Angels and Devils and... Pumpkins?

We go to only one halloween party a year, but was a great one: Kim Henry's. For me, it was a nice opportunity to interact with the nurses, medics, etc.. outside of the hospital. Plus, it was our only chance to wear costumes.Not as outrageous as last year's, but we were still proud of our outfits. Kim's party is a hoot for kids and we're excited to bring Paige back next year.

Another Tooth Extracted

If you recall my teeth extraction story from 2005, one of those wisdom teeth was actually pushing on the tooth in front of it. Back then the wisdom teeth were removed, but that other tooth, the one being pushed on, was left behind. There was hope that it would heal.

Well, it didn't. Within the last week I began to get pain again. Luckily, I didn't wait six months. Megan got me an appointment today. One x-ray later, the dentist removed my tooth. The event was refreshingly efficient. My appointment was a 10:30 AM, I waited in the waiting room less than 10 minutes and I was home (minus a tooth) before 11:30. No sedation this time (aww shucks) just local anesthesia. No Vicodin this time (aww double shucks), just tylenol with codeine. Fortunately, this tooth came out quite easily, and I didn't need any pain medicine anyway. I've always viewed codeine more as an emetic than an actual pain reliever.

Paige's First Road Trip

It was a last minute idea. I loved the summer, but the beach-to-work-to-to-beach-to-work cycle was getting to me. I overheard some co=workers talk about future vacations, and I immediately decided to take one too. Megan and I weren't sure how well Paige would handle a long trip, so we opted for a six hour-ish road trip as kind of a trial. New England in Autumn always appealed to Megan, so we decided Newport, RI would make a nice destination.

Well a six hour road trip became an 11 hour one when we factored in a detour to Megan's parents to drop off Bandit and frequent stops to feed and change Paige. It was quite worth it. We found out Newport had a lot more to offer than it's famous mansions, like charming B&B's, scenic drives, a spectacular cliff walk, and a waterfront downtown area. Check out the picture slideshow or set.

The trip home was quite fun. Carl and Tony, to celebrate Carl's move to New Jersey, threw a house-warming party, and we thought that it would make a great waypoint on the way home. Paige was quite a hit there. She didn't get too grumpy despite being being up three hours past her bedtime. We love taking Paige to parties, because we seldom have to hold her. In a predictably Carl manner, the party ended in Karaoke. Here are the party pictures: slideshow or set.

The next day, we did some shopping on NYC's Fifth Avenue. Of course, we didn't actually buy anything. We got a glance of the well-known celebrity Will Smith, on location shooting his next project I Am Legend A section of the street was blocked off to make NYC look post-apocalyptic, and I got a shot of the city looking artificially deserted. Unfortunately, the only shot we got of the Fresh Prince was from behind. Here are the rest of the pictures: slideshow or set.

The road trip provided ample opportunity to listen to a lot of music. Upon my return home, I was excited to talk about phenomenal new albums by Lupe Fiasco, The Hold Steady, and the Decemberists. However, Halloween is approaching, so I couldn't resist posting a song about Dead Souls.

Addendum (10/26/06): Coincidentally, a blog called the laws have changed contains a post aboout the three albums I've listed above. Our two blogs also share the same template.

Blandly Accurate Fortune Cookie

That's what I do. I get paid to work in an Emergency Department. My whole family thrives on the unexpected. It keeps food on the table. Like lawyers, I make money off of people's misfortunes. Although, I'd like to think I'm helping actually helping those people.