i just don't know where to begin...

i was up at 2:00 a.m. getting my *every 4 hours/3 advil* dosage when i thought "gee, pen. your mouth has hurt for an entire week, save for maybe a little alleviation one day this week. maybe it's time for a new dentist."

i was up half the night, too pained to blog, but surfed a little and went back to bed. found out through one of my servers whose husband has had dental nightmares entirely too close to mine that he found a wonderful dentist and i should call her. i did.

i was told they would squeeze me in and at least look at my mouth prescribe an antibiotic and perhaps pain meds and most likely see me next week. sounded good to me.

to my dismay, i had no book to take with me (i am the one who reads in line at the bank, remember?) i was at borders yesterday and started on anne lamott's *plan b - further thoughts on faith* and while it was quite on-point, it was also quite irreverant and decided after reading two chapters and chuckling to myself that no, i mustn't...then cheered myself up on the way to the dentist remembering how it made me laugh out loud, stopped back at borders and grabbed the very book i returned to the shelf (flap was still stuck at chapter 3). good purchase; i am, after sitting in the office and the chair for 2.5 hours, almost half-way though.

diagnosis: nerves were dead. as in doornail. infection was setting in and had migrated to my sinuses. "no wonder you were in pain," thereby dispensing with the notion that i am a malingering hypochondriac...and when she was getting rid of the old filling, discovered something she deemed "rare" which also garnered ooohs and aaahs from her trusty assistant called pulp stones.

"sort of like kidney stones, but in your teeth," said the new groovy dentist from brazil.

i sat through the first stage of a root canal and was practically gleeful because it (a) didn't hurt; (b) i was told there'd be an rx for antibiotic and pain medicine; and (c) i won't ever have to face those former dentists again. i have found my new dentist and am so freaking glad.

i am still numb and can do an elvis (costello) lip curl without effort; however, i managed to stop at the store and score a bottle of good chardonnay because i am not taking the pain meds if i don't have to, quite frankly.

wine is more fun, anyhow...