It’s been a tough week, and the hits just don’t stop coming. Today, it’s a trip to the dentist for a cleaning and god knows whatever other Torquemadian torture they can devise to foist upon me. Other than having a tooth ripped out a couple weeks back, I haven’t been to the dentist in quite a while (the guy I was going to back then was constantly complaining that my insurance – for which he was an official provider – wasn’t paying him enough, and he might have to charge more). I got tired of hearing him whine, then tried another less-than-impressive guy for a while before changing jobs and just kind of getting out of the habit. Things had been pretty good for quite a while, but, well, after 12 years or so, I guess it’s finally time to be a good boy and suffer whatever pain and indignity the Dental Deities feel obliged to throw at me. So, needless to say, I’m really not looking forward to this. Hopefully I at least won’t have to pay too much for the privilege.
There are a plethora of musician-type birthdays to celebrate today, including John Coltrane, Ray Charles, Julio Iglesias (if you want to include him), Bruce Springsteen, and Harry Connick Jr. And Country singer Loretta Haggers (aka Mary Kay Place). Oh, and Mickey Rooney, too. I guess he sang a song or two in his day.
PJ, you have all my sympathy for your coming dental visit. I like my dentist as long as he is having nothing to do with my mouth.
Gail Collins:
The legislative process is almost never uplifting. But if you watch the United States Senate in action these days, you come away convinced that the nation has jumped the shark.
On Tuesday, the Senate failed to override a Republican filibuster of a defense authorization bill. This is a new record for dysfunction. Until now, even when politics was at its worst, Congress did manage to vote to pay the Army.
The bill did contain a lot of controversial pieces. It eliminated the “don’t ask, don’t tell†rule for gays serving openly in the military. And the majority leader, Harry Reid, tacked on a provision that would allow undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children to win a path to citizenship if they serve in the military or go to college.
So the debate was about … parliamentary procedure.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/opinion/23collins.html?_r=2&ref=opinion
Ezra Klein:
“America is more than a country,” begins the GOP’s ‘Pledge to America.’ America, it turns out, is an “idea,” an “inspiration,” and a “belief.” And the GOP wants to govern it.
Their policy agenda is detailed and specific — a decision they will almost certainly come to regret. Because when you get past the adjectives and soaring language, the talk of inalienable rights and constitutional guarantees, you’re left with a set of hard promises that will increase the deficit by trillions of dollars, take health-care insurance away from tens of millions of people, create a level of policy uncertainty businesses have never previously known, and suck demand out of an economy that’s already got too little of it.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/09/the_gops_bad_idea.html?hpid=topnews
I learned from a dentist that Tylenol and its acetaminophen likes are the only things that work for dental pain. I hate Tylenol and take aspirin or naproxen given the choice but he was right about that one
Big :bow: :bow: :bow: for Loretta. A favorite singer and song. :hubba: :love: :cake:
From DK:
Republicans say that today they announced their pledge with America.
Well, after you take a look at this collage of every person photographed in their “governing document” and decide for yourself what they must think America looks like, you’ll gain a new appreciation for what they mean when they say they want to take America back.
Some really interesting close-ups of a couple of moths from Lincoln.
Yes, Tylenol is good – especially when it’s mixed with 7.5 mg or so of hydrocodone. Takes the edge off of nicely.
I agree. Norco is my pain med of choice. More hydrocodone, less Tylenol.