TMJ and random thoughts

Quick Ike update... nothing new. Still waiting on insurance and fighting with FEMA. They did approve us for some housing costs, but in my opinion, it was a joke, so we're appealing. I mean really, 2 months of rental costs? That's it. You've got to be kidding me. And then they tell us that we're going to have an interview to determine whether or not we can have a trailer. Um, are you people serious? It's been over a month since the storm. Where the hell do you think we're living? In a tent somewhere? You approve us for 1 month in a hotel, and the closest hotel we could find was Austin, and you question us as to why we went out and found a place to sub-lease, and then tell us a month later that we might be approved for a trailer if we conduct an interview. It's a joke, really. FEMA is a joke. You hear all the horror stories of this shit happening to other people, and then it happens to you, and you see why everyone else bitched and complained. Once I make it through all this without killing someone, you can bet my senators and representative will be hearing from me. Something has got to give.

Anyway, back to the headline of this post... TMJ and random thoughts. I've been having a lot of pain in my jaw, and it gets worse as the day wears on. I guessed that it was TMJ, Jay thought I might have tetanus (which wasn't a bad guess considering all the crap we pulled out of our house... literally). So, I decided to go to the dentist today, and he confirmed TMJ. For those that don't know, TMJ stands for TemporoMandibular Joint, or the jaw joint. It's just as painful as it sounds. It gives me an earache and it's hard to hear out of the right ear, and I get headaches and sometimes blurry vision. So that's lovely. The doc says that it's likely due to a lot of stress, and given my circumstance over the past 5 weeks, I can't say that I disagree. He says the number of TMJ patients he's seen since the hurricane has increased three fold. So I'm glad to know I'm not alone. Nothing he can do about it, really. I'm not severe enough to have surgery, which he says for him is a last resort. We may try muscle relaxers down the road, but what I really need to do is learn how to relax. For those of you that know me, you know that's not an easy thing to do. So we'll see.

And now for the random thoughts...

• Be sure o get out and vote, regardless of which candidate you choose. I know early voting in Texas starts Monday. I'll be at the polls next week. I'm a big advocate of the saying, "You can't bitch, if you don't vote."
• Why must female sports reporters feel the need to get all dolled up to cover a football game? I truly don't understand this. I mean, I understand looking professional, but wearing a summer dress and 5-inch heels ain't gonna get you an interview before anyone else. I promise.
• Cool fronts (notice I didn't say cold fronts)... we had our first significant one come through this week. And thank goodness for that, because the upstairs A/C unit at the townhome went out. Luckily we can open the windows and get some fresh air.
• Tina Palin, um, I mean, Fey... love her. Need I say more?
• Baby showers at a beer garden. Thank you CK for having yours at the Gingerman. What a great time we had. And I'm so glad we got to see you. Next time we see you you'll hopefully be back home for good with Cooper, er, Peep. Yea! We can't wait!
• To the Rice crew... I love you all. We really shouldn't wait so long to all get together. I could eat creamy jalapeno dip on a regular basis.
• Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte's... they're back, and I can't get enough of them. Especially now with this cool front!
• High school football... does it really get any better anywhere else other than Texas? I don't think so.
• 7-year-old kids... they say the funniest things sometimes, and you wonder where they get it. For instance, our "nephew" tonight says to us at dinner, "So, my girlfriend (what 7-year-old has a girlfriend?) wasn't talking to me, so I had to take care of business. I dumped her." That's just about as good as a 4-year-old cussing. Love it.

I could go on and on (that's why they're random thoughts, right?), but I won't. I hope everyone has a great weekend!