Monday, October 27, 2008

The Man Who Wasn't There


Though I may come across as a communicator here, in person I don’t have much to say. Blather bothers me, yet sometimes I feel uncomfortable with the silence I create. I recently had a dental appointment to get my teeth cleaned. I don’t like a lot of conversation when I am a captive and unable to speak. It is the age old joke of having a mouth filled with instruments and the dentist or hygienist wants to have a conversation with you.

Even when the instruments have been removed I never feel like talking. It occurred to me that I must seem like the Man Who Wasn’t There. I could see my lack of conversation was bothering my hygienist. I was expressionless, uncommunicative and unemotional, though I was having a good time inside my head. I was enjoying the view of the river and listening to the sounds being created in the office. I ask myself questions like: There is always music being played in dental offices, yet why do they always have a crappy sound system and speakers? I was making catty remarks in my head about the voice of the woman in the next operatory. I wondered why a dental assistant would wear shoes that squeaked so much in a room with those sorts of acoustics.

It’s interesting to me that The Man Who Wasn’t There on the exterior had a party going on inside his head. It probably would have amused my hygienist as well had I only let her in, but that would be too much like blather.

10 Comments:

Blogger MissKris said...

Oh, buddy buddy. Are we ever kindred spirits when it comes to THIS. I can be outgoing when I need to be but I'm very much a person who wasn't there 90 percent of the time.

6:32 AM  
Blogger Uncle Walt said...

Hmmmm. I haven't seen a lot of people having conversations during dental procedures. Unless one considers "say AH" and "How does that feel" conversations.

But what do you do at the barbers?

4:20 PM  
Blogger JustRex said...

In my job I am surrounded by blather eight hours a day. I contribute to it most days. Most of the time you have to join the blather just to keep afloat. It's like surfing... you have to ride the wave or get hammered when it crests over you. But when I'm home and there's nothin going on is when I have the most fun. The inside of my head is like going to the Cirque du Solieil after eating the wrong mushrooms. It's fun and colorful in there. But I don't let it get out.

4:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

my favorite at the dentist is "hey, can you get that pick out of my mouth, i have a story to tell you"

6:34 PM  
Blogger richpix said...

You could always have said, there's a party going on inside my head, followed by extended silence with an enigmatic smile in your eyes.

2:22 AM  
Blogger loopymamain06 said...

oh gee thanks guy.....yet another reminder of the fact that i have to go to the dreaded dentist,
loopymama

3:40 AM  
Blogger The Guy Who Writes This said...

Kris, there is something meditative about it.

Walt, it is possible to get some conversation in. I would love to pose as a hearing impaired person the next time I go for a hair cut.

Darev, and I bet your wife doesn't understand it at all.

g, having worked in the dental field for several years I could tell you some stories as well. People are pretty disgusting.

Rich, I'll have a post about that in a week or two.

Loopy, you know that I'll eventually touch on every subject. What else don't you want to be reminded of?

5:15 AM  
Blogger Me. Here. Right now. said...

And, when I read blogs, I go off on mind tangents like I did here and wondered about the word operatory, which I'd never heard, then quickly moved on to the great movie, "The Man Who Never Was."

Safer not to talk to the hygienist.

10:31 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i have nice teeth.

6:56 PM  
Blogger The Guy Who Writes This said...

Lori, I think the root of the word comes from dental slang "oppers" which means to place fillings.

g, take care of them.

5:17 AM  

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