Funny but true. These past few times that I was on a flight, someone passes out. Once I was right there next to him in front of the bathroom. He became unconscious but came out of it quickly.  His anxiety of flying was calmed down with some alcohol that didn't agree with him. He ran straight into the locked bathroom door and slumped down. I caught his head with my foot because my leg is stronger than my arm. I checked his vitals and got help from the flight attendants. They brought out equipment they were not trained on so I did all the vitals. He was fine. After I landed, I saw that they deposited 7500 miles to my account.  That was a nice surprise.
The second time I got the mileage was also because someone fainted. They asked for a licensed medical professional. I didn't volunteer because it sounded liked they needed a medical doctor. But when they called for help again, I asked the flight attendant what they needed. She explained and I told her I could totally help. An older woman fainted in the aisle. Her husband said she has high blood pressure and she took Dramamine for motion sickness. The flight attendant didn't even have the emergency medical bag open. It was still sealed. I opened the bag and put the blood pressure cuff on her. Her numbers were below the higher limits of "normal". She was awake and alert. She said she feels fine, no other medical condition to worry about. So that was easy since they just wanted to know if her blood pressure was okay. By the end of the flight, she was able to walk off the plane herself. 
So as someone who does not enjoy flying, isn't it odd that I'm on a plane with people who dislike it just as much as I do, if not more? Then I get to help and receive free mileage? Do you know how many flights I have to take to get 15,000 miles? Not too shabby, eh?

Someone told me that a crane represents peace and longevity. These past few weeks have been a bit much. I was questioning a few things in life. My mind wasn't tormented, or at least I'm not going to confess it here. But I was not the happy camper that I wanted to be. Things in this world were quickly changing. The peace we all knew was disappearing. More than half of the country was mad early 2024 while the other <50% were celebrating. If you didn't vote and you thought you were standing up for something greater because of your belief, please step back and re-evaluate the consequences of your inaction. And those who did vote but are now regretting their choice, well...politicians are politicians. You either voted for a felon or you didn't believe he was a felon. For those immigrants who think all immigrants should come into this country through the legal process, well...since your arrival, the societal immigration outlook has changed. There seems to be a distaste for the population that saves employers money and keeps your grocery bills low. If your family relied on the government for help, like free lunch or Medi-Cal, you were the parasite you abhor today.
See what I mean? So it has been rough. I missed a conference that I enjoy going to annually to learn more about the latest dental research and science. Evidence based dentistry has always been my way of practice. I'm asked if fluoride makes you dumb since RFK Jr said it did. My answer is that they can look it up on ADA website with decades of results and make their own judgment. I can't sway you one way or another but I can guide you to the same paper I read that lead me to my decision. 
Now there's a war in Iran. It keeps going. So imagine my surprise when I saw a crane standing in front of me. It stood there for some time before flying overhead majestically, just like in the paintings. Then I realized it was a sign. I believe it was my message of peace to come. It might not be world peace, but peace for ME! Change is coming and a new beginning will take place. It was exactly what I was praying for. I needed a sign that my peace will come in this time of conflict. 
As I received my sign, I hope whatever conflicts you are dealing with, your crane will come too. We all deal with grief in different ways. I see it practically everyday in practice. If your crane doesn't show up in your expected timeline, you can use my crane below to escort in your peace. Namaste and may peace be with you. :) 

Air Supply 50th year together concert. It was so unexpectedly fun. My younger sister got  us (the older sisters) the tickets because we grew up with them. They're so old: 75 and 76 years old. But they can still sing and rock the concert hall. People were singing along and demanded they come back out for "ONE MORE TIME!". They saved their best song for last: All Out of Love. It was loud. 
It was great to see their old fans out and singing along with every single songs. We forgot a lot of the words but no one knew or even heard us. Like everyone else there, we were just having a ball, didn't care about messing up the words or screaming too loud. The people next to us were also the same people sitting next to us at the restaurant before the concert. They were also loud and enjoying themselves on their date night.
Hence, if you get a chance to see one of your favorite bands in your yesteryears, please do so. It may be more fun than you anticipate. 

This past weekend my sister and I visited filoli.org in Woodside, CA. They had Halloween decorations and trolls. The trolls were our reason for the visit. They were so cute as the artist made his art to withstand aggressive behaviors and remind us to be kind. Obviously, I climbed with the kids as their parents watched on. However, I didn't know it would make me so popular. I went with my sister sans kids then I got many kids trying to play with me. I almost had to partake in a family picture so their son and daughter would stand still. That was hilarious because the father offered me one of his kids to take home. I thanked him graciously as I informed him I already have a few of my own. No need for one more. But I would take a dog, if that was an option.
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Hanging onto a tooth because as a dentist, I see teeth, I want to come closer to it.

Oopsie. 

Yes, even in our old age, we still do silly poses. Can you imagine the poor girl who is taking this picture for us? 

Some people diet before a wedding. Others fix a little nick.  The patient was happy with the more "perfect" looking tooth (second or middle picture). But to me, something was "off", I had to adjust a tiny bit, an itsy bit, to make it look more natural and decrease the obvious difference between the 2 front teeth. It's difficult to match an old crown that is decades old. There are many things to consider: shade, shape, length, width, translucency, etc. In the end with a tiny amount of composite, patient was happy. My OCD was helpful in this case. Patient was so grateful as the chipped tooth was there for decades as well.