I went to see the dentist today, because I had a corner of a back molar chip on me. They agreed it needed to be fixed, and took X-rays (digital X-rays… neat!). Turned out it had chipped to expose a large cavity… so large it nearly went to the root. After some discussions we decided to try filling it — the risk was that if it went to the root, it was root canal city (ouch). Luckily, the good Dr. was able to fill it without exposing the root. Of course, if I start having sensitivity in a week, or if it cracks/cavities again… I’ll have to get a root canal. But for now… bullet successfully dodged!
Tag: medical
OK, I Dare You.
It’s a Monday. That means a slow news day. Since I don’t want to blog about my weird dream concerning driving my vanpool in a bus where I couldn’t get back in time from a midday activity to pick everyone up, here are some news articles of interest. I dare you to find a connection between them.
- From the “OERM in the News” Department: The Daily Breeze is reporting about an interesting discovery during a remodel of a French Normandy style house in the Pt. Ferman area. No, not a body. No, what was found was a section of wooden rail ties, which turned out to be the remains of a buried piece of track that a century ago carried the Pacific Electric Red Car on the Point Fermin Line. This line traveled south along Pacific Avenue to take people to Cabrillo Beach, making a jog into the Point Fermin neighborhood (then only sparsely developed) and hooking north onto Paseo del Mar, where the trolley turned around. Where does OERM come in? Let me quote the article:
John Smatlak, who has researched the PE lines and is affiliated with the Orange Empire Railway Museum, has been researching the line, which ended with a sight-seeing stretch known as the “Triangle Trolley Trip.”
Smatlak is working with the Port of Los Angeles, which is weighing the possibility of extending the milelong waterfront Red Car line south to Cabrillo Beach.
- From the “The Right Way to Drink Coffee” Department: Don’t like going into Starbucks because you think it is too liberal leaning. Is the company from Seattle just a front for that Obama propaganda. Perhaps you should visit the Conservative Cafe in Crown Point IN. The Tribune Syndicate is reporting on this Starbucks-beater. This is a coffee-house with a decided conservative theme. Ann Coulter books sit stacked by the fireplace and a picture of President Reagan hangs on the wall. Fox News plays on all the televisions and stock market quotes scroll along an electronic ticker above the cash register. Blends available include the radical right blend, the cafe’s strongest roast. The other blends are conservative, moderate and liberal — the latter of which is described as a “Colombian decaf with no substance.”
- From the “But They’ll Never Admit It Publically” Department: According to the SF Chronicle, a new study suggests that a surprising number of overweight people — about half — have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while an equally startling number of trim people suffer from some of the ills associated with obesity. The results also show that stereotypes about body size can be misleading, and that even “less voluptuous” people can have risk factors commonly associated with obesity. Somehow, I don’t think they will stop harping on the obese, though.
- From the “Is a Shul a Shul” Department: The SF Chronicle is also reporting on a new synagogue in the Richmond District of SF. The new home of Congregation Beth Sholom at the southwest corner of Clement Street and 14th Avenue is evidently quite a stunning building, which suggests nothing so much as a giant menorah in a silvery frame. The “menorah” is the sanctuary, a bowl-shaped form of sandy windowless concrete the width of four adjacent houses. It sits atop a one-story base of offices clad in zinc-plated aluminum panels; there’s a small courtyard and then, backed against Clement, the panels climb to enclose a box the height of the sanctuary that contains a small chapel and kitchen beneath event rooms. The concave sanctuary has seating that climbs up either side of the “bowl”; at the bottom is where services are conducted and the rabbi and members read from the Torah. It truthfully sounds like a fascinating building. Has anyone seen it? Has anyone visited it?
And It Doesn’t Charge You An Hour for 50 Minutes!
Don’t want to deal with a therapist? Just blog. A 2005 survey by Digital Marketing Services for AOL.com a found nearly half of the 600 people polled derived therapeutic benefits from personal blogging.
Monday News Chum
Some news chum, from a stinky house (they are hot-mopping, i.e., tarring, the bathroom) on a headachy day:
- From the “Thank You, Republic Airlines” Department: It appears that Delta Airlines has reached an agreement to takeover Northwest (Delta, of course, is itself the merger of Delta and Western, and I believe that Northwest absorbed Republic Airlines). Of course, next to fall will be Continental, as United is poised to absorb Continental once the DL/NW ink is dry. In electronics retailing news, Blockbuster wants to buy Circuit City, and Chrysler and Nissan have a production alliance.
- From the “How Much Do Your Drugs Cost?” Department: It appears that health costs are rising even greater than gasoline or food costs. Some health insurers are instituting a Tier 4 Prescription Coverage, which for certain high-cost drugs makes your co-payment 25% of the cost of the drug. For some new drugs, this can results in thousands a month–more than mortgage payments. Some are even instituting a Tier 5. What’s worse, is that drugs can move from tier to tier without notice to you. Very scary.
- From the “My Heart Will Go On” Department: Well, they think they have found what sunk the Titantic. No, not an iceberg! Poor quality steel used in rivets. Studies of the wreck show that six seams opened up in the ship’s bow plates, and these are where the weak rivets were.
- From the “Curses, Foiled Again” Department: An attempt by a construction worker to curse the NY Yankees by buring a Red Sox Jersey under the new stadium has failed. Team officials watched Sunday as construction workers removed the jersey, with slugger David Ortiz’s name on it, from 2 feet of concrete in a service corridor of the stadium that’s under construction. Two other supervisors found the tattered shirt Saturday. The Yankees plan to donate the jersey to charity, and may pursue a lawsuit against the construction worker. Don’t they know: You’re supposed to bury mob bosses when you build stadiums in the Tri-State area and want to curse the team.
A Side Effect of the Internet
CNN has an interesting article on people being “cyberchondriacs”. The term refers to folks who research any symptom on the Internet, and being to believe (and be worried) that their disease is something much worse than it is. In other words, those who might jump from “having a headache” to “its a brain tumor”.
The article doesn’t discuss, however, a different form of cyberchondria. I would call this a drug cyberchondria. I know that I research any drug I will take, and then start to believe that any side effect will occur, even if it is a statistically negligable occurance. Do others do this?
“You’re As Useless as an Appendix”
This phrase may soon go the same way as “Is the Pope Polish?” It seems that scientist have indeed hyphothesized a use for the appendix: It provides a “safe haven” for all those good gut bacteria when something happens that wipe them out (such as cholera or amoebic dysentery). Although in modern society these are easily replaced from germs, other people, or things like acidopholus milk, less-developed society depend on the appendix to “reboot” the gut goodies. So, just like tonsils that used to be considered outdated but no longer is, the appendix may be useful after all. Of course, if it gets inflamed or infected, out it goes.