self-portrait

Yesterday I had my 3-month periodontal check up and cleaning. It went much better than I expected, considering I've slacked off quite a bit on the flossing in the months since my last cleaning. The news was more than good, however: the hygienist was very happy with the state of my gum tissue (I didn't bleed at all!), and the dentist was pleased as well. The whole appointment - scraping, polishing, exam - took less than an hour! It goes by quickly when there's not much to clean, I guess! I left the office feeling much relieved and very motivated to keep up on my "homework". The dentist said if my teeth and gums look this good after my next appointment at the end of September, he'll start pushing my appointments back to four months instead of the current three! That is very exciting! While I enjoy having my teeth professionally cleaned every three months, it will be nice to eventually get back to a normal twice-a-year cleaning and exam routine. It will mean I've succeeded in saving my teeth! Yay!

So, after my appointment yesterday, I had the whole afternoon off. I ran home and changed into my workout gear, then headed down to Curves, and to Hollywood Video to return the two movies I'd rented (Peter Pan; the new one, which was excellent, and Starship Troopers 2 which was, eh, okay.). It was really nice to have everything done by 3pm, and to just be able to go home and spend the remainder of the afternoon reading. I'm up to about chapter six on Jane Eyre, and I'm really enjoying it! It's a fast read once you get into it. The narrative has an easy, fast-paced rhythm to it that's easy to get caught up in. I also did some reading on The Lovely Bones, which I've been ignoring for several months. It's very good, too. I'm up to about chapter five in that. And, last but not least, I did some Bible reading. I am woefully behind in my One Year Bible (I'm on February 2nd), so I'm just reading a few "days" at a time, not to try to catch up, but just to be reading it.

Lord, but my jaw hurts today! I knew it would after all the time it spent open at the dentist yesterday! I took an Advil this morning, but it's starting to wear off. I guess it's time for another one!