My Mouth Hurts

So, yeah, I went to the dentist yesterday. I needed to get a crown replaced, which to my way of thinking is one of the worst things to have a dentist do. Here's why:

1. It's not my fault. If I had a cavity, it would probably be because I hadn't flossed enough or brushed enough. But I didn't put in my first crown, so the fact that it's faulty definitely lies with some sort of dental professional.

2. I have already paid for this crown! Twice. The first time, I had to get a root canal, and the second time, I had to get it glued back in because it fell out while I was eating fruit snacks (apparently, not good for crowns). The second time was relatively cheap, the first time was quite expensive, but either way, significant amounts of money have been shelled out on this tooth, and I am sick of it.

3. It still really hurts. No cavity or root canal, but I still had to get numbed up and drilled a bit. I tell you what, my mouth hurts a lot more today than it did yesterday before I went to the dentist.

4. Speaking of getting numbed up, I had stroke face for like 6 hours after I left the dentist yesterday. It was very undignified. And I could hardly eat. I had mashed potatoes and a milkshake for dinner! While I very much love both of those things, a dinner they are not.

So basically, I just spent a lot of money to have people do very unpleasant things to my mouth. Not cool, dentist. Not cool.

Speaking up

I don't normally do this kind of post, because I'm not this kind of blogger. But I'm sad and mad, so I thought I'd share.

Last Christmas, I read the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. It's not the type of book I normally read (realistic fiction), and it's certainly not the type of book I normally read when I'm on vacation (depressing). But I had heard wonderful things and I wanted to try something new, so I picked it up. I wasn't sorry.

For those who haven't read it, spoilers: the main character in this book gets raped at a party right before she starts high school. What follows is heartbreaking, hilarious, frustrating, empowering, and hopeful by turns. It's the type of book you wish no one ever had to read (or write) because surely, nothing that terrible ever happens in the world. But let's be honest. The world is full of terrible things and terrible people. Luckily, the world is also full of wonderful things and wonderful people, including Laurie Halse Anderson, who wrote such a powerful book on such a tragic but important topic.

So why do I bring this up now? Because Wesley Scroggins (who?), an associate professor of management (what?) at Missouri State University, recently wrote an opinion piece in his local paper that refers to Speak as soft porn. Because of rape scenes. It's honestly hard for me to wrap my mind around this. Has he read the book? Does he know what rape is? Or porn? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, then my only conclusion is that he must be seriously disturbed. The original article is here, but be warned: don't read it if you don't want to be filled with righteous indignation.

Censorship is ugly, and it's happening right here in the USA. I firmly support people's right to read what they want. Or not read what they don't want. Have there been books that I've set down because the content bothered me? Of course! Lots! But I would never presume to say that a book that bothers me wouldn't be your new favorite or vice versa. So I'm speaking up (and planning a totally rockin' Banned Books Week display).

If I were a superhero, I'd be Mouse-Woman

Or Mouse-Girl, I suppose, but that's offensive. As long time readers know, I am afraid of mice. No amount of rational thinking has been able to cure this. I know they're small. I know they're cute. I even like them in cartoons. Maybe if they wore little outfits in real life? But I think they are evil and creepy. So, imagine my horror when I discovered that my new library branch has at least 1 (but I'm thinking 2 is more realistic, since I've seen one upstairs and downstairs) mouse. Insert full-body shudder here. And not just any mice. These mice are crazy bold. C'mon, mice! What ever happened to being afraid of people?

You'll all be pleased to know, however, that I am much, much braver than I used to be. Although I have seen mice several times at the library, not once have I screamed, jumped up on my desk, and started shaking and crying. Progress! Once I did have to go outside and quietly freak out, but that's not too bad. Anywho, I still hope that we can someday get rid of the evil things. I'm thinking we should get a library cat. It would be cute (we could name it Patches!) and at least if I saw a mouse, I could say, "Well, that's Patch's lookout."

P.S. Bonus point to whoever knows what the title of this blog refers to.