Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Oh, look!

It's a (relatively) non-boring post!! What do you know...

So, I've just posted two papers from this semester (I've also written one on Descartes, but I don't think that will be appearing here any time soon. Let's just say I hope to never look at that paper again! Unless, of course, I am satisfied with the grade...) and feel that I should write something slightly more lighthearted before my blog becomes hopelessly dry. In fact, I was informed that I could blog my papers, but that I needed to write about my life as well. But...but...but...papers + exams + reading = my life right now!

That aside, I will attempt to comply with my orders and write something more readable than incoherent thoughts on Anselm and Adam Smith.

Not that this post will be interesting. I am feeling rather drained of creativity right now; plus, it's nearly 1 AM and my brain may shut down at any moment (Yes, I assure you that there would be a noticeable distinction between Jessica-with-functioning-brain and Jessica-without-functioning-brain. I just can't think of what exactly that would be.)

Most of this post was written while hopping between blogger and writing philosophy discussion board posts. That may be helpful to keep in mind. Or not.

Today, my mom and I went to the oral surgeon. <--- That sentence alone strikes terror into my soul.

Oral.
Surgeon.
Very scary words indeed.

You see, now that I have gotten my braces off, it seemed that the next logical step would be to...spend MORE money on my teeth/jaw/whatever. So not only have I been to a real live dentist (with NO ortho prefix! Novel idea.), but I have also been to the oral surgeon to see about removing my "third molars," aka wisdom teeth.

Actually, going to the dentist was itself rather humorous, as I had been going to the Dental Van over the past...maybe five or six years of my life. (Yeah, the Dental Van is about as exciting as it sounds.) That was all well and good, except the Dental Van is for kids and they kicked me out (not literally, of course) when I turned eighteen. So a couple weeks ago I ended up going to my mom's dentist, who had not seen me since May of 1997. Yes, I was six then. But what cracked me up was the medical history form that I was handed so that I could update it. It was what my mom had written about me waaaay back then, and I started laughing when I realized that absolutely nothing had changed...not even the note she had written under "patient problems or concerns": "she brushes often but never flosses." Sadly, that is still the case. And yes, I am aware that this makes me horrible person.

Anyways, I had some x-rays done (which the staff found hilarious....apparently the roots of my teeth are excessively long and are positioned abnormally because of my small jaw. So, it looks like my teeth have legs with little feet at the ends of the roots. And I'm sure you all wanted to know that. Moving on...) and the dentist told me that I do indeed have four wisdom teeth that should be removed as soon as possible.

Great.

So. Today. We went to the oral surgeon. It was a consultation visit; you know, the kind where you pay $45 dollars for having the doctor talk to you for five minutes. As part of the "informed consent" process, I was required to watch an 11-minute video all about the horrors great fun of the procedure. I was just fine until the talking dude mentioned that one possible side effect was DEATH. Wait, what?!

"Oh, and by the way...this is potentially fatal."

Like, hello?

I'm not exactly sure why, but I don't actually want to die while having my wisdom teeth extracted. I'm just weird like that.

The nurse came back in and said it was an "informative" video. I told her that I was now sufficiently petrified. She didn't seem concerned. And when I informed my mom that I was certain to die, she just laughed at me. Such sympathy.

However, there is hope.

The doctor came in and told us that my wisdom teeth are sufficiently impacted as to be completely embedded in the bone. For that reason, he thought it would be best to wait a year or more before extracting them so that the surgery would be easier. And believe me, I was just fine with that!

After that harrowing fantastic ordeal, we went to Starbucks. (Note: Starbucks is awesome.) The closest Starbucks we have is on the college campus (SUNY Fredonia) and I go there when I want to feel like an actual college student. Sitting in front of a computer gets old really fast, and living miles from your classmates...and having never met any of them...is also a downside of distance learning. (Confession of the day: An example of the lengths I will go to convince myself that my classmates are real people and not just names on discussion board posts...I have found that by searching the student portal, I can learn all of the students' middle names. So, I have. Because I am just that much of a stalker.) Anyhow, sometimes I will go to the college library or Starbucks and brainstorm papers and pretend that I'm just one of the students. It's very sad how much of a thrill that gives me, actually.

Where was I? Oh, that's right. I introduced my mom to the campus Starbucks. It was fun. I conveniently had no money with me. Funny how that worked out. My sentences are getting choppy again. I would call it awesome mom-daughter bonding time...except I was reading an exhilarating book on FDR's New Deal and she was people watching. Whatever.

I have a feeling that this post is becoming ridiculously long, and my ability to write coherent sentences is flying out the window. So I think I'll just sum up some random things and then go to bed.

I have learned that...

*Rene is a boys' name...at least in France.
*Descartes is pronounced WAY different than it looks.
*Discussion board posts should not be attempted when very tired.
*It is actually possible to fall asleep while sitting at a computer, with your head on the desk. I wish it only happened in movies.
*Papers do not write themselves while you are asleep on said desk.
*Falling asleep while sitting in the van waiting for a piano lesson is extremely disorienting.
*Waking up thinking that you've somehow slept through your piano lesson is very disconcerting.
*Being absorbed in studying for exams causes skipping way too many meals.
*Little sisters are awesome...especially when they bring me food in my room that I would otherwise completely forget to eat.
*Along the same lines...people will notice--and comment--if I lose even five pounds. Ridiculous.
*Hearing many people tell you to eat gets annoying. So, you eat. (No, I am NOT anorexic. I just forget to eat. Trust me on this.)
*Descartes was the dude who invented those horrid Cartesian coordinate planes. I KNEW there was a reason I didn't like him!
*Descartes should have stuck with math. Seriously.
*Adam Smith's invisible hand is awesome at helping to write essays on economics (sort of like a ghost writer, you see) but writes in invisible ink. (That's a definite downside.)
*My computer is run by a cave man.
*The cave man who runs my computer hates me with a passion.
*Having Firefox crash in the midst of a Philosophy exam is not a fun experience. (And yes, I am getting a new computer shortly.)
*Going OVER the maximum word count while writing a paper is an awesome feeling. And one that will probably never happen to me again.
*Microsoft Word is not really a fun place to hang out for a day. Or two.
*Giving up facebook for ten days in a row is an excellent idea. So much more can be accomplished, and I didn't even die! Shocking...
*Learning about soteriology from a reformed perspective is incredibly interesting. And much different from how I was brought up. And that's all I have to say about that. :P
*Asking dad the theology discussion board questions makes for an interesting conversation. And interesting in a very good way.
*Essentially is a good word. So is subsequently. (Does having favorite words make me a nerd?)
*I am overly excited when I use words in my papers that my mom has never heard of (I was almost giddy when I found a way to use epistemological and solipsism.)

This post is definitely too long. And it is 2 AM. Good night, blogosphere. It will probably be some time before I post again, so I hope this is satisfactory. Or maybe even phenomenal.

Yeah.

Phenomenal would be nice.

Out.

12 comments:

Belle said...

Phenomenal...

Belle said...

Sotereology is spelled wrong...it's soterIology...bursting bubbles is my specialty...:) Proud of you! I didn't know what solispsim meant! Having favorite words doesn't make you a nerd..

Anonymous said...

Haha...thanks for the first comment!

As to your second comment: }:)

Actually, soteriology is spelled correctly. :) And since I use sophisticated sources now that I am a college student, I shall direct you to this esteemed site to prove my spelling is correct: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soteriology

Bursting bubbles is fun. So I will tell you that you spelled solipsism wrong in your comment. :P

Anonymous said...

Oh, now I feel like a ditz. It was spelled wrong. I just assumed that since you spelled it wrong in your correction, mine must have been right. And then I checked. Haha, I'm fixin' it now. Thanks for pointing it out!

A. Kay Daniel said...

Phenomenal and fun! :)

Anonymous said...

Why thank you!

Danielle B. said...

Hahaha, great post, Jessica! I feel cheered up reading it (if somewhat intimidated/challenged by your awesome work ethic...including summer classes!)

So, I smiled big when I read that you looked up student's names on the Student Portal to find out their middle name BECAUSE I TOTALLY DID THAT TOO. It's like we were separated at birth or something. :-) (So you know that my middle name is Denise?

*sending real-person hugs across the Internet to the fellow person-starved DL student*

Awww...I identify with the "want to be a real college student, so am hanging out in college-y places and feeling special" because i've done that too! And then I have the horrendous feeling that I'm being mistaken for a highschooler (almost everyone I've met in person has been surprised to find out that I'm 20) so, the buzz is lessened.

But, keep plugging! We're almost done! I can't tell you enough what a role model you've been, with your steady dedication to your studies and cheerful attitude (even when the fur is flying!)has been to me.

See you on the other side of finals, college-buddy!

Danielle B. said...

Oh yes, meant to say I'm sorry about your tooth situation, too! I hope it gets better over the course of the next year! Dental fear is a particularly vicious strain, isn't it? The very idea of laughing gas just chills me. I'd rather have Novocaine or be knocked out flat, I think.

AND...I love loved loved reading your bulleted list of observations. Please tack on the things you are learning in all your blog posts! Hahaha going OVER wordcount...a rare joy.

YES. Microsoft Word is a stinky place to hang out all day. Or week.

Yeah, and I'm dealing with a severe case of jealousy that you are losing 5 lbs. over this semester (you know, though I feel bad you aren't eating!) Under extreme stress (when I'm not jumping ship) I don't eat as well...but then it's only because I'm such a basketcase about the assignment, I couldn't possibly eat. I'm afraid this semester I've discovered stress-eating. Late at night. Yup, not good. But...I'm stopping. Really. :-)

Anonymous said...

AHHH thank you so much for your amazingly awesome comments, Danielle. You are SUCH an encouragement to me! And I mean that. =)

I find it hilarious that you've also looked up middle names on the student portal!! And yes, I totally did know that your middle name is Denise, and because I'm such a stalker, I also know that it's your mom's first name. (right?) :P

*hugs back* I can't wait to meet you and everybody else on campus!!!

Yeah, sadly I also look really young for my age. Today somebody took a guess and asked if I was fifteen. Ouch. :D It should come in handy later though, right? (Trying to be positive here...)

Awww, I'm so honored to have been *gasp* a role model. I really have not had the best attitude (especially toward philosophy), but God has given me the grace to plow through it. :D

Haha, the weight loss thing...no worries, I'm pretty sure I've gained it back now that the stress is lessened. And yeah, a lot of the times I didn't eat were exam/paper days where I was too stressed. But we're SOO close now! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!

I hope your finals go well, fellow college-buddy!

Danielle B. said...

Ack! Your powers of stalkerage have even blown ME away! (Wait...I think I must have said that my middle name was Denise because it was my Mom's name on a Whiteboard chat session...or you've installed cameras in my house.) But it's nice you remembered!

The difference is, I looked up everyone's names on the Student Portal...and then forgot them. Because I didn't write them down. *sheepish* It's weird I'm great with faces (and names with faces, and usually names too)...but sometimes I can't keep, for instance, my cousin's birthdays all in my head at once, etc. Or how old my brother's are. Or my friend's middle name...

I have about two guesses for your middle name, Jessica because I KNOW I've read it more than once...and it's niggling around in the back of my brain...ack!

(Thanks for the lovely reply, so nice to read and encouragement to stay the course!) [Note: When I spelled "course" the first time, it came out as "curse"...and I realized that spelling wouldn't do at all. :-)]

I must get myself to BED. :-) Thanks for the best wishes!

Anonymous said...

Hahaha, no...no cameras. I think I learned it through an email Dr. Erdmann sent out where he included all the proctor names. I learned a TON of interesting information from that email. :D

I usually forget them too, but some of them are interesting enough that they stick in my head. I'm usually better with faces than names, although my next youngest sister is better with names than faces. So, between the two of us, we usually figure out who we're talking to. :P And I can't keep track of my siblings' ages either, let alone their which grade they're in (I don't even try to remember grades--they change too often!)

Ah, it's Lanae. Was that one of your guesses?

You're totally welcome! Wow, was it really 5:04 AM when you wrote that?! If so, bed WAS an excellent idea. :)

Anonymous said...

See. You should really check out the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf--not Starbucks.