It’s officially summer now and the weather is definitely reflecting that fact. The best thing about this time of year is that I can take a day off here or there. Yes to summer break!
So tooth #14 was feeling a bit achy with a dull throb and I went in on Monday to have it checked out. They x-rayed me, saw a vertical fracture and referred me to an endodontist. I called that office and got an 8 am appointment on Wednesday, Juneteenth. So even though I had the day off from work, I woke up my usual time and had myself at the endodontist by 8 am.
I read reviews about the endodontist and all the ones I read were very complimentary, which eased my worries a bit. Once in the chair, they took x-rays and I was able to see my tooth and the fracture. (I wish I had thought to have one of my phones in hand to take pictures. Ah well!) The doctor gave me my options:
- 1 – do nothing – definitely did not recommend
- 2 – extract the tooth – the other extreme
- 3 – root canal – the tooth was still in good condition and he said this is what he would do
So root canal it was! It was my first root canal and it wasn’t as bad as I was led to believe. It wasn’t fun but it wasn’t a painfest. It was uncomfortable but tolerable. The doctor was really good and the only thing that “hurt” were the shots to get the area dutifully numb. When he shot the cold stuff on the area, I felt nothing. The procedure itself was definitely under an hour. The music that was playing was mostly 80s/90s stuff and I remember hearing “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” “Take Me Home Tonight,” and “It’s My Life.” The songs were a good distraction. I even tried to get myself to think about my stories. I was so glad when it was over.
I went over to Kaiser afterwards to get my antibiotics and ibuprofen. I might have been there as long as I was at the endodontist. It was fun having a numbness on the one side of my face. I’m just glad the tooth doesn’t hurt anymore. Now I’m just waiting to get my appointment for my crown.
Root canal notwithstanding, it was nice having a day off in the middle of the week. I would have liked to have slept in a bit but it was also nice being out and about early in the morning. Again, root canal notwithstanding.
TV
House of the Dragon [HBO/Max] – The second season premiered last Sunday, ending with that rather shocking event. I haven’t read the source material, so not sure how the episode stands up to it. The second episode has some interesting bits, especially the part between the twins.
Star Trek: Discovery [Parmount+] – We’re in the middle of the fourth season. The show has changed a lot from the first season but it’s still just as compelling. I am really enjoying it. I wonder how I’ll feel when we get to the end. I know that I’ll be glad that I watched it. I just wonder if I’ll be wishing it was continuing.
Social Media
It’s Monday and technically the start of week 26 but I’m here at home on a day off from work and so why not babble?
I am “active” on three (maybe four) social media platforms. I think I’m keeping a presence on each to see which one will “win” but I also which one I feel most comfortable posting. Let’s talk about the main three, going from least active to most active.
Bluesky – I don’t spend a lot of time on Bluesky. My Wordle posts there actually come from Spoutible (more on that one next) and I rarely post just to Bluesky. I think I need to follow more people there but every time I try the discover timeline, it shows me the people I already follow or people who aren’t too interesting. Do I need to post more to reach more people like me? I’m not sure. I won’t give up my profile there because I have my domain a my profile name. Nice.
Spoutible – I spend a little more time at Spoutible. When I post there, those posts also go out to Bluesky and one of my Mastodon accounts. I will read through my timeline there more than Bluesky because the folks at Spoutible definitely post more and the profiles I follow are more varied. We’re all just regular people there, for the most part, which is mostly a good thing. If you want to get a gist on what regular people are thinking and posting, you’ll get a good variety at Spoutible. I don’t post there much beyond my Wordles and blog links. I am a bit wary, especially after I got (rightfully) called out for a post I made or commented on. I think I commented on something and it didn’t go over well. So now I hesitate to post too much over there and I keep myself rather bland. Oh well!
Threads – I spend the most time at Threads. The algorithm has shown me interesting posts and I follow a variety of people there. It’s probably the closest to replacing Twitter for me because a lot of the people I followed at Twitter are using Threads. I find myself checking out posts from people I follow as well as the “for you” tab. It feels less like a magnifying lens compared to Spoutible, where I sometimes feel that people just want to pounce on you for the slightest of slights. It’s easy to get lost at Threads, which I don’t mind. I’m there to occasionally post and to often read. I find the most joy there, to be honest, if one can find joy in social media.
I think what I really need to do is to figure out what version of me I want to be at each platform. I don’t have to be the same person at each on, right?
Have I mentioned that I like posting filtered selfies of myself? I don’t wear a lot of make up and filtered selfies are my way of presenting myself to the online world in a more pleasing (TO ME) manner. I post those filtered selfies for me. I think they’re fun and cute and anyone who knows me in real life knows that I don’t look like that. I do not think it a compliment to be told, “Oh, you don’t need to use filters.” I find it irksome to get those kind of comments. I’ve tried to play them off, I’ve tried to ignore them, I’ve tried to blandly explain why I like to use them, and yet I still get the comments. I don’t want to be rude in responding but maybe it’s time? 😐
I know that I want my next iPhone to be the smaller Pro version. I know I should wait until Apple announces the next iteration of iPhones. So why am I considering getting the iPhone 15 Pro now as opposed to getting the iPhone 16 Pro in the fall? Am I really that impatient for a new phone? I need to talk myself out of it but if I do really intend on the 15, I should probably get it soon so I don’t feel like such a goober by the time September rolls around. Then again, I remember when I got the iPhone 3G around the same time of year and how I regretted when the next phone was announced a few months later. Shall I be patient or no?
Time to post this then maybe eat a bit of lunch. I do so love having the day off from work…