Wisdom teeth

I have no idea what function they serve except to create pain and confusion in patients and wealth for "Oral Surgeons".

I'll confess that I felt nothing for nearly two days -- I suppose that's long enough for me to forget exactly what the people who did this to me look like. At this point, I can't exactly see how this is "better for me". Perhaps one day I will... one day when I can eat again the solid foods I love so much like... bread... and steak...

The last thing I remember is the doctor saying, "This may pinch a little," as he slipped the IV into my arm. It didn't pinch. At all.

I woke up with a chin that felt the size of something in a Jay Leno caricature. I'm serious: In my first moments of wakefulness I was embarrassed at its size and scared of dragging it or catching it on something. I couldn't speak, my lips were made of silly putty, but  I was surrounded by the most beautiful angels dressed in nurse's scrubs. I communicated, as best I could, my appreciation for whatever it was they'd done for me (I'm ever grateful and thankful -- I learned along time ago when dealing with women always to say "Thank You" and "I'm Sorry"). I think I may have gotten a few phone numbers as well, but it seems I wrote the numbers in some strange language that existed only for that few moments, a language based on angular criss-crossing lines and squiggles indecipherable now even to me, its writer (I recognize my penmanship, even in this strange language).

And so I existed in a senseless daze for the next several days -- slowly rising from the depths of euphoric ignorance, a world with no feeling, to a half-wakeful hell where my jaws ached, but not anywhere I could pinpoint.

I am convinced there is a vast conspiracy. In a few days or weeks, I will receive a cheerfully worded letter, "Welcome to the Largest Medical Hoax in History!" A hoax where, by vague references to minor discomfort and funny stories about how silly we act when we've just woken from anesthesia with numb face (all the "milk shake stories" you've heard) we encourage other unwary, uninitiated individuals to have their jaws cranked open and their wisdom teeth forcibly extracted from their happy little homes. I'll learn fun phrases like, "Well, there was some discomfort, but everyone experiences pain differently," and "You'll be fine after a few days -- ice-cream and mashed potatoes are good!"

Yeah, that's fun, but here's the bottom line, and listen to me carefully: Don't have your wisdom teeth surgically removed unless there's a valid medical or dental reason to do so. If you're in pain (headaches, toothaches, etc) or there's some danger of your jaw being misplaced, go ahead, but consider this surgery carefully.

I'm eating at McAlister's right now... I missed food.

 

Here's a picture a brave soul captured of the tooth-monster on Friday night... It's been sharpened for your benefit.

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Wisdom Teeth,Surgery,Pain

Jackson's Tornado Damage: Let's take a step back

I've been following the relief and recovery efforts in Jackson following the devastating tornados that left Union University in shambles and so many other people homeless. The damage to Union's facilities was extensive, almost indescribable, and amazing because no one was killed. It's unimaginable, really. It truly does look like a "war zone". Damage estimates exceed $40 million at Union alone.

Let's take a step back, however, and think: The students displaced by the damage to Union's residence halls, for the most part, have somewhere to go -- they have family, places they call "home". Even now, just a week following the storm,  arrangements have been made to house all those students.

What about the other $40 million in damages in Jackson (damage estimates for Jackson-Madison County, including Union, top $85 million)? How many people are truly left homeless following this storm?

The news media has focused so much attention on Union that I think we forget that hundreds of people may be homeless, penniless, or jobless (587 homes were damaged, 71 were completely destroyed according to Mayor Jerry Gist).

 

Technorati Tags: Jackson TN,Tornado,Damage

Actual risk and our value system

The below is excerpted from a terribly interesting article entitled "10 Ways We Get the Odds Wrong" from Psychology Today. I recommend reading the whole thing.

There's a particularly interesting quiz at the end of the article.

I excerpted the below primarily because I have some acquaintances who constantly tell me how safe marijuana is (especially compared to tobacco and alcohol) and because this seems to be a hot topic, generally. Seems the folks at Psychology Today agree. I need to research exactly why marijuana legislation came about

VIII. We Worry About Teen Marijuana Use, But Not About Teen Sports

Risk arguments cannot be divorced from values.

If the risks of smoking marijuana are coldly compared to those of playing high-school football, parents should be less concerned about pot smoking. Death by marijuana overdose has never been reported, while 13 teen players died of football-related injuries in 2006 alone. And marijuana impairs driving far less than the number one drug used by teens: alcohol. Alcohol and tobacco are also more likely to beget addiction, give rise to cancer, and lead to harder drug use.

If the comparison feels absurd, it's because judgments of risk are inseparable from value judgments. We value physical fitness and the lessons teens learn from sports, but disapprove of unearned pleasure from recreational drugs. So we're willing to accept the higher level of risk of socially preferred activities—and we mentally magnify risks associated with activities society rejects, which leads us to do things like arresting marijuana smokers.

"Risk decisions are not about risks alone," says Slovic. "People usually take risks to get a benefit." The value placed on that benefit is inherently subjective, so decisions about them cannot be made purely "on the science."

Psychology Today: 10 Ways We Get the Odds Wrong

 

Technorati Tags: news,risk,odds,marijuana

New year, new rules...

My mother said several years ago that she would begin saying what she really thinks... thank goodness she hasn't completely followed through with that threat. Each year, around the beginning of the new year, she tells us how we should assert ourselves, make positive changes in our lives, and how *she* is going to change in the coming year.

Here's her New Year's Day proclamation:

 

Technorati Tags: Leopard,video,funny

Justin sings

I got a new camera for Christmas and I love it. If you follow my flickr pictures, you'll hopefully notice my posting many more pictures in the coming weeks and months. This camera also includes the ability to record videos...

I visited Justin and Allison last night when they returned from Middle Tennessee. Allison got this neat new head scarf that's constructed in such a way that it stays on your head (it has a little "head pocket"). Justin put it on and we asked him to sing "Mary Did You Know?" -- he didn't sing that... instead, we got this:

Thanks Justin!

 

Technorati Tags: Video,Funny,Song

flickr Statistics amaze me

Those of you who use flickr (and have "PRO" accounts) may have noticed last week that you now can see more detailed statistics on your photos. It's pretty neat to see from which websites you're getting visitors, who's viewing your pictures. For instance, I notice from my statistics, that some at wikiHow wrote on article titled "How to Recycle Your Socks" and used one of my flickr pictures to illustrate the article.

Here's a snapshot of my statistics page -- detailed stats are available only for the last 34 days or so (how long they've been gathering detailed stats). The numbers below are truly "all time" numbers, though:

I'm charmed that "Nathan gets a handful" is number one... Not one of my most flattering pictures, but, I've pretty much committed to sharing everything publicly. Heaven help me if I ever decide to run for high public office -- I'm screwed.

I notice also that for some reason, my picture of the Little Family is consistently ranked very highly. No one has looked at it recently, however.

I can't imagine why the picture of Lindsay with the blue tongue ranks so highly. Here are the most recent (last 34 days or so) referrers (how people found it) for that picture:

My flip flops are very popular. Here's the referrer list (again, only flickr searches) for that picture:

It seems that when you search Yahoo news or images for Destin, some of my pics come up. Same for Jackson, MS and/or the St. Patrick's Day parade.

I'm a *huge* fan of flickr, by the way. I think you all should be uploading your pictures. If you're still thinking about what I should get you for Christmas, I'll be glad to buy my friends/family a pro account on flickr. Just let me know. :)

 

Technorati Tags: flickr,statistics,technology,strange statistics

Facebook advertising

I know that Facebook is a commercial enterprise, they're in the business of making money. I don't pay anything for my use of their service -- the ads they present on their pages pay for my usage...

I like Facebook. I love the clean interface (though it's becoming more cluttered every day). MySpace allows users to customize their profile pages in almost every way imaginable and those customized pages are often hard on the eyes and on the computer (some pages cause my poor laptop to literally grind to a halt). Facebook, again, is cool and clean.

Mostly, though, I like Facebook because they seem to me to be "good guys". Yeah, they're making money, but they're perceived as being concerned about their users and doing the right thing. Kind of like Google, in my mind. "Don't be evil" and all that.

This evening, however, I was confronted with something that made me stop and think for a moment.

Click the above for a larger version -- you'll notice (even in this small picture) a large "Continue" button in "Facebook Blue". It looks like a genuine Facebook button... but it's not. It takes the user to the site of an advertiser.

I don't mind the ads, I've already said that. I don't like being tricked, however. I wish Facebook would limit these kinds of ads -- their presence seems duplicitous and not at all in line with my view of the "good Facebook".

 

Technorati Tags: Facebook,ads,social networking

Christmas shopping.. blech

I've done very little Christmas shopping. I've bought a few things for my parents (to give people), but in truth I've really bought nothing for anyone. Those who know me know that I don't give many Christmas presents anyway -- and they almost always come after Christmas. I hate trying to figure out what to get people; I don't want to give meaningless trinkets... To that end, I present my Christmas 2007 Gift Survey (link). If anyone has anything particularly interesting on their list, I might say something about it (won't use your name, of course). You're also, free, of course, to discuss that as a comment to this post!

I meant to publish this several weeks ago... :)