Shots, shots, Hit Me With Your Best Shot...

The week: News in Review Good news...bad news!

My trip to the dentist was a scheduled one to address a tooth on its last root.
Hello ....king me! That would be a stunning $975 crown!! Less 5% if paid by cash or check. Credit card companies charge the dentist to use their services, and so the office passes it along to those who use it. In my case that is would be $48 less, and as a result, my home equity line will go up by $900 more !! More or less...less is more....

The hardest part was the Novocaine which I think...mind over matter...for a matter of [peace of] mind because I knew there'd be a whole lot of drilling. I had brought my Ipod and ear buds which proved to be a decent distraction in trusting the Novocaine's effectiveness. A temporary crown now rests in place for a couple of weeks 'til...Dah-da-da-Dah!!! The official coronation. Oh yeah...the good news? The tooth that I had lost a piece of while eating some trail mix the week before was THE tooth in question. I said to the dentist,

"That is good news. Hey! I wanted to chip in and make your job a little bit easier!! "

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On my way home, I stopped by one of the schools where I taught and dropped off some gladiolas. I wanted to see a couple of people for sure as well as others. In the parking lot, I recognized a parent of a student that I had taught many years ago. [Geez! Pretty amazing when you recognize the parents, too! That's the 'ole right brain's snapshot ] .
When I asked her to relay my 'hello', she said,
"He remembers you! He used to tip/rock on the back legs of his chair and you took his chair away!!"
Ooof! I didn't see that one coming!!

I have a pretty clear conscience relative to leaving bad memories with the kids and so I quipped, "Would you have preferred a concussion? And he must have had many warnings to lose that chair for just about 5-10 minutes!!"

We laughed about it, but I was thinking 'Jesus, Mary, and Joseph...are ya kidding me?'

I had a good time walking around the building and seeing familiar faces as well as those of new people. When I tracked down the one person who I really wanted to connect with, she asked if I had mental telepathy because she was talking about me that morning. Kindred spirits.

In the lunch room when I related my conversation with the parent, this 'kindred spirit' said,

"I remember when I started working in the district, there was a PARP [Parents as Reading Partners] campaign going on, and there was a [relatively unstable] kid who wouldn't be able to reach whatever goal had been set to be a part of the ice cream sundae party due to 'circumstances beyond his control.' I was asked to let this kid read to me because she told me that when he was eighteen years old he'd come back and shoot her because he didn't get to go to the ice cream party!!!"

I'd prefer to think my intentions were more altruistic!! Really!!

While this story didn't totally surprise me, this situation was also one that I had forgotten. Within my final years of teaching, there was a message written on the playground equipment about 'Beware of something [bad]happening on Sept 31'. Even though we knew that there were only 30 days in September, it still made you think.

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When we took Flo to the doctor as a follow up to the last visit, I called ahead to ask if flu shots were available. Whoever answered the phone informed me that,

"Yes we have them, but there are 3 clinics set up for that purpose. You will have to get it then."

I could not believe the ridiculousness of this and stated[nicely],

"What? I have to bring my 98 year old mother who is in a wheelchair back at another time to wait in line for a flu shot when she is coming in today and you have them there? I am not one to 'shoot the messenger', so thank you for the info." And I hung up.

As Flo's actual visit was concluding, I asked the [wonderful] physician's assistant who inquired..."Anything else?"about the possibility of a flu shot. Her answer was,

"Absolutely! And one for you, too!"

In my head as I checked out at the desk, I was thinking...NAH-nah-nah-NAH-nah!!

That wouldn't have accomplished anything positive, and so I smiled a big smile, and left.

And there you have it.

Shots of Novocaine, a flu shot, parental shots from the past, my arthritis shot...

I think there's only one shot left to be had....that would be the one in a 'Tequila Sunrise'!!!

Care to join me?

Omm-mmm!