Dentists and hockey

So I went to the dentist this week. you know, one of those factory-style ones that some insurance companies cover. I've had fairly good luck with this one in the past but this week's journey was just that, a journey, and it ended poorly. After waiting a half hour I was finally ushered in for the initial consultation, one that included the obligatory x-rays. After being told that the tooth that was giving me discomfort had to be removed, I returned to the waiting area. I was told the dental surgeon was running behind and it would be an hour. No problem, I could wait that long.
So, two and a half hours later my name was finally called and I followed the nurse to the back corner stall where the surgeon worked. I sat, received a shot or two of novacaine and waitied for the numbing to take effect so I could get on with my life. Just one problem, the area where the infected tooth resided still felt like it had full sensation. The doctor, and I use that term VERY loosely, asked if I was getting numb and I replied that I thought so, but that it didn't seem like it was numb around the target tooth. He said wait a few more minutes. After listening to him talk to another doc about the latest movies they'd seen - his taste was terrible - he came back into the stall and proceeded to get ready, asking me to open, lean back, and he began to probe. It hurt, let me tell you, ouch! I saw him reach into my mouth with an instrumemt. I thought it was another needle with some more novacaine that he was going to inject directly into the tooth. Lo and behold, nope. He simply gouged out a notch, so I found out, into the tooth so that grasping it with the removal tools would be easier. Well, not having a second to think or prepare for what came next, he pushed down quite hard and sent pain waves through my mouth and down my body that I had never felt from dental work. Let me tell you, I've had kidney stones, broken bones, back pain that was unreal but none of those felt like this. For those 4 to 5 seconds, it was as tough a pain as I've ever felt. As I writhed and groaned, he stated, "It's out, it's out". Un-freakin'-believable. The whole point of this is to tell anyone out there in the Ewing, New Jersey area who ever reads this, the dental surgeon's name is Dr Kovall, and the dental factory is Eastern Dental in Ewing (greater Trenton area). NEVER go to this guy. I warned you.
Speaking of terrible dental pain, the hockey playoffs are in full swing and though my team has already been banished to the gold course, the first round has been terrific. Four of the first eight series have gone to seven games, there have been multiple overtimes, and the overall play has been exhilirating. Almost every game I've watched has been close and gone down to the last few minutes. I really believe that the NHL playoffs are the most exciting of any of the major team sports, but probably the least watched. It's a shame. Wait a sec, my dog needs some attention.
Anyway, since my team, the NY Rangers, have already exited, I'm doing what I did last year and have begun rooting for my wife's team, the Philadelphia Flyers. When I did this last year, they made it to the finals and that's in spite of my usual kiss-of-death effect on whoever I root for. Look at the record: NY Rangers - one cup in 70 years; NY Mets - one series win in the last 41 years; NY Jets - no Super Bowl appearance since winning it 42 years ago; Michigan Wolverine football - one national championship, and that was shared in my lifetime. Only Manchester United, an English football club I've been rooting for since I was a kid is any good. They happen to have been the best English club overall in the last 20 years. But I have to go to freakin' Europe to find a successful team?? Sheesh!
Back to hockey, the Flyers actually have a fairly good shot to at least get back to the finals this year. Only their goaltending might stop them. They have the most talent up front and a solid defense. But that 3-man goalie rotation is a major worry. No team wins a Stanley Cup riding multiple goalies. You have to get a hot backstop and ride him all the way. Unless that happens, the Phiily cup drought will continue. For my wife's sake, I hope it doesn't. Prediction? Just a good overall playoff season. Buck-buck-buck-bawk.

Hello to everyone and anyone!

Well, I guess, it's about time I ranted and raved to someone, other than my wife, my various and most of the time off the wall thoughts and opinions. Okay, too many commas but I'm just starting. I'm not gonna bore you with a biography, I'll let you find out bits of this and that as I go along. Yeah, I used gonna instead of going to. I might as well write like I talk. Sure I can be as grammatical as the next idiot, but I want to vent, not worry about style. Well, maybe I'll worry later.
See, I worry as much as anyone. I have opinions as much as anyone. But seeing that I don't have any kids to give me a ready audience who I can force to listen to me, I might try this on for size and find out if anyone gives a hoot. I thought of a few words stronger than hoot but I'm not sure what the vulgarity levels are on this site.
Now I have many, many interests. I love my wife but this isn't a "I love my wife" blog. Heck, I'm not even sure what exactly a blog is. I read a few columnists, mostly sports, and they call what they write blogs, but I just read because I'm a sports junkie. I've never really checked out any blog sites, not really sure if I'd be interested in anyone's thoughts. Really arrogant, huh? Here I am spouting about what I think and what I'd like to write and I say who gives a crap about other folks. I used crap there, by the way, to see if crap can stay. we'll find out.
Now about sports, I love them. Mostly watching them because i've always kind of sucked at playing them. I was pretty good back in Little League, but we moved when I should have been progressing and never really got a shot at improving. I played football, but I was just big, kinda strong and smart, not athletically gifted. Later I picked up golf but I could never get the damn ball to go where I wanted it to go. Played it for years, still was terrible. After that, I stayed mainly with watching them, not playing them. But I'm a junkie. A total sports junkie. There are only a few that don't interest me. I was actually toying with naming this a sports blog of a sort, but aren't there enough of them around already? And I do want to write about other things, I really do. But just a warning, I will write quite a bit about sports whenever the feeling hits me, okay? In fact, while writing this now I have a soccer match going on in the background. Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, Champions League semifinal. It's cool if you have no idea what I'm talking about, but I love soccer. One of the few Americans that follows it and loves it. Go Man U!
I also love movies. Old ones, some new ones, comedies, action, anything with the word 'epic' as an adjective, some dramas, horror, sci-fi...anything mainly, except chick flicks. And, lately, anything with vampires. Freakin' vampires! They're everywhere! Are you kidding me? Seems that if a movie is gonna suck, throw some vampires in it and it makes money. Are kids today that stupid? They must be. My wife and I also watch some TV but most of it today revolves around reality and neither of us like the reality stuff very much. Exceptions: Jersey Shore - me, Jerseylicious - her, American Idol auditions - both of us, but only the auditions (who wants to hear these idiots sing the same old crud?), Hard Knocks - me, especially the last season concerning the New York Jets, my favorite football team. It was freakin' awesome! Past seasons were really good too, but the Jets and Rex Ryan were great! Even the wife watched, and that's saying something.
Other TV shows we both watch seem to revolve around cartoons: the Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park. We watch NBC's Thursday night lineup starting with The Office (too bad Carell's leaving), 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation most of the time. We don't mind if we miss that though. Most of the rest of TV sucks big time. I mean it's awful. Unwatchable. Boring. Repetitive. Repetitive. Thank God for sports and movies.
I'm gonna leave for now, the second half is about to start. If anyone reads this and wants more, really great, I mean that. If no one does, okay as well. It's not gonna stop me from spouting, venting, opining, etc. I hope someone (probably myself) gets something out of this. Whew! That's a lot of typing.