A busy day.

First, I had the yearly girly poke-n-prod at 8am, complete with Doctor Lisa getting to first base (although I think she technically made a home run, what with the speculum and all), and the biennial cholesterol check.

Then I went home and took a nap for an hour.

At 11:30am, I went to the dentist, because I was convinced that my back teeth were riddled with decay, pestilence and cavities.

The dental hygienist took 12 bitewing x-rays, inadvertently creating sore spots in various gumline locations. She said she'd be back in 5 minutes, after the images were developed.

For the next 10 minutes, I listened in horror and amazement at what the dentist was telling the woman in the room next to mine.

No joke, he actually told her that they would clean all of her teeth, but the tartar build-up was the only thing keeping several teeth from falling out, and they'd have to leave those few teeth alone. He also had a lot to say about the rest of the teeth, saying a bunch of them needed removed, that she needed root canals and crowns and bridges and all sorts of other stuff. As he went through each tooth

She asked if all of that was necessary, and he told her the other option was to pull them all and wear dentures.

I wanted to see her teeth so very bad, just because they were unbelievably unhealthy-sounding. But I also didn't want to gawp at her.

When the dentist finally paid me a visit, I asked him how bad the damage was, since I was convinced that my second molars were shite.

Smiling, he told me that from looking at the x-rays, he couldn't find anything wrong with any of my teeth, and that other than a little gum recession around where I am missing a tooth on each side, and some tartar build-up, my teeth were fine.

He also suggested that I consider getting a crown on my second molar and an implanted first molar on the left side this year, and then get the other side done next year, when my dental benefits reset.

Because I am lacking lower first molars, the second molars and the second pre-molars are afforded no protection to their sides, which on the left side has manifested as a significantly absent inside rear corner of my left second molar. (Your teeth are not pliers. If you can't open a bottle of nail polish using your hands after it's had hot water running over it for ten minutes, you probably won't be able to get it open yourself without breaking the bottle. Your teeth are not pliers.)

Fortunately, my right second molar and pre-molar are pretty much intact.

So, I got a cleaning, and the dentist's office is getting my tooth repair preapproved. I hope they have a payment plan, because I'm not going to charge my $750 or so co-pay to a credit card.

Next, I went to the Store for a 2:00pm district-wide conference call to learn how to use the new online application system, called UNICRU. People can apply from any computer, and then at the store we can look at their computerized applications, should they make it past the established criteria quiz, and proceed with interviewing and hiring from there.

Mostly, it means no more paperwork or paper applications. And the Company isn't going to pony up the loot to have a kiosk at each store for people to use to apply, so if you don't have access to a computer with web access, you're boned if you want to work Where I Work. Which will probably be more of a burden than a boon at first.