Date night

Well, Joseph and I went out on the town last night, and since my intention of this blog was to talk about living in Boston/ fun things we do sometimes, I thought I'd relay the pertinent info.

 As the weather was a bit unfortunate, we narrowed down options to things we could do where driving/parking would be easy. The thing about living around here is sometimes parking can be unpleasant. Well, nothing wrong with heading (at least half-way) to the 'burbs in order to ensure plentiful parking, I say!

www.aquitainebis.com

 So dinner and a movie it was. We went to Aquitaine in Chestnut Hill. Its a great French restaurant, and as I love all things French (fries, our friend Guillaume...) of course I love this place. We've gone to the one in the South End in the past, but the one in Chestnut Hill is near the movie theater... which is a blessing.
So I suppose I'll talk about the menu... at Aquitaine I would heartily recommend the mussels as an appetizer. The presentation is terrific, they're served in a copper pot, and the sauce is super delicious. Can I describe it more technically than that? No, I'm afraid not.  Also fantastic is the steak frites, which we split. We typically don't do that, but we've been on a splitting kick this weekend.  Sometimes I get embarrassed that we aren't spending enough money and our waitress will like, hate us for sharing, as if we're cheap jerks or something, but its always fine... and I'm always glad we did it.  I can never eat everything when we go out to dinner, yet somehow manage to eat too much at the same time. Ah, the paradox that is life. Alright then, for dessert we had the banana tarte tatin. Best part of the meal, amazing. We had the syrah that they serve by the glass - unfortunately I don't know the name, but, it was also delightful.

The tables were of the half booth, half chair variety, so it was a bit intimate with the neighbors on each side. Well, you never know how that's going to go, but I enjoyed listening in on the conversations going on beside us. I was never super terrific at minding my own business. One side was a couple on their first date. They were older, and I was really hoping it would work out for them. The other side housed a married couple - they weren't as interesting... and they were a bit pompous - which I find weird since they were already married to the one across the table,  so it seemrd to be a bit late in the game for that. I don't know if anyone was listening to us, I wonder if people think talking about dentistry is interesting.

So then we saw Avatar, in 3D. Joey and I didn't even really want to see it, but felt compelled nonetheless. I sat through the previews somewhat sulking that I was just seeing something because I felt like I had to, and then poor me, why do I always do things I feel like I 'have' to do. Life is tough. So there I was, making myself into a martyr, until before I knew it - I was into it, cheering "Gooo rhino things! Get the bad guys!"  silently of course, and thus it turned out to be fun and enjoyable. Joey enjoyed the 3D glasses immensely. He put them on straight away to maximize all 3D benefit. Next week maybe we'll see Shutter Island - which is what I really wanted to see in the first place. In any event, I guess its good to have seen Avatar so that I can be up on what all the kids are seeing these days.
 It was good to spend a night with the hubs out of the house but yet still relaxing.  I can see why the dinner/movie combo is so popular. We're going to have to go to the 'Hill more often. I hope that you all had a great weekend too.

My heezy

My apartment is such a mess, I worry that if for some reason the apartment maintenance people come through, they'll think we've been robbed, or just that we're totally disgusting.
I want to say that I don't know how it got like this, but I know exactly how it got like this. We were out of town last weekend and we didn't do the laundry, so that has piled up. Also, we didn't go to the grocery store for the same reason, and so we haven't had normal meals at normal times, throwing our whole routine off. Well, I did actually go to the grocery store, but it wasn't until Tuesday, after work, whilst starving. You can imagine how that went. Usually we have dinner and then afterwards at least sort of straighten up the kitchen. Well, many meals of chips, salsa, chocolate eclairs and girl scout cookies later, we have dishes strewn all over the counter and sink, and a dishwasher full of clean dishes we've just been plucking out to use at will. In just four days our schedule that we painstakingly tried to stick to, as we are prone to the aforementioned diet and habits, has come completely undone and now we're living like kids whose parents have gone out of town and left them unattended. This is sad. We are professionals. Healthcare professionals nonetheless!
Each morning, full of energy in the light of a new day, fueled by too much coffee and my baseline generalized anxiety I think - "I can't wait to clean this up! Then it will look beautiful and we can relax in a clean house."
Then I return from work tired and on the hunt for chocolate eclairs and the cycle continues.  Mark my words, this weekend I will clean this heezy like its never been cleaned, and then finally we can relax in a clean house.  Don't worry apartment, I will not forsake you.

Thinking of you, Diet Coke

Today I forgot my diet coke, and now my lunch is beverage-less. I didn't realize until I'd already put my frozen dinner/lunch in the microwave. Unless a miracle occurs, I don't think it will be possible for a diet coke to be available in the 3 min and 30 sec I have left until my lunch is ready.
 Dang it.
I'm thinking of you, diet coke, and wishing we could be together.

Dear Patients,

This picture has nothing to do with the post, just a cat enjoying a sunny day in a sunroom.

You all seem a little unclear lately of what is expected on both sides of our relationship. I thought I'd take the time to put in writing how this dentist/patient relationship goes, and what kinds of things you can expect to accomplish in my office.
No I cannot orthodontically move your teeth in order to apply a theoretical remineralization serum that will cure your cavites.  Unfortunately this does not exist at this time, and no, it does not exist at Tufts dental school in a lab upstairs in their building. In addition, believe it or not, it is significantly more invasive for you to have said orthodontic treatment, unnecessarily moving teeth in your bone and altering your periodontal support in order to avoid 3-5 minutes of treatment with the dental handpiece.
Also, I will not be able to "glue back on" crowns that have broken out of your mouth after years of dental neglect. Not only will this not work, it is foul and unethical. Furthermore, I do understand that you are "very busy" as you are very important and a genius, so by all means, please do see if you are able to find another dentist who will accomodate your request. Another clinician may be able to appreciate your position better than I am able at this time.  While I caution against treating individual teeth instead of your general oral health,  I wish you the best of successes in your present endeavor.
Moving on - many of you do in fact, clench and grind your teeth. This is why many of your posterior teeth are flattened or broken despite the fact you do not have dental decay in these areas. I do not work on commission for the night guard folks, in fact, I'm on salary here at the office. There is nothing in it for me if you get the night guard or not. It is not a conspiracy. There is no need to conduct experiments at night to disprove the theory that you have type A tendencies and are a hard worker coping with a maladaptive oral habit. We all have to find ways to deal. There is no stigma associated with bruxism. If you do in fact, get this night guard, you are likely to save thousands of dollars in dental treatment and effectively protect your temperomandibular joint from further damage.
Finally, I want you to know that I have the deepest respect for all of you. You work hard and you are all amazing people. I will do my very best to eradicate any odontogenic disease and restore your dentition to the best of my abilities with the materials that exist and are available.  Please remember to use a fluoridated toothpaste and an extra soft, compact bristle toothbrush or an electrical toothbrush like Sonicare or OralB, keep your dental appointments and arrive on time. I look forward to continuing our goal of ensuring your oral health together.

Best regards,
Dr. Labord-ay.

I love you Vermont, forever.

This weekend Joey and I went to Vermont for a little getaway, and it was a blessing. Lately I've been complain-y and tired, and I've felt like I needed a day off or just some sort of break. Well, Vermont hit the spot.  The scenery is amazing, and the people are the salt of the earth. They reminded me of Texans a little bit.

Those of you who have ever skied with me before know that it doesn't exactly come naturally to me. Many superior skiers/small children whipped past me - actually using their poles the right way, not dragging them uselessly behind them like cats on a leash, or flailing them around helicopter style after getting about an inch of air (post-accidental mogul encounter.)

Joey is a great skier, and so I felt a little bit bad for him that he had only me to ski with, but he didn't mind because he loves me, and I love him.

After a day on the slopes we thought it appropriate to post-carboload at the Pasta Pot. However, on the way, our car had a little seizure and faked a coolant injury. We think it was a ploy to keep us in Vermont forever. Silly car - we have to work in order to support your gasoline habit! We were in a bit of a bind as all the auto repair shops were closing as we called them, and of course, weren't open on Sundays. This is Vermont afterall.

Luckily Ed, the cook at the Pasta Pot, also doubles as a mechanic, and the people there were so nice to us. I was in the car frantically calling shop after shop in the parking lot, while Joey went inside to ask if the people from the town knew of anyone with a flexible Sunday schedule. Well, out came my dashing husband with Ed the wonder chef - an example of Vermont's finest. He and Joe took a look together and fixed her right up.

Then we enjoyed a delightful meal of pasta and friendship. The dining room even had a fire. I love this place.

Vermont is so beautiful and untouched, and its inhabitants can't be beat. So if I wanted to move there, would I even be worthy? I can't just be a dentist, I have to have some other critical skill, like Ed. I think I could get into plumbing. Either plumbing or sewing. The trouble is I don't know how to do either at this point... but well, 5 years ago I didn't know how to be dentist and look at me now!

I love you Vermont, you are the bomb.

Seattle

Last weekend I took a trip to the other coast to spend some time with my friends Sasha and Carolina.  They're two of my best friends from college.

Carolina just started working for Amazon in Seattle, and it just seattle-ing (ha) into her new digs. She is very fancy and talks about "writing code," and "third party sellers."  My friend Sasha is a musician in NYC = she is cool and bohemian and plays in venues in "the City."  Anyway, Sash and I travelled out there for the weekend and get acquainted with Caro's new scene.

We walked to the market and bought some fresh fish at the fish throwing place. It was a sight to be seen.

Some of the sea life was still moving, which made me feel a little bit bad for it as a whole, however we didn't get that - so my conscience is clear.

We went to Snoqualmie Falls and Sash and Caro bravely defied the warning to stay on the platform and observe at  distance, and joined the other Seattle-ites down near the shore.

They didn't mind getting a little dirty. I held the purses and acted as unofficial picture lady on the pier/platform. 

All in all it was a good time. Although we've grown up since college and life has changed a bit for all of us, its always a fun time to spend some time and catch up. Big hugs girlies... hope you had a great week.

Happy Birthday Brianna J

A few weeks ago we celebrated the birthday of one of my good friends Brianna.

She is a most blessed friend, and she throws a most blessed shindig. We laughed and we danced.

It was a blast. Happy birthday Brianna Joanna.

How to be a good wife

Well, there are lots of ways... but in this instance - bake a cake! Follow these do's and don'ts to a life of wedded bliss:

1. DO ensure that your husband is comfortably enjoying a glass of wine while doing his work. This way he won't ask you questions and you can direct your focus toward the task at hand.

2. DON'T make it from scratch. Who can be measuring flour these days? That is tedious and unnecessary. DO go ahead and consult a box of Duncan Hines. Sure, its a box, but people that give you a hard time about that are jerks.  Plus as long as your husband doesn't turn around, he never has to know.

3. DO use a bundt pan, it makes it look fancy.

4. DON'T flip the bundt pan over before the cake has cooled. This leads to fractured cake.

5. DO piece together the cake and hold with toothpicks.

6. DO cover toothpicks with copious icing and distract with a message conveyed in M&Ms.

7. DON'T forget to take the toothpicks out, lest you slice up a piece for your beloved and he gets one on his fork and exclaims "whoa, good thing I didn't eat that!"

8. Relish your success, congratulations, you are a good wife.

Its been so long

since I had a donut. I have tried to keep in mind that we're going on our honeymoon soon, and the receptionist at my office said it takes a really long time to digest a donut. One of my coworkers who is in really good shape said he hasn't had a donut in years.
I decided a few weeks ago that I wouldn't have a donut until Valentine's Day. This came on the heels of a nearly daily donut habit and the coincident phenomenon of all of my pants shrinking at the same time. I have found that I do in fact, miss them less and less... but I still think about them with tender nostalgia.
If I had a dog I would name him "Donut."

This weekend I'm going to visit my friend Carolina, with my good pal Sasha, in Seattle. I've never been there - I'm so excited.  It will be Valentines' Day this weekend, we'll see how it goes with the tasty fried frosted treats.

Let me tell you something about my family

I think I'm going to feature some people of the week. This week they are my grandaddy, and my sister, Elaine.

This is a picture of me with my grandfather, Herbert Bundock, and my cousin Sarah Darah.  Yeah, I had a boy haircut. That's my bear, Goldy. As  you can see I'm trying to make him wear a headband and Grandaddy was helping me out. Sarah isn't sure it's going to work.

So yes, we called him Grandaddy, and he was the bomb dig.  He was born in a cellar, not a basement. If you don't have either, I realize its difficult to appreciate the difference. He grew up extremely poor in the Great Depression, and was the only one of his brothers and sisters to live through it.  He wasn't lacking tenacity though, and he was dedicated to education. He worked his way through law school.  He said that he wanted to be a doctor, but you can't take time off of medical school to work.  He later went on to become a successful public defender and run for senate for the state of Connecticut.  He was so brave and he never gave up. He married my grandma, Elaine, who is equally amazing. They had six children and sent them all to private Catholic school and to college.  Because of my grandparents' hard work, their kids had great opportunities.  Then because their children were encouraged to make the most out of those opportunities, I had a wonderful life, and I will never have to overcome the obstacles that he cleared.  What my grandfather accomplished set the standard for our family - work hard, keep going, don't give up, and family is the most important part of your life. I think about him, along with my grandma, everyday.  Sometimes when I'm having the crappiest of craptastic days and I want to give up and pretend I have a broken foot and go home, I think of him, and I just try to do my best. I hope that he would be proud of me.  So let me tell you something about my family: they're wonderful.

This is my mom, Mary, and my sister, Laner Daner. (Sometimes we call people in our family a derivative of their first name followed by a "D" preceding the corresponding rhyming word, thanks Dad!) This is back when Elaine got upset when she realized other people's birthday parties weren't actually her birthday party. This happened usually at cake and presents time. One time she refused to relinquish a Fraggle Rock purse at a McDonald's birthday party. True story.  Anywho, Laner is my lil' sister, and she would make Grandaddy proud. She takes after both of our grandparents. She is so smart, focused, and determined, and has accomplished so much in her life. I'm so proud of her. Way to go Laney, high-five.

Here is a blurry picture of us having fun.  Have a great week Laner, you've probably found a way to work from home if you're snowed in.

Sew cool

It is one of my life's dreams to become good at sewing. It is so intimidating. I wish I could whip things up lickety split. I don't even know what these "things" would be.  I also want to be an expert plumber and carpenter.  You know, like Nikki on Big Love.

She can do all of those things. First I might take on the sewing.  I'm still thinking about how I'll get started and when. Right now I have lots of laundry and my house is messy, and well, the aforementioned work stresses.  Someday though.