Shake, Rattle and Roll

The only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little farther down our particular path than we have yet got ourselves.
-- E. M. Forster

Monday, June 23, 1997

This morning was the first in a series of trips to the dentist, to repair the toll that years of my neglect has taken on my mouth. Last week was an examination; today three fillings were on the schedule. Unfortunately my number 2 molar (Did you know, the number 1 molar is your upper right-hand wisdom tooth, whether visible, present or not?) was too messed up for just a filling. I consult with the oral surgeon tomorrow morning -- this trip was already on the schedule -- to see whether it's better to have vast amounts of work done on the tooth or to extract it. The procedures that would have to be done include such charming terms as "gum lowering".

The number 3 molar and number 4 bicuspid fillings proceeded apace. Some dentists may have videos for you to watch on goggles. At Dr I---'s I get to listen to the conversation, which is really more fun. The dental assistant is in the Air Force reserves, so she was telling the dentist about her training exercises over the weekend, and explaining about a "boss trip" that employers of reservists could sign up for, and get a flight to various areas of the country. The banter and good humor was really nice and comforting.

The dental dams and equipment they use these days! I'm glad I didn't see myself with clamps on my teeth and rubber sheets in my mouth. I'm sure I looked like something from Terry Gilliam's "Brazil".

Then off to work, where my main computer developed the annoying habit of GPFing everytime I tried to use the main program I am working on. Could be time for an OS reinstall. Ordinary users won't have these problems, since they won't be upgrading their builds over and over like we do.

Oh, yeah! There was an earthquake today! It actually felt a little stronger than the one we had last year. The way that everyone feels it at once is what distinguishes a real quake from momentary internal dizziness.

In the evening we had a meeting of the Microsoft Bookclub. Our book was The Romance Reader, by Pearl Abraham. It's a story of a young girl growing up in the sixties among the Hassidic Jews in New York, presumably somewhat autobiographical. Beautifully written, in a spare, simple style. She really does the family relationships very well. The community pressures on the family kept people in line; there was a huge amount of worry about "what people would say" if the daughters got jobs as lifeguards, wore pantyhose instead of stockings with seams, or were seen checking books out of the library on Friday before the Sabbath. Because the heroine's father was a rabbi (a rebbeleh, with only a small congregation) there was even more pressure, since neighbors expected his family to follow customs that they didn't even keep themselves!

The bookclub has been going on for several years. It's fun! We meet monthly over dinner and discuss a novel. It's a way of reading things I wouldn't read normally.

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