Five things make a post

I had forgotten I have dental coverage as part of my health insurance. So, clean teeth, reassurance that I have no cavities, and no out-of-pocket cost (it counts as preventive care). This still doesn't make me want to schedule extra dental appointments. This was just the regular checkup/cleaning, but I'd had intermittent twinges in one tooth, so they took extra X-rays (which took three tries, since it was way in back), and the dentist also did a visual-light inspection of the outer surface, finding no problems. He says he wants to see me every six months, though his office seems to be sending me reminder postcards only half that often.

Work was slow and irritating: nothing about my coworkers or the like, just that I'm working on one of the pieces of my job I don't particularly enjoy (nor, as far as I can tell, does anyone, so even if this weren't the most urgent thing, on which all three of us science editors are working on, I couldn't really ask someone else to do it while I did something they disliked). On the other hand, the bit that was looking like a bear is at most a bear cub, since while this particular state standard is weird, it's not unique, so we can tell the writer to base some of those lessons on a previous book. (When possible, we repurpose existing material; things like lab safety don't vary that much from state to state.) Someone I like left today, but cheerfully, and may be back to do some freelance stuff. She's going back to school full time: at the moment, the remaining prerequisites so she can apply to study to become a Physician's Assistant.

The latest appointment the dentist had available was at 4 (I think he stays later some other days of the week), so I was at the gym a little before five, meaning I had a good workout and was still home by 7:30. It rained while I was having my teeth cleaned, and was pleasantly cool as I was walking. I was rained on for about three blocks, not counting the half block where it was raining enough for me to open my umbrella.

Two small losses: A bakery I used to go to semi-regularly, on Ninth Avenue (near my dentist, whose office is near where I used to work) is no longer in business; I am now in that bit of Hell's Kitchen seldom enough that all I know is that a new business has moved into the space (so, it didn't close down last week, but could have been 2 months or a year; I think I walked south from the dentist last time instead of north). It was a perfectly nice Italian bakery, which filled cannoli to order, did some nice cakes if you pre-ordered (for example, if you didn't want chocolate, vanilla, or one of a variety of fruit fillings between two layers, you could get cannoli filling between layers of chocolate cake), and made decent biscotti. And had been there since the 1950s; that's long enough that I wouldn't be astonished if, rather than this being a casualty of the recession or a greedy landlord, the owners decided to retire and the third generation of the family, if any, wasn't interested in running a bakery.

Also, the tree I've been posting happily about as it sprang for the sky has fallen, or been knocked, sideways; tying it to a good, sturdy stake might help, if we had such a stake available. (It's possible the park workers will do this; they have been mowing around it this summer.) I miss it more than the bakery, though it's arguably a smaller loss, because it's right here and I've been paying attention to it.

( gym numbers )

Five things make a post

I had forgotten I have dental coverage as part of my health insurance. So, clean teeth, reassurance that I have no cavities, and no out-of-pocket cost (it counts as preventive care). This still doesn't make me want to schedule extra dental appointments. This was just the regular checkup/cleaning, but I'd had intermittent twinges in one tooth, so they took extra X-rays (which took three tries, since it was way in back), and the dentist also did a visual-light inspection of the outer surface, finding no problems. He says he wants to see me every six months, though his office seems to be sending me reminder postcards only half that often.

Work was slow and irritating: nothing about my coworkers or the like, just that I'm working on one of the pieces of my job I don't particularly enjoy (nor, as far as I can tell, does anyone, so even if this weren't the most urgent thing, on which all three of us science editors are working on, I couldn't really ask someone else to do it while I did something they disliked). On the other hand, the bit that was looking like a bear is at most a bear cub, since while this particular state standard is weird, it's not unique, so we can tell the writer to base some of those lessons on a previous book. (When possible, we repurpose existing material; things like lab safety don't vary that much from state to state.) Someone I like left today, but cheerfully, and may be back to do some freelance stuff. She's going back to school full time: at the moment, the remaining prerequisites so she can apply to study to become a Physician's Assistant.

The latest appointment the dentist had available was at 4 (I think he stays later some other days of the week), so I was at the gym a little before five, meaning I had a good workout and was still home by 7:30. It rained while I was having my teeth cleaned, and was pleasantly cool as I was walking. I was rained on for about three blocks, not counting the half block where it was raining enough for me to open my umbrella.

Two small losses: A bakery I used to go to semi-regularly, on Ninth Avenue (near my dentist, whose office is near where I used to work) is no longer in business; I am now in that bit of Hell's Kitchen seldom enough that all I know is that a new business has moved into the space (so, it didn't close down last week, but could have been 2 months or a year; I think I walked south from the dentist last time instead of north). It was a perfectly nice Italian bakery, which filled cannoli to order, did some nice cakes if you pre-ordered (for example, if you didn't want chocolate, vanilla, or one of a variety of fruit fillings between two layers, you could get cannoli filling between layers of chocolate cake), and made decent biscotti. And had been there since the 1950s; that's long enough that I wouldn't be astonished if, rather than this being a casualty of the recession or a greedy landlord, the owners decided to retire and the third generation of the family, if any, wasn't interested in running a bakery.

Also, the tree I've been posting happily about as it sprang for the sky has fallen, or been knocked, sideways; tying it to a good, sturdy stake might help, if we had such a stake available. (It's possible the park workers will do this; they have been mowing around it this summer.) I miss it more than the bakery, though it's arguably a smaller loss, because it's right here and I've been paying attention to it.

( gym numbers )