Dec.16: Garmin Slave

Yesterday I did not go running...I decided to do something unusual and take the first day of the running week off. Normally I hate doing this because I feel that it just puts you in a big hole right off the bat and it does not allow for flexibility of schedule later in the week. Since I am only running 5 days a week these days I am sure it will not be a problem!

What I did do yesterday was go to the dentist for the first time in France..yep, I'll chalk that up as another, "What the hell just happened?!" experience. With a lot of my experiences here in France I often ask myself the following 3 questions:
1. Is this typically French?
2. Is this typically European?
3. Is this typically non-North American?

Because, quite honestly, the French are as unique to Europe as Texans are to the United States. The North American culture, and predominatly the American culture, is as unique to the rest of the world as the Mona Lisa hanging at the Louvre. So I am often really confused if whether or not what I experience here in France is "normal"...most things are definitely not normal with my North American glasses on. The more I live here the more I learn that things are just typically French and, infact, the rest of Europe behaves differently (either better or worse depending on who I ask!).

Anyhow, Jennie and I arrive at the dentist and we both get called in together. The dentist takes you into her office, fitted with a desk and computer and everything that you would expect a normal excutive office to have. There in the corner is the dentist chair and a little rinse bin.

"So, who wants to go first?" she asks? "Ok, I guess I will." So, on the chair I get with Jennie just sitting in the office chair to spectate. (Weird, don't you think?) Anyhow, moving on to an x-ray she took of my teeth she goes, "Here, hold this," as she proceeds to walk out of the room, taking Jennie at the hygenist (I think) with her. Suddenly I hear the familar beep of the xray machine and everyone returns. Hmmm...I am thinking somewhere in that procedure I should have been wearing a lead vest or some kind of protection?! Seeing that it was harmful enough to take everyone out of the room, I am starting to feel that perhaps that I may not be capable of reproducing after yesterday!

Moving on to the cleaning...or should I say the carwash for your teeth. The cleaning is done completely by high-pressure water. First she goes through with just straight water where it feels like your gums will be blasted off your bone (or, what I refer to as the "rinse cycle"). When I left I checked for any residual flesh splattered on her wall, but did not see any. Then you get the toothpaste water for the final cleaning, still at very high pressure (or the "scrub and soap cycle"). The water was spraying off my teeth and raining down on my face so much that I actually had to wash my face afterwards to get rid of the grit. Before you even realize what happened you hear, "All done!" and you are off the chair. I have got to hand it to them though...it was the most efficient visit to the dentist I have ever had!

With super clean, pressure-washed, teeth I hit the trail tonight for 7.25 miles. I forgot the Garmin upstairs in our apartment and did not realize that until I got down to street level. I was soooooooo close to turning around to get it but not wanting to be accused of being a Garmin slave I decided to head out on a 7.25 loop that I knew. I figure my average pace was 7:20 min/mile +- 5 seconds. It felt great out...definitely the best run in a very long time.

In other news, I sat down and figured out how much vacation time I have for 2009 today. All I can say is that I love being in Europe! I love ALL 55 days of vacation + 9 days holiday for a whooping total of 64 days off!! Yep I could take a long weekend EVERY weekend and still be able to squeeze in a 2 week holiday somewhere! Ok, I am done gloating...!!! :)

A+