More specifically, my jaw, which is numbed beyond belief and, in fact, may no longer be attached to my face. I wouldn't know if it was or not, since I can't feel any part of my entire right mandible.

Seriously.

So, I went to the dentist (again) and he numbed me up (again) and he starting drilling around for fun (again) and when I made that 'oooh, I felt that' twinge, he said that we needed some more numbing and proceeded to shoot me up MORE. Then he waited a bit, started more invasive procedures, I still had pain, and he threw his hands up in disgust.

Well, not really. He's a professional (as well as an actor, remember?) and just rolled his eyes instead while solemnly stating that I have 'sensitive teeth'.

NO KIDDING.

More numbing was shot into my face, at which point the entire mandible ceases to exist, all the way up to the hinge (goodbye, ear) but I still know I have a tongue. It's the weirdest. Seriously. After all that shooting, I told him that we'd make a deal: he'd finish the frelling drilling, pain be damned, and I'd deal. JUST GET IT OVER WITH.

So, to make a long story short, he popped the temp inlay off, made a mold, put another temp on, and sent me on my way. My face? Is LOPSIDED. I know how a stroke victim feels. My face is absolutely normal on the left (which, in retrospect, is all about symmetry: first the black eye, now this on the other side) and, well, saggy on the other. I feel like I have jowls on one side. I feel like I'm lopsided. I feel...well, actually I feel nothing.

And THEN, in my attempts not to gnaw my tongue off during lunch (yeah, 10a appt), I get some soup.

You know where this is going, don't you? Numb tongue equals no taste buds. No feeling means that you can't taste, true--but it also means that you have no frickin' idea when the soup is TOO DAMN HOT until it hits the roof of your mouth, giving you that split second of decision: spit it back into the bowl, knowing that you have little control over your spitting accuracy, or swallow quickly and know that it'll burn all the way down, much like that flaming beast in LOTR1 & LOTR2.

I'm not telling you which option I went with, but I didn't touch that soup for a long, long time.

I'm really looking forward to dinner, when I have chewing-action back. Oh yeah, I'm going to town on that mac & cheese.

~~~~~

Finally hauled myself to Master & Commander. What was I thinking, waiting so long?!

I LOVE THIS MOVIE.