The perfect evening

My Milk Toof Contest

So, I really haven't been up to much lately.  School has been keeping me busy during the day but there hasn't been a lot going on to inspire me to post something.  I should probably work harder at this...

Anyways, so one of my absolute favourite blogs is My Milk Toof by Inhae Lee at mymilktoof.blogspot.com

She's amazingly talented and a natural favourite of myself and several dental student friends.  I mean, seriously who wouldn't love Ickle and Lardee?  They're amazing!

Here's an example of her work - it's detailed, creative, and obviously undertaken with a great deal of love and imagination. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/11811822@N03/5467693258/)

 

 So, when doing my daily check-in to see if any new features were posted - I came across the contest.  A contest to design your own milk toof and win a copy of her new book!

http://mymilktoof.blogspot.com/p/book.html

Don't underestimate how bad I want this book.  I'll probably buy it if I don't win the contest, but I was absolutely determined to give it my best shot.




As a dental student, I figure I'm uniquely qualified to win this thing.  I mean, who knows dental anatomy better than the profession? 


Apparently you can submit as many entries as you like and design your toof out of any material. 

So I started out by knitting a tooth.  It's super cute and only took me a few hours but I never did take any photos of it...I'll have to try and add one to this post later. 

I should've submitted it anyways but I got a little carried away with my other attempt.


I decided to use dental triad to form my toofs.  We usually use it to make customized impression trays and surgical guides for implants so it's extremely moldable with a frosted-white appearance that I figured was ideal to making a tooth.

Since my favourite teeth are the premolars - because they're so cute with their little cusps and grooves, I decided to make a few of them and see what happened.

As it turns out, the triad wasn't as easy to work with as I'd hoped.  It's not as rigid as clay and I had a hard time holding the shape while I waited to set the material.  It also scratches easily. 

Either way, in the end I created two prototypes - Molly and Wally.  I designed Wally with a big swollen cheek, as though he had a toothache.  I thought it was a cute touch.  And of course I had to make Molly a little dental mirror - I used orthodontic wire and tin foil.  Of course I had several more grandiose plans but fate took a step and I ran out of time.

So, here's the finished product submitted for approval to the tumblr account set up for the contest.

Photography was generously contributed by my friend LE, captioning by myself of course

Not bad, eh!?!  There are some other really good entries though.  I personally adore "Bosco the puppy toof" - very creative use of the canine. "Hammond" and "Niblet" are really well done too.

                                                                 Well, wish me luck!

My kitten the monster

I have just realized that every single one of my supernatural household disturbances can be attributed to my kitten.  Or maybe I’ve been watching too much television lately.  Anyways, I leave it to you, the reader, to judge the facts and decide for yourself.

Exhibit A – The Thing That Goes BUMP in the Night

Definitely KITTY – many a good night’s sleep has been destroyed by the sound of him colliding with the couch, knocking the salt shaker onto the kitchen floor, or his favourite midnight pastime of running around the apartment like a horse (thank goodness my neighbours are sound sleepers!)

Exhibit B – The Thing That Hides in Your Closet

KITTY is a big fan of the closet – I mean, what’s not to love.  A rack of clothes to hide behind, doors that slide back and forth when you hit them just right, junk at the bottom to burrow underneath.  Honestly, it must be like a treasure hunt in there.  Plus there’s the added bonus of being able to jump out at me when I’m trying to find socks.



You can't see me...



Exhibit C – The Monster Under the Bed

Do I even have to explain this one?  Cat owners everywhere will understand the shock of walking past the bed (or the couch) and having something small with sharp pointy parts suddenly jump out of the dark space and attack your feet.  KITTY and I have been together a while and I still don’t see it coming

Waiting to snatch at unsuspecting sleepers...

SNEAK ATTACK!

Exhibit D – Kitchen Mice

Ever wonder who takes that odd bite out of your pizza slice while your back is turned?  Well, I always blamed the Kitchen Mice – they’re sneaky little guys.  But I’ve caught KITTY in the act several times now – he once ran off with a whole loaf of ciabatta bread and now has a serious taste for pancakes. 

No breakfast is safe

Exhibit E – Scratching at the Window

We’re 5 stories up from the ground with a sheer wall under the bedroom window – you’d think that wouldn’t worry me anymore.  Haha, think again.  Maybe it comes from once living in an apartment complete with peeping hobos out the living room window.  Anyways, when KITTY gets really excited by the birdies or just a little too hyper, scratching the window is apparently very exhilarating.  In the end tho, I mostly just worry he’ll fall out.

Midnight escape attempt 32 1/2 - GO!

Exhibit F – The Alarm Clock

Oh come on – you all think it too.  Being awoken before the sun rises by a screeching that can only be silenced by violently hitting a button is obviously monstrous.  But who needs an alarm clock when you have a hungry kitten?  It’s actually amazing really, how well trained I am to awaken immediately to the sound of his pitiful little “feed me” cry.  Luckily, he’s well trained by the alarm clock not to go off before 6am.

Oh well, he’s my little monster and I’m lucky to have him.  I wouldn’t trade KITTY for the world =)  Even though I'm reasonably sure he'd eat me if given the opportunity...

Sushi Hangover

Today I write with a raging sushi hangover.  My stomach may have exploded already; it’s difficult to check since my body has expanded 3 whole inches in the span of 3 hours (Yes, I checked).

Being in the big city has one huge advantage over my previous experience of small town living – All You Can Eat Sushi.

It’s a personal challenge levelled at me by those who dare to think I don’t plan to get more than my money’s worth out of this experience.  It’s a family weakness – we are incapable of saying “no” to free food.  And I have naturally improved upon that to attempt to devour whatever is put in front of me. 

I’ll admit, I look pretty small but I can hold my own against the best in a sushi restaurant.  I think it helps because the pieces are all bite-sized.  You don’t realize how many you’ve actually eaten until you have to undo your jeans under the table. 

Hint – try to wear loose pants when answering an all-you-can challenge, it lessens the painful sequelae

It’s a running joke that when my friends and I arrive at the sushi restaurant, the owners automatically start to panic in the knowledge we are going to eat everything they have. 

Because the minute we sit down, my stomach transforms into a bottomless vortex of sushi-devouring power. 

And I’m not even the worst one! Unassisted, the boys once ate 800 pieces of salmon sashimi before the waiter had to tell us they were out!

Nevertheless, the pain is absolutely worth it – a testimony to the deliciousness of uncensored gluttony among friends

H.R.H.

Cats were once worshipped as gods and they’ve never forgotten it.  Well the obvious reason for that is people like me!  KITTY is my little prince and he knows how to use it to his advantage. 

This is the best hand-drawn computer graphic representation of KITTY I am capable of - cute, isn't he?

I’ve never considered myself a cat or dog person, but considering my status as a full-time student, the cat is an ideal companion.  Given a few favourite toys, KITTY will entertain himself while I’m gone.  And then be SO happy when I get home! 

Is it the fuzzy slippers or are you happy to see me?

He’s such a playful kitten too – not content to sleep 20 hours a day but constantly demanding my full attention to play or cuddle.  The best toy I ever discovered was Cat Dancer – check out amazon.ca, it’s really fun for both of us.

Can’t believe how well he’s trained me – certainly better than I trained him!  I’m attuned to each of his different “meows” – the pitiful “I’m hungry” wail, the “get out of bed” yowl followed by a light tap on the face, his “I’m bored – play with me” growling, and of course the distressed cry when he’s stuck in something or not feeling well.

Thinking this was a good hiding place, KITTY promptly became stuck...

All I can say is, I’m really lucky to come home everyday to someone who is always glad to see me.

Reader's Corner

One of my absolute favourite authors of historical fiction is Kate Mosse.   Before Winter Ghosts, she had published 2 bestselling novels, Labyrinth and Sepulchre which I really enjoyed.  So naturally I put her most recent novel on my wishlist.

What I really love about Mosse’s style of writing is her ability to traverse hundreds of years within the story, connecting characters struggling to solve a secret in the present and those living and creating it in the past.  Her previous novels involved the concept of reincarnation – those persons from the past reborn in some capacity to carry on in the present day. It’s an idea that appeals to me – to be able to finish what you’ve started despite death and the inevitable progress of time. 

One definite consistency between Winter Ghosts and the others is the physical setting.  Mosse has clearly done a lot of research into the French Pyrenees – she paints a very detailed, moving picture of the Languedoc region that has made France my next stop if I ever get back to Europe. 

So far as the tale goes, Freddie Watson has arrived back in France after 5 years.  He carries a piece of history and is looking for answers, which has brought him to an antiques specialist.  Then things smoothly transition back in time and he begins to recount his story. I don’t want to give away too much more so I’ll stop there for now but I’ll keep you posted!

UPDATE
I'm done!  I really don't want to spoil the story for anyone so I'll just stick to a few observations.  First, there was a definite connection with the past, but instead of using her usual method, Mosse focused on simple time travel.  It was well done and I really enjoyed it and would read it again.

What's in a name?

Well, blogging is a little harder than I was hoping it would be!  I've been dreaming about starting a lifeblog for months now - picking up random quotes I hope to use, writing down different topics that came to me at weird hours, and generally getting psyched to start something new and fun. 

At first, I was sure the hard part would be picking the name, especially considering the notebook full of post-ideas I have.  I'm not really very confident when I start something new and it took me a few concentrated days to decide on "Tales with Orange Pekoe".  

And it's taken me days since to embark on my first actual post.  I thought that maybe someone (when I finally get some readers!) out there is wondering what was behind the title of my blog so I'll oblige by explaining that one of my single-most all-consuming passions is Tetley's orange pekoe tea, with milk of course.  No sugar - never sugar.  You can almost guarantee that whenever I'm typing away on the computer, my teacup is not far away. 

I've basically been addicted to it since I was 13, when English mother decided I was finally old enough to start drinking it since the minute amount of caffeine wouldn't interfere with my growth and development.  Little did she know I would evolve into a tea-drinking machine requiring a constant supply to prevent a complete shut down of my circulatory system.

My need to consume tea increases exponentially with stress and time spent studying.  

So as you can see, "Tales with Orange Pekoe" is a very appropriate title for my new method of self-expression