Went to the dentist today to have some work done. When the procedure was pretty much completed, the dentist asked me to bite down on this little paper thingy that stains your teeth, thereby revealing how your bite is lining up. So I bit down, but didn't seem to quite be able to close on the paper thingy. Tried again, with no luck, and then third time was the charm.

Well, the bite needed adjustment, so he made some tweaks, and then got another paper thingy for me to bite on, and the exact same thing happened. Only this time, I began to have an inkling as to why it was so hard to clamp down on that paper thingy. Something was in the way, perhaps? Hmmm. Near the very end, the dentist's assistant was looking at my mouth and said, "It seems you've bitten your tongue."

I didn't see it in a mirror until later, when I checked out the damage in the vanity mirror of my car. Oh, yeah. Pretty obvious.

"I'm going to feel *that* in about an hour."

Boy, did I ever. And it made talking after the anesthetic wore off *very* difficult. Putting me in a situation where I'm not able to speak, especially when there's stuff I need to communicate with others, is just plain mean. It's like the poor Italian in the joke:

Q: How do you torture an Italian?
A: Tie his hands together and then ask him to explain something!