Last Living Grandparent

Holy Cow Batman!!


I have BREAKING NEWS: A few months ago, my only grandmother left alive (step-grandmother actually) died. Therefor, my last living grandparent left is my grandfather on my dad's side, Duane.


He lives in Detroit and I haven't seen him in person since I was 3 years old. When I was 3, he flew to Pensacola with my grandmother and my parents showed them around the city. We went everywhere!! And they had a blast!!


...and this would be where I would put in some pictures from that visit, but Hurricane Ivan washed them all away...


...and then they went home. And they stayed home. In Detroit. For 20 years.


Nevertheless, I always knew that on Christmas or my birthday, I would always receive a heart-felt card with a good amount of cash inside. He was faithful and persistent, and because of those cards every year, he never left my mind.


So when it came time for me to move to Charleston, I sent him a 3 page letter telling him what's been going on in my life and the journey that I was about to embark. He quickly called my father and I got the "official Grandfather Seal of Approval" for being a grown-up and moving away on my own.


He calls my dad on most major holidays, his birthday, and anytime Pensacola is pending a hurricane. He's constantly stayed in touch with my dad, and usually asks about me when he calls. "How's my favorite granddaughter doing?" he would say... and it just blows my mind that he is still asking about me 20 years later. On top of all that, my brother is the middle child of 6 brothers and sisters, so I'm sure there's lots of other grandchildren to go around. Why he loved me the most is still a mystery to me.


Well... he's getting old. He's in his late 70's or early 80's I believe, and I knew that if I didn't make an attempt to go to Detroit within the next few years, I probably wouldn't get to see him again. This is actually one of the items on my life's "to do" list.


...and then!!!!


I got a text message from my mom that said:


"Your grandpa is going to be here next weekend can you believe it!?!"


...honestly, no mom. I don't believe you. Quit messing with me.


But it was true. He called my mom because he has spent the past several weeks traveling the country, by himself, seeing our family scattered throughout the states. He was just calling my mom to let her know that he would be there this weekend.


...again, HOLY COW BATMAN!!


And after visiting my parents, he was going to head home. I was almost in tears when I heard the news. He asked about me and if it would be possible for me to make it down to Pensacola for the weekend.


...ok... quick Florida trip with less than 2 days notice. I'm frantic: I need to pack, get gas, handle the dogs... oh God what about my office?!?! 


But after talking to my mom, I convinced her to tell him that he could easily take I10 to I95, make a quick detour down I26, and arrive at my door. Plus, I have family in SUMMERVILLE that I didn't even know about, so he totally had an excuse to head this way.


So it's official!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I will speak on the phone with my grandfather this weekend for the first time in at least 4 years. On top of being overly excited about that, I'm going to have to control myself enough to get him up to Charleston. Seeing him is just what I need in my life right now.


...aww man. I see a Woodlands lunch date with my family in my future!! :) How perfect.


So next week, I'll get to hang out with my grandfather for the first time in over 20 years. Wow, he's in for quite the surprise now isn't he?! 

Capricorn's Unscripted

So... I found an awesome website (here!) that...


..despite the fact it's a "Love Calculator" or whatever...


...gave some really cool information about my Zodiac sign that I never realized were so damned accurate. Yeah... you gotta put in a "match" so it can find your "mate", but on the results screen, click on the spot where you can get more information about yourself. This is what it said about me, solely based on my first name and birth day, month, and year:

So ambitious and hard working, Capricorns are real materialists, who want to prove themselves and accomplish big goals in their lives. It is not the most social sign of the zodiac, yet these people do know how to be in society and how to put others on their side. ...totally true.

One of the greatest traits of a Goat is his/her consistency. Whatever they start doing, they will almost always make sure to finish it. This makes Capricorn individuals very reliable and responsible. Capricorns are also famous for practicality which usually allows them to come up with creative ways of doing same things in a different, but better way. Capricorns tend to be quite serious about whatever they decide to do, and they tend to focus a lot of attention on that one subject. These people are usually independent and have a strong character. However with all these good qualities, Capricorns still have a downside to their character. ...uh oh... here it comes: Their biggest flaw is inability to relax and let go off small things, since most of the time they are quite serious. ...another totally true statement!! Their excessive love for stability and consistency makes them scared of taking even small risks, and that is why they usually tend to be quite conservative and only walk the path that they know well, without diverging from it. Stubbornness is another bad point for this sign. ..and again... dead on.

Career-wise Capricorns are probably some of the most ambitious people. They always want to climb higher and achieve new goals. ...another great example of how we get it done intensive. Their persistence really helps them in this endeavor. Capricorns often make good managers as they are natural organizers. ...well most of us are. I can think of a few Capricorn's who could use some help in this area...

Apart from all the ambition and materialism, these guys are very faithful and the cold on the outside is just a cover of formality for the warm inside. Although if only we dared to suggest them one thing, it would be to learn how to take that cover of seriousness off sometimes.


Yeah... pretty awesome if you ask me. And the best part, they threw in a joke afterward:
Q: How many Capricorns does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: All of them... you can never be to cautious!!


Ha ha ha!! Yeah, that's dead on for sure.


And just in case if you ever wanted to seduce a Capricorn, this is the best way of doing it:

• Take relationships seriously
• Be independent and have goals in life
• Show that you appreciate them
• Calm them down from their worries

The following is what you should not do, if you want a Capricorn person to like you:

• Act immature
• Be too dependent on others
• Be excessively untraditional

...And I'll leave you with one more ridiculously awesome thing about us Capricorns: Our Sex Habits.

They may be cool and business-like on the outside, but once the business moves into the bedroom, they are said to be different. One thing is for certain - these people do not like to do one-night stands. To them sex is an expression of love and only the special one will get it. Serious Sea Goat people will rarely like the idea of sex toys or doing it in a club, because even in this aspect they are very traditional and conservative. ...that may not be totally accurate, but it's pretty close.Try to avoid the dirty talk too (keep it for next time with a Gemini). When getting down to business, Cappies, like to do it with class and taste, so a bottle of champagne is probably not a bad idea. Rumors have it that Capricorns, once given the right conditions, are some of the best lovers. 

Capricorn’s typical after-sex phrase is - "Do you have a business card?"

3rd Longest Dentist Appointment

I was in the dentist last Thursday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, with a 45 minute "lunchbreak".

And during my lunchbeak, I was prepped for crown #2 which means I had a huge hole in my mouth.

I had 3 composite crowns and two fillings.

...and it didn't go nearly as well as I thought it would.

During the first half of the day, we acomplished the crown and filling on the top. Before lunch, he prepped the bottom right molar for the crown and made it while I was gone.

...and I made the mistake of not getting anything to eat before my appointment. So needless to say, by 6:00, I was starving.

Then from 2:30 to 6:00, we did the bottom two crowns and the filling on the front tooth.

Oh! And just for the record: I only had TWO shots of Novicane: and they were just for the fillings, not teh crowns :) So yeah, another great example of making things happen intensive.

It would have been wonderful if it wasn't for a few problems along the way. The bottom right molar was the worse to do, because the wisdom tooth is the most impacted on that particular molar. I'll leave the nasty details out as to what happened... but just so you know: it's the main reason why my mouth hurts like hell right now.

I also... (yikes!)... felt the drill on my bottom left crown.

Oh... it was bad. Reeeeaaaaalllllllllyyyy bad.

By about 5:00, I was just getting stir-crazy and I had to start walking around the office. I was the only patient in there for the majority of the day, and I then found myself (out of sheer boredom) walking around to other rooms and asking the people if I could get them anything.

...and in my drug-inducted, beaten-up mouth state, I suppose it was NOT very appreciated.


So needless to say, my Thursday evening wasn't very productive. I came home on Thursday and ran straight to my bottle of anti-inflammatory medication; took a few; then was posted up on the couch by 7:00 and remained there for the duration of the evening.

Thank God I've had the weekend to recover. I'm still a little swollen, but at least I'm "full steam ahead" at work.

I LOVE MY MOM!!

So I haven't seen my mom since she came to visit me in Charleston a few months ago. We had a blast, and I know she had a great time because it was...

a. not only her first trip to Charleston, but

b. she got to drive her brand new truck the whole way here!

I've been going through a lot of personal things lately and it's made me think about home a lot more than I normally do. So of course, I was totally bummed when I realized that it was St. Patrick's day, and I was stuck here in Charleston instead of being at Bamboo Willie's on Pensacola Beach for the Annual "Green Bikini" contest.

But, thanks to my wonderful friends Shelly and her daughter Danielle, I got to see THESE!!!:

Look at that beautiful woman!! And she doesn't like taking pictures (for the record)

<3 you mom! :)

Today is the Day

So I was actually not really that nervous up until, like, 15 minutes ago. I just had the realization that about 1/4 of my teeth are going to be replaced, fixed, or worked on in less than 3 hours from now. Yikes.

Yeah, I know. I'm the "dentist trooper", taking on pretty much anything that comes my way. But damn. This is some intensive stuff going on today.

At 11:00 today, I am having an unusual amount of work done to my teeth. I don't think I've been scheduled to have my teeth worked on for this long since I got my braces put on. He's blocked out his whole afternoon, and I even get an "intermission" because I'll be there for, like, 5 hours.

Please God, let Dr. Morrison have a wide array of bite-rests so my jaw doesn't lock up while I'm in there. How embarrassing would that be?!

I'm getting (finally!) 2 permanent crowns put on my back bottom molars; both of which have had a root canal in the past month. My top right molar is broken of course (another one we can thank the wisdom teeth for), so we're going to put a permanent crown on there as well. Then, right next to that tooth, I have a teeny tiny cavity that we're going to tackle before it gets bigger. Same situation on one of my front teeth...

...and that's a scary endeavor. I've never had a filling on one of my front teeth. How are they going to drill it out?! It's like, not on a molar!?! I've never had a filling on a tooth that's in the front. Kinda nervous about that.

...and after today, me and my dentist will hopefully be finished with Phase I of "LaSha's Molar Nightmare". I don't know what's going to happen today, but all I know is that I've never had my ENTIRE mouth numb all at once before. It's always been the side... or the back... or the top.. or the bottom... now it's everything. 

And after we finish today, I believe I get to rest for about 2-4 weeks, then... onto Phase II!!

Which is.... (drum-roll please!)... "LaSha's Wisdom Teeth Nightmare"!!

Ahhh... I can't even comprehend my wisdom teeth right now. That's a whole other task. We'll handle that down the road, but that scares the shit out of me RIGHT NOW. The thought of "going under" (slash, never waking up) is more terrifying than going through the pain.


I'll see if I can get copies of X-Rays when we get to that point and post them on here. When you see how my wisdom teeth are coming in, your going to crap your pants. 


Here's an example of what mine look like:

Grrrrr......


Yeah.. and all 4 of mine are like that, and therefor: surgical removal of all 4 of them at the same time is my only option to save my teeth that are currently in my mouth from being crushed or shifting to the point where I need braces again.


Actually... that does kind of look like MY teeth... but the only exception is that you would be able to see my root canal on the molar. The molar in this picture only has a filling - no root canal. You'd get the white stuff all the way down to the roots, hence "root canal".


So wish me luck with Phase I today. Hopefully I'll come out of there a brand new woman!! And once the wisdom teeth come out, I should be done seeing the dentist more than I do my own parents.

"I Cannot Text You with a Drink in my Hand, eh"

If you haven't talked to me in the past few months, you are totally unaware of my obsession with ANYTHING Lady Gaga. I think she's beautiful, intriguing, fascinating, entertaining, and just an all-around amazing individual that I would probably give my left arm to have lunch with. 

I am a full fledged "Little Monster", meaning I practically follow anything she says or does religiously. So, when I heard that she was endorsing designer condoms by Jeremy Scott in association with Opening Cermony, I was stoked.

Where can I get my hands on these condoms? Anything she endorses is like glitter to me!!


Well, I can't. Unless... I go to the Opening Ceremony website!!! So keep that in mind... next time you buy condoms, that is.


BREAKING NEWS: Last night, Lady Gaga released the full version of her "Telephone" video which stars Lady Gaga and Beyonce with a cameo appearance from Tyrese Gibson. It's amazing, just like every other video she's released so far.


This video continues the story from the "Paparazzi" video which left off with Lady Gaga being put in jail for poisoning her boyfriend. "Telephone" continues the story with her awesome outfit selections, a kick-ass fight scene, those amazing Gaga moves I love so much...


...and practice my mastery of them by dancing to any Lady Gaga song I hear at any given moment throughout the day...


... and the best part about it: It's fascinating to watch. The whole video shown below spans about 10 minutes, but I can safely guarantee it's been the best 10 minutes of my Friday so far. 


But don't take my word for it: Click HERE to view the entire video on the Official Lady Gaga website.


And just in case the above link doesn't work for you, copy and paste this into a new browser window:


http://www.ladygaga.com/telephone/#


AND AND AND!!! I will have this: The Official Lady Gaga "Telephone" Ladies T-Shirt.

I'm the BEST Patient Ever!

So.... I had my root canal today!

It fascinates me that everyone cringes when I say "root canal". It's a vacation for me. 


And it was awesome!!!


And no, I wasn't on any type of medication besides Novicane. That's right. No IV or gas.


My appointment was at 12:45, and I would say I got the first shot around 1:15-1:30. And my lucky ass was out of there by 2:45, and back to work at 3:00.

Yeah, that's what we call making things happen INTENSIVE.


And to top off the AWESOME root canal, my endodontist said I was by far the most accommodating patient he's ever had because I was so fascinated with the whole root canal process. He actually offered me a job as his dental assistant!! But I love my job WAY too much to leave.

Then again... I LOVE going to get my teeth worked on.

And I'm thinking... I'd get all my teeth work done for free!! 


Seeing as how I'm just about maxed out on my insurance, which by the way, came into affect 9 days ago... it might not be such a bad proposition.

But...


Then I realized I'm probably the only person on the face of the planet that LOVES root canals and LOVES fillings and LOVES cleanings... and pretty much anything that doesn't involve an IV being stuck in my arm. And I don't have much patience. And I believe I might have to have patience for those people who aren't as lucky as me.

So yeah, I think I'll pass on that for now.

And for those of you who don't really follow the blog: Thursday, March 18th at 11:00am is going to hopefully solve all these problems once and for all. This is when I'm going back to my dentist... Feel free to flip through some older blog posts to know what ALL I'm having done :)