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I was Marathon Man today!

Today, I spent about 2.5 hours in a dentist chair. A filling dropped out of my head last night and my crown came in, as an early Christmas present.

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I had them do the work without anesthetic.

WHEEEEE!!!!!

I guess I like pain!

After they’d been grinding on my teeth for awhile, I couldn’t feel anything clearly. This may have resulted in a slightly high spot on the crown.

I may be going back to have it worked on a bit, but I couldn’t really tell what was going on after a while so we called it good for the time being.

My whole jaw is aching right now. That’s obscuring my ability to really sense what’s going on.

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I’m hoping a good nights sleep and letting the newness of the crown wearing off will allow everything to settle so I can get a good read on the whole mess.

My dental insurance isn’t really all that great and based on what they’ve paid for thus far I’d have been better off stashing the premium in a savings account.

The premiums I’ve paid would have paid for all the dentistry I’ve needed this year. As it is, I paid the premiums AND now I’ve had to pony up the cash for the filling and the entire crown. So I’ve essentially ended up paying double for the work.

I suspect that I’ll be looking at the same equation when my health insurance is cancelled. 

Even if some resolution comes with the health insurance debacle, I’m definitely going to cancel the dental portion of the policy.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve 

At least I’m going to be able to eat the Christmas goodies!

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The presents are placed under the tree…

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BIG DEAL!

I admit I do like the Christmas Season.

I like the tree, I enjoy the memories. I do wish I was spending it with my Mom, it’s just been too damn long since I was home for Christmas.

I suppose if I left now and drove like a bat out of hell (legally of course) I could be there by late on Christmas Eve or early on Christmas Day. That would mean leaving like RIGHT freakin now!

Honestly, I’m not up for it. I have no desire to deal with the TSA and their jack-booted, draconian approach to security.

Maybe if we controlled our borders we wouldn’t have to have an organization like the TSA feeling us all up if we, for whatever insane reason decide to climb into the cattle cars in the skies.

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That’s a discussion for another time and regardless of what I and 75% of the rest of the nation believe, the Congress will no doubt suck the collective Illegal immigrant dick in appeasement, and their continued selling out of the American people.

That too is a discussion for another time.

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I have a love-hate relationship with this season.

I love the beauty of the trees and the decorations. I enjoy and appreciate the sentiments of peace and good will. I enjoy spending time with my friends and  those folks that I call my family even if they’re not genetically related to me. It’s a good time of year.

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I hate this time of year because while it does bring out the worst in some people, it’s also the time of year that I begin collecting information for that most hated of days. April 15th.

I used to spend time each month carefully detailing records and entering transactions so that I could simply hand it all to the accountant after I’d gotten my W2 forms.

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It was bliss to have my taxes completed and ready to go by March 1 or earlier.

Over time and with the combination of my finances with the other halfs, now we’re lucky if out taxes are filed by Oct 30.

The other half can find the most creative and innovative ways to procrastinate! As I type that I’m looking at the Christmas cards yet to be signed and mailed…

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After many years of careful collection of data and not being able to file until some completely random date, I stopped the meticulous record keeping.

After all why bother? Nothing I did was going to make it any more likely that we’d actually be able to file on time.

Now I’m out of the habit of doing all the record keeping monthly. I have a years worth of paper and receipts that have been scanned but not organized or that remain to be scanned and organized.

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Heck! I haven’t even downloaded the transaction records from the bank in 4 months.

While I’m alone and it’s quiet I’ve been trying to whittle away at the record keeping nightmare.

I don’t feel like I’m making any headway, it just means there’s more time I’m spending in front of the computer.

The scanner is whirring, the shredder is purring, the kettle is boiling, my tea is cooling. My backup drives are spinning, and I’m thinking “I’d rather go outside to play.”

I had the same problem doing homework.

I think I’m going to bag the tax stuff for today.

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I’m going to empty the shredder, take out the trash, and watch a movie.

Yeah, I won’t get stuff done I should get done, but what the hell it’s the holidays and why shouldn’t I take some time off?

Oh wait…

Ok I’ll take some MORE time off

Look! Squirrel!!!!

 

 

 

 

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Yeah… OK it’s pretty

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Rambling…

Got home finally.

Last night was a learning experience… I’ve got a new backpack and forgot to move essentials into it.

You know, stuff like Aspirin, Tums, contact lens case and saline, toothbrush and toothpaste, condoms, all the stuff that you need if you get stranded… or lucky!

I admit the snow is pretty, and the hills and mountains are very serene. Last night however after spending so long on the freeways to get home I was very, very, cranky.

In the light of day it was obvious why things were so slick. There was about 1/4 inch of ice under the fluffy layer of snow.

So the moment the car lost traction in the fluffy snow, it was spinning on a layer of ice.

It was probably for the best that I gave up trying to get home and bailed to a hotel.

I have to admit as long as the road was not on a steep incline, the car was doing damn well in the mess last night. I suppose it is unrealistic to ask the car to do a 35º incline on ice.

This morning when I got home I was greeted by happy puppies who immediately wanted to know where the hell I’d been.

I think their inquisition might have been a bit over the top. I’ve been sniffed, leg humped, and presented with various toys and the pitiful “Play with me” looks.

I’m fortunate, the dogs love me even when I’m an ass. I’m also fortunate that the other half was able to get home, otherwise I’d be looking at some very unhappy dogs.

As I write this both dogs are watching me. I don’t think they’re going to let me out of their sight for a while.

I suppose it messes with their retriever programming when I disappear.

They think their job is to keep track of me and it’s humiliating for them to think they lost me.

My closing the bathroom door is even cause for great consternation.

Snow & dogs is always a hoot to watch. They’re in for a surprise today. They’re going to a late appointment at the groomers for a quick nail trim and brush out.

Since they usually go to puppy spa day early in the morning this should really mess with their concept of the world.

When they get back they’ll be all clean and pretty for Santa.

I don’t know if they’re getting coal or puppy toys for Christmas.

Being retrievers, they probably wouldn’t care what they got, as long as someone tossed whatever it was, out in the back yard.

Now off to finish Christmas cards! The cards are done… it’s the addressing the envelopes that I’ve been remiss about.

That is I’ll get to the cards after trying to clear the rest of the ice out of the driveway, Yipeee!

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Good Day, Hotel Room, Snow and Broken forks.

Got a Haircut & spent the day with a good friend. We had a great lunch and started our shopping with drinks. 

We managed to get our Christmas shopping done.

I wasn’t able to get home with my bootie though.

Who could have foreseen accidents that would delay my arrival home until there was enough snow and ice on the streets at home that I couldn’t get up the street to the house.

Had there been somewhere to park, I’d have just walked up the hill but all the places to park that were available I couldn’t get into.

I was annoyed, tired, and cranky.

It took me about 3.5 maybe 4 hours to get home. Rather, near home. After several tries to get up the street; failing at finding a parking place and nearly being T-Boned by a moron in a truck. I basically said,

Enough!

I drove to a local hotel, got a room and am now sitting naked in bed watching Futurama.

That’s about all I could ask for. I was so tired I couldn’t take going anywhere else. I’m planning to sleep until at least 9am

After all it’s my room until noon.

I walked to a taco place ordered take out and came back here. I’m eating and then I broke my fork. Ever tried to eat a messy, saucy, sour creamy Mexican meal with a fork that has only two tines? 

It’s interesting!

After eating I tried logging onto the free wifi. LOL!!!!

There is some Hollyweird production company staying here at the hotel and they are sucking up the bandwidth of the entire hotel. I have no clue what they’re doing but after 10 minutes my email finally finished downloading.

I’m figuring this is another one of those movies that will get one check and go direct to video. Can you tell I have little faith in Hollywood?

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I’m over being in the middle of a construction zone

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I’m tired of being trapped in the house.

I’m tired of the house shaking and the dust.

I’m over the constant growling and “Beep”,  “Beep”,  “Beep”,  “Beep”, “Beep”, “Beep”,  “Beep” of the trucks, steam shovels, and bulldozers.

I’m sick of all of this and I swear to you I think this is all because some people in the town council were inconvenienced one summer by the road washing out. So they whined at the county and sentenced ALL of us on the “low rent side of town” to having our summer, our fall, and now the holidays disrupted.

After all why should they care? This construction isn’t in their back yards. Well you bastards… it IS in my back yard, literally!

I’ve given up straightening the pictures on the walls. I’m spending a large portion of my day comforting the dogs who freak out when the house shakes like we’re having a 2.0 or better earthquakes.

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And then there’s the pure annoyance factor!

I didn’t move 80 miles OUT of the big cities of LA and Orange counties so that my house could be smack in the center of a construction zone.

They said they’d be done by Thanksgiving…

It’s damn near Christmas and they’re showing no signs of being near done.

6 days a week, 10 hours a day. Dawn to dark, they’re not even leaving enough time to walk the dogs (or myself).

This is really starting to get to me! I keep thinking it might be more quiet in a one hour hotel room with a crack den next door in the middle of Hollywood.

Plus the fact that these guys have no clue about how to deal with snow or ice. Hint: Clear the snow off the road before you drive 20 ton trucks on it. Then you won’t need the thing that looks like a blowtorch to melt the compressed ice so that your trucks can keep going without slipping.

We won’t even talk about the damage done to the road.

You know, the road that residents ponied up the cash to install, the one the county demands use of, but will not maintain, repair, or send a snow plow up?

Yeah, that road!

All the damage is new and caused by these folks driving vehicles they know are too heavy up and down in front of my house.

Yeah, I’m sick of all this crap!

I wake up every single day and wonder if this is that day I list this house for sale and leave!

This shit has completely destroyed the quality of life up here.

Saturday and today are the worst in a long time.

It’s hard to concentrate. You can’t watch TV or a movie because the noise is so loud you have to have the sound so high it’s uncomfortable just to hear a show over the noise outside.

Try doing a telephone job interview!

It sounds like you’re homeless, living on the streets because you can’t find a quiet place ANYWHERE in your own home to have a conversation.

I understand now why people snap!