I Went To the Dentist Today/ I Might Have To Be a Juror

I went to the dentist today. I had to get a couple of fillings in.

I’m this really special kind of person, because it takes twice the normal amount of novocaine to get me numb enough to drill. The last time I went to the dentist, he gave me this little pussy dose because he had to do a filling on each side and he didn’t want to make my whole mouth numb in case I swallowed my own tongue or choked on my saliva or something. He gave me the shot and had me sit for 15 minutes. That was just enough time for my tongue to tingle a little, and then regain all feeling. I think I ended up needing three more shots, and they could only do the fillings on one side.

I don’t know why it never occurred to me to tell them I needed more anesthetic until today. I guess I assumed they’d write it on my chart. They don’t keep record of that, though, so when he grabbed the syringe I piped up, and I got two shots instead of one. For the first time since I started getting cavities I got through the entire filling without needing more novocaine. It was awesome.

Listen to this crap. Not only did I have to go to the dentist to get two fillings today, but I’m on call for jury duty this week. I’ve had to check the courthouse website periodically through the day to see if they need me to come down, and one of my check-in times was during my appointment. I had to sit in that stupid chair waiting for the anesthetic to set in and see if I was going to have to call today’s clients and tell them they had to find someone else to take care of their kids tonight. That would have been bad news.

I was lucky though. Besides my fillings going by really fast, I managed not to be in any of the groups they yanked down to the courthouse. Fingers crossed that my luck continues. I’ve never had to serve on a jury, and I certainly don’t want to start now. Maybe if I had some savings it would be a different story. 

Actually, I don’t know if I’ve ever had to serve on a jury. In my impetuous youth, I tossed my jury summonses right into the recycling bin (because I’m environmentally conscious), without even opening them. I really played fast and loose with my civic duty back then. I almost threw out this one, too, but I don’t want a fine or whatever they do to scare people into showing up. I’m a more mature Kar Kar.