I wish I had taken better care of my teeth as a child, but I didn't. So, I have 4 fillings that, due to my being 43, are beginning to deteriorate. The dentist wanted to give me a new one, so that's what I did this morning.
Now, I've always loved going to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. In fact, I wish our health insurance would pay for more than just 2 cleanings per year. But, fillings...ugh...those are different.
The dentist numbed my mouth and started to drill. "Tell me if it hurts," he said. It did and I did. So he pumped more numbing agent into my mouth, which, for reasons known only to evolution, I suppose, refused to go any more numb. So, he had to dump the entire contents of the (very scary) needle into my gums. Well then, 3/4 of my mouth was numb, but I could still feel the drilling.
Plus, because he had put so much of that stuff in me, my mouth, he warned, would be numb for a longer period of time. Great.
I was allowed to eat lunch by 12:30pm, but due to my not being able to feel my mouth, I bit my poor lip a few times ("what is that crunchy thing between my teeth?"). I should tell the kids it serves as a warning to them, but they're so dim sometimes that it'll be in one ear and out the other.
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
MoveOn.org and cleaner air
I signed a petition today at MoveOn.org, and thought I'd share their message here that I'm supposed to send to my friends:
Subject: A Nation Powered by Solar and Wind
Hi,
We have the best opportunity we've ever had to get this country off of polluting energy like oil and coal and onto real clean alternatives. This will not only help curb the climate crisis, but save consumers money and create new jobs. Seems like a slam dunk, right?
But some in Congress are still willing to do the bidding of the oil and coal industry and vote down bills that would undercut their stranglehold on our economy. We need to tell Congress now to do what's right for the American people, not continue business-as-usual.
I signed a petition urging Congress to vote for to give solar and wind the support they need to assure a clean energy future. Can you join me at the link below?
http://pol.moveon.org/cleanenergyfuture/
Thanks!
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
Subject: A Nation Powered by Solar and Wind
Hi,
We have the best opportunity we've ever had to get this country off of polluting energy like oil and coal and onto real clean alternatives. This will not only help curb the climate crisis, but save consumers money and create new jobs. Seems like a slam dunk, right?
But some in Congress are still willing to do the bidding of the oil and coal industry and vote down bills that would undercut their stranglehold on our economy. We need to tell Congress now to do what's right for the American people, not continue business-as-usual.
I signed a petition urging Congress to vote for to give solar and wind the support they need to assure a clean energy future. Can you join me at the link below?
http://pol.moveon.org/cleanenergyfuture/
Thanks!
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Organic make-up
Rosie asked about recommendations for organic make-up, and it's long enough of a reply that I thought I'd do a post on it.
I have tried Aubrey Organic's line, but I wasn't crazy about it. Now, that's just personal preference, not because of some actual defect in the products. I didn't like having to mix my own palette of colors because I'm lazy and have minimum time for make-up application. People who like to control their own color options will probably like it better than I did. I tried the lip color and face color products.
Another line of organic make-up and facial/body care is MiEssence, an Australian brand. I bought a facial cleanser and hair gel from a lovely gal named Susanna at her site, Boutique Organica, but I haven't tried the make-up yet.
Other companies that sell organic make-up are Dr. Hauschka (this is the brand I'm going to try next; currently, I'm still using Paula's Choice cosmetics which are not organic) and Jurlique. You can also find these lines at Saffron Rouge or Drugstore.com (which isn't as extensive as Saffron for product selection). If you're lucky enough to live near a nice health food co-op, some of them (such as Harvest Market in Hockessin, DE) have open samples for you to try before buying.
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
I have tried Aubrey Organic's line, but I wasn't crazy about it. Now, that's just personal preference, not because of some actual defect in the products. I didn't like having to mix my own palette of colors because I'm lazy and have minimum time for make-up application. People who like to control their own color options will probably like it better than I did. I tried the lip color and face color products.
Another line of organic make-up and facial/body care is MiEssence, an Australian brand. I bought a facial cleanser and hair gel from a lovely gal named Susanna at her site, Boutique Organica, but I haven't tried the make-up yet.
Other companies that sell organic make-up are Dr. Hauschka (this is the brand I'm going to try next; currently, I'm still using Paula's Choice cosmetics which are not organic) and Jurlique. You can also find these lines at Saffron Rouge or Drugstore.com (which isn't as extensive as Saffron for product selection). If you're lucky enough to live near a nice health food co-op, some of them (such as Harvest Market in Hockessin, DE) have open samples for you to try before buying.
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
Monday, July 23, 2007
See, I listen to you, dear
Per dh's request, I've purged my blogs' URLs from my sig lines. Now he can't say I never listen to him. Eh? Did you say something, dear?
No, not news, but this is first, and foremost, my journal, and quite a brain-fart it is too.
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
No, not news, but this is first, and foremost, my journal, and quite a brain-fart it is too.
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
The poisons in us
According to an article mentioned in my local food co-op's e-newsletter, "Women who use cosmetics daily absorb up to five pounds per year. That's a lot of chemicals moving directly into your bloodstream and organs without the filtering and breakdown that oral ingestion provides."
In my own defense, I have to say 1) I don't wear that much make-up. In fact, most people react with "you're wearing make-up??" whenever I say something about my make-up; and 2) What I wear under my make-up is more likely to be absorbed into my body than the make-up. The moisturizers and sunscreen act as a barrier to the minimal make-up I wear. In addition, I try to buy organic moisturizers, toners, and sunscreen...more than I can say for many other people who are absorbing their make-up. ;)
Then, too, surely, ingesting many tons of conventional foods a year is harder on a person's system than the 5 lousy pounds of make-up. Dh and our kids don't wear make-up anyway, so it's a moot point for them, and 80% or more of the foods we normally eat are organic, unless we're traveling or at someone else's home. So, I'm not too worried. Besides, the crap (Raid and Lysol sprays, bleach fumes, and yucky conventional foods laden with artificial colorings and flavors and partially hydrogenated oils, etc.) that my parents have put into my body as a young child is probably what will do me in, not the 5 pounds of make-up I may or may not have absorbed into my body each year.
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
In my own defense, I have to say 1) I don't wear that much make-up. In fact, most people react with "you're wearing make-up??" whenever I say something about my make-up; and 2) What I wear under my make-up is more likely to be absorbed into my body than the make-up. The moisturizers and sunscreen act as a barrier to the minimal make-up I wear. In addition, I try to buy organic moisturizers, toners, and sunscreen...more than I can say for many other people who are absorbing their make-up. ;)
Then, too, surely, ingesting many tons of conventional foods a year is harder on a person's system than the 5 lousy pounds of make-up. Dh and our kids don't wear make-up anyway, so it's a moot point for them, and 80% or more of the foods we normally eat are organic, unless we're traveling or at someone else's home. So, I'm not too worried. Besides, the crap (Raid and Lysol sprays, bleach fumes, and yucky conventional foods laden with artificial colorings and flavors and partially hydrogenated oils, etc.) that my parents have put into my body as a young child is probably what will do me in, not the 5 pounds of make-up I may or may not have absorbed into my body each year.
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
Sunday, July 22, 2007
More random thoughts
We received our copy of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows yesterday. The guys picked up the mail before lunch, and ds#1 began to read it as we ate lunch around 1 p.m. He finished the book sometime around 5 p.m. (could be earlier but I wasn't keeping track; I just knew it was before 5 since we had to set up for the hilltop event and he was done before then). I remember it took him around a day (8-10 hours, maybe?) to finish the longest book (Harry Potter #5) a few years back. He's certainly improved his reading speed since. Dh and I read faster than the average adult, but ds#1 reads faster than either of us.
As always, the hilltop soiree turned out better than I anticipated. At the very least, it's over with, and now I can turn my time and energy to other things (to do and to dread). We had probably 50+ people, about half of whom were not affiliated with the department. But, most of them were pleasant, and one couple even brought watermelon and tasty brownies.
It's interesting to note that, similar to doctors who smoke, people who majored in psychology are not generally the most competent folks when it comes to interpersonal interactions. Odd that.
I'm pooped today from switching into "gregarious mode" for 4+ hours. I'm, as anyone who's read one of my other Blogthings surveys remembers, NOT an extrovert. It's going to be a rough 3 years being the wife of the chair of the department.
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
As always, the hilltop soiree turned out better than I anticipated. At the very least, it's over with, and now I can turn my time and energy to other things (to do and to dread). We had probably 50+ people, about half of whom were not affiliated with the department. But, most of them were pleasant, and one couple even brought watermelon and tasty brownies.
It's interesting to note that, similar to doctors who smoke, people who majored in psychology are not generally the most competent folks when it comes to interpersonal interactions. Odd that.
I'm pooped today from switching into "gregarious mode" for 4+ hours. I'm, as anyone who's read one of my other Blogthings surveys remembers, NOT an extrovert. It's going to be a rough 3 years being the wife of the chair of the department.
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Carbon Conscious Consumer
Received the following in my New American Dream e-newsletter and thought it was very cool and had to share:
Carbon Conscious Consumer
Harvesting a pound of food from your own garden is even better, I imagine...I picked about 10 pounds of green beans from the garden a couple of days ago (and we canned/froze them all last night).
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
Carbon Conscious Consumer
Harvesting a pound of food from your own garden is even better, I imagine...I picked about 10 pounds of green beans from the garden a couple of days ago (and we canned/froze them all last night).
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
Brain Farts (and Gripes) Day
I have a bunch of random thoughts and needed to write them down.
Firstly: Amazing!! It only took one washing to get the musty smell from my parents' house out of our clothes. (My hair is another story, but I'm going to get it chopped off on Tuesday.) It takes no less than 3 washings to get the smell from dh's dad's house out of our clothes (and hair!). Dh says it's because we had the windows open at my folk's the whole time. It helped to have gorgeous weather while in Vancouver.
Secondly: my sister agrees with me on this, but it could just be that she loves me unconditionally and is a wonderfully agreeable person. ;) I'd certainly appreciate someone else's opinion. Dh and I are hosting the department farewell party for this colleague of his. This guy asked dh if he/his family can invite several other families that are not affiliated with the department, nor the university for that matter. Dh, who is a soft touch anyway but has also known this fellow for a number of years, couldn't say no of course. I hate to be not generous, but this guy (and his family) has been more of an inconvenience to our lives throughout the years than he has enhanced it, so I feel somewhat annoyed. We, not the department, are paying for all the liquor, drinks, and food, but that is beside the point. Does anyone else feel that he is being tacky?
On a somewhat related note, dh sent out invitations via e-mail and the invites said to "RSVP". Well, guess what? People either are totally clueless or lack the social graces to know what RSVP means. He received a small number of replies, but yet, when he met up with someone who hadn't responded, that person invariably said he/she would be showing up. Uh, which part of "respondez" did they not understand??
Thirdly: a gal at CafeMom complained in a journal post not too long ago about the fact that she spends a lot of time being nice to other moms there, replying to their posts, visiting their homepages to leave messages, and even spending extra time doing research to help answer their questions/problems, and those moms, with the exception of me (yes, she specifically said that...see, I am a sweet person despite what you may think after reading the above paragraph), never bother to reciprocate these niceties. Well, I must say I have the same complaint about some of the people in our homeschool group. I bust my butt to answer their questions in a timely fashion, volunteer (more than one likely should) for key positions that help the group run smoothly, and even give them feedback outside of the homeschooling realm (which often eats into my own free time), and yet rarely do I get an acknowledgement, let alone thanks for my hard work and good-will. Our friend, Carol, can attest to their boorish behavior. Maybe it's because some people think that unless a favor is granted in person, it doesn't count as a favor. Certainly, other members think these boorish members are lovely people, probably because they only interact in person.
I hope I got my crochetiness out of the way for the day. As the hostess, I have to plaster on that grin tonight and act gracious. Even though my system is sensitive to alcohol, I may have to imbibe tonight. Wish my sister were here to mix some drinks for me. She made a delish variation of a Pink Lady for me when we visited her.
p.s. this is the perfect chance to find out if my sis's hypothesis works: you diss somone on your blog and that guarantees that person will read it. I'm betting it doesn't. *grin*
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
Firstly: Amazing!! It only took one washing to get the musty smell from my parents' house out of our clothes. (My hair is another story, but I'm going to get it chopped off on Tuesday.) It takes no less than 3 washings to get the smell from dh's dad's house out of our clothes (and hair!). Dh says it's because we had the windows open at my folk's the whole time. It helped to have gorgeous weather while in Vancouver.
Secondly: my sister agrees with me on this, but it could just be that she loves me unconditionally and is a wonderfully agreeable person. ;) I'd certainly appreciate someone else's opinion. Dh and I are hosting the department farewell party for this colleague of his. This guy asked dh if he/his family can invite several other families that are not affiliated with the department, nor the university for that matter. Dh, who is a soft touch anyway but has also known this fellow for a number of years, couldn't say no of course. I hate to be not generous, but this guy (and his family) has been more of an inconvenience to our lives throughout the years than he has enhanced it, so I feel somewhat annoyed. We, not the department, are paying for all the liquor, drinks, and food, but that is beside the point. Does anyone else feel that he is being tacky?
On a somewhat related note, dh sent out invitations via e-mail and the invites said to "RSVP". Well, guess what? People either are totally clueless or lack the social graces to know what RSVP means. He received a small number of replies, but yet, when he met up with someone who hadn't responded, that person invariably said he/she would be showing up. Uh, which part of "respondez" did they not understand??
Thirdly: a gal at CafeMom complained in a journal post not too long ago about the fact that she spends a lot of time being nice to other moms there, replying to their posts, visiting their homepages to leave messages, and even spending extra time doing research to help answer their questions/problems, and those moms, with the exception of me (yes, she specifically said that...see, I am a sweet person despite what you may think after reading the above paragraph), never bother to reciprocate these niceties. Well, I must say I have the same complaint about some of the people in our homeschool group. I bust my butt to answer their questions in a timely fashion, volunteer (more than one likely should) for key positions that help the group run smoothly, and even give them feedback outside of the homeschooling realm (which often eats into my own free time), and yet rarely do I get an acknowledgement, let alone thanks for my hard work and good-will. Our friend, Carol, can attest to their boorish behavior. Maybe it's because some people think that unless a favor is granted in person, it doesn't count as a favor. Certainly, other members think these boorish members are lovely people, probably because they only interact in person.
I hope I got my crochetiness out of the way for the day. As the hostess, I have to plaster on that grin tonight and act gracious. Even though my system is sensitive to alcohol, I may have to imbibe tonight. Wish my sister were here to mix some drinks for me. She made a delish variation of a Pink Lady for me when we visited her.
p.s. this is the perfect chance to find out if my sis's hypothesis works: you diss somone on your blog and that guarantees that person will read it. I'm betting it doesn't. *grin*
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
Friday, July 20, 2007
Beans, glorious beans
(photo: dear sis on the left, dh and kids riding bikes in Steveston, BC)I know I wax poetic every year about the green beans. Luckily, I'm senile enough that I don't fully remember what I said or if I really said anything aloud or wrote anything down; I merely have a vague memory of gushing about them, and so I gush about them again.
I spent about 1.5 hours picking our gorgeous green beans yesterday and only got through about half of the crop. Dh planted bush beans this year (for the umpteenth year) because he doesn't have to build a trellis for them. But, picking bush beans is back breaking work. I tell him I am going to attempt to build a trellis with my non-existent carpentry skills for next year because my poor aging back can't take much more of this.
Picking beans with someone else is actually a lot of fun. We try to out-do each other by finding the perfect bean. "Is this the most perfect bean you've ever laid eyes on?" "Yeah, that's pretty nice, but, oh, look at this one!" And on it goes. Speaking of which, I should probably go hang up the second load of laundry and pick some more beans.
The Vancouver trip was really nice. I need to spend more time with the parental units though. I feel bad that when we go to DE, when my FIL was living at home, we had every meal with him, even though we took short day trips here and there. In Vancouver, we probably spend more time out with friends than we should, depriving my mom of our (ahem) wonderful company and the company of her (ahem) equally wonderful grandkids.
I sure miss my sister, too, when we leave. I'm looking forward to her visit in the fall.
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
'Later Alligator
Ok, enough wasting time...gotta go pack and panic. :) (I was going to find a photo of an alligator to stick here, but that'd be too much work since the photos archive is on our other computer and I would have to turn it on, search for the photo, put it on a data stick, bring it over, upload, upload again......)
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
Monday, July 02, 2007
No teeth, no animal hair
Well, ok, no teeth is a slight exaggeration. Ds#2 fell yesterday while playing with the dog (don't let anyone tell you skateboards aren't dangerous), and did a face-plant, chipping both front top teeth. One just had a small corner missing, but the other was half-missing. Plus, with concrete burns, he also looks like he's sporting a soul-patch and a Hitler moustache. Ugh.
I took him to the dentist first thing this morning (I called their emergency number on Sunday, but they ascertained that his injury wasn't so serious that they needed to work on him right away; we were fortunate that his teeth weren't loose). We were there for about 2 hours 20 minutes, but they did a nice job rebuilding the chipped area. (see scary photo above; I wish I remembered to take the "before" photo for a comparison)
As for the animal hair, well, JT is back from CA and took the cat, their chickens, and our chickens home with him. I vacuumed as soon as Hairball left, and vacuumed again today as well as mopped thoroughly. Hopefully most remnant cat hairs are gone and ds#1 and I won't be as sneezy anymore.
Then, today, dh met up with CP and DC and handed over the dog. We are so grateful to them for taking her; they have a lovely farm and the dog will be so happy there with other dogs and cats to play with and tons of acreage to run around in. She'll be content while we're on vacation.
Boy, it's nice to be (nearly) animal-free again! Only Gaia and her chicks remain with us (L&I will take care of them). I swear, we either need to stop traveling, or get rid of our animals. They are such a hassle.
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
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