one.o.eight

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May 31, 2007

The Chip and Grind

I chipped my tooth on Monday (Memorial Day here in the United States). I was eating at a local restaurant, bit into a chicken appetizer, when I my tooth encounter something, and--CRUNCH!--I chipped my tooth . I never did find what I bit that caused the crunch, nor did I find the piece of my tooth. It was a small chip--not like the tooth split or broke apart--but it happened to one of my front teeth (upper right central incisor) so it was somewhat noticeable. Plus it left this sharp edge that would catch on my tongue and lip. Ouch!

The restaurant management was very responsive. They insisted I see my dentist at their expense (via insurance of course). I kind of felt for them in their worried state. Our society is so litigious these days (especially NJ), and I'm sure a more opportunistic person could have spun this event into some sort of mega-lawsuit. You could see it in their eyes that they were praying I was not such a person. I'm not.

So I visited the dentist yesterday to discover that, since the chip occurred on the cutting edge of my tooth, it was not possible to fill the damaged area with anything that would permanently hold. I was told grinding was the only option. So out came the dentist drill with a diamond grinding bit, and my two front teeth (because they needed to match in length) were shortened approximately 1 mm each. The results removed much of the chip and minimized the remainder of it. "Luckily" the two teeth that got the grinder were a little "longer than average", so there was a margin for shortening them without making my smile look too funny. Actually, you wouldn't even notice the change, but I sure do.

I hadn't realized how much "thinking" I did with my front teeth. When deep in thought, I used to chew on my lower lip and/or bite my fingernails. Now I can do neither and I'm going crazy for it. I may have to take up drinking, smoking, and fornicating to ease my troubled mind. Or I suppose I could just pick one, but why limit myself? :P

Posted by Tacitus at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)

May 21, 2007

Thinking Like a String

When playing a stringed instrument, especially a string bass, to make a tone rise, you slide your fingers down the fingerboard. To lower a tone, you slide your fingers up the fingerboard. So to go up go down, and to go down go up. Sometimes what feels like reversing direction is the correct way forward, while plowing ahead only drives you farther back. Sometimes keeping in tune requires thinking like a string.

Posted by Tacitus at 05:51 PM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2007

Happy SPAMiversary

Today marks the one year anniversary of my starting to ban IP addresses that SPAM me. Huh. 79 IPs to date / 356 days = 1 SPAM per ~4.5 days. That's pretty light, but considering this site sees almost no traffic (~40 hits a day, ~35 of which are probably mine :P) that's extraordinary.

So it's just you and I, SPAM. Happy anniversary. It's been a long bumpy year. We've had our ups and downs; mostly downs. Okay, it's been all downs. Let's face facts. We're just no good for each other. <.< Maybe we should see other people. Don't be sad. It's better this way. But please, so stop calling me. I'm tired of screening my calls. It's time to move on.

Posted by Tacitus at 09:34 AM | Comments (0)

May 09, 2007

Before There Was Windows...

...there was the Book.

Posted by Tacitus at 03:03 PM | Comments (0)

Spring Fizzle

So with Spring finally here I'd been waiting for the cherry tree in my yard to blossom. All the other cherry trees in the neighborhood had done it. Mine seemed to be sleeping in. I figured it was just waiting to do something spectacular.

This past weekend it finally awoke... with a feh. What a disappointment. Two years ago (Wow! Have I really been here that long?) this event was magical. This time less so. The most only beautiful thing on my property, and it's suffering performance anxiety. :P

Well there's always next year, though I plan on living someplace else by then. At least I better be!

Posted by Tacitus at 09:43 AM | Comments (0)

May 08, 2007

Going Paperless

Paperless paper airplanes. Great time waster. :P

(Personal best: 48.2m)

Posted by Tacitus at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

May 07, 2007

XIII

Happy Anniversary, baby!

Posted by Tacitus at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)

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