At the risk of sounding like an infomercial, I really must tell you about the most amazing toothbrush I've ever used... the Phillips Sonicare. While it's a bit on the expensive side, it has a couple of major advantages over a conventional toothbrush. First of all, it does a great job between teeth and under the gums... I can tell because flossing is much easier after using it (my teeth have tight gaps between them). Secondly, my teeth are already getting whiter, and I've only been using it for a week or so. Lastly, it's easy to share. I know, that sounds gross, but the head of the Sonicare comes off and on in seconds - so you only really need to buy one. Dental care is important to me for one simple reason - I hate going to the dentist. It's not the drill that I hate... it's having to hold my mouth open so long. And then there was the dentist that seemed more intent on watching Family Feud (yes, Family Feud - at least it was the Richard Dawson version) than paying attention to what he was doing. Didn't I feel like the Foolish Molar after going to see him. Wait, don't tell me you've never heard of the Foolish Molar? Ah, it was my first elementary school acting role - and I was the lead! I played a healthy tooth that revolts and eats tons of candy (somehow without the other teeth). Then in the second act my character is very unhealthy and was played by a chubby kid (so much for his self-esteem). Yes, we brought down the house that day. These days, I'm no foolish molar; I brush after meals and floss every day.

Blast from the past! Here's a photo of me at seven years old (yes, they had color film by then). As you can see, I was very stylish even in my youth. You probably didn't notice - what you probably did notice is the cut on my nose. This was as a result of my first experience with a firearm. My dad brought me out to shoot and taught me how to hold and aim a pistol. Why he did this when I was this young is unclear - perhaps the cold war was especially heavy that year and he wanted me to be prepared. In any event, it was quality time with my Dad, which was (and is) wonderful. Now my memory of the day's details are a little fuzzy, but I don't believe he warned me about the recoil of the gun when fired... I aimed and when I pulled the trigger the force of the recoil bent my elbows so that the top of the gun hit me (almost) squarely in the nose (that must mean I was holding it straight at least). Naturally, this turned me off from guns for a while, but now I enjoy shooting on occasion with my Dad. Unfortunately, I don't possess his amazing accuracy and I can never remember which is my "strong" eye. And I still have a slight scar (character mark) on my nose. Now if only I still had all that hair...

The telephone is certainly an important device, and one that can keep us connected with people. But they also suck. I mean, don't you sometimes just dread answering the thing when it rings? At work it usually means somebody wants something; at home it's probable telemarketing. The cell phone is somewhat immune to those, but on that there's the old "call is lost!" that you don't notice until you've been blabbing for a minute or so and finally realize you're not hearing anything in response. Still, it's nice to be able to catch up with friends on the long way home, even if it isn't as meaningful to them since you had nothing better to do anyway (though between talk radio, Sirius and my iPod it's not like I don't have alternatives). And then there is e-mail, txt messages, annoying blogs about nothing, and who knows what's coming next. I guess there really is something to be said for severing all these connection to the world at times and just relaxing. If you remember how to do that, let me know.