino/Hispanic and as some standard of measure where others don't measure up. I mean, it's such a self-limiting term to start with.

Oh god, the gradations of spanish vs mexican vs indio vs what degree of immigration vs other things I can't recall in my hometown.

It makes my head hurt, I swear.

And we didn't even have Cubans or Puerto Ricans !

I signed up.

The source of the discount, by the way, was this site: [link] . They're in a lot of other cities besides Chicago. The basic deal is you sign up and get not-quite-daily emails (which was almost a dealbreaker for me, to be honest) with a daily discount on something or other. As long as at least 100 people sign up, the deal is valid. (CC is charged at the end of the day if it passes that mark.) I got into it as a source for rooftop Cubs tix, but I've gotten crazy deals on local restaurants a smidge more high end than I can usually justify ($20 for a $50 coupon is typical), dry cleaning ($15 for a $35 credit at a "green" dry cleaner that happens to be right on my route home from work) and last week $30 for a year membership to the Art Institute and a couple of their singles/young professionals groups. It seriously rocks.