Dentist day

Waking up, remembering that today is dentist day. Big event in my life. Isn't' it in everyone's life? But I like my new dentist, and staff. Just don't like having my mouth pried (?)open and drilled upon. I gag easily when lying back with my mouth open...so there's the trying to breathe through my nose thing too. And of course the pain afterwards where the shots of Novocaine had been administered...so I always take aspirin for that.

But I've been unhappy to see a cavity in front of my mouth when I brush, so I know I need it! Just wish it didn't cost so darn much!

As I mentioned on my last visit, most of my mouth is now man-made. Thanks to dental care which was somewhat cheaper while I was working and paid for insurance. In the long run, having that payment taken out of a paycheck before I saw it still cost about the same amount. And now I wonder how much longer these teeth will even last.

I've let myself get concerned about world events lately. That's not particularly good for me...and doesn't make a whole lot of difference in the world itself. Acid stomach. Sleep problems. Nervous energy. But I hang out with activists. That in itself was my answer to dealing with my reactions to world problems...they will be taking some kind of action, and then I will know something is being done, at least on a local level. Again, there's not much feeling of real solutions being bred by their actions, but at least they know they've done something. I'm a vicarious activist. Boy is that lame! But I give my support as I am able.

Dreaming again...at a conference, with a friend, we put our things down at a dining table, then she goes off leaving her dog there (?). I pick him up and her coat, when I find out these are not seats for us, but for the caterers. Then I have to go to the ladies room, and the dog disappears. I frantically search all over, and find a white dog instead of the black one that's missing. Eventually I learn there's a construction door hidden in the wall of the ladies room, and the dogs get straighted out. And then my friend shows up, and we move our stuff, including the right dog, to whatever seats we're supposed to be in. I just recognized (now that I'm awake) that the first dog is one that a nurse brought to work at Park Place in Tampa for years. The other one is imaginary.

My own dream work tells me this has a lot to do with my feelings about world events. But also more about my feelings of leaving my cat alone while I go away next weekend. I have someone coming to feed her, but I am aware that she will not be happy for my being gone. So I'm having anxious feelings about disappearing pets/pet owners! The construction door which is hidden in the ladies room is a surprise, somewhat unethical (if it happened in real life), and also an unexpected solution to the mystery. My friend's disappearance is similar, sometimes having closeness with a friend is fleeting and unreliable, not easy to develop, then friends may be gone when I need support from them.

But what about the bigger issue. Bringing a dog to a conference! Leaving it sitting in a chair! I surely created this scenario of illusions. And my gullibility in picking up all her things, including her dog! Boy, I need a slap upside the head sometimes.

Last night I worked on painting glazes on some of the recent goddesses. The Queen of Heaven is finished, a low fire white earthenware done with dark skin (I hope) and dregs, a pale blue and turquoise dress and wings.

The lute player is finished, with brown and orange and yellow kind of loosely applied.

Bridgett is about half done. I'm going to leave her skirt clear of glaze, where there are slits in a lantern pattern...and a little candle can certainly be placed underneath. I have to paint the lantern she holds black, holding it up to light our way, bringing us fire and metal working. She also has a little Bridgett cross on her shoulder, as well as a great cape, to remind us of the story of her asking the ruler of Ireland for some land for her cattle. He said you might have all the land your cape can cover, and her cape was flung out, magically extending all the way to the shores of the land. Thus Bridgett is the land of Ireland.

OK, now I'm aware that this is procrastination, just writing away rather than actually dealing with what today holds. Mmmm. Another coping mechanism. Sometimes I wish I'd never studied psychology. I could just go around coping without the intellectual definitions! Like cats. Like dogs.