Now, now … have some ice cream: Jan. 23

The pain from getting my wisdom tooth out was mild. I didn’t even take any aspirin.

I wasn’t entirely sure that it would, but the bleeding did eventually stop.

But there was still one thing that had me cranky.

It was pizza night, and I couldn’t eat any pizza.

This was the second time I had a wisdom tooth removed. The first time, it was an emergency because the tooth had broken and badly infected. Two twists of the forceps, and it was gone. The dentist gave me a prescription for painkillers that I never used, and normal life resumed within a couple hours.

This one, though, had been coming for years. The tooth had been infringing on the one next to it — people who know me will be shocked at this, but my mouth has never been big enough for all my teeth — and I was eventually told that I had no choice.

This extraction was a two-person job, with so much pulling and twisting that when the periodontist stopped for a second, I croaked, “Is it moving?” Because if for all that, they couldn’t get the damn thing out, I was not going to be happy.

But she did, and while I left with one less tooth, I also went home with a list of instructions, including no hot food that night.

I tried so hard to justify it. Maybe I could let the pizza cool off a bit, cut it into really small bites and chew it only on one side of my mouth. (I tried a similar strategy with mozzarella sticks after a root canal. It was … not successful.)

But good sense prevailed.

Not like I was happy, though.

Fine … I would have a big bowl of applesauce, except we didn’t have nearly as much as I thought.

I wasn’t thrilled with the situation to start, and this just made me crabby.

“What do you want to eat?” Suzi asked.

“I want to eat pizza!”

“Can I go get you something?”

“No!”

Giant baby? Check

Martyr? Check

For something fairly insignificant as not being able to eat pizza the night I had my wisdom tooth out? Double check

Then Suzi said the magic words.

“Can I go get you some ice cream?”

Why yes … yes she could. Although, still being sensible, I had her get chocolate instead of something with chips or nuts or cookie dough.

I don’t know if I ever used a pacifier as a baby, but I thought I had long outgrown one by this point.

“All the way back to my days as a lonely first grader, I felt so, so lucky if anyone liked me, much less loved me. The idea that someone else could feel similarly about me was unfathomable. It would have felt egotistical to even entertain the notion. And while my ego certainly grew over time, that parallel insecurity did not fade. I hoped the people I loved loved me back, and I felt overwhelmingly lucky when they did. It never really occurred to me that the feeling would be mutual.

This is true for you too, by the way. The people you love who love you back? They feel lucky to have you. You should know that. I know I do.”

Drew Magary, from “The Night the Lights Went Out”

What I wrote

The dam actually broke!

My 21st birthday wasn’t all that memorable, and I don’t think I’d go back in time to change any of the big events in my life.

A few years ago, 20 people died in a limo crash less than 15 minutes from my parents’ house. I recently saw the memorial at the site for the first time.

Stuff I read

Savannah and I have never met, but she’s one of my oldest blogging buddies, and because of her blog, I’ve always felt a link between her and Colorado. Now, she and her husband Chad are moving to Milwaukee.

Self-centered people are really ticking off Pea Green these days.

Erin won a writing contest.

One COVID scare later, Pepper’s daughter finally had her surgery.

Being an adult has been good for Rosie’s inner child.

Giggles’ idea of a superpower is … for there to be more than one of her.

Christina’s new counselor turned out to be a familiar face.

Paul had a burst of nostalgia while cleaning out his closet. That was over at Renata’s blog place, while at his own, he had a weird dream … again.

Becky found a bunch of stuff for her living room.

Graham supports his team’s manager. He’s clearly doing the internet wrong.

I didn’t exactly need convincing, but Michelle was kind enough to share the virtues of swearing.

Have you ever contemplated uncured ham? I haven’t, and I doubt Ally had all that much, either.

Vee is struggling right now, but vows to get all the toxicity out of her life this year.

Katie tells a story of badly mismatched Valentine’s Day gifts.

Roxy thanks her father’s cancer. Yes, you read that right.

What does it mean to be “authentic”? Mari has her own answer.

I think winter has broken Austin.

Facebook is reminding River of when she had fun. I can relate.

Tweets I liked

The way so many people clearly think Yankees fans have something mentally wrong with them.

OK! I'm writing a rather spicy story for @BostonGlobe real estate: If you didn't grow up in the Boston area, what totally shocked/flummoxed you when you moved here? Rotaries? Frappes? The climate? Love affair w/ @MarketBasket? Tell me!!

— Kara Baskin (@kcbaskin) January 21, 2022

Can’t come fast enough.

Coming summer 2022 #summer pic.twitter.com/YK0rPymeRa

— BruceCoulterPhotos (@BruceCoulterPh1) January 20, 2022

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