Oh My Aching Teeth

I cannot complain enough about the bad dental work done by dentists in New York. So I picked a dentist who happened to be from California figuring that would be the safer route to take.

My story begins way back in July 2008. I went to the dentist and he told me that I needed a filling in my top back molar. It just so happened that the tooth directly below it had an old filling that needed replacing as well. I agreed to let him do the work.

So he drilled out the old filling and discovered that there was decay underneath it. So he drilled some more and kept drilling, then the most uncomfortable pain began to well up inside that tooth. He gave me some topical anesthesia, waited a couple minutes and began again. It helped but it was still uncomfortable.

When he was all done he told me that the tooth was very thin and would be better off if I let him put a crown on it. I agreed that I would rather not have the tooth break on me. So he ground down the tooth, filled it up and put on a temporary crown as well as filling the top tooth.

Three weeks later I went back to get the permanent crown and I told him that the tooth was still giving me pain when I bit down. He said, "Oh the tooth was traumatized, it will just take a couple weeks to get back to normal," and he put on the permanent crown.

A few weeks later I called up and said, "it still hurts." He said, "I'll adjust the bite." He drilled the filling and crown to get a better bite and said, "see if that's better, give it a couple weeks and let me know."

A few weeks later... "Still hurts." Dr., "Let me adjust it".

A few weeks later... "Still hurts." Dr., "Hmm... I guess I'll take off the crown and put in a pain reliever filling." Come back in a few weeks and we'll put a new crown on.

A few weeks later... "Still hurts." Dr., "Let me adjust that bite again."

A few weeks later... "Still hurts." Dr., "I think you need a root canal."

So in January, 6 months after the initial visit I got a root canal. Everything seemed to be fine after that, no more pain and I could chew on the left side of my mouth again.

Two weeks later I got a new permanent crown put on. At this point I must admit that the dentist has been great in dealing with the problem and not charging me anything extra, he even refilled the top tooth because it was still sensitive to cold.

But... a few weeks later, "it feels weird, sort of hurts." Dr., "let me adjust the bite."

A couple weeks later, "still hurts a little." Dr., "let me adjust the bite." The bite felt good, like it was supposed to, so I thought.

Meanwhile we moved to Maryland in May. A couple months later the "permanent" crown came off, something it shouldn't do.

I have to find a dentist in Maryland to put it back on. Dr. in Maryland, "this guy really didn't know what he was doing. I'll glue it on and adjust the bite some more."

Two months later with sinus pain, "Wow, my tooth hurts." Take some decongestant and ibuprofen and a few days later all is well.

Two months later, "my tooth really hurts!" It feels like there is something stuck between the two teeth keeping me from biting down all the way and now both teeth hurt, not just the top one. Decongestant and ibuprophen help to a point but it's a temporary fix.

So here I sit two weeks later and 15 months after the initial dental visit and the same two teeth are giving me pain. Now I will go, yet again, for an adjustment. If this doesn't fix it maybe I'll just have them pull the tooth!!

You have to admit that it's pretty ridiculous for a tooth that doesn't have any roots to be giving me pain. But it's not the roots, it's sore all around the outside of the tooth, not the middle, like it's slowly being pulled out of my jaw.

All I can say is if I need a new crown I'm going to have them send the bill to the old dentist in New York. Even though he was a nice guy and I liked him a lot, he wasn't a very good dentist.

Maryland, the New Jersey of DC

Maryland is to Washington, DC as New Jersey is to New York.

Not just that they are in proximity, more of a difference in the way of life and the people who live there.

I should qualify that statement, I've lived in both New York and New Jersey, therefore I am entitled to have an opinion on which is better.

Maryland is too close in proximity to it's northern neighbors for it's own good. There are too many similarities in government and attitudes between New Jersey and Maryland that one would hope. Not only that, there is an attitude of those who live and work in Washington that somehow Maryland is inferior to DC and Virginia.

Don't get me wrong there are some really really nice parts of Maryland and some very old and historically significant neighborhoods just outside the District. Yet when you're in Maryland there is a different feel to the atmosphere, a more "in your face" attitude and an all around disrespect for others that is less prevalent across the Potomac.

You find the same thing when you cross the Hudson from New York to New Jersey. While they are close in proximity there is a harshness about northern New Jersey that is unequaled in its neighbors to the east. Again, just like Maryland, New Jersey has some really nice neighborhoods and some very wealthy people, but the atmosphere there is also "in your face" and "I'll break your knee-caps."

Hence I will always in my mind associate the relationship of Maryland and Virginia to that of New York and New Jersey.

The good trains

It's been two weeks since I left New York and so far I don't miss it. It always takes a while to get used to a new area and how things are done but one thing is very much the same, the trains.

Riding the train to Washington, DC is not the same as riding the train into Manhattan. For example, the conductors are never quite sure whether or not they've checked your ticket. The trains are newer and double-decker since there aren't any tunnels to go through and that means more comfortable seats with more room. So people aren't so crammed on the trains as in New York.

There is a "Quiet car" on each train where people aren't allowed to use their cell phones or talk loudly, the down side is that they don't make announcements either, so be sure you're on the correct train before you sit in the quiet car.

The station where I get on the train near my apartment doesn't have a platform so the conductors only open the doors in two places and get out with stools to allow the riders to climb up inside. There really isn't a line so people just sort of push together without touching each other. Amongst this the riders are still more courteous than New Yorkers.

When the train gets to Union Station the riders begin to line up back from the door the same as in New York only in New York all those people lining up will get off the train before you if you don't shove into the line before it starts moving. In Washington the riders in the line wait like in an airplane for those in the seats ahead of them to get out. It's nice but slows down the process if you're in a hurry. The best advice is to get in line and move as close to the door as you can and past as many rows of seats as you can.

But getting off the train quickly won't help you out unless you are in the front car. Everyone walks really slow down the platform, I can't even take a full step. Then they all squish through a couple of doors into the station and then down a single escalator to get to the Metro trains. The best thing to do is probably just sit on the train for a minute and let it all clear up.

However you do it, no matter what, it still feels more laid back then the commute to Manhattan. It makes things feel less stressful when you can leisurely commute, it adds a little bit to your day and takes a little less from your soul.

The Movers

Although we've done our fair share of moving we've only used movers twice in the past. When you hire movers there is a lot to think about, how much should you pay, do you get the extra protection coverage, etc. Both times we've used movers it was paid for by my company and we didn't get to choose, it was Allied.

They did such a good job packing us up and replacing the TV stand they broke that it was an easy decision to go with them for a third time around. This time I had to see the price though, and it was more to move us to Maryland than it cost the company to move us from Seattle to New York. I'm guessing that the company has some sort of discount program with Allied that I won't be able to use this time.

So we will foot the bill out of my signing bonus and cover any of the differences ourselves. The good news is that we won't need to worry about packing the apartment we're letting them take care of that. It's the least I could do for my wife after she takes care of the baby while I'm at work everyday.

Now all we need is for our brand new apartment to be ready on time. We are scheduled to move in May 8 but they won't guarantee anything and just say that it depends on the county inspections.

Cross your fingers for us.

Maryland, here we come!!

We've been in New York for slightly less than 2 years, of course this was our second time around in the area, but I am glad to say that I've taken a job in Washington, DC and we will be leaving in about 2 1/2 weeks.

While New York has its good points it's hard not to become calloused by the difficult circumstances of working and living in a place with so many people. It's probably one of the only cities in the world where you can be surrounded by millions of people and feel totally alone. With all of the panhandlers and people handing out fliers on the street it becomes easy to ignore everything going on, you become cynical and hardened.

I made a trip to Seattle last fall and my coworker and I couldn't figure out why people were honking at us, we were just crossing the street just like we would in Manhattan, on the "Don't Walk" signal. The drivers were freaked out that we would even attempt to cross while they were making left turns in front of us. It's a daily occurrence that a car gets within 2 inches from my foot as I cross 5th avenue, and I think nothing of stepping out in front of a car as it stops for the red light.

I'm looking forward to leaving all of this behind and beginning a new job in a new city with my wife and baby.

Dogs on the train

Every now and again you will see someone bringing a dog onto the train. Animals are generally not allowed to ride the rails but some people don’t care where they take their dogs. I’ve even seen them at the grocery store riding in the same carts where I put my produce, gives new meaning to washing your vegetables before eating them. Only occasionally do you see someone who actually has a legitimate reason to bring their dog on the train. Tonight it was a gray haired blind man.

The dog sniffed around and took him to a nearly empty seat. The dog immediately ducked under the seat and lay down next to his master’s feet. The blind man felt around and made his way into the seat. The woman across from him looked only slightly concerned that the dog had pushed passed her to lay down. But even a sleeping dog at a man’s feet was not enough to stop an overweight Italian man from attempting to get into the only other seat on the 4-seater, the man practically stepping on the poor animal’s head as he squeezed into a seat that only a child should sit.

Twenty minutes into the ride and the yellow lab guide dog is calmly sniffing the floor of the train to see if there is anything worth licking up, hoping that his master will drop one of the Fritos he’s eating. He gives up on his dream and lays his head back down patiently waiting until it’s time to get up and help his master off the train.

At the Peekskill station the dog sits there as all the people walk by. An Asian man actually stops and bends down to touch the dog, something that the dog obviously didn't expect and jerked his head backwards as if to say, "hey, what the heck!"

I couldn't help but want to take a picture of the good 'ole dog. What can I say, I'm a sucker for little girls and labs.

Mobile disease incubators

With cold and flu season at it's peak it's only natural that I would take the time to complain about those people who for the sake of saying "I HAVE to be at work" will get on public transportation and spread the "love."

It usually takes a lot for me to get sick but if I do I can usually get over it in a couple of days without too much discomfort. A year ago I was sitting on the train in a 4-seater with two people facing me and one right next to me. The guy across from me starts hacking right in my direction and there was nothing I could do about it. Sure enough about 2 days later I was down with a 102 degree fever. I was out for 3 days before I managed to make it in to the office confident that I wasn't contagious anymore.

So here I am again, a year later and now I have a 7 week old baby at home to consider. There is no way I'm going to bring some nasty flu home this year. So on the train this morning, the man in the row in front of me keeps hacking, this time I get up and move. I hope he noticed.

There is something called "the strap" that people use in the subway. It is a piece of leather that goes over the handrail in the train so they don't have to touch it to hold on. Maybe if it gets really bad I can start carrying SARS masks and hand them out to the coughing people.

Sick days are not just for you, they are for the courtesy of the people around you. Don't go to work and spread your cold to everyone you come into contact with along the way.

Frozen chunks of Hudson

This is the view of the Hudson river from the Beacon train station in the middle of winter. I know it's small but notice how the river is frozen. The only exception is a tiny path in the middle cut by the large ships on their way up the river to Albany.

Across the Hudson lies the ghetto (no joke) of Newburgh, NY. A small passenger ferry brings commuters across the river to the train station during rush hour but when the river looks like this the ferry can't make the trip and the commuters have to take a bus across the river.

I personally think that the ice chunks floating down the river are very cool. When my mother-in-law came to visit from Tennessee I went out of my way to show her the river, things don't freeze like that down south.

What I've liked the most about the river freezing is the train ride into the city. The tracks go right along the river and you will see ducks and geese and all sorts of birds sitting out on the ice. There are even a few Bald Eagles that like to sit on floating ice chunks and watch for fish to swim by.

It's one of those things that makes you forget that you are surrounded by a bunch of New Yorkers and lets you appreciate the beauty of the area. Then when you are in the midst of appreciating the magic of nature two old ladies in front of you start in... "Did you see all the ice on the riv-uh? I know, I've never seen so much ice in the riv-uh before. I told my daw-tuh that she has got to see all the ice on the riv-uh. Oh look a Bald Eagle!! Out theh on the ice!"

At this point I just put on my headphones and crank "Where the streets have no name."

Repair vs. Trade

Last week I took our Subaru to the dealership because there was a small gas leak in the engine and fumes were coming into the car, not the best thing to have with a newborn. So the shop said they could fix it, oh and by the way there's all this other stuff wrong too and it will cost you $2700.

The Kelly Blue Book value for the car is $3250, only $550 more than the cost of the repairs so I decided that it didn't make much sense to dump that money into repairing it but it would be better to put that money towards another car.

Dealerships in my area of New York are a lot like other places in the country only it has New Yorkers as the salesmen. So imagine a car salesman with New Yorker attitude showing you cars that you sort-of like and telling you that they are making you a huge deal on it and that you would be missing an opportunity if you don't act on it right now.

I went to five different dealerships and each one of the them want your contact information before they will talk to you about a car. This way if you leave without buying something they can send you a letter in the mail and call you to try and get you to back in there to sell you a car you don't want.

I finally found what I was looking for on day 2 of looking but it was a lot more than I wanted to spend. I couldn't get them to budge any further on the price so I left and told them I would think about it. This gave them license to call me twice the next day to see if I was going to come back.

I waited 2 days before heading back and making the deal. In the long run we decided it was better to spend the money on something that we really liked and that would hold it's resale value longer than the cheaper cars out there. I bought a certified used Nissan Murano from the dealer in Newburgh, NY.

I signed the papers on January 20th and in the middle of the process we stopped to watch Barack Obama take the oath of office. It will be an experience I won't soon forget.

The best Wednesday yet!!

Yesterday was the best Wednesday I've ever had. I was running on less than two hours of sleep when someone knocked at the door waking me up once again. This time it was somebody new, a nurse named Maureen. Maureen said that she was just in time, reached up and said "Ok little one, just where are you?" She said that the head was right there and it was time.

About 6 pushes and 20 minutes later my daughter Josie was born. It was 7:58 am on Wednesday January 7, 2009. She came out and cried immediately. The nursed put her on the warming bed and she let her bowels flow, a little black bubble coming out between those little pink cheeks. I said, "I guess YOU get to change the first one."

When that little person came out I felt this rush of emotions, I thought to myself, "look what my wife just did, I can't believe that was living inside of her." I then felt a sudden realization that this little person is my daughter and a great sense of love came over me and I knew that this amazing event was going to change everything.

I know that New York can get the best of people, but this one event is going to live on in my memories as the greatest part of my life here. I will always be able to say my first child was born in New York.

Josie Jeanne Swertfeger - Day one

Happy New Year

Last night I was watching Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve as I was all cozy in my apartment 65 miles away. I sat there thinking that those people must be idiots to want to freeze themselves just to watch a flashing ball slide down a pole 60 stories above their heads.

Yesterday we had two inches of snow and in the city there were 30mph wind gusts ripping up the avenues causing a wind chill of 0(zero) degrees. The people on TV didn't seem to mind too much. They were just happy to be in New York for New Years Eve. I think that when you live here things begin to lose their luster, the magic is gone. I've always thought New York is a nice place to visit, especially when you want to go out and you don't care how much money you spend.

Christmas time in New York is awesome though. The tree at Rockefeller center, the window displays up and down 5th avenue, it is truly something to see. If you ever get the chance, don't pass it up but be sure to bring a warm coat, hat, gloves and a scarf. You're going to need them.

Was möchten Sie essen heute?

Finding something to eat for lunch in New York can sometimes be an overwhelming experience. I'm not very adventurous so I usually wait until someone recommends a place. Any of you who have spent time in New York will know that sometimes the best food can come from a little cart on the street.

Street vendors are everywhere in the city and while some you wouldn't go near if they were giving out the food for free, others are so good that people will line up around the corner. One of these carts where people line up is the Hallo Berlin cart on 54th St. and 5th Ave. It's run by some German guys and they serve up the best sausage, kraut and potatoes I've ever had.

I went yesterday with a co-worker and for $11 you can get the "Barack Obama" or "Democracy Special" which includes a choice of two different sausages, a Bavarian meatball, potato salad, red and white kraut. and a roll. It's probably way too much food, but I ate it all anyway.

So if you are ever in the mood for some excellent German food and you're in midtown, check out the Hallo Berlin cart on 54th street at 5th avenue between 11:30am and 3:30pm Monday through Friday. Look for the Lufthansa umbrella.

Was möchten Sie essen heute? ( What do you want to eat today?)

Dutchess County Fair

Saturday afternoon I took the hour long drive with my wife to Rhinebeck, NY and the Dutchess County Fair. I hadn't been to a county fair in a few years and last time it was in Tennessee. The Dutchess County Fair wasn't all that different from other fairs I've been to. Situated about 2 hours up the Hudson river from New York City, Rhinebeck is a trendy little town with the fairgrounds and tons of antique shops, I even think I saw an art house movie theater. The traffic was terrible the closer you got to the fair because it's a two-lane road through the town. After 1 1/2 hours in the car we were able to get through the gate and get a decent parking spot near the 4H entrance to the fair.

Who would have thought that so close to New York City you would even have a 4H competition, I didn't know that New Yorkers knew about 4H. But there it was in all it's glory and smell. We saw some prize winning hogs, plenty of cows and steers, goats, sheep and horses. Not far from the 4H stalls we found the food.

I'd been wanting a funnel cake since we found out about the fair. We started off with a corndog for $3.50, a drink for $5 and a cheeseburger for $4.50. Once we polished those off we found the french fry guy and got a large basket of piping hot taters for $5. The funnel cake came later though and it was awesome! It was fun to be full of fair food again.

The fair was crowded with people, more so than others I've been to. The weirdest thing was that for a few minutes there I totally forgot that we were in New York, but then all of a sudden there's some guy yelling to his wife in that Brooklyn accent... "Hey, get me a hotdog while you's is up. Where d'ya think you're going?"

The ever popular pig racing was too crowded to see anything but the dog agility course was open and we got to see everything from a Chihuahua to a Lab run the course. The announcer was a rough looking woman who kept yelling into the microphone. "The next dog is a LONG HAIRED CHIHUAHUA.... her NAME is BUTTONS.... she's a FEMALE and 2 YEARS of AGE!" Everyone kept cringing every time she opened her mouse because it was so loud.

This year they added a grand stand to the fair. Little Big Town was the headliner that night and the bleachers were free but pregnant women and benches don't mix. So we thought it wasn't such a good idea to stay around for that. We thought about riding the ferris wheel but by the time we got ready to ride it my wife was starting to get very tired from walking around so much. By the time we left we had stayed for 3 hours. It took us another 30 min. to get out of the parking area with all the traffic.

I would go again, if not just to get a $5 funnel cake.

Blockbuster Video

I have a Blockbuster online account that mails videos right to my house for a "low monthly fee." The cool part is that I get unlimited trade-in's at the stores. So when I'm done with whatever video I've been watching I trade it in.

This morning I went to the Blockbuster video and noticed a guy standing outside smoking. I thought to myself, "that guy looks like a rocker" and said to my wife, "is that a two headed moose on that guy's shirt?" My wife asks me, "is that Rob Thomas?" I said, "it kind of looks like him. He lives around here somewhere. Probably not though."

He kept looking around as if to see if anyone was watching him and I said, "maybe it IS Rob Thomas." I wondered what kind of car Rob Thomas might drive thinking sports car of some sort. The guy left with a 10-year-old kid in a 700 series BMW and I thought, "he wouldn't drive a Beemer, and does he have a kid?"

So I get home and Wikipedia says that he has a son named Maison and he's 10 years old. Then I look at some pictures on Getty Images from two weeks ago, looks like the guy I saw. Then the clincher, Wikipedia entry for the town says he lives there.

I guess you never can tell who you might run into at Blockbuster video on a Saturday morning in upper Westchester county.

Riding the train ... again

When you work in Manhattan there are only so many options of how to get to work. You could drive, but with gas rising to $4.35 a gallon and then tolls and parking you don't get much of a cost benefit to drive alone. Public transportation is the way to go. So you find yourself getting that ticket and standing on the platform waiting for the silver bullet to come around the bend.

Every morning you end up waiting with those same people you see everyday. There's the quirky guy with a goatee who is always in shorts with sneakers and black socks and likes to hold his coffee and do lunges. Then there's the 60-year-old businessman whose hair blows straight up in the air when a train comes by. Some sit and read the paper, others smoke, and sometimes they talk to each other.

You strategically place yourself in that prime position to get your favorite seat in your favorite car. I prefer the last car on the way into the city because it puts me close to stairs in Grand Central. So I walk to the end of the platform and stand right on the stenciled words "Watch the gap" where the doors usually stop. When the train pulls up you shuffle up to the door that stopped further away then you thought but someone else got to it first and you stand there waiting to see if the doors will open before people start shoving.

The doors open and you go in and see if your prime seat is empty. It is and you sit down and get out your laptop, bottle of water and headphones because if you don't someone will inevitably talk to you. At first you're alone, nobody likes to sit together if they can avoid it. Slowly people add to your row and by the time the train is halfway to Manhattan your knees are being bumped and you are being elbowed. Luckily the train is now express and won't be picking up anyone else. Somewhere along the line the conductor comes around and looks at your ticket.

Once the train gets to Grand Central people are already lining up to get out. The doors open and it's hot in Grand Central... at least 95 degrees in the summer time, and you breathe in diesel exhaust from the older trains.

You shove your way out of the car and cue up at the stairs to get out. Once you're down the stairs it's a free for all, people practically race each other on the way up to the street. Why? Not really sure. But one thing is sure, it happens every day.

You make your way to work, stay your 8 hours (or 6 if you're like me and work both ways on the train) and then once you're finished you get to start the trek home.

On the way home it's more exciting. The people are stressed out from their hard day making money, suing people, collecting excessive fees, you name it. They have drink carts outside the platforms so the businessmen are now bringing tallboys onto the train. This sometimes leads to problems on the train.

Example: A guy is standing and the conductor comes by asking for tickets. He says he doesn't have one and the conductor says "ok, $14." The guys says "wait" and fumbles for an id and shows that he is disabled so the conductor says, "Ok, $6." The guy says "I don't have any money" and the conductor asks for his ID to write him a ticket. So the guy who is disabled and a little drunk starts making a scene. "Why are you hassling me? I'm disabled because of Metro-North and a judge made them pay me $25,000!!" He goes on and on and people on the train start yelling at him to shut up and he won't. All he says is, "how dare you say I have no money, I have a $300,000 condo!! How dare you!!" Eventually the MTA Police pick him up at a station and arrest him.

So the evening commute is more fun and more crowded. I sit in one of two places on the train and see a lot of the same people. For some reason, at my stop there happen to be a lot of impatient people. They start lining up at the door two stops before and stand in the way to make sure that they will be the first one off. Then once the doors open they race each other up the stairs. Why? They are wealthy and self-important and feel like if they don't get up the stairs and to their car first they will have to wait for the others before they can leave.

So the trek into the city and home is over. Now you can relax but one thing is for certain tomorrow it starts all over again. Such is the life of a commuter on the Metro-North Railroad.