Monday, December 22, 2008



Hey all, don't have time to write much since we have a flight to Philadelphia tomorrow morning and we must be getting our sleeps, BUT I I have a treat in the form of the much anticipated blog entry by the Good Doctor herself. Enjoy! 

Here are the traveling couple during their lovely four hour stay-over in Dallas:

Greetings, family and friends! This is our promised holiday blog. “Blog” rhymes with “nog”… so pull up a chair and grab a cup of nog, and we will tell you our (brief because we have a flight tomorrow morning and have just gotten to this now) holiday stories. 

The holiday season officially opened when I finished my semester. My students are always excited when they finish their final papers and exams because they are “free.” But that’s when more work starts for me. Happily, Newman’s fall semester ends early (a full week before Christmas week) because it starts in August. 

But just when I was ready to start some serious reading for next semester’s classes, I went to the dentist. I had made an appointment for Sun & I for a routine maintenance check-up and cleaning, but apparently I hit the dental jackpot after all these years – 28 to be exact-- of the same thing every 6 months. I sat down in the chair and, after the hygienist took a look, the dentist came in. She handed me a mirror and said to take a look. What to my wondering eyes should appear? Not one, not two, but three tiny reindeer… disguised as cavities. The dentist’s two theories about why were the non-fluoridated water in Wichita or a change in dietary habits. Or both. Either way, I was astonished. About an hour and a half later, at lunch time, all drilled and filled, I stumbled out into the snow.  Really hungry by this point and informed by the dental authorities that we didn’t have to wait to eat, Sun & I stopped for some sandwiches at a local sandwich
place called “City Bites.” I had to smile at the title—having been bitten by the city of Wichita (or at least by its water supply). The sandwich looked good—roasted vegetables with some kind of mayonnaise sauce on a toasted but not too crispy roll—but it tasted a bit like toothpaste and whatever other dental substances had been applied so vigorously to my teeth. Not to mention that half my jaw was still numb from the novacaine. I slowly managed to eat the sandwich, and then, theorizing that the novacaine had also had some radiating effect on my entire head since I suddenly had a mild headache and felt very tired, went home and took a nap. Happily, Sun managed to escape undrilled, though (ominously?) his cleaning was postponed so there could be a “deep cleaning” scheduled for January. Maybe they’ll send some tiny spelunkers in to attack the plaque. I just hope he avoids my recent dental fate!

On a happier note, we are both very happy to be heading back east tomorrow morning to see as many of you as we can. I did promise to tell you a story, though, so I picked out one from the past few weeks that I thought would be amusing. It’s much more amusing to me now that I can look back on it a few days later (maybe dental work is usually that way--?), and I have to say the fillings were done very professionally—the kind that are color-matched to the teeth.  So, raising my own cup of nog here, I am ready for more holiday treats, though I probably will make sure to brush afterward!

Now maybe Sun will tell you one of his stories… 

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