Smile

I had yet another visit to the dentist yesterday morning.



Will this ever end?



Why yes, it already has. I finally got my bridge in place.


And may I say that I do look fabulous with my brand new Hollywood smile.


It took long enough too. With all the torture I had to go through along the way. Not to mention the money we had to spend on all this fun. Well, it had to be done and now it’s just another chapter in my life that came to a close.



Next!



On a brighter side, George and I spent another wonderful and quiet weekend. We were still enjoying the cooler than usual weather here and tried to make the most of it.




The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District is honoring this year’s Gay Pride Month by presenting a variety of free events. On Friday evening they were to show a live performance of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” on the theater stage of the city’s largest library building. Unfortunately it was cancelled for unknown reasons. However, the next day’s performance of “Frank Marino and Friends” made up for it. His drag show “La Cage” ran at the Riviera Hotel & Casino for 24 years before it suddenly closed it’s doors last February. I never had a chance to see the show when it was still running on the “Strip” and was glad that he brought it back to Las Vegas for one more amazing and hilarious performance.



The theater was packed. Some people even had to stand in the back behind the last row. We spotted very few gay guys and some lesbians whom were sitting together in small groups. There was one nervous looking kid sitting a few seats down our row, who probably was still in the closet. But the majority of the people comprised of straight older, seemingly retired women. Since this event was part of the Gay Pride Month celebration, George and I were once again a little perplexed why there weren’t more of the LGBT community present.



Where . . . are . . . the . . . gays?




Where are you guys? I know you're out there somewhere


Seriously? Do they only show up to support any gay cause if there’s a beer bust or dance party involved in this town?




After the show we had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants on the Las Vegas “Strip.” We’re starting to become what Germans call “Stammgäste,” or regulars at the Planet Dailies inside Planet Hollywood Resort. The waiters and waitresses are beginning to recognize us now. And we are appreciating them as well, especially José and Jason.



Bobby Cannavale

José is a younger version of Bobby Cannavale but with tightly cropped hair. What an eye candy he is. I caught myself literally being on the lookout for him. One time I ordered “Dos Manos,” which is one giant and scrumptious burrito with all the Mexican trimmings. That particular evening it was handsome José who was serving our food. He was so polite and courteous. And all I could think about was what else he may be able to do with his dos manos. I’m so naughty. Our hopes were crushed a bit however when we found out that he was quite the lady’s man. Nevertheless...one can look, admire and dream.



Then there is cute Jason. He seemed kind of shy when we tried to engage him in harmless small talk. Since George and I tend to be into mature bulkier looking guys, we were a little caught by surprised to find us being quite fond of young Jason. There’s a certain naivety about him, such innocence, which is rather refreshing nowadays. One just wants to put him under one’s wing to guard him. And cuddle him all day. We haven’t yet figured out for which team he’s playing though. No matter, he’s just so adorable.



Below are random pictures from our trip to the “Strip” on Saturday.



The Miracle Mile Shopping Mall (formerly Desert Passage) at the Planet Hollywood Resort



Outside MGM Grand Hotel & Casino



Traffic on the South “Strip” early Saturday evening

MGM Grand’s marquee

The Signature Towers are reflecting another amazing Southwestern sunset



The Ballys monorail station with the Wynn and Encore in the background

Limo on Audrie Lane

Looking eastward to the Sunrise Mountains

Another monorail whisks by

Drilling and Trekking

George and I enjoyed a nice weekend. In-between watching the new “Star Trek” movie, seeing a decent interpretation of the musical “The Music Man” live on stage, celebrating Mother’s Day with George’s mom and him meeting up with his study buddies, we were able to squeeze in some down time to just relax and enjoy the moment.



Good thing too because I needed strong nerves and save up all of my energy and strength for another visit to the dentist’s office yesterday. What a way to start a week.



Without getting into too much detail, but my two upper incisors needed to be come out and be prepped for a bridge. Yesterday was the first stage. I had a root canal done years ago but in the meantime the area decayed to a point where the teeth couldn’t be saved anymore.



My two options were either implants or a bridge. I opted for the latter since I’m not a millionaire, not a big fan of oral or any kind of surgery and wanted to get this ordeal done and over with as quickly as possible.




Even though I decided to go with a bridge, getting it over with quickly was easier said than done. Whatever was left from the previous root canal treatment had to be removed first. And that proofed to be quiet the unexpected challenge for my dentist. Let’s just say that I spent half of Monday in that dentist’s chair while my dentist was desperately trying to drill and yank out whatever it was that needed to come out. She got quite the workout and I have a slight idea what torture must feel like.




I was numbed enough to not feeling a thing but it’s still the whole notion of knowing that a person is messing around inside my mouth. I always wondered what makes someone decide to become a dentist in the first place? What is the appeal? They must see something fascinating in looking at other people’s rotting teeth, dealing with drooling saliva and bad breath.




Um...can you say “Ewww?”




But somebody has got to do it. And I’m glad there are some brave souls out there willing to deal with that.




After nearly four hours of first making imprints of my existing teeth, poking lots of localized anesthesia injections into my gums and the roof of my mouth and then trying to rip out pieces of my skull, I finally got my temporary teeth in place. It feels weird. I’m not allowed to eat solid foods and bite into anything obvious like an apple or corn-on-the-cob. Not even a cheeseburger. For the next two weeks.




Oh joy!




Well, I wanted to loose some weight anyway. I guess that’s one way to do it. Get some teeth work done. And I’ll be back to see the dentist on June 1st for more biting fun.






I’m not a Trekkie, Trekker or whatever those trekksters call themselves nowadays, but I do like “Star Trek.” And after watching the newest incarnation of the franchise last Friday evening I love “Star Trek.” What a ride. To be honest, I didn’t think they could pull it off. I seriously thought I’d be disappointed, especially after all the hype.




But this “Star Trek” is amazing. Giving the likable characters and familiar settings a whole new look and twist without loosing much of the original idea behind the whole Star Trek saga was quite an achievement. The filmmakers managed to literally introduce the beginnings of Star Trek to a whole new generation of movie goers without offending true die-hard fans. My only gripe though was the soundtrack. I didn’t care much for the score. I missed the more empathetic music by Jerry Goldsmith or even Alexander Courage. Even though Courage’s iconic theme from the original 1960’s TV series was partly used during the roll of the end credits, it felt forced and cheesy.




I’m glad that this new “Star Trek” movie is successful and gives the seemingly tired franchise a much needed jolt. And it sounds like there will be more Trek movies on the horizon too. I can’t wait.





Speaking of tired franchise. Am I the only one who liked the last movie, “Star Trek: Nemesis” with the Next Generation crew? I like to say that it was even one of the best of all the Trek movies. I watched it again not too long ago and I still loved it. Maybe it wasn’t popular because it was a very dark Trek. Too many hidden political agendas and messages of the time (2002) in the plot?




My favorite Star Trek movies are “The Wrath of Khan,” “The Voyage Home,” “First Contact,” “Nemesis” and now this new “Star Trek.” Which ones do you like?




Wow! This makes it my first blog poll. I wonder if anyone out there in the space-time continuum will actually participate to solve these terrestrial mysteries?