Coffee/Tea: A New Perspective

I love coffee/tea. Sometimes I wonder how I got to be so dependent. Back in college, I tried drinking coffee to stay awake and study. But I didn't particularly care for the taste without a lot of cream and sugar. I didn't like how it upset my [stomach] and I hated that it was a diuretic.

Then somewhere along the way, I got old. A funny thing happens when you get old; sometimes you end up enjoying things that you wrote off as a youth. Perhaps my palate matured. Or perhaps it evolved out of necessity.

My introduction addiction to coffee started at my previous job. The lunchroom was stocked with a pair of instant coffee/tea machines with a large variety of flavors distributed in self-contained packages. One of the machines allowed you to mix multiple flavors together (e.g., choco + other coffee flavors) for some very delicious combinations. I figured I'd try a few combinations to stave off the 2 PM blues. After sampling all of the flavors, a few of them started growing on me. I was hooked...

A typical work day would start with a cup of coffee followed by a 2nd one later in the afternoon. The long hours didn't help. I was always tired. I always needed a pick-me-up. I needed a cup of coffee before I could even get started on my day. I needed another just to keep going. Sometimes I needed a fix on the weekends.

Then I got a new job. I work fewer hours. I am not as tired and I am less dependent on caffeine. But you know what? I still enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning. I like making myself a cup of tea in the afternoon. When we're at a restaurant, I look forward to coffee after dinner.

It's funny how your perspective changes as you get older. I'd elaborate but my tea is getting cold.

Torus Mandibularis

This morning I had a dentist appointment to have surgery to remove extra bone growth on the inside of my jawbone (Torus Mandibularis). It's kind of gross so if you have a weak stomach, try not to Google it (but those are really extreme cases). I have been dreading this day for months. I was dreading the pain of the procedure. I was dreading the nausea that the medicine usually causes. I was dreading the long recovery time. I was dreading not being able to eat my favorite foods for a while.

I made this appointment many months ago because it's one of those crazy-expensive-procedures that cost so much that it completely exhausts your annual maximum limit. That's why I had to schedule it in the following calendar year when my benefits renews.  Because it's classified as "surgical periodontal care", it's not covered at 100% so I had to pay over $250 just for the co-pay.

Now that the procedure is done with, I can reflect a little bit. To be honest, the procedure wasn't that bad today. I guess I've gone through too many other periodontal procedures that I kind of know more or less what I'm getting myself in to. And the alternative to not having these things done would be to continue to have receding gums and more bone loss and then tooth loss. I guess I can take comfort in knowing that I've been through worse before. The procedure probably lasted about an hour. The anesthesia held up so it was relatively painless though it all. I thank God for that.

With a baby on the way, it's kind of funny how your perspective changes on things. I have this receding gum problem. I have minor scoliosis and a history of various back problems. I have been in physical therapy for Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) aka runner's knee. I have psoriasis and some arthritis that is linked with it. I also have allergies to just about anything green. These problems are all minor compared to some of the things other people have to go through so I've just accepted that that is how things are for me. But with our baby on the way, I'm afraid that he might inherit some of these problems.

I'm so thankful that Tary doesn't have any of my problems. I'm thankful that God gave me a wife that can help cancel out some of my bad genes.