Teeth

Today Spencer finally had his doggie dental exam. The vet had suggested it a while ago, but I kept putting it off because, honestly, Spencer seemed fine. It just didn't seem necessary. He was chewing on his toys and dragging his bed around the house the same as always. Surely, if there was something wrong I would have noticed? All I noticed was his horrendous breath, and that was the main reason I had made the appointment.

I dropped him off this morning, and almost changed my mind when Spencer tried desperately to leave with me. Several hours later, the vet called to let me know that my little Spencer had to have 4 teeth pulled. I was sort of amazed that Spencer could spare so many, but told her to do what she needed to do. She called back when they were done, and gave me the full run-down. In the end she had to pull 5 teeth- 3 simple extractions, and 2 extensive. Apparently, two teeth had broken near the gum line, and the roots had to be fished out. A third had begun to abscess. Those were the simple extractions. The troublesome two were a pair next to each other that had not only abscessed, but developed a cyst that was slowly eating away at his tiny lower jaw bone.

The vet said there was a very real possibility that pulling the teeth near the weakened bone could have resulted in a fractured jaw, but Spencer lucked out. His little jaw held, and she was able to pull all the teeth. It was a good thing we didn't wait any longer, or Spencer might have had some big problems. All I've been able to think about since that conversation is how much pain he must have been in. How could he not show it at all? How could I not know?

So the moral of the story is: Don't ever forget that dogs hide pain very well. And always take your vet's advice. And don't wait until your dog is 8 years old to get his teeth looked at.

Spencer is home now, and still coming down off his meds. He won't be allowed to chew on anything for quite a while, and he has to eat soft food for two weeks. He'll also be on pain medication and antibiotics for a while. I plan on giving him lots of extra snuggles while I stay home and keep an eye on him over the next couple of days. I just hope he heals up quickly, and can forgive me for not having his teeth checked out sooner.

I sense a lot of confusion (and mockery) from friends and family in Illinois over the way Marylanders handle snow. Maybe I can shed some light on the situation, as it is not a simple case of "people in MD are pussies in the snow." Although, sometimes that is the case.

The first winter we were here, it didn't snow much. I do remember being sent home early one day because "it might snow later," and thinking how insane that seemed. A year later, we got 5-6" of snow overnight, and everything just shut down. That was when I learned why things are the way they are here, and that it's a combination of several factors.

Factor number one is money. It always is, isn't it? Maryland and the counties within just do not have the budgets for dealing with snow that the Midwest has. It doesn't often snow enough to warrant plowing, so there's no reason to budget much for it. Why buy a massive fleet of plows that will sit unused except maybe once or twice a year? But of course that means that when it does snow, it can take a while to get things cleaned up, which means that schools/government/businesses close (or at least open late) for a mere few inches of snow.

Then there are the residents. There are a lot more people in Maryland that have little to no experience driving in snow than there are in Illinois. You can't tell who's who, so venturing out on the road feels slightly more dicey. And the roads are a big factor too- they are hilly and curvy and smooth, which makes things a bit harder. All this is especially scary when encountered at once, as some jerk follows you way too closely, downhill, around a blind curve and on an icy road.

Another factor is the power lines: they are not often buried. This means that they get knocked out by ice, wind, cars, and falling trees. And the trees, oh the trees! Maryland is filthy with 'em, and they go right up to edges of the roads. That means they not only fall on power lines, but right into the street, causing all sorts of havoc.

Considering all this, it's no surprise that when the forecast calls for snow, people flock to the stores and stock up. It's not that they actually think they'll be snowed in for several days... They just prefer to not have to deal with leaving the house until things are back under control. Especially if they're parents about to spend several days with their kids (who will likely be out of school), and would prefer not to drag them to the store.

While it's still frustrating at times, it does make sense. And the longer I live here, the more I find myself doing things the Maryland way, because that is what works in this area. So today I went to the grocery store, and am getting ready to hunker down for another storm. Frederick got 29.5" last weekend according to the Weather Channel, and by tomorrow night we may have another 10-20"! I left early today, and took tomorrow off; hopefully the roads will be cleaned up again by Thursday. Good luck to everyone getting hit a second time- may your heat stay on, and your roof not collapse!

A Little Window Into the Mind of Amanda

I am essentially a child that likes heavy metal and swears a lot, and can drive. It's actually one of my more rational reasons for not wanting to have kids- they'd probably turn into me. Except that they'd have some Scott in them too, so they'd be slightly more entitled and a lot more vocal. Me without a filter.

I am self-absorbed and self-serving. If it doesn't involve me, I tend to lose interest. I whine when I don't get my way, and also when I'm tired. I fight bedtime tooth and nail. I am often unable to express myself beyond stating simple emotions.

My job is almost exactly like school was for me. I go because I feel like I have to, it's not nearly as bad as I make it out to be, and I pretty much just show up and do what they tell me to do. I roll my eyes at my boss a lot when he's not looking.

I eat like most 6 year olds: lots of fruit, sugary cereals, Spaghettios, and candy. I consider an apple, some cheese and crackers to be a meal. I love strawberry Nesquik. Breakfast for dinner makes me a happy girl. When nobody is looking, I draw a mustard face on my hot dog, and pretend I'm eating a little man in a bun.

I watch a lot of cartoons, from Spongebob to Metalocalypse and everything in between except anime. I never liked anime. I laugh when anything makes a farty noise, whether it's the dog or a ketchup bottle. I make butt jokes. I have coloring books hidden in my desk at work. Going to the local Michaels for anything knit-related is risky, because the yarn aisle is right next to the Crayola/kids stuff. You have no idea how hard it is for me to resist scented markers (I might have some in my desk, next to the coloring books). Friendship bracelets are the shit.

I eschew responsibility. I still confuse left and right. I jump up on the counters to get things off of high shelves. I get really excited about snow days. I make "vrooom" noises when I drive. I often miss the big picture. I am very prone to flights of fancy. I'm extremely lazy, and probably the only person on Earth who can still manage to watch too much TV without having cable/TV service.

I guess that's all I have to say. Just thought I'd put that out there.