Went to the dentist today for the first time in, hmm, six years? As expected, there was bad news. Two cavities, neither very deep -- I'm fortunate in having teeth that are resistent to decay, and this brings my lifetime total of cavities to four. My gums aren't in bad shape, despite the fact that I floss irregularly at best (I'm trying to be better about that). But they do want to pull my wisdom teeth, because the extraction will only get more painful the older I get. I'm still young enough that they'll probably heal pretty easily. Still, it's a hassle and expense (my dental insurance is basically nil, though I'm looking into getting put on Heather's insurance). My wisdom teeth have never given me any pain, but the dentist described them as "ticking time bombs," so, okay.

More annoyingly, it seems I grind my teeth in my sleep, and have worn off 10-15% of my enamel. Marvelous. I'm told that amount of wear wouldn't be so bad in a fifty-year-old, but in someone not yet thirty, it's bad. So I'll be getting a night mouthguard once the other work is done. This shall be known as the Year of Dentistry, I'm afraid. I have an appointment for a cleaning next month, and other things will be lined up as the year goes on. Sigh. I guess I'd better write and sell some stories to help pay the bills. Bleah.

About five minutes after I got to work there was an earthquake (11:34 a.m., 3.4 magnitude, epicenter in Orinda). The whole house sort of jolted, like a giant had just jumped out of an airplane and onto the roof. It's funny -- we were just talking yesterday about how, if there was an earthquake at the office, we'd all be buried in falling books and shelves. Fortunately, this was a minor rumbler.

Otherwise, I have little to report. I'm reading Delany's About Writing and it's giving me a lot to think about.