Of teeth, and puzzles

I saw the dentist this morning and scheduled my wisdom tooth pulling surgery for Friday at 3 pm. It sounds most unpleasant and I'm really REALLY REALLY REALLY not looking forward to it. I've been putting it off for several years for three reasons: 1.) I never had enough money; 2.) I never had enough time; and 3.) I'm afraid.
So now I have a month to recover and the surgery is mostly covered by my national health insurance and will only cost me NT 170 (which is around $5 USD and is RIDICULOUSLY cheap for having two wisdom teeth pulled), so I'm left only with excuse #3: I'm afraid. But I'm doing it anyway because in the words of my dentist (and two others before this one): "You MUST." Blah.
Apparently I'll be awake and under a local anasthetic and they have to saw my tooth out and it's really close to a nerve and I was told I might be numb in my chin and lip "indefinitely" if they nick the nerve on accident. AAAAUUUUGGGHHHH.... I think Thursday night will be mostly sleepless for me....
The dentist also said that although I need all four out, it's too risky to pull them all at the same time so they're doing one side at a time (two at a time), and since it will take "probably three weeks" to fully recover from one side, I will probably have to do the other side either at Chinese New year or next July. I'm one unHappy Sharon right now. :(
On a lighter note, I've rediscovered my fondness for puzzles. I'm currently doing two: an old world map 1000 piece puzzle and a Thomas Kinkade painting 1000 piece puzzle, both of which are buggers and I've made many mistakes already. It's fun. I put on some "Friends" on the Tv in the background and puzzle away. When I worked in the elder care home in Alaska before I came here, one of the residents was an avid puzzler. She also had Parkinson's and couldn't control her shaking but she still managed to complete about one (huge) puzzle a week. This is what she did ALL day except for meal and nap times, while the other residents watched CSI on Tv (not kidding - CSI and Monk were all they would watch. I made them switch to the Amazing Race on Sunday nights when I worked there and they would fall asleep. hrmpph.). Not surprisinginly, Pearl (the puzzl-er), was the sharpest of the bunch. The others forgot lots of things...often didn't know what was going on...and..occasionally tried to wander out into the woods somewhere looking for things that did not exist, but Pearl knew what was up pretty much all the time. I figured it was the years of puzzles that sharpened up her brain cells. She was amazing - she kept track of all her doctors appointments and medications and was known to call employees on their mistakes. I can't even keep track of my doctor's appointments now. Good for Pearl, I always thought.
So thanks to Pearl, I'm sharpening up my brain cells for when my day comes. :) and since I anticipate sitting in my house slurping pudding for the foreseeable future, I might as well be somewhat productive.
The new team is gone at camp this week so I have the house to myself. It's actually been a nice quiet break and I've done a lot of cleaning, puzzling, and a little bit of lesson planning *pats self of back*.
They are all going to Sun Moon Lake on an overnight retreat next week and I'm *hopefully* going as well, unless the tooths pain is unbearable. Then the week after that I'm going to the next youth camp and I think my workshop this year will be arts & crafts. Hmm... gotta think of something cool enough for junior highers to "make"...
Anyhow, not much new or exciting is going on here besides all that (which, puzzles and wisdom teeth aren't really that new or exciting), so just if you who read this could keep me in your prayers for Friday since I really am pretty nervous about it and I've had more than 3 dentists (and the internet) tell me it will be very painful. :(
Zai jian! Probably I won't post again until next week.