and I want my front tooth. One of the crowns, in my upper front teeth, conveniently just slid off as I was having coffee on Saturday, the 21st. Yippee! My dentist is long gone – until after the new year. Kee-rist! What a smile! I looked like one of the pirates on the Pirates of the Caribbean until I pulled out the handy dandy tube of Super Glue. I’ve mentioned that to a few people – the super glue thing – and they kind of curl up and look disgusted, like something weird’s going on with the combination of super glue and body. Absolutely not. It’s an amazing little bit of goop.

I first discovered the wonders of Super Glue somewhere around the first few years it was out, I remember seeing it on the market…about 30 or so years ago. I can remember everyone remarking on how it would stick your skin together if you weren’t careful with it…permanently.

I worked in a law office, right in the front where people walked in and I greeted them with a smile. On a weekend, I had one tooth – obviously in the front – that was mainly a filling, the whole front of it gave way and it just slid off, almost identical to what happened a few days ago, except that was the whole face of the tooth, leaving the back hanging there. I went into panic mode. We were always broke, raising three sons, and a multitude of other problems left me with no $$ to go to a dentist and I knew I had to be back to work on Monday with a smile. I got out the Super Glue, packed my upper lip and mouth with tissue, so my flesh would stay out of the way, and let the tooth dry for a moment before loading it up with Super Glue and bonding it back together. Perfect! It stayed for about six months, even with normal eating. It broke again, I glued it again, this time making an appointment as I do so. When I went in to the dentist to begin plans for a crown, he was in awe that the tooth was so strong and wondered what I had done. Umnhhh! I told him. He figured to start using it in some of the dental plates and other things he worked on…so he told me…he was quite impressed. Who knows if he really did?

I’ve never gotten over my impression of Super Glue. Everyone screams when they hear this but it works too; if you cut yourself, say a gash, just fill it up with Super Glue, pull the edges together for a moment, and BINGO! It’s like having stitches. It heals from the inside out. Of course you can’t go beating the injured area into a wall because it does harden and would do more damage if you jam or smash it. No, it isn’t absorbed into your skin or system. No, it won’t hurt you. That doesn’t mean you should drink it or eat, goof nut!

There are a lot of easy fixes for nuisance injuries and problems, you just have to know about them to utilize them.

But Wednesday a.m., I will be calling my dentist for an appointment. I hope it’s not going to be one of those $1,000 deals because Super Glue sure as hell won’t fix that. Until then, my smile’s all fixed. 🙂

*****

I was in this week for a follow up CT scan, this time with IODINE! I hadn’t had the glorious iodine rush since I went in for testing to see if I could donate a kidney to my brother back in 1971. Nice that they seriously check your kidney function out now (yeah, recent blood tests) before they will even administer iodine. The networking of care has improved immensely, a lot of it still makes my skin crawl and the hair stand on the back of my neck – doctoring in this country still leaves a lot to be desired. Everything on the scan is reportedly as it was last year – and the year before. In a way that’s a good thing. The adrenal mass on my one, and only, kidney hasn’t changed, the ovarian cyst hasn’t changed, blah, blah, blah. Those are two things that I wish would change…as in like just disappear. Oh well.

*****

As I drift through unordered days and nights, sometimes hanging out with The Riot and The Katelyn, sometimes hanging out with The Me, sometimes taking a trip to the old digs to hang out with The Boys, I’m still trying to reach goal in Chasing Chris. It will be a long time from the way it’s going now. I did play a $4+40c tourney last night, LH, and I played like a lunatic. It was exhilaratingly relaxing and idiotic. I called to make gutshot straight draws with 7 and 8 way action, I pounded my chips into other people’s stacks, I won a few pots, I never completed a lot of hands…but damn, it was fun. Now that I have that out of my system, I’m going to back to the serious side of poker again.

*****

And I can’t give Riot to give up the game pad so I can play Spider Man – Friend or Foe with him. When asked if he’s hungry, “No. I’m playing.”

That’s the canned answer to everything. He only shares with me when it’s time to go into the upgrade lab because that’s my part, or if he can’t get through a particular screen. *sniff – sob* He is such a kick. I asked him if he could do The Hulk, he immediately jumped up, threw out his chest, tried to tear the buttoned shirt open in the front and threw his head back with a guttural snarl. Damn I love that kid…even if he won’t share.

Life is good here in the desert!