Dad's gotten used to his, but then he's had them for more than 50 years. Apparently dentists in the 1950s had a pull first and ask questions later policy.

on this line of thinking - y'all are familiar with the common dream of teeth falling out? I had a dream last week of my gums separating from my jaw and falling out, it was incredibly painful.

ew!

My mother had to talk a dentist into pulling all hers (30 years or so ago?), after she got tired of dealing with fillings getting pulled out etc. She was so happy to be able to eat salt water taffy again.

Tooth problems squick me out, so I'd rather deal with a broken rib or even limb, despite the greater severity and recovery time.

Apparently, now the thinking has changed to wanting people to keep more of their teeth. Sorry to read about the dental insurance problems, but at least I know it's not just me. And Mitt Romney apparently thinks "Add dental to Obamacare' would be a terrible threat, instead of "Wow, could they do that?"

Ugh. There was work stuff here, but now I've redacted. Let's just say a lot of people are really angry right now, at each other more than at me, but it's impossible not to get hit by shrapnel at this proximity to the blast.

I'm just trying to do my job, but apparently this is not appropriate, but I can't get anyone to authorise me to stop. Which makes no sense, but trust me--it makes less sense from where I'm standing. Even if this weren't my job, someone has to do it, and no one is. I've been complaining about this vacuum for weeks.

I am so glad I'm not in the office today, because at least one person would either yell at me or expect me to agree with them while they're yelling at someone else (actually, all the parties would do that to me...) and I am not going to yell at anyone.

I have written the bad news email and sent it out, and I think it's time for cereal break.

So Cambridge got 12 new cops, and 9 of them appear to be white men, just from looking at the picture and names. [link] Come ON, Cambridge! You should do better. (City population in 2000 was about 65% white, 12% black, 12% Asian, 7% Latino.)

I am trying not to flip out. We have waited over an hour to have a nurse come and pull Grace's IV. Growl. I want to go home.

Yeah, I know shit happens, but that's ridiculous. Meanwhile, they told my mother that my grandmother would be discharged one day at (say) 4, so we didn't rush over, and by the time we got there, she had been sitting around fully discharged for over an hour. (Why no one called my mother is a mystery, but whatever.)

Aww, Kat, you should be able to get out of there!