hrmph.

Oak pollen = ugly and obnoxious. The very opposite of useful and decorative, which is probably why I am so violently allergic to it. Right? Although actually this year's allergies have been much better than usual - maybe I've finally turned a corner? I mean, the week the cherries were in full bloom (note: allergist pointed out that the pretty flowering trees' pollen is so sticky -- so it can be picked up by the bees, right -- that it's not allergenic on account of it doesn't fly around, so whatever we were all reacting to that week was something else not flowery and bug-attractive, that has to pollinate in other ways; still) was miserable, but since then I've been more or less (this ear infection excepted) okay. It hasn't been a constant struggle the way spring usually is. Only now that the oak is all over the car it's itching time. My scalp itches (and I should probably be washing my hair in the evening instead of in the morning; note to self, though I'm unlikely to make this change). Yesterday my eyes were burning quite a bit -- although again, it's not as bad as it's been in some other years, and this is probably only partly due to the zealotry with which I try not to touch my face with the same hand that has touched the car (even if I've wiped my fingers on a tissue after handling the car door, which I always, always do).

Sigh. Anyway, today it's back to the dentist to have holes drilled in my head. FUN. I think this may be my least favorite kind of medical attention, and I'm including allergy scratch testing, pupil dilation, and all the girl-specific stuff. I hate the vibration and I hate the smell and I get so tense in that chair that I ache from the elbows up for days afterward. I do have a good dentist, who is very careful not to hurt me, stays aware of my reactions, checks back at frequent intervals to make sure I'm okay, etc. And I have no particular nerve or pain issues (apart from requiring a little more novocaine than the average patient, I guess?) and no past dental trauma to fight against. So imagine how much I'd hate dental work if none of this were the case. It doesn't really bear thinking about.

in other news

Berlioz "Te Deum", two weeks from the day before yesterday (read: Sunday, May 10), 4pm, National Cathedral. That is Mother's Day, for those who are interested, so if you and your mom happen to be in the DC area and looking for something to do, this will be a good show. Also featuring Saint-Saens' organ symphony. The whole thing will be just too French for words. :-)

Let me know if you'd like more information.

wah.

So before I went to the dentist I had to stop over at student health and have a couple tubes of blood drawn for the vaccine study, which was quite uncharacteristically excruciating. At least that's the last time I'll have to do that. :-(

And then off to Alexandria (en route to where I was informed by the radio that Arlen Specter (R-PA) has switched sides, and I boggled, and I waited for a red light before texting "omgwtf", as you'll have seen over at my LJ), where I was a little early so I read a magazine and then they called me into the room and there were three spots that needed work and I'd thought he could only do the two on the left today, and not numb the left and right sides at the same time, because they said it was a safety thing and I might bite my tongue? But he offered to do it all in one go, and I said sure!, saves me another trip later -- so I got three shots of novocaine, and two of them were fine, but the one on the bottom hurt like hell. And kept on hurting while the tears were welling out of the corners of my eyes, because of course he kept going with it even while he was telling me how sorry he was. (He said the novocaine is his least favorite thing, and allowed as how he expected we patients didn't much care for it either.)

So that was a good start.

Then there was a really awful amount of drilling, and I hate hearing the vibrations all in my head, and all I could do was hang on to the arm rests for dear life. And at one point my nose started itching and I spent a few minutes worrying about what would happen if I sneezed with a mouth full of drills and whatnot. And on the last tooth the band they put around there while they're dealing with the filling compound cut into my gums and I might have screamed a little and for the first time ever the dentist didn't get it -- he thought it was just pressure I was feeling and not pain, and I was shaking and trying to keep breathing and the hygienist sounded really worried when she kept asking me if I was okay, but the dentist just kept working. (samtheeagle had previously said, and I quote, "Bite the bastard", and although of course this was not legal advice, he may have been right.)

Anyway, it's over now and the novocaine has 99% worn off, so all I've got is some sore spots and a fierce headache. [scowl]

hang on --

I'm a little disappointed with myself for the length of time I sat here whimpering about how much my jaw hurt before it occurred to me that I could take some ibuprofen. Especially because not an hour ago I had the distinct thought, as I was finishing my dinner, "Huh, I wonder why I'm always surprised that eating something makes me feel instantly a little less crabby."