Done yesterday (20121001 Mo)

[mdlbear]

Yesterday I had a dentist appointment at 11am, to get my teeth deep-cleaned. As I was pulling in to the parking lot I got a phone call from $K (the contract agency) saying I'd gotten the contract at $D.

In spite of the fact that I think I'd probably prefer a full-time job at $T, which is a smaller company with a really cool product that I actually want to use, the timing for that just isn't likely to work out -- I haven't even had a phone interview yet (I expect one this afternoon, but still...) So my mood has been distinctly mixed -- it was something like depression last night. (I'll get to that later.)

The teeth-cleaning went very well -- the hygienist was surprised that I was able to handle it with just a topical anesthetic. Yeah, there were a couple of twinges, but I often get worse from my arthritis just getting out of bed in the morning, and much worse after sitting with my legs crossed for half an hour.

Which brings us to the evening, when I was feeling depressed, and made a joke about something I thought was unrelated that N. misinterpreted as sounding suicidal. And then couldn't get back in touch with me.

Apparently several of my followup IM messages simply got dropped on the floor between here and there. And she couldn't raise me by phone or text, apparently because I was reading a book in the Kindle app! The text, in fact, finally arrived a minute or so after I exited the app. WTF?????!!! Anyone ever encounter that one?

OK, getting back to the down mood. I don't know how much of that is due to uncertainty over $D vs. $T, how much is due to simple relief, and how much is due to the fact that I've gotten used to being "retired". Have I mentioned alexithymia lately? It means that, very often, I don't know what I'm feeling. It's a problem.

A few links in the notes, though nothing exceedingly noteworthy.

1001 Mo
  * up 7:40ish; W=194.4; d, n, t, h; shower, laundry, dishes
    C 7:40ish.   Say 4, midnight
  @ Why Amazon and Salesforce are pulling away from the cloud pack (linkedin)
  @ A Very Strange Way to Assess the Safety of Banks - Bloomberg (linkedin)
  : The CVS-to-git conversion failed last night for the simple reason that the
    repo is missing.  And git cvsimport just hung waiting for the nonexistant
    lock to clear rather than reporting an error the way cvs commit did when I
    tried it.  :P
  : Call from $K -- I got the job at $D -- $75/hr.  Texted N.
  * 11am dentist - cleaning.  Was offered injected anesthetic; topical worked fine.
    -> prescription for toothpaste
    -> sonicare or oral B sonic - pricey but effective.  BB+B
       Best Electric Toothbrushes | Top Picks and Reviews at ConsumerSearch
       ->Oral-B ProfessionalCare SmartSeries 4000 
         Sonicare FlexCare (runner up)
  * Call Mom re: $D
  @ Jesus Could Be Their Candidate and the Republicans Would Still Lose 
    " That's because the American people don't have a death wish. You see we may
      all wallow in our own delusional fantasy lands but we want sane leaders. 
  @ Do patent and copyright law restrict competition and creativity
    excessively? Posner - The Becker-Posner Blog @eff
  ! 7pm for some reason I'm not feeling happy -- I'm miserable.  Don't know why. 
    7:46 and scared?  Maybe.  Not good at reading myself.  Relief?  Tired?
  * Responded to Norwescon pro guest invitation.  6-8 hours of programming
  : apparently the Kindle app interferes with phone and SMS?!!  Evil!!
    Also weird -- I can't find any reference to the phenomenon.

Comments

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

I'm going to tell you my personal experience and opinion about deep cleaning that may not coincide with your own.

I went to Large Dental Corporation for several years. They convinced me I needed these deep cleanings. Extra charge for that, not covered by my dental ins. OK.

The last time I went there, they took the bib off and told me I was done. I didn't feel done. My mouth was full of crud. I went to the restroom and rinsed out a large amount of brown gunky stuff that I'm guessing was part blood and part cleaning stuff.

I looked up online reviews of Large Dental Corporation. Thete was a common thread of complaints about tacking on unnecessary procedures, of which the deep cleaning was #1.

I asked around some of the Managed Care folks at the medical office where I worked, and got a very strong referral for a private practice dentist who is on my plan. I asked said dentist what he thought of deep cleaning at first visit. He looked at my teeth, and told me it was totally unnecessary. I've gone about 3-4 years without it now, and done just fine. Oh, and I brush once a day with a Sonicare brush, and do home whitening with the strips that say 4 times a yeat.

So my opinion: in my case, it was unnecessary torture for the sole purpose of raising profits. Bleah!

[mdlbear]

Thanks. I never had a deep cleaning at my old dentist, either, but the results of this one were noticable; they followed it up with a regular polishing, and insurance is supposed to cover it at 80%, same as a filling. The hygienist said I shouldn't need another for several years.

I'd had a deep cleaning at the dentist before last that was every bit as horrible as you describe it. It certainly sounds like something that's easily abused.

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

A bit of googling tells me the deep cleaning is justified in certain types of gingivitis. Comfort Dental - oops did I say that - told me I needed it every single time I came in. Your dentist sounds more honest. I had the sonicare brush around for a while before I actually started using it - it's a little tricky getting used to the vibration for some people - at first I didn't know to close my mouth around the stem of the brush, which makes it a lot easier to use. The darn thing cleans my teeth better than anything, and really does a good job under the gums.

[jilara.livejournal.com]

I had a deep cleaning a few yars back, and it was very positive, and covered at 80%. But I had very deep pockets (hmm, pun there?) that were not responding to flossing. I've had friends, though, who have had very bad experiences. Caveat emptor.

[jilara.livejournal.com]

Very glad to hear something has come through. As mentioned before, contract work seems to be the wave of the present, and I'm not sure if/when the old model will come back into vogue. Most of the folks I work with at Hitachi are contract, like myself.

[mdlbear]

Some companies are still hiring direct. Including, I think, parts of $D. But it's the easy way to ramp up a new project, and the easy way to check out a new person without having to make a commitment. Or pay benefits.

$K pays benefits, but they're somewhat second-rate as far as I can see. Only one choice for carrier - Aetna. Which wouldn't be my first choice, normally.

[roaringmouse.livejournal.com]

If $D is a sure thing, go for it? I am playing Devil's advocate. What if you wait for $T and miss out on $D and never get picked up by $T. I think $D can be a stopgap for something better and will put you in a better space.

On the conflict between kindle app vs phone and sms, I have not heard of this before... ugh?

[mdlbear]

About what I figured. $T sounds good, but it's not a sure thing by any means. If the interview had come a week earlier, or $D's offer a week later, it might have worked. As it is, I'm signing the offer letter tomorrow.