Friday, January 09, 2015

Friday stuff

I had to be in Birmingham at 8 a.m. this morning. Most of the time, the 35-mile drive is not that bad but today it was intense. We live 11 miles from the nearest grocery store, so we're used to traveling. 

When I worked full time, I drove to a town south of Birmingham making my morning and evening commute 48 miles, which in ideal traffic, took me right at an hour each way.

But I retired from there in 2010 and haven't driven in rush-hour traffic in a while. At first, I found my heart pounding and gripping the steering wheel like it was a roller coaster hand-bar. 

After a few moments, I realized I was becoming tense, so I began to breath deeply. I'd been listening to a book on tape, so I paused that, and quickly found some soothing cello music. Soon the traffic seemed to slow down.

Soon I pulled into the parking log of the endodontist's office, and less than 10 minutes later, I had people poking things into my mouth.

Soon my lip felt thick the tire on my truck, and I was talking funny.

The actual root canal was painless, but later when the Novocain wore off, it felt like I'd been kicked in the head with an Army boot.

After I arrived home, I took it fairly easy for most of the day.

We'll be heading to the beach in a few weeks, and I must say I'm ready. Sometimes it's chilly at the gulf, but that doesn't bother us. It will be fun getting away.





14 comments:

  1. Root canals make one aware of all the nerves there are in the mouth. My husband had his first root canal a few weeks ago. He has decided he will be more diligent about dentist appointments.

    p.s. Just ate spicy grits and shrimp. Oh man. Heaven.

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  2. A good thing to get out of the way. I hate going to the dentist too and especially in the winter when it's cold. For some reason it seems to compound the torture and I hate early appointments. Having a num mouth is up there with having bamboo slivers stuck under the nails. Maybe, I'm too grumpy in the morning....

    Have a good weekend.
    JB

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  3. I have never had a root canal... I have heard they are quite painful after the fact... I hope you feel better soon Rick... enjoy your time at the beach, you and Jilda deserve and need this ;)

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  4. Glad to hear your tooth is taken care of now. Going to the beach any time is wonderful, so plan ahead a little, so you'll be sure to have a wonderful time while there...even if it's just thinking about the relaxing sounds of the water...the sensory appeal of it all!

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  5. The beach cures all ailments! Enjoy. My parents are in Gulf Shores, trying to stay warm.
    Donna

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  6. Aren't you glad the root canal is over? Have a good time at the beach.

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  7. Just hearing you say root canal makes my mouth hurt.

    At one time I had an hour 1/2 (on a good day) train commute each way. I don't miss that a bit. At least I could relax on the train that car trip can really grind your nerves.

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  8. How great to have the root canal behind you now. Take care.

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  9. There's something about the beach, the sea, that rewards and remains with us. Tensions churn into the waves and slide back under the surf. I think we chose our planet well, Rick.

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  10. Man I hate root canals! I hope you feel better soon and the pain is gone. Enjoy planning that trip and rest up this weekend!

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  11. First I hate to drive in traffic it make me feel tense and gives me a headache, second I would rather drive in traffic then see a dentist because I have a restricted jaw which means I can only open my mouth a tiny bit, most people can open their mouth wide enough to put three fingers between their teeth I can't even manage two unless I force them and then I want to throw up as I have an easy gag reflex so no I do not like the dentist at all

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  12. Good descriptive trip, makes me remember I don't want to do that. (the root canal that is).

    The BEACH, and young love. Sounds good to me!

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  13. Yikes! A root canal and traffic-from-H*ll on the same morning? I've not (yet) had to have a root canal, but our last two trips out of B'ham (south to Montgomery) were white-knuckle affairs for sure! Hopefully the pain's abating by now and you're warmed by thoughts of time at the beach.

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  14. Glad you survived the root canal! The beach sounds like a nice place to be headed!

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