On the journey

If you are raising your eyebrow after reading the heading, I don’t blame you. This post is listed under my “I love to drink” blog category, so those who are regular to my blog can pretty much expect what’s coming up. As most of you might know how my loss of appetite for liquor has hurt that particular blog category, but I still find a way to get around it. Today I’m writing this post under the influence, not the liquor but general anesthesia

I normally go to Jiffy Lube for my car’s oil change. When you have a beat-up old car, there are always some stuff in it to fix, and the mechanics and technicians there do not miss any opportunity in letting me know that, after all it’s how they earn their bread.  “Hey man, you need to flush your transmission fluid, radiator, power steering fluid, clean engine …blah blah blah”. One technician was like “Hey man, please don’t do this to your car” to one of my friend. They sound so convincing that you almost develop a guilt for over exploiting your car. All the things they suggest for maintenance are not false, but the cost constraints and other priorities doesn’t always make their recommendation feasible. If you have no idea what’s building up in your car, you can drive with peace of mind, but once you know something is wrong or might be wrong in future, you stop to listen for slightest of different sounds.

I recently went to a dentist for a regular cleaning and check up. It was my first ever time to a dentist in America, so like Naked Nepali mentioned in his blog, if required I now have  my dental records for future verification The dentist was quick to point out, looking at my x-rays, that two of my lower teeth are in trouble because my lower molars were oriented in a wrong position, hence forming bad cavities in those two teeth (in both right and left side). Thus, the best way forward was for me to get rid of those two molars so that the dentist could take care of the cavities in those troubled teeth (perhaps RCT required in one). Since the molars (बुद्धि-बङ्गरा) have no use in chewing, there should be no problem for me to get rid of those, and since I am getting rid of two lower molars, I should also get rid of top two (because with time the upper ones will gradually erupt downwards because of the void). I know few people would not be impressed when I say this, but for a moment I felt like I was listening to the Jiffy Lube guy, not the dentist. I know those were real problems, but I was living a happy life until the dentist told me about the problem, now I can’t stop thinking about it. After reviewing the x-ray, together with my wife, I decided to do just one side (left), as it was in more precarious position, and I would take care of the right side couple of years down the road.  But, when I went to the referred dental surgeon, and underwent through the cost estimation, I decided to take all four molars out.  There were cost associated with each extractions, but more expensive was the anesthesia. Instead of paying twice for it, I thought let me get over it at once. I had two options in anesthesia: 1. Local anesthesia:- I won’t feel anything, but I can see what’s happening, 2. General anesthesia:- I will have absolutely no clue what just hit me, I will be made to sleep. I decided to have general anesthesia even if it was much more expensive, I hate looking at dentist insert that metal stuff inside my mouth and pulling my tooth. My whole procedure was over in 30 minutes, and here I am sitting at home and eating Jello and pudding

Although, my car might feel bad for prioritizing the dentist over jiffy lube guy, I had Medical/Dental insurance to back me up, it’s the economy stupid

Coming to another completely unrelated topic on Sai Baba, I had some interesting discussion with my friends, during one of my more sober beer saga. First of all let me say this, my parents are big followers of Sai Baba, so is my wife and the in laws. I am not in their boat, but I don’t completely write off Sai Baba either. So this writeup has absolutely nothing to do about whether he is or he is not, what people  claim him to be.  Though I haven’t seen this phenomenon live, but I have seen pictures/posters in my family and other friends and relatives covered with Vibhutti (ash). They say it comes out of the poster, as his blessing. I don’t want to comment anything on that ash thing, but one of my buddy coined a very valid point. What if the “blessing” came in form of rice or wheat instead of ash from the picture/poster? Most in Africa and in other drought struck areas would be following Sai Baba. If the ash can come out why can’t the flour or rice? What is more noble, holy, and divine than feeding the hungry?