Здравствуйте!

(zdrahvst-voo-its-yeh) Hello!

I apologise for not writing sooner or more often, but I have been overwhelmed with my new schedule. The title up there is one of the few words I now know in Russian, thanks to my Russian 101 class. On top of that, I am also taking Zoology, Texas History, French Composition, and Intro to International Studies. It doesn't look like much when you say it that way, but it's 17 intensive hours, and I've been doing my best to keep up with it all.

Fortunately, these are classes I'm interested in, so at least it isn't like beating my head against the desk like it would be if I was in a math class. Still, I can tell I've definitely got my work cut out for me, what with writing French essays while reading L'Enfant Noir by Guinean author Camara Lye, learning the Cyrillic alphabet along with entirely new pronunciations, vocabulary, and grammar for Russian, sitting through a three-hour long lab each week for Zoology in addition to the hour-and-a-half 8 AM lecture, or staying up to date on international news while compiling my massive 4-inch host country resource book for International Studies.

Speaking of being busy, I'm not sure why I thought it was a good idea to audition for the à capella group Hardchord Dynamix (which I saw perform last semester), but I did on Wednesday night, just to give it a shot and practice the process. The only other time I have had to audition for anything was high school choir, which was hardly intimidating. The people in the group were very nice, but sadly, I did not receive a callback for tonight. Still, it was a learning experience, and it is probably for the best that I was not accepted since I have so much to do as it is. And today, after listening to a girl who asked if she could perform her rendition of The Sister Act's "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" to me while I was playing piano in the chapel on campus, I realize just how good some of the other people are who tried out.
I still miss singing, but unfortunately, living on a college campus affords me pretty much no privacy to practice anything, though at least I'm past being shy about playing and even learning sheet music in all its roughshod-diness on the public piano.

In other news, over the Christmas break, I began following Holly Lisle's How to Revise Your Novel course with my manuscript from National Novel Writing Month of 2006. I have been following Ms. Lisle's site and been a part of the online writing community she founded (called Forward Motion) for nearly four years now (wow, I can't believe it's been that long!), or basically since I set a serious goal of writing and publishing a book. It is excellent, but I have only done one lesson so far, and I haven't had time to push forward of late, although fortunately, I can work at my own pace and read the lessons as I get to them.

Sadly, I came all the way over to the library in the dark and the cold wind to work at a table where I could spread my binders out (as opposed to my woefully cramped room that is supposed to pass as some kind of acceptable living space). To my dismay, the library closes at 9:00 on Friday nights, so it looks like I won't be able to work with some elbow room and ruining my posture hunched on a bed after all.


To end on a slightly more optimistic note: today, while I had a few minutes to kill before dinner, I pulled down the book I received as a graduation gift from my high school teachers (which I have yet to finish), and I read their notes on the inside covers to me. It was wonderfully encouraging and just the pick-me-up I needed after a stressful first two weeks. There have been times I have struggled with my self-esteem and identity, but reading their loving words made me realize how blessed I have been to have such people in my life who appreciated my talents and knew me personally enough to pass on their counsel. When I'm feeling depressed by a lot of (what I perceive to be) spoiled and apathetic people who seem to have a charmed life, it's good to be reminded of the good I have been given and what I want to offer.

So, I will try to keep you updated, as I really do appreciate your interest in my life and especially your prayers! Some people might think college students have an easy life, but while I certainly can't compare to the poor people in Haiti, it's not all a cakewalk either. Thank you for caring.

To quote Holly: "Never give up on your dreams."

Out With The Old, In With the New

The old wisdom tooth, that is. This morning, I woke at the crack of doom to have my only wisdom tooth (upper left) removed at around 8:00.

I'm usually fine going to the dentist, and I was only slightly apprehensive about this procedure, although I was reassured by the many people who had gone before me assuring me that it is quite mild.

I opted to take nitrous oxide (a.k.a. "laughing gas," which, incidentally, happens to be what propels your whipped cream out of its canister and is a leading greenhouse gas) instead of an intravenous anesthesia, and I'm glad I did because it allowed me to remain conscious while feeling no pain.

I thought I would write down my experience of the procedure for my own recollection and for others who have to have their wisdom teeth removed in the future.

The technician showed me into the operating room, which was really no different than many other dentists' offices, and covered me with a nice, warm blanket and sheet (to keep the blood off of course). She then placed a rubber "mask" over my nose and proceeded to administer the nitrous oxide to me before the dental surgeon swabbed some piña colada-flavored numbing gel on my gum in order to inject me with the local anesthesia.

The nitrous oxide was probably the best part of the whole process. It is difficult to explain unless you have experienced it, but I would describe it as simply a warm, pleasant sensation, akin to that which you feel when you're feeling particularly touched or sentimental, which spreads from your chest out to your head, hands, and feet. It was very peaceful, and I briefly wondered if that is what it feels like when you die (morbid me), although I think I described it as a "fugue-like state."

Anyway, they injected me four times I think, and while I could tell that something was poking me, I couldn't feel much of the needle. Then they left me for 10 minutes just breathing oxygen while the local anesthesia took effect, during which time, I contemplated the ceiling, prayed, and made mental notes of the whole procedure because I was fascinated by it.

Ten minutes later, the assistant and surgeon returned, turned the nitrous oxide back on, placed a "mouth prop" between my teeth near my lips to keep my jaw open, and with some calming words to describe what I would feel, began the incision process. I didn't know to what extent the anesthesia actually numbed the pain, but I honestly felt nothing of them cutting my gum, which took probably a minute. Then, the surgeon told me I'd hear some noise-- it reminded me of the polisher they use at your regular dental checkups-- after which I felt "some pressure."

This was probably the worst part of the whole process, but it was hardly painful. It reminded me of when the orthodontist removed my Herbst appliance, which had been cemented to each of my four molars, although at that time, I was not anesthetized at all and I feared he would pull my molar out with the contraption. In this case, I can only describe the sensation as a vague pulling somewhere back in my head, kind of like after you have been hit by a basketball on the side of your head. Then, a slight give that reminded me of when one of your loose teeth finally just kind of floats out of its place after days of pushing it with your tongue.

Finally, I saw the thread they used to stitch my gum back up, of which I felt nothing, of course, and even that part only took about a minute or two. Then, it was over. The entire ordeal took less time than a regular cleaning, and thanks to the nitrous oxide, I was basically in a state of blissful autopilot.

I was fortunate I only had one, and the doctor told me if I'd had four, it would have taken about four times as long. When all is said and done, though, I came back into the waiting room and said, "Well that was fun!"

I asked them if I could keep my wisdom tooth, and I have it wrapped up in an envelope; unfortunately, I left my camera's cable at school, so I will post the picture of it in a couple of weeks when I return.