It was Brutal

 Well, my long delayed trip to the dentist proved to be up to it's hype. 

To start with, I couldn't afford a dental surgeon (my insurance wouldn't cover it.)  So, my only choice was to have a regular dentist do the fun job. The difference in out of pocket expense was approximately four thousand dollars. 

Unfortunately, I knew a little of what to expect because "back in the day" I had an Army Dentist who "tried" to remove my wisdom teeth. Overall it proved also to be a brutal experience. It turns out my teeth have some sort of a cruel twisted root which makes them less than easy to remove. 

I knew I was going to be in for a similar experience when I heard the dentist mutter to his assistant something about curved roots as he went into attack mode. 

The next think I knew I was getting seven shots of Novocain, which turned out to be only the start because the teeth they had to remove happened to be all around my mouth. 

It's never good too when the dentist tells you he may have to use more painkiller and I may hear teeth breaking as I felt a lot of pressure. But rest assured, he would get them out.

The good news is I love my new teeth and I got my smile back. Along with a bloody lip where he bared down with several of his tools. 

I did my best to take my mind off the whole procedure by imagining what it must have been like not so long ago in the pre-pain killer dental days.

Now the next milestone is to have the sutures out which go from one side of my mouth to the other. And, beginning to eat solid hot food again. 

So I may come out of this with a new smile and a weight loss! 

Patti Harrison

 

From the "Advocate" :

" In the new comedic film Together Together, Harrison portrays Anna, a character attempting to become the surrogate mother for a single man, Matt (Ed Helms). It's the kind of role that she, as a transgender actress, would love to be cast in more often. And she hopes her hilarious, heartfelt performance sends a message to Hollywood."

"Harrison has appeared in a variety of productions, from A Simple Favor to Shrill to voice acting in Big Mouth and Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon. However, Harrison is dismayed by the scripts that usually cross her desk, which tend to be some variation of a "down-on-her-luck trans sex worker" who overcomes the trauma of family rejection to become a "brave 'yas queen' girl boss."

"When people only see you as [your marginalized identity], you're not getting the same opportunities" as other actors, Harrison noted."

Loosening Up

 Since I have been fully vaccinated against Covid and still practice safety procedures such as proper distancing and masking in public, I have been able to get out to run a few errands. Curiously, in some ways it seems like I am starting to learn all over again in a feminine world.

At The Ohio State Union with Brutus 

Yesterday was a great example as I had to take a small package to the Post Office.  For some reason I thought I could get away with just slipping it into one of their drop boxes but it wouldn't fit. Not a problem, I had my mask handy, so with no makeup, I briskly headed into the lobby. It is a small Post Office, so there was just one woman behind the counter and I was the only other person there that I saw. As the woman behind the counter saw me, she lit up like a light bulb and enthusiastically greeted me. I think she knew I was transgender and was super accepting. Which was nice as I was struggling slightly to get into the swing again of being back in the public's eye.

I better get used to it, as I have scheduled several other public engagements. The first of which is Friday which I call my own private "D-Day". Meaning it's my dental appointment during which they are going to pull teeth and get me ready for upper dentures. Needless to say, I am not looking forward to the visit but I am looking forward to getting back my smile. At any rate, I am going to have to hitch up by big girl panties and get through it. So far the whole dentist's office has gotten my pronouns correct. 

Coming up, I have several webinars including a couple on aging and one follow up from Trans-Ohio regarding my/ours Transgender Month of Visibility presentation. I still think mine left a lot to be desired but the whole process was a learning experience to build from. 

The weekend coming up in a couple of weeks could be a real "re-coming" out experience. My partner Liz and I have been invited to a small get together of several old friends we haven't seen for awhile to hear one of them perform his music. The following day, we head up to Dayton, Ohio for a high school graduation party for my oldest grandson. 

All in all, it feels good to dive out of my Covid comfort zone and re-insert myself into a feminine world.