Hello? Is it me you're looking for?

Oh blogger, my dear, old friend. Its been so long since I wrote last that I had to re-enter my account info and password this time instead of simply being remembered by your server but I know you understand when my life gets too hectic to post. Sure, I forgot your birthday, didn't post on election day, didn't write rave reviews about the Royal Shakespeare Company last weekend, and haven't even mentioned The Game this coming weekend but here's a make-up post in list format. Thanks for always understanding, ol' buddy ol' pal:

1.) Election day rocked. I always feel so empowered and proud when I vote and I was more than thrilled to see the strong showing for the Dems. I feel relieved knowing that many Americans who went to the polls that day share my disappointment and dissatisfaction with the current leadership. I watched the returns until midnight and went to bed with a far different feeling than 2 years ago (see post from 11/3/04). Here's hoping for an even bigger win come November 2008.

2.) My parents came in to town last weekend for a fantastic performance of Julius Caesar by the Royal Shakespeare Company. We made a day of it and had lunch before and coffee afterward. Noteworthy quotes from the afternoon:

"I mean, what's the point of having kids? There's no ROI, man." - my Mom, referring to the return on investment (or lack thereof) of having kids that she rarely sees anymore

"Et tu, Zanzibar?" - my Dad, cursing our restaurant of choice for lunch before the show which was unexpectedly closed

3.) #1 Ohio State vs. #2 U of M. BIG game this Saturday. I'm hoping for a national title rematch, whatever the outcome. Go Blue!

4.) As always at this time of year, I can't WAIT for Thanksgiving. Mashed potatoes, soy turkey, and stuffing...oh my! I'm seriously looking forward to the break from school, some Netflix movies, maybe a haircut, and time with my fam.

Josh's Mom sent us this special "Halloween treat for our office." I'm not quite sure where she found a ceramic candy dish shaped like a vampire's dentition but I love it and you bet it'll be on my countertop year round.

I received my "dental decks" today which is a gargantuan stack of quarter-page sized notecards with which to study for part I of the National Board Exam I'll be taking in the spring. The cards cover the anatomical sciences, microbiology, pathology, biochemistry, physiology, and dental anatomy. Gee whiz, I can't WAIT to get started on studying those!

Two belated birthday wishes!

Wow. In a very uncharacteristically-Sonya move, I completely forgot my good college buddy Carrie's birthday which passed a week ago on October 25th. I haven't even humbly called her yet but I thought I'd post here first since I'm thinking of her now. Carrie and I met in the dorms my sophomore year of college and spent three great years together at the U. She watched my dormroom TV during the 9/11 coverage, sang "The Monster Mash" to me on Halloween at 5 am in the undergrad library when we were trying to stay awake to study for our Shakespeare final, and has put up with me on numerous trips from Fort Myers, to NYC, to the Bahamas. She's now living it up in The Windy City and even though we haven't spoken in a while (although she remembered my birthday and called!), I think about and miss her a lot.

Happy belated birthday, Harolyn!

In other belated-birthday news, last week slipped by without my realizing that my little weblog turned 3! As if keeping an online journal isn't self-important enough, I now celebrate its birthday from the third person. Weird.

xoxox

cnn.com: Dentists prefer chocolate Halloween candy

I take my profession seriously but who am I to deny children the best part of Halloween...the wicked pile of candy hard-earned by hours of trudging door to door in the elements and in an itchy costume, no less? It is in that spirit that I was pleased to see a cnn.com video snippet today featuring a pediatric dentist pleading with tiny trick-or-treaters to preferably eat chocolate and brush their teeth afterward if they absolutely must indulge in their Halloween spoils. Because chocolate sticks to the teeth for a shorter amount of time than certain hard candies and anything chewy, it presents a decreased risk of tooth demineralization and decay. Therefore, according to some hazy-6th-grade-logic, dentists say we should eat all the chocolate we want. Yahoo!

Speaking of all-the-chocolate-I-want, I've been delighted by the idea that I might actually get trick-or-treaters this year because we moved off-campus. I rushed home and to Target to get some candy for the little costumed rugrats and had the bowl ready to go by the door. Even though my friend and neighbor Rick said that he didn't have any kiddos come by last year, I hoped beyond hope that I'd have some little soul to celebrate with (and encourage to brush and floss!). Lo and behold, my candy bowl was just as full and my doorbell just as unrung at 9 pm as it was at 6 pm (save for the three mini Twix bars that Josh and I had between the two of us). *sigh* I called my Mom to lament and she excitedly mentioned that they had "a lot of trick-or-treaters" and that there was "a whole new generation of kids now!" *double sigh* I can't wait to have my own house so I can pass out candy and put up those adorable lawn stakes and flags for every holiday.

At any rate, so passed my favorite of all favorite holidays with a whole lotta studying and a little too much munching from the candy bowl. I've posted my pics below from the annual dental school Halloween party hosted by Delta Sigma Delta. I played the Great Wantonamo's assistant in a rather precarious situation and we had a great time in our costumes. This year was the first that we had a matching/related costume so we got a kick out of it. Enjoy the pictures and don't forget to floss tonight!

Happy Halloween!

xoxox

The candy bowl at 5:59 pm

The candy bowl at 9:17 pm

Another year, another physically obstructive costume!

Playing assistant to the most heralded magician of our times, the Great Wantonamo! (he even performed tricks at the party!)

I should have known I'd be sawed all night!

I have to hand it to my friends for creativity this year. A troll, Olive, a puzzle, and an authentic cowgirl.

Katrina was the cutest crossword I've ever seen!

Grant's costume required major creativity and last-minute surgery from Josh. It took a while but...

...his costume of "fertilization" was inspired by our reproductive system module right now...that ovum sure came a long way in 2 hours.

Holly as Olive from Little Miss Sunshine: she's a Superfreak, Superfreak, she's super freakaaaaay!