More 2010 Review

For the blog review of 2010, Gwen Bell asks, "Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)."

The last thing of 2010 that I made was definitely a scrapbook page. During the Christmas break, I spent a lot of time in my crafting area making cards and pages. I loved it and found it completely reeneergizing. While working on my master's, I have very little time for play, so the break from both work and school was much needed. I have six more weeks of this program before I take an extended break so that I can focus on my Teacher of the Year resonsibilities.

Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)


This question gives me stomach knots. I haven't completed the letting go, but I decided in December to change dentists. This upsets me. I kind of bonded with him over this last year. I like him and have finally started getting the work I needed because he helped me work through some of that. But then I discovered that he is on his third round of probation with the state examination board. Time to move on, unfortunately. The problem is that I have serious loyalty issues and feel that moving on is disloyal even if I think it is better for my pocket book and my health. I have struggled with coming to terms with this.

Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)

I discovered the 365 picture-a-day community, and even though I didn't finish the project, I did enjoy chatting up fellow 365ers and getting and giving feedback.

Dentist, Part Deux

So turns out that $2200 implant I paid for does not include the $1200 crown. Yup. I paid $2200 for a pieceof titanium to sit in my bone, but have to pay another thousand to actually make use of that tiny piece of titanium. I'm sure the info is on the dental plan they showed me - I do not believe the front office staff tricked me - but I do believe it could have been clearer. And here's the kicker - I had two implants done - the second of which will cost $2000 to crown.

So my quick trip to the dentist for a follow-up on an infection I am fighting turned into a very stressful event when the dentist suggested we go ahead and make the mold for the crown. One thing I have to say about the dentist is that my visits are often excellent sources of inspiration at the gym. I get to work off my frustrations there, which helps me in more ways than one.

I know this all provides ample fruit for my practice, but I gotta say that I'm just not feeling it. I am frustrated, nervous, and anything but mindful. This is why I know I need to give it all some space. I left the office today without making any decisions. Hopefully, I will be prepared to deal with this mindfully in a day or two. In the meantime, I'm gonna be making lots of trips to Starbucks to partake in my drug of choice.

On a happier note, I realized today how lucky I am to have a job I love. The bell rang for first period, and a sense of relief washed over me. At that moment, I realized that I look forward to being in the classroom with my students. Outside of cuddling with my kids or watching them play happily together, I am happiest when I am teaching.

Still Kicking

Yup, I'm still kicking, just not blogging, so I thought I would check in and say howdie to the no one who happens to read this. I have been working on my master's through an on-line program, which means I spend way too much time at my computer - reading, posting, researching and writing papers. The fallback is that I don't want to spend any more time uploading photos or blogging. But I really ought to because both of those activities give me my creative fix.

I scrapbooked yesterday with the girlfriends at County Purr Farm. Totally energizing. I need my creative outlet and just plain don't have enough time for it lately. I am much happier when I get to be creative on a regular basis. Meditation too keeps me happy, and it too has taken a back seat to all of life's demands.

School rocks. I love my classes. They don't make me laugh as much as some years, but they are subdued and hardworking, which makes my time in the classroom easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, as my daughter would say.

I would love to post about what I'm reading, but alas unless you're interested in the recent research on inclusion and co-teaching programs or the school improvement process, well, then you're just not gonna care. Since I don't get time to read for fun, I am dieing for the opportunity to cuddle with my Kindle. Just the sight of her depresses me.

What else is up? Oh, I think I bought my dentist a new car. Yup, I traded a few pieces of white ceramic the size of a pea for $12 of work. Thank goodness for insurance, HSAs, and interest-free loans. I'm not sure what hurt more - having the anaesthetic wear off after the implant before I could take a Vicodin or seeing the $5500 bill for the five hours I spent on the not-so-comfy chair in one day. That's pretty much the focus of my world these days.

Happy Nevada Day to all you Nevadans. I am off to read a couple chapters on data analysis and fall lifeless into bed.

Dental Rules (Rant Warning)

I propose a set of my own Dental Patient Rights:

• Patients should never, EVER be allowed to leave the exam room with blood on their faces. It's bad enough that you have to leave the exam room tired, numb, drooling, sore, and swollen, but then in your car you realize that you have been talking to the receptionist and walking past other patients all the while with blood splattered on your face. That just isn't dignified.
• If we're going to be in the dental chair for 4 1/2 hours, let us know early on so that when hour three roles around, we don't think something must be terribly wrong.
• Anything that can be discussed before dental work begins, should be discussed before dental work begins. It's so much fun talking to the billing receptionist when you're drooling (and have blood splattered on your face).
• Finish our dental work before the Novocaine dissipates. This is vital.
• Change the smell of your office. Just a whiff of that dental office smell sends me into a neurotic anxiety attack. Make it smell like chocolate. I'll either come to the dentist's more often or lose weight (since it may make me run at the scent of chocolate). Either way I'm better off.
• Stop charging us over $1000 for something so small it could fit into an elf's pocket.
• Give me Valium. (Okay, I don't really need this, but the idea is dreamy.)
• Better yet, give me anaesthesia.