Uninspired Strange Trip

Mon 3.29.2004


Feeling uninspired, I search memory chest and find that morning in the dentist chair.

"Wear and tear." Dr. C showed me 3 dreadful pictures of my existing fillings, melted silver with little holes accompanied by saliva on rugged surface.

He had one of those tiny worm-shaped digital cameras and stuck it in my mouth. Seconds later, monsters from the past showed up on the 17" View Sonic LCD screen. Thank goodness I'm an adult. No children should see this. It should be at least PG rating.

So, I made appointment to go back on St. Patty's Day for amendments.

That morning, his assistant explained to me what's going to happen. Figures, right? Then she asked me what kind of music I like?

Ur� (Why?)

She handed me a portable CD player and a pouch full of music CDs, classic, country, pop, hip hop, jazz� you name it. Supposedly the music will block the noise from the drills.

"I was never offered. It's very nice of you." I told her.

Yes, it would be nice to listen to music while your dentist's operating stuff in your mouth, wouldn't it?

On a second thought, I never mind the drilling noises because that's just how things are.

I picked Wynton Marsalis's "Blue".

Orchids were showing on the big LCD screen. It was some kind of nature show that one of the patients made for the practice. I've been seeing Dr. C a few times to have watched most of the nature shows.

Dr. C numbed part of the mouth and hit the lever.

I was flat like a pancake. Headlight instead of flower show faced me, so I closed my eyes, sinking into Wynton's horn.

"Blue" turned out to be soft and mellow. I confess that was the first time I listened to that CD.

Interestingly enough, some of the high notes echoed the jams form the drills.

"Beeeee�"

"Bop!"

Sound waves of horns floated through my brain while my jaw was begging for relief.

"Dee dee doo doo dee doo�" my whole head was shaking by some kind of instrument Dr. C used. Or, was it Wynton's magic?

"OK!" the assistant tapped me on the arm.

When I opened my eyes, flower show again. It was desert flower theme this time.

Dr. C used the worm camera to take another set of photos and his assistant took away the headphone & CD player from me. No more leaky silvery. He put up before-after pictures for me and blahed for a minute. Honestly, I couldn't remember a thing he said. I couldn't move the left side of my lips.

"Bop bee doo bee doo�" as I walked out the door that sound still in my head.