Tooth Talkin'

It was very cold for the first time since the spring when I got up this morning. I don't think it ever went above the 40s. The wind bothered me more than the cold did. It didn't make for an easy ride...and I had a lot of riding to do today. It flurried briefly while I ate oatmeal and a half of a grapefruit for breakfast, but the first snow of the season left no accumulation and was long gone before I headed out to Dr. Kernan's office for my 10 AM appointment.

My appointment was much simpler and faster this time. All they did was put the crown on, make sure it fit and didn't interfere with my bite, and polish it up a bit. There were no needles necessary, nor even wires. Took a little over a half-hour. They want me to come back for one more quick appointment to fix a final chipped tooth, but I told them I'd do it in January. The holidays are complicated enough without messing around with appointments. I got the big things fixed.

Went straight to the Haddon Township Library next. Though I ran smack into their Storybook Hour, I actually didn't have much trouble with the kids' DVDs. The S titles are still a bit overloaded. Otherwise, I was able to organize and shelve everything with no problems. Likewise the adult titles. I was able to clear out some kids' and foreign DVDs and shelve all of the foreign and adult DVDs but one.

After I ended up busy last week, I kept my own rentals to Despicable Me (didn't get to it last week), the Miss Spider and Her Sunny Patch Friends Christmas DVD Hum Bug, and the remaining three Kaya "core" books. (I'll take out her mystery after the holidays.)

My next stop was Collingswood. I'd put off a haircut for too long. I normally do it in late August-early September, but I ran into a combination of a lack of money, time, and my hair was cut so short after my last visit, it hadn't gotten that long. A nice fellow named Scott just layered it and gave it a trim, which is all it really needed. I didn't want to go as short this time, given we're coming up on winter. I made a quick stop at the Rite Aid next door after that for clips to hold back my hair while it dried. (I'm not a fan of blow driers.)

It was 1:30 by that point. The dentist told me to wait a couple of hours before eating. I figured that was long enough. Collingswood is filled with restaurants, but all I wanted was soup that would be easy on my new tooth. I settled for tomato soup and half of a chicken salad sandwich on thick whole wheat bread at The Pop Shop. The bread was so thick, I ate the chicken salad, lettuce, and tomato with a fork and did the bread separately. The tomato soup was especially good. It was thick, more like a puree, and so filled with basil and spices that it tasted more like Marinara Sauce Soup. The Pop Shop was quiet for them except for one mom and her adorable toddler daughter, and I had a lovely lunch.

Went straight to counseling after lunch. I ran into Mrs. Stahl going to the Starbucks a block away to get coffee even as I arrived 20 minutes early. I read the Kaya books while waiting for her.

When she came in, I told her about my busy couple of weeks and about how work is driving me crazy. I also explained about part of my problem. I've been thinking over a lot of things for the past few weeks. Mom says I'm disabled, but I'm not sure what my disability is, or who told her I had one. I'm assuming it's an emotional disability. She doesn't say this to be mean, but to make me aware of why I have problems. I really need to get her to give me more details, including who informed her I have a disability in the first place.

Another part of my problem is, throughout my school years, well-meaning people kept pulling me from this class or that school the moment I seemed to be having problems. Trouble was, I didn't fit in any better with the kids who had mental and emotional disabilities in the special ed school and classes than I did with the so-called "normal" kids. I never felt quite "special" enough or "normal" enough. I'd get along well with the teachers, but could never figure out most of the kids. Things did improve a bit in high school and college, where I got more involved with organizations and did meet some people my own age whom I had more in common with, but I still felt out-of-place. I never really felt right in Cape May County. I don't feel right here, either, but at least I have more opportunity to meet people.

Mrs. Stahl pretty much said "talk to Mom." She's really the only person who knows any details about my problems in school or what my actual disability is. Oh, and we're also going to wait for early January to get together again. I figured I'd save the 20 dollar fee for shopping.

After a brief stop of my own at Starbucks for a Peppermint Hot Chocolate, I headed home. It was almost 5 when I hit the quiet Newton River Park. Needless to say on such a chilly evening, the only other people there were two joggers and a flock of Canadian geese. I did see an absolutely amazing sunset, though. The clouds that had hung around all day were finally starting to retreat, revealing a glorious mass of purple, pink, and magenta. I'm glad I accidentally left my camera in my purse after I put it in there to get shots of Khai at Halloween. I snapped some great pictures of the sunset near Merrick, and another couple while going over the bridge on Bettlewood.

When I got in, I watched holiday cartoons for a while as I put together leftover Blackeyed Peas and Rice for dinner. Scooby Doo's done three Christmas specials over the years, the first being "A Nutcracker Scoob" from the early 80s. Scooby, Shaggy, Scrappy, Daphne, and Fred rescue an orphanage from a mean old miser who wants to tear it down to find a precious emerald and the Ghost of Christmas Past, who keeps appearing wherever they're looking for the emerald.

The Pink Panther's only Christmas special also first appeared in the early 80s. A Pink Christmas puts the famous rose-colored feline in turn-of-the-20th-century New York for the holidays. He's so desperate for a meal, he does everything he can, from shoveling snow to catching a bank robber, to get food or earn the money for a meal. Nothing seems to work...until he encounters a creature even hungrier than he is and is reminded of the real spirit of the season.

A touching tale, based after the O.Henry short story The Cop and the Anthem. I couldn't help feeling sorry for poor Pink, as nothing seems to work out for him here until the ending. Very sweet for fans of The Pink Panther, and even for animation enthusiasts and families looking for a nice, simple Christmas story.

Finished off my night in a wonderfully warm bath. I needed it, after all the running around I did today. I read over job search books, trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I wish they'd write job search books with all workers in mind. Most of the people the books talk about seem to be going from office job to office job. What about people who want to go from menial jobs to office jobs? Or from office jobs to something else? Not to mention, except for the writing I did for Helium last fall, I've been blocked with writing for years. Sure, I've written in this blog, my morning journal, and with Lauren, but I can't seem to get anything going on my own. I'll get ideas, but I either never get around to writing them, or I'll start writing them and never finish. I don't know what's wrong with me, or why I can't get around that block.