You know the drill

[gurdonark]

Which was the defining moment of today? Was it the dental appointment that commenced at 8:20 a.m. and lasted until nearly noon? My favorite quote: from the nice, professional dental hygienist, "What do I need to tell you to get you to improve your home dental care?", to which I replied "I assume the question is rhetorical". My biggest disappointment? The nitrous oxide actually did provide a little euphoria. I always take great pride in being "immune", kind of in the "Been Down So Long it Feels Like Up to Me" sense, only without the personal hippie/beatness (and, perhaps unfortunately, the accompanying wild abandon). But today I felt a bit more relaxed during the dental portion avec laughing gas than I did during the dental hygienest "deep cleaning" sans laughing gas.

Perhaps instead the defining moment of today is when my work computer for some inexplicable reason ran the internet as if it were connected at 600 baud instead of with a high speed connection. My law practice is very driven by e mail, google, an odd law database called loislaw and various other 'net things. I have too many things to do to allow this to happen, and the computer down the hall was an imperfect substitute. Was the highlight of my day instead when the really great guy who does our computer stuff plugged in the anti-virus disk and said "this should take half an hour", some six hours ago? Maybe instead it is that I am here at 8 p.m., post-Buffy, post-Smallwood, contemplating my day.

I am carrying a bit more than I like to carry right now. The good part is that it makes me a bit less self-obsessed, though, sadly, I am still far too self-conscious and worried about others' good opinions. The bad part is that I feel a little stressed. I see now that I am running roughly one silly poll a week. Maybe there's a reason for that. Of course, it may just be that I love comments, when I intend to get comments, but that's a separate post for a separate day. Today I'm just ready for dinner and perhaps NYPD Blue.

Comments

[kenmora.livejournal.com]

I sit here *sniffle* with my free box of kleenex provided by the good folks at HR. I have stayed late to get some small tasks automated so that perhaps I might stay home tomorrow to indulge my illness for a day. Yet I have just now reached the point in my larger project which shattered my most optimistic expectations of quick completion. It looks like I'll be using up a lot more Kleenex and no sick time this week.
Still, its nice to know that Saturday I'm off to Hawaii and that perhaps the worst of this bug will be over. Just a quick break to see what my LJ friends are up to and I see that you too are in a less than enviable place.
So here's to days soon to come, when we will both be well on the way to forgetting our momentary ills.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I had my bout with a cold in January, so I sympathize. Hawaii! I love Hawaii. We've only been twice, but the first time, to Maui, was wonderful, and the second time, to the "big island", was very nice. I hope you get to take tomorrow off!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_riomaggiore/]

robert, i am sorry i don't post more comments. you are so very thoughtful and good at doing so. may you know that i look forward to your posts, find them intriguing, thoughtful, reflective and stimulating. you tell us about you in a manner that makes us/me feeling so comfortable, giving me a sense that i know you. your transparency and honesty is cherished and revered.
may the focus of work go smoothly. i find that when there is too much to do, my focus and energy is increased.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Oh, my goodness, you are one of my most satisfying commenters. I hope the bit of maudlin self-denigration in the post did not hit an unintended target! I always am glad you comment to my journal, and, by contrast, always feel I should read/say/think more about the complex ideas in yours.

[kelquestor.livejournal.com]

Buffy is on late at night here, and I really consider it late night fare. I am thinking it might look rather different in the cold light of day/early evening.

So it hasn't been an ideal day. If all days were ideal what would we learn? But I am not here to read righteous, I'm sorry things were substandard. I know you can steer them upward again. I won't give you my little quips about stress either, they're getting trite and I am sure you know them anyway. But so what if the polls are silly, we all enjoy them, don't we, Gurdonark fans? The ones that mention books have been compiled into my reading list for the next 2 years and at the least, the others have made me examine my responses to things and define what I think.

Hope dinner is satisfying.
With every good wish,
*Kelsta*

[http://users.livejournal.com/_riomaggiore/]

your comments are always so thoughtful.

[kelquestor.livejournal.com]

and yours so encouraging. Thank you.

late night fare

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Buffy is in its seventh season here, and its ratings have noticeably diminished this year (hence, I put in a poll a while back on this topic). I think that it has become much more adult fare in the last season or two. I know some parents whose kids used to be "permitted" to watch Buffy, who are now forbidden. I don't know if Mr. Whedon appreciated that rather than the 13 year old audience aging with the show, ultimately, he would have to have an active group of the younger kids as a component of the audience. Of course, in my case, I was in my mid 30s or later when Buffy first came out on TV. I think I first really picked up on Season 2 or 3. I feel that the show is still quite a good watch, but I feel that it has missed some of its audience. Perhaps the story arc should be allowed to run its course, and we should all move on. But I love that show. I'll watch it as long as it exists.

I like doing the polls, and always have. I notice sometimes that I like to set up a topic for comments, such as a poll, and I wonder if this is not too "self-gratifying" or some such. I notice that I really like the interactive portion of the journal process, as well as the simple writing exercise aspect of the process. I love it when people comment, and I love to comment to other peoples' journal. I used to try to ensure I made at least twice as many comments as I received, but I notice my ratio is not quite that good anymore.

I know if the best way to learn is to live in the non-ideal, then I, like most folks I suppose, am a scholar indeed. I think the stress quips might have been funny.

I find that LiveJournal is an important part of my day, and it troubles me that a part of me likes the sheer response of the comment function. I notice, too, that I have this in-built urge to wish I could somehow "help" people, which is such a wrong dynamic for this process. It's much better to just experience people, perhaps, and let them know I am doing so. But that's a post for another day. I certainly add to my reading list with the books mentioned in my "what should I buy" polls, and the "what's your guilty pleasures" poll confirmed for me that most people love the same books I do.

Dinner was wonderful! Also, if I were named what you are named, I'd want to be called "Kelsta", too.
My dental hygienist today was named "Kitsy". What a wonderful name! I had an old law school friend whose nickname since almost birth was "Kitzel", which is in one German dialect "little Kitten", but "Kitsy" was a new one for me! She asked me today "do you prefer Bob or Robert?", and my answer was "either".

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

dude, you mean you can't get high?

i love that image of not being affected by any amount of laughing gas

'course i love the stuff...anything to put a lift in a day that includes a dental admonishment

i'm asked every time "what will it take to get you to floss"...i say "come over and do it for me!"

hope your stress level drops soon

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Now see, you're anticipating some cosmic 100 weird things about Gurdonark post, because the reality is that I have never smoked a cigarette, or a joint, or taken any controlled substance. I can count the number of times I've been drunk on one finger, and that time proved that when drunk I am, surprise!, wordy and over-pseudo-intellectualized. I had had gas before, but it did not have any effect on me, other than a mild "I know this hurts, but I don't care", not really a proper high at all. When I told my wife about the laughing gas, she reminded me of two mildly intense medical procedures for which I was given demerol, which did "do me in", as in zone me out and make me lethargic. But demerol does everyone in. I always thought it was odd when a doctor or two in my dad's acquaintance would get strung out on demorol, because I cannot imagine anything I'd like less to be addicted to, other than perhaps Michael Jackson interviews.

I did have one fun dental procedure. I, along with each of my siblings, had an odd congenital defect called "supernumerary teeth". Stated poetically, between the baby teeth and the grown up teeth, two little vampire fangs sprouted which had to be removed before the grown up teeth came in. I believe it was my inner Spike, although I never got to have a quick fling with a Slayer (although I did feel as though one woman did bleed my veins a little, but that's another metaphor). When I had the day surgery, at age 12, to remove them, it was a minor wisdom-tooth-similar thing. They shot me full of tooth shots, and then kept me waiting. Finally, I got impatient.

"When are you going to start?", I asked. "I just finished", the dentist said. Wow! I remember how hard it was to walk when I went to the waiting room. I was picking up my feet like a Lippenzanner pony, but I said, crossly, to my mom--"I can walk!!!". She bought me a milkshake and an odd game called Foto-Electric football, though, so it all came right.

I guess my life has a non-hallucenogenic flaw. But then, I still haven't decided whether to tell the story of my odd out of body experience! :)

Re:

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

that was wonderfully funny!

i love knowing you had vampire fangs...ahhh the real Robbie in the netherworld

LOL

[theodicy.livejournal.com]

I'm interested, but too exhausted to comment. I mean, comment cleverly. But I'm smiling - is that okay?

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

A smile is always grand. I appreciate your reading, and I never worry about clever comments :). That reminds me, in another vein--I did have that interesting case I found that I thought you'd want for your archive, but I don't think I sent it to you. I'll see if I can get my brother to pdf it for me, as you might be interested. I have a few more ideas and resources, but I'll address them by e mail.

[theodicy.livejournal.com]

bless you! I'd enjoy that much - could use something to distract me.

[platofish.livejournal.com]

TiVo is the perfect solution to working 'irregular' hours......or even working regular hours. Anytime some TV is required the favorite programs are there, and without adverts.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I listening to a TiVO ad just yesterday ,and wondering if it worked, so it's good to hear the positive feedback on it.

TiVo

[platofish.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it actually does work very well.....I'm pretty impressed.