Coffee mug swap!

Last month, I decided to participate in the Coffee Mug Swap hosted on a blog that has since been renamed he, me & them.  I got paired up with the lovely Kayla from Close Encounters, a fellow dachshund-lover and all-around fun artistic gal.  I sent her this "Stubborn Dachshund Tricks" mug, which I thought was so cute I got one for my mom too.

Kayla sent me a mug with this design on it:

I'd take a picture of the actual mug, but my camera has decided to misbehave.  Needless to say, this mug is pretty awesome (and true, because I do spend a majority of my time being fantastic).  Thanks, Kayla!!

I would probably consider doing something like this again, but coffee mugs are pretty expensive.  However, it's a REALLY good way to get you to read someone's blog -- how else would you find out what the perfect mug would be?

The demented zebra triangle affair

At my most recent adjustment, I had the brackets on my upper premolars removed and repositioned to persuade them to continue derotating. I also got a powerchain on the uppers again, which is also supposed to help. The combination of the repositioned brackets, the stronger wire, and the powerchain made my mouth hurt like I went 10 rounds with Manny Pacquiao without a mouthguard. The worst part of the entire ordeal?  The little baggies of 3/16" elastics emblazoned with a demented-looking zebra.  I have to wear them in a triangle configuration to help close the open bite I developed on the right side of my mouth.

So, now I have about 1/8" inch of wire that needs to be trimmed because it's tearing the bejeebus out of my cheek (either my teeth are moving fast, or the ortho assistant jammed the wires into the molar tubes haphazardly).  Getting an emergency appointment at my ortho's office is, pardon the pun, like pulling teeth.  They only work at that particular location on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday mornings, and apparently were closed yesterday (or took an extremely long lunch break).

In the extremely unlikely event I have kids and they need braces, I will make sure they get them right away.  It's pretty demoralizing to be an adult wearing these things.  Everyone says, "Oh, I didn't even notice them!" but seriously, it's pretty hard to miss the huge, gleaming mass of metal inside my mouth.  The ceramic brackets on my upper teeth are supposed to be nigh-on invisible, but the wire sure isn't.  From the side, the ceramic brackets just look like I have hugely dirty, deformed teeth -- and yes, I have gotten weird looks from people because of this.  Overall, I'm glad my teeth will eventually be "nice", but I would have never done this voluntarily.

Free Schick Hydro Silk Razor

I'm a "Schick Hydro Silk Influencer", which means I get to give away 6 razors. Just click here to sign up.



From the product page...
It's specifically designed for women and goes beyond the basics to deliver a shaving experience that hydrates skin like no other razor.

Benefits of the Schick Hydro Silk Razor:

• A special water-activated Moisturizing Serum hydrates to replenish skin’s natural moisture throughout each shave. It's infused with nourishing marine extracts and rich shea butter.
• 5 Curve Sensing Blades deliver an incredibly close shave for silky smooth skin.
• Skin Guards are added to each blade, doubling the points of contact between the blades and the skin. The blades and Skin Guards work together to smooth your skin as you shave and to reduce irritation.
• The Compact Oval Cartridge is designed exclusively for the contours and curves of a woman's body including those hard to reach places. (I'm not sure I want to know what those places are -- upper back?)
• Aqueous Soft Touch Handle is ergonomic by design with a soft rubber grip and is inspired by water for a beautiful look. The patent-pending duck bill feature enables the razor to be placed on a flat surface while holding the cartridge head away from that surface.

Getting adjusted again

Last Wednesday, I had my fourth orthodontic adjustment. You may have noticed (but probably not) that I didn't write about the third one; all it involved was a very routine changing out of the ligatures and power chain. This time, I got new wires AND no power chain.

My teeth are moving pretty fast, considering I'm an adult. The orthodontist was even surprised at how much my premolars had rotated. He originally estimated 3-4 months before anything noticeable would happen, but one of the teeth was almost completely rotated after a month. The other one is moving more slowly because the bracket was not placed in an "optimal position", which means the orthodontist will be removing and repositioning the bracket at my next appointment.

Unfortunately, I'm no longer able to eat on the right side of my mouth because they bridged the wire across the gap where I'm missing a molar in my bottom jaw. The orthodontist assistant who placed the new wires left about 3/8 inch of wire sticking out of the back end of the molar tube as a sort of failsafe, in case I eat a small boulder and bend the wire across the gap. There were wires poking out everywhere, and I had to go back two times since my last appointment to have them trimmed. Why leave the huge amount of overhang? Why not trim it and ask me to avoid chewing on that side of my mouth? They spend so much time caring for children, they treat me like one, as though I can't be trusted to follow their instructions. When I had my first adjustment, they marveled at how clean my teeth were. I brush my teeth after every meal, floss at night, use fluoride mouthwash, don't eat taffy and apples and any of the other "forbidden foods", don't open beer bottles with my teeth, etc.: everything they told me to do from the get-go. I understand the responsibility (and cost) of having braces, and I'm not one to take that sort of thing lightly.

To quote Hillshire Farms, GO MEAT!

I was just looking through my Google Analytics account and found that the overwhelming majority of visits to my blog are from people searching for steak. Namely, steak that is medium rare. Someone also found my page by searching for Boston Proper MILFs and fuzzy slipper fetish, albeit not in the same search.

Search terms aside, what can I do to make my blog more engaging? How can I get you folks to come back time and time again?