Guilty Until Proven Innocent

The dentist appointment went well. Ds1 has no cavities, as usual (has never had even one), his gums "aren't too bad" and he cooperated very nicely without any problems whatsoever.

I had a lot of plaque in between my front lower teeth -- more it seems than the last time I had them cleaned and the time prior to that was like 10 years? Kind of weird to have hardly any, then get my teeth cleaned and the next time they are covered. The dentist reminded me that it was time to have one of my molars crowned. I was surprised by that, I had no idea I needed a crown. He said it was the second time he's told me about it. I saw him back in May when one of my teeth was being sensitive. I do not remember him saying anything about a crown. I don't know if it's selective memory or what. I went ahead and made an appointment and the crown will cost me $450 out of pocket. OUCH. Maybe that's why I completely wiped the memory from my mind. The receptionist told me they have a new policy where now they have the patient sign that they have told them they need to have work done. So, she had me sign that I knew the dentist had recommended my having a crown done. I also need new glasses. Those are going to cost at least $250. I need to have those graduated type glasses... progressive lenses they are called. Costco told me they cost about $250 for frames and progressive lenses. My current lenses are fogged and it is awful seeing through them. I hate all these money things that aren't planned and budgeted for.

Here's the criminal part... after ds1 and I got back home, ds2 and I drove his vehicle to the nearest small town to a mechanic. After we dropped off the vehicle, we drove to the bank that SIL's checks are drawn on. She wrote a couple, to each of us. Her signature on the checks didn't match the bank's copy of her signature. So the guy said he'd have to call the company and make sure the checks were valid. I understand something like this having to be done, and even though I knew the checks were valid, I couldn't help but feel like a criminal. The guy came back, said he couldn't get hold of the company and said I could call if I'd like. I had called, and got her daughter on the phone. I'd asked her to go out and tell her mom to check her voice mail because the bank wouldn't cash the checks for us. So ds2 and I waited a few minutes, then called again. The daughter answered and confessed that she had not went to talk to her mom yet. So I asked her to please, if she could, go now and have her mom call me.

So SIL calls me back. She said she'd call the bank. Soon the man came back and said he could cash the checks for us.

Since some of the amount was written to reimburse us for things we'd charged on credit to do the work, I wanted to get money orders. So next we went to a grocery store. Since the money orders were over $500, the store has a policy that they have to take down all your information. Name, address, phone number, social security number, driver's license number, etc. The gal at the counter apologized and said they had to, and explained it was because drug dealers use the money orders to wash their income. They buy the money orders, write them to themselves, then cash them out a few months later. They actually want you to write down who you are going to pay each money order to!! But the gal said I could just write "paying bills" and not itemize each thing. Geez.

So by the time we got all this done, I felt really down. Felt bad about myself, like I'm a loser or even worse, a criminal! I'm really sensitive to this sort of thing, and have to guard myself against becoming depressed. I understand all the things they have to do nowadays, and I would hope that my bank would do the same for me. I understand the store's position.

We (ds2, husband and I) are trying to keep their business expenses separate from the household and have not yet opened a checking account. I thought it would be easy enough to just cash the checks. Not so.

I had a crappy, crappy food day. Ds1 wanted Taco Bell after the dentist, so I indulged there and had a Bean Burrito and a Supreme Crunchy Taco. Then on the way home, he wanted an ice cream from Dairy Queen, of course I had to have one, too. Then no one had cooked dinner and there was nothing quit to prepare, so ds2 and I bought Burger King on the way home. I usually decline on BK, but decided to just have a Whopper and fries.

I'm tired, as usual. I'm going to try really hard to floss at least once a day. I do pretty good at brushing twice daily, almost without fail. Haha, the dental hygienist commented about the two minute toothbrushing. She had asked, about ds1, if we have an electric toothbrush for him and I said we did, and it was nice because it tells you when to switch from one quadrant to the next, every 30 seconds. So I guess she thought *I* was using a similar toothbrush. We do happen to have two of these toothbrushes, so maybe I will start using one of them. Need to buy a new brush head.

Until next time.