Yesterday was my semi-annual trek to the dentist.

I hate going to the dentist; I really dread it. Every time I go to the dentist I tell my mom this, and every time she asks me why.

Until today, I didn’t have an answer. My appointment today started off inauspiciously enough. In fact, it was off to a decent start. The receptionist said she sees the ad for this blog all the time in the Gazette. I caught up with a girl I went to high school with. I finished the book I’ve been reading since June.

While I was sitting in the chair, waiting for the hygienist to come in, there was a string of great songs on WTRY. As she walked in, I was dancing to Elton John’s "Benny and the Jets". We immediately bonded over our mutual love of the scene in 27 Dresses in which Jane (Katherine Heigl) and Kevin (James Marsden) begin an impromptu sing-along to the song in a bar. Someone felt the need to video-record the scene as it played on his TV and then put it on YouTube. If you’re really curious, you can watch it by clicking HERE. I just watched it and burst out laughing.

So for being at the dentist, I was in a semi-decent mood. As the hygienist cleaned my teeth, I tried to let my mind wander and focus on anything but being at the dentist’s office. Somewhere between planning my summer, debating the merits of running for elected office (I decided against it) and coming up with characters for my first novel, I realized exactly why I hate the dentist:

Going to the dentist is like taking a test. It’s a test of how well you take care of your teeth. I hate tests; I always feel like I’m not prepared enough. And then the actual test itself; it’s just a horrendous, exhausting experience. Obviously going to the dentist is the same type of thing. You can brush your teeth and floss ad nauseum, but they still might find a cavity.

And find a cavity they did. I’ve never had a cavity, until my dentist found three today. Three! In a mouth full of teeth that are flossed everyday!

So naturally, I was bummed. But c’est la vie. You can study and study, and still fail.

On a brighter note, I went cross-country skiing again. It was super slippery and I could barely cover any ground. But it was still loads of fun.