October 30, 2007 - Halloween Eve!

Okay, so it has been awhile since I last posted, and I need to get this thing updated, and I am sick of studying for my Micro test tomorrow that historically has failed most of the class, so here I am. I noticed signing in here, that my last post talked about the 9-11 bridge practical we had 2 Fridays ago. We got the results back the following Tuesday and I got good news and bad news. I did both of the preps in 45 minutes, and as I thought, my 11 was perfect (no checks, woohoo!) and my 9 failed. That bummed me out. That was my first non-A practical this semester, and it always sucks to fail a practical, especially a prep as easy as 9. Oh well, there are some silver linings in that practical. I talked to my teacher and although 9 was clinically acceptable, it sucked as a practical tooth. At least my speed is going well, and if I would of just angled my bur a little buccally, I would of had two beautiful preps. So, with all of that, life has been good. My kid is also due any day now. My wife is hoping that he isn't born tomorrow, because she wants to be home for trick-or-treating, doesn't want him born on Halloween, and wants to paint her belly as a pumpkin. Ha ha. Happy Haunting!

October 19, 2007 - Practical day with no alarm

So, my wonderful day starts out this way. I wake up at 7:30 a.m. to the sun shining on my face, the birds chirping softly in my ears, a nice breeze blowing on my from my fan, and Mike and Mike on the television. Sounds perfect, doesn't it? The only problem is I was supposed to get up at 6:00 am to get ready so I could catch the trolley at 7:00 am to be to school by 8:00 am to take my practical. I jump out of bed realizing that it takes me around an hour to get to school, and my practical starts in 1/2 hour.

Panicking, I grab my poor pregnant wife out of bed so I can drive to school, hoping to save a couple of minutes. We jump in the car, get about 1/2 miles from the house, when I realize that I don't have the keys to my chair at school. So, we turn around and head back home. By the time we get home, get my keys and get back into the car it is now 8:00 am. So, as you can guess I am freaking out right now. I run back into the car and with spinning wheels, tear off down the road headed back to school.

The only problem with this is that two blocks down the road, we hit traffic again. So, I decide that taking the subway is going to be much quicker than trying to drive to school and making my poor Prego wife have to fight traffic home. So, the subway it was.

I finally arrive to school 1 hour late. Remember that this is a timed practical. I get my test teeth from the instructor and rush to my seat and start to prep number 9. Oh man, it was horrible. It was definitely clinically acceptable. I think my 9 was better than most done by practicing dentists with a busy schedule, but it was not pretty. It was a little short, a little wide. I reduced the lingual a little too much. But I got it done.

On to number 11. That prep was magic. I busted it out beautifully. You could have taken my prep, put it next to the example one we get and you wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. Okay, maybe mine was a little over reduced lingually, but other than that, perfection.

So, I get both preps done in 45 mins. That made me feel great. If I can do two preps for a practical in 45 minutes, then I am doing pretty well (that being said, I’ll have to see what scores I get on these preps. That may take the wind out of my sails a little). It seems like I may be on the right track to being able to open my own practice when I graduate.

Anyways, after I get the practical done and turned in, it became time to turn my attention to the ortho project due that day. We had spent the last two weeks bending wires (oh man, that was quite the adventure) and pouring the acrylic for our beautiful retainers. So I polished it up, went down to the ortho clinic and turned my retainer in.

I am exhausted and have to be at the Hilton in Philly Airport at 8:30 am tomorrow morning, so I am off to bed.

October 18, 2007 - Telemarketing cops

So, I just got off the phone with Philly's Police force and I am amazed at their attitudes. Here they are calling me at 6 pm asking me for money (after I pay around $1,800 a month in taxes anyways). I politely tell them I am not interested, and guess what they come back with. Is it a nice, polite: "well thank you for your time, we hope you'll be able to donate next time?" No. I get this instead:

"Well, don't you want the police to have money to be able to protect you?"

So, not only is this guy implying that I am not doing my duty as an American, but he tries to guilt me into donating by questioning my desire to have police protection. Isn't that technically extortion? Anyways, I say,

"I am sorry, I can't help you right now."

Their reply, "This city is going to the s***-hole because people like you won't donate money to help the police officers fight crime better."

Can you believe that!? This guy is actually accusing me of the 300+ murders that will happen in this city this year because I won't give him 5 bucks. Unreal. Typical east coast attitude. If you don't do it their way, right away....well then...you just aren't American. Pathetic.

So, I respond, "Don't call me again, I will never donate money to you."

Mr. Police Officer responds with a string of profanity and raised voices, so I just hang up. Unreal. Welcome to Philadelphia. There is a lot of good here (the Phillies, what a great story, and we'll get them next year), but you gotta accept the good with the bad.

October 18, 2007 - First post, oral surgery ce thoughts

So, here it is, October 18, 2006 and I am sitting in my living room after mid-terms have finally ended, playing NCAA football (killing the University of Utah, while I am BYU), typing this blog. What a crazy last two weeks. I have endured a ton of tests, and am still standing. I may be absolutely exhausted, but I am done. I now have the weekend to kick back and relax, and as long as my kid doesn't show up, I do believe that I will have quite the good time.

I am sitting here wondering why i am doing this blog. I can think of a couple of reasons: 1 - I am bored. 2 - This can kinda be like a journal type thingy. 3 - The wife doesn't want me blogging on the family website, that is for updates on the family, not my comments on life that nobody cares about. 4 - I want a place where most people don't know who I am, and I can say what I want to say. 5 - I am curious to see if anybody out there actually will read this, and if they do, will they come back? 6 - Well, that ends my list for now.

As I said, I am sitting here playing good old PlayStation 2, as BYU. There is 2:34 remaining in the second quarter, and I have just taken a commanding lead, 42-14. Maybe I have the settings set a little too low for my skill set? I think so too.

This weekend I am starting an 8 month dental implant course here in Philadelphia. I am a little worried/apprehensive and completely excited about it at the same time. I am only in my second year in dental school, and I have only taken 1/2 semester of oral surgery. I am completely confident in my ability to learn and apply the techniques being taught. I, in my own opinion, though my practical grades do back me up, am very, very good at clinical dentistry. I am just a student, and I am still learning, but the procedures I have learned, well I do excel in them. I am worried about how I will be treated by the other doctors attending this course.

It is out of the norm for a dental student to really get into continuing education, especially one with such a strong surgical focus. Implants are a tool in dentistry that really hasn't hit mainstream general practices yet, and even those doctors who do learn to do them, usually don't. Just from talking to other students about taking this course, they almost seem mad that I would try to do this. Oh well.

So, I am little apprehensive about the course.

BYU-Utah update: Halftime BYU 56, Utah 14.