Went to the dentist yesterday for a check up. No cavities! *ting!* Going to the dentist is always a mixed bag for me because – as I’ve talked about before – I’m just a skosh freaky about my teeth, but as a result I take good care of them. So there’s the standard dread, because… you know… people jabbing and scraping your gums… intentionally trying to stab sharp metal into your teeth… the potential of drills… but, since I try to take care of them, when I go it’s often a big love-fest. Sure, a love-fest with gum-jabbing, but a love-fest.
“Oh, you have such nice teeth!”
“Thank you.”
“Almost no plaque build-up!”
“I do what I can.”
“Strong enamel! Such powerful roots!”
“Well, I work out.”
“You must floss.”
“You know it. I buy that shit by the bale.” *high five*
Ah, but it wasn’t always this way…
For most of my life the trip to the dentist has been dread compounded with shame. The air ripe with the smell of fear and fluoride. Me, gripping my fingers until they turn white, reclined in the chair with that big interrogation light in my face… sitting through the scraping, awaiting… the question.
“Sooooo…. Have you been… flossing?”
Shit.
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Well, I’ve flossed about 15 times since yesterday when you called and reminded me that I had a dentist appointment. That has to count for something?”
Of course it’s too late now. You’re on the bad list. It spirals from here.
“And this floss that you claim to use. Is it waxed… or unwaxed?”
Near diarrhea levels of panic swell. Got to get it right.
“Waxed. Unwaxed. Waxed… waxed.”
“Waxed? Tsk tsk tsk.”
Damn!
“Perhaps you need A DEMONSTRATION FLOSS.”
Which is, of course, total bullshit. I’m a grown up, I’m familiar with the vast intricacies of the flossing process, but even if I wasn’t, a “demonstration” would be a couple teeth followed by “you try!” and words of encouragement (“Oh, see, that’s your ear. Keep trying!”). This is a near wordless procedure, floss wrapped around the hygienists fists like piano-wire, foot braced against the cupboard for leverage, lifting you out of your seat, the only words spoken the occasional burst of, “You must get under the gum! Under the gum!!”
At least I’m pretty sure this is how it went.
Now maybe my previous dentist was an escaped war criminal (I reported him as one, just in case), or maybe my current dentist is incompetent – roaming from room to room saying “Wow! Looks great!” to people whose teeth are actively rotting out of their heads while they sit there – but I’m sticking with the current one. In fact, I bet there’d be a real market for a dentist who tells you everything’s fantastic every time. Sure, you might have to endure agonizing nerve pain and teeth with the strength of marshmellows (“But doctor, there are so many holes, when the wind blows my teeth whistle like a flute!” “That’s normal.”), but I still bet there’d be a pretty good market.
April 15, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Under the gum? I agree with you – total b.s.! 🙂 Fun post, and the picture? Perfect!
MJ
April 15, 2011 at 2:05 pm
And creepy, when you think about it. Under the gum? That’s my skull.
April 15, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Your blogs are so much fun to read!
April 15, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Thanks!
April 15, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Since buying a crest electric toothbrush, I simply pretend that it takes away the need to floss…we’ll see next week when I’m in the same chair, staring at the hygienist, wondering if the vacuum thing is going to suck out my soul.
April 15, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Those vibrating toothbrushes never outright say it, but they sure imply that you don’t need to floss anymore. Pretty good gimmick, really. I bet if a commercial implied that a certain brand of shoes or cell phone would mean you didn’t have to floss any more people would buy it.
I had a friend who claimed to have a “special method” of brushing that negated the need for floss. Part of me wanted to say “Mmmmm…. no you don’t.” But then I thought, would I want my dental delusions ruptured?
April 15, 2011 at 2:04 pm
This reminds me of how I used to believe I could eat anything I wanted if I simply ate a banana afterward. That’s the magical power of the banana, after all: to obliterate enemy “anti-nutrients” on sight! (What? I totally saw it on a banana sticker. Somewhere. *cough*)
April 15, 2011 at 1:31 pm
Quite funny. My dentist is a Jedi. She has a laser drill and a holographic flossing demonstration. I hate her, but I have great teeth.
April 15, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Not only do I like waxed floss, I like MINT waxed floss. And I think it should be green.
However, if you write the floss company and tell them that, you will get a letter back saying that they appreciate your comments and they had a nice laugh.
Not that I did that or anything.
April 15, 2011 at 2:01 pm
Really? I’d think green would only be logical. Man, first we let green floss slide, what’s next?
April 15, 2011 at 1:56 pm
I never thought I’d laugh about anything related to the dentist. Until about three minutes ago, I would’ve decried the thought I’d laugh multiple times at something related to dentistry.
This is my favorite “freshly pressed” entry yet. It’s also a great reminder that I can take precautions to avoid certain discussions with my own dentist during my next (overdue) appointment.
April 15, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Thanks! I appreciate it! Yeah, anything that can get you prepared for the conversation, right? Sometimes I want to make a list.
April 15, 2011 at 2:02 pm
I wish I had visits like that. I’m like Nurse Diesel with my teeth — floss, pick, brush like a mofo because I hate dentists … and the stupid things still have enamel like tissue paper and rot if I so much as sneeze. Damn DNA.
I know people who brush once a WEEK and have perfect white teeth, though. Tain’t fair I’m tellin ya.
April 15, 2011 at 2:05 pm
I love this – I had a dentist appointment yesterday myself. I have had many demonstration flosses over the years, but never began rigorously flossing until last year. I now also buy floss by the bale and have better teeth for it.
April 15, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Plus, then if you skip a day you feel like you’re just being CRAZY. Maybe that’s sad that you have to set the bar that low to feel like an untamed creature, but hey, actual untamed creatures have terrible teeth.
April 15, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Congrats on the good check up and being FP! I got good teeth but bad gums. Yep not enough good flossing! Root planing for the second time!
April 15, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Thanks and thanks. Yeah, it took me a second to figure out what was going on with my hit marker on the dashboard. Like some bizarre cosmic coincidence was leading people suddenly to seek out smart-assed remarks about dentist visits.
April 15, 2011 at 2:24 pm
I like the dental tape, it just seems gentler. (Oral-B Satin) At least, it got me to use it on a semi regular basis… 🙂
April 15, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Loved this, and I am a total Anti-Dentite. I think one needs a higher degree to purchase a toothbrush these days. As for floss, I think its best use is cutting cheesecakes, even though I am known as a pretty neurotic flosser around the house.
April 15, 2011 at 3:38 pm
I have crappy teeth. Over the years my insurance company and I have paid my dentist enough money for really nice renovations to his office, a very flashy fish tank, and several pleasant vacations…
April 15, 2011 at 3:38 pm
Lol. I was just about to write about my own dentist ordeal when I saw this. I think your escaped war criminal dentist just moved into my neighborhood
April 15, 2011 at 4:03 pm
I hate the metal picks they use. Flossing is annoying, but it’s always better than the dentist.
April 15, 2011 at 4:09 pm
I “love” dentist talk…Whenever I need to feel like a complete idiot, I just ask my dentist a question. Then he goes – I have this problem, you have this problem, my assistant has the same problem, our receptionist has the same problem…What the heck is his problem?
April 15, 2011 at 4:54 pm
Wow-I never would have thought that a post about a dental visit would make it on Freshly Pressed, but here it is! Congrats! As a dentist (please refrain from verbal violence), I am so glad to hear that despite your previous experience, you actually took it upon yourself to take better care of your teeth!
By the way, in my opinion, the best floss is the one you actually USE in between your teeth and go up and down with 🙂
April 16, 2011 at 6:55 am
That’s a good point about the best floss. And I’m actually a big fan of my dentist, and not just because of the positive affirmation. I suspect it just takes people a long time to get over that fear imprint from when we’re kids. It’s like getting a shot as an adult – that hard-written fear that it’l hurt like crazy.
April 15, 2011 at 5:07 pm
Cute!
Just reading the word “dentist” is giving me anxiety!
I just did a post about how flossing can prevent impotence, so……keep it up….umm……keep flossing!
April 16, 2011 at 6:53 am
Really? Prevent impotence? Weird. Teeth… my dad was allergic to onions and garlic and then he got a tooth pulled and the allergy went away.
April 15, 2011 at 5:44 pm
Haha…this is so funny. I’m glad you were Freshly Pressed today, I enjoyed the laugh. And yay for your pearly whites!
April 15, 2011 at 5:59 pm
Love the Crestopolis pic. Classic! I’m pretty proud of my teeth, too, and would be pissed if i got a bad report. Going to floss right now. Unwaxed, of course.
April 15, 2011 at 6:21 pm
I laughed so hard I cried! I’m really glad I didn’t have the same dentist you did!
April 15, 2011 at 6:21 pm
ah, the dentist. You must have health insurance.
My roots work out too.
April 15, 2011 at 7:03 pm
Sorry Byron, Under the gum is correct- I am a dental assistant and I have to stick by your hygienist recommendations. She doesn’t mean jam it down to your knees or up to your eyeballs, but healthy gums have a little collar of free space (actually about 3 millimeters) around the neck of each tooth and by wrapping gently in a “C” shape and gently sliding just under the gum, you are correctly cleaning out the plaque.
April 16, 2011 at 6:50 am
Thanks – and I do it, it’s just the concept, as with most dental-related concepts, that kind of weirds me out. The idea of baby teeth falling out and new ones emerging seems like a surreal horror story.
April 15, 2011 at 7:17 pm
so interesting
April 15, 2011 at 7:17 pm
The barrel of hay is so perfect. I was really drawn to this post, though, because my teeth are very close together. Have to buy expensive floss or the strand will break mid-floss session. I suppose there are worse things.
Great post!
April 16, 2011 at 6:48 am
I know, then you have to use more floss to get out the jammed floss. It’s like a horror film where the guy has to go out in to the woods after the first guy who didn’t come back, then he doesn’t come back…
April 15, 2011 at 7:43 pm
So glad I found this post. I just seconds ago signed up for my first wordpress blog (yes, I have a nice residence under a rock). I also just visited my dentist… I can completely relate.
After a youth of dental disobedience despite the HUGE sums of money my parents spent on braces (sorry Mom!), I have transformed myself into a picture of patient compliance. I have dental floss with me at all times. Sad that I need the approval of someone who sees fit to stab me in the gums every-time I see him… But, unwaxed all the way!!
April 15, 2011 at 7:45 pm
HAHA!!! As a person who is planning on becoming a dental hygienist… I love it!!! I will try to remember to not be such a bitch about flossing when I’m cleaning someone’s teeth in the future 🙂
April 16, 2011 at 6:34 am
I don’t know – if I were dealing with someone whose teeth were like birds’ nests, I’d probably get a little testy. “Would you like the ‘flossing’ option, or the ‘Don’t come crying to us’ option?”
April 15, 2011 at 7:49 pm
Totally awesome. Personally I know whats going to happen to me if I go to the dentist and I have been avoiding him for a while now. Your a brave, brave man 😀
April 17, 2011 at 2:38 am
hey,nice bolg,I like it!
April 15, 2011 at 7:57 pm
I just went to the dentist today. Now they have ultrasound cleaner thingies and water sprayer cleaners to add to the list of instruments of torture in the name of prevention of future gum disease and dental decay.
April 15, 2011 at 8:37 pm
Ha ha! My dentist is forced to constantly remind me to “for heaven’s sake, floss” each time I go for a checkup.
Nice post!
April 15, 2011 at 8:57 pm
How close is close together? I think I used to have waxed, but it kept breaking… or maybe it was weak anyway…
April 15, 2011 at 11:25 pm
WHERE IS THE LIKE BUTTON?
Ps. I think I found the dentist you mentioned at the end, the one with the great affirmation and shat dentistry. I ❤ him.
April 15, 2011 at 11:52 pm
My least favorite place in the world!!! I moved across the country and am far away from the only dentist I ever liked/trusted… lame
April 16, 2011 at 1:49 am
Gosh! I’m due for my dental checkup too. Thanks for the reminder and the read. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
April 16, 2011 at 2:39 am
I absolutely love this. I can completely relate it to my dental visits.
Cheers for the laugh.
April 16, 2011 at 3:18 am
Wish I could floss. My teeth are too close together, and so the floss ends up cut, and stuck, and I end up walking around like a mop stuck in my mouth.
The electric toothbrush has changed the mouth of those who use them. I used to smoke and chew tobacco. That was almost as good, except the teeth get stained.
April 16, 2011 at 4:13 am
unlike most people, i’m slightly addicted to dental hygiene. and flossing. and my philips sonicare toothbrush. so i totally love going to the dentist and having him tell me my teeth are in mint condition as well – great post :]
April 16, 2011 at 6:41 am
Thanks. I know, now that I’m so freaky about flossing and such I feel like the teacher’s pet who got the right answer every time the hygienist says, “Wow, looks great. Keep it up.”
April 16, 2011 at 4:23 am
Of course you have to get the floss under the gum, otherwise, don’t bother to floss because yer doing it wrong. If you’d pay attention to the demo and actually do it properly then you’d never have to see another demo again. If you flossed properly, daily, then you wouldn’t have to endure as much of the scaling when you do see your hygienist. No product, electric toothbrush or Listerine, can take the place of proper flossing, no matter what the commercial implies. Signed an annoyed dental assistant.
April 16, 2011 at 6:46 am
Oh, I do it, the concept just freaks me out.
April 16, 2011 at 5:07 am
This is basically every dentist appointment I’ve ever had. Only better written. Where I usually go, the hygienists are all ace at giving the evil eye. I think it’s part of their training. I finally just gave in and bought some of that floss that’s kind of spongy except when you pull it tight.
Congrats on the Freshly Pressed!
April 16, 2011 at 6:46 am
I’ve decided floss is like bread – the cheap stuff is just a waste of time.
April 16, 2011 at 3:51 pm
True of so many things.
April 16, 2011 at 5:41 am
Byronic dude! Being a dentist myself, I specially loved your post. Infact it has acted as an incentive for me to write some funny accounts of my personal interaction with patients. And teeth becoming from flute to piano.
Congrats on being FP!
😉
April 16, 2011 at 6:44 am
That’s a great idea – I bet people would actually love to get the other side of the chair, so to speak. I’m sure having after a thousand people in a row complaining that their teeth hurt and their gums are receding, but who are unwilling to spend 45 seconds flossing you’d feel like a lunatic.
April 16, 2011 at 6:29 am
This is a hoot! I was relieved on my last visit to have fab teeth so I confessed to the hygienist my secret tool for the molars the back that are too close together for floss…warning her it was gross. (magazine subscription cards, the corner. Yeah, I know.)
She told me she once had a client from Texas who flossed with copper wire.
Now THAT is weird.
April 16, 2011 at 6:45 am
Copper wire??? It would never have occurred to me to try to out-macho someone with my flossing.
April 16, 2011 at 8:39 am
This is simply amazing. I’ve had multiple trips to the dentist over the past 2 years and this latest one does regular cleanings, deep cleanings, and cleanings that almost touch your brain and require numbing.
I’m not saying that I fear the dentist, but I have a hate love relationship with him. I hate to go but I love to leave!
Love the post! Keep it up :).
April 16, 2011 at 8:57 am
This is great what a fabulous post! Even though my Dentist is awesome I always fear the chair and wish for a pez like valium dispenser at the door.
Congrats on being pressed!
April 16, 2011 at 9:54 am
Flossing is very important and should be done regularly. I do advice that friends don’t let friends floss and Skype at the same time. That’s just nasty.
Great post.
Congrats on being Freshly Flossed, err, I mean Pressed.
Blessings,
Ava
xox
April 16, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Good advice on the skype & floss. Thanks!
April 16, 2011 at 10:25 am
I have had good results with my new sonic toothbrush and “woven floss”.
April 16, 2011 at 11:03 am
I’m a dentist! Funny reading your blog, well done! And really, flossing or other interdental aids really is important…it’s the ONLY way to get rid of plaque in between your teeth!
April 16, 2011 at 8:27 pm
I hear you – I’m like an ex-smoker in my obnoxiousness about it now. ‘You don’t floss? What kind of monster doesn’t floss???
April 16, 2011 at 12:24 pm
Great post! I share your hesitance about the dentist. Since I was little I had the same dentist so you couldn’t hide anything from him. I never got the nod of great approval no matter how hard I tried lol.
April 16, 2011 at 12:33 pm
This is hysterical. Exactly my experience at the dentist. And I do get a rousing “You look great, Fantastic! Keep up the good work!” every six months. Maybe flossing isn’t all that important after all? I floss religiously…every time I eat pop corn, which is about ever six months or so…Now that I think about it, usually about the time of my next cleaning!
Thanks for making me laugh out loud today!
Sheila
April 16, 2011 at 12:46 pm
I’ve been flossing my ear too. I didn’t know I was doing anything wrong!!! Explains why I had to have deep gum cleaning recently. Ouch.
April 16, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Congrats on the Freshly Pressed! I was at the dentist on Thursday to have a veneer repaired. A big beefy rib was a cruel beast and hurt it! Anyway, I have a huge crush on my dentist and thus I have been taking better care of my teeth, I mean, you don’t want a man that you’d like to have an old fashioned make out session with to think you don’t floss well enough!
April 16, 2011 at 4:29 pm
Hm, you could certainly find ways to flirt – if he’s in to hiking, just come in saying “I think I chipped my tooth on a granola bar. No? My mistake.” He may get suspicious, though, when you’re coming in every 2 weeks for a check up.
April 16, 2011 at 12:59 pm
As a hygienist I couldn’t help but laugh after reading this post. I always wonder whats going on through the minds of those patients clenching to their seats =) I’m glad you’ve been converted into a flosser! I really try my best not to give people a hard time about flossing because honestly I didn’t floss everyday until hygiene school. Its not the end of the world as some of us may make it seem but we’re just trying to look out for your health in the long run. And as for our instruments, I wish the scraping sound wasn’t so awful, but the more you do between the 6 months you don’t see us, the less noise you’ll hear.
April 16, 2011 at 1:03 pm
Thanks – and thanks for being so understanding of people’s floss-deficiencies. I suspect I’d get crabby about it.
April 16, 2011 at 1:04 pm
The dentist often just, like … looks at my teeth, you know? And I never know what they’re thinking. Good or bad? They take x-rays occasionally and never tell me if they found anything, so I’m sitting there going “Okay, do I have good teeth or not?”
Also, when I had braces they gave me these elastic bands for them. Then I went to have my braces tightened and he gave me another bag, and I still had most of the first lot left. And then the next time he tightened my braces he tried to give me ANOTHER bag! So I told him I had loads left and he was really surprised … was I supposed to eat them or something?
I don’t know. Dentists are crazy.
Then there’s my brother. They’re literally just about to do his filling and he goes, “Why did you become a dentist?” Hmm … great moment to ask. Not.
April 16, 2011 at 4:27 pm
Yeah, what was the answer your brother was looking for? “It was divine providence”? “After I won the gold medal in Olympic filling setting it just seemed the logical next move”?
April 16, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Well, this is a timely post for me as I’m booked to see my dentist on Wednesday! I am always worried about going… not only because of cost- but I’m always worried about getting a lecture from the dentist…. well, it has worked, I floss religiously now…lol
April 16, 2011 at 1:57 pm
Very funny post! And congrats on being FP. I’ve always been suspicious of the whole flossing thing. And of dentists….
K
April 16, 2011 at 5:44 pm
Very informative subject loved it……..
April 16, 2011 at 5:50 pm
Dig the conversation with the hygienist and your depiction of the flossing lesson. Thnx for the laugh.
April 16, 2011 at 7:11 pm
I thought I’d never get to the end of your comments, congrats . I can’t sleep and after reading your post AND am due a dentist appointment, I don’t think I’ve got any hope of getting any sleep to-night
April 16, 2011 at 8:21 pm
I know, my blog seems to have suddenly transformed into a referendum on dentistry and flossing in particular. Sorry about the insomnia – now that I could start a blog/referendum on…
April 16, 2011 at 10:51 pm
Fantastic post-I laughed until I thought I would burst!!!!!
April 17, 2011 at 1:30 am
Ha! Enjoyable post! The old dentist was right though. Given a choice between flossing and brushing–I would choose flossing. So many people brush at least three times a day, but never floss–and it shows (or rather, smells)! Before brushing, after each meal–I floss over the kitchen sink (living alone has its advantages), and I always use unwaxed floss. Floss with the waxed stuff, you might as well not floss at all. Unwaxed floss is getting harder to find, in stores–so I treat it almost like gold.
April 17, 2011 at 6:56 am
Well, my teeth are close together, so using unwaxed became just an exercise in frustration. That’s weird that unwaxed is disappearing.
April 17, 2011 at 2:05 am
Clearly you are not British sir. A dentist? Good lord, we used to have those in the 1970’s. These days we make do with flossing with sturdy cables made from pubic hair.
April 17, 2011 at 6:02 am
I’m glad I stumbled onto here. It was a much needed laughter excursion! Love your take on things. Can’t wait to come back and read more!
April 17, 2011 at 6:57 am
Thanks, I appreciate it!
April 17, 2011 at 7:29 am
Although I’m not a dentist as others in this thread I too had a good laugh 🙂 Good luck man. You’re on the WordPress.com frontpage!
April 17, 2011 at 10:32 am
lol, the way you wrote this is hilarious! XDDD
April 17, 2011 at 1:19 pm
i laughed out loud, thanks
April 17, 2011 at 2:04 pm
“Now maybe my previous dentist was an escaped war criminal (I reported him as one, just in case), or maybe my current dentist is incompetent – roaming from room to room saying “Wow! Looks great!””
First i thought, the dentist roaming from room to room saying “wow! looks great!” about YOUT TEETHS, you know, like running around in his dental-practise, being all exited, telling everyone of how amazed he is by your teeth :))
haha, anyway, funny blog…
April 17, 2011 at 3:17 pm
made me smile a wide, toothy, well-maintained smile!
April 17, 2011 at 3:24 pm
I hate that condescending “flossing demonstration”. Dude, it’s not that I don’t know how to floss, it’s that I’m too lazy to actually do it. There’s a difference.
But hey, at least (presumably) you’ve never blurted out intimate facts about your fellatio skillz while in the chair (like I once did…see the full story here: http://shesaidpop.blogspot.com/2011/01/more-awful-tooths.html).
A+ blog entry, btw. Would read again. 😀
April 17, 2011 at 5:28 pm
LOL Bryon, that was really funny. I liked the way you seasoned it with a sprinkling of humour and a dash of painful reality. LOL A great post! (thumbs up) 🙂
April 18, 2011 at 10:38 am
Thanks, I really appreciate that!
April 17, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Very funny post! And congrats on being FP. I’ve always been suspicious of the whole flossing thing. And of dentists….
April 17, 2011 at 9:46 pm
I hate to say it, but when I saw the picture coupled with the words “unwaxed,” dental floss is not what immediately popped into my head. 🙂
Very funny and congratulations on FP!
April 17, 2011 at 10:54 pm
Very funny post! And congrats on being FP.
April 18, 2011 at 4:16 am
Great post. Great writing. Very funny!
April 18, 2011 at 4:51 am
LOL Definitely a market for the encouraging, complimenting only dentitst. I really need one as I tend to not reutrn to the same one for fear they see that my gums have not improved. I wonder if that the same quirky gene that makes me clean the house so that the maid doesn’t see how messy I am?
April 18, 2011 at 4:59 am
I’ve fibbed about flossing … I do brush though so no issues for my teeth as yet!
April 18, 2011 at 6:08 am
My dentist used to say, ‘Whoops, looks like you’ve got a little cavity there! This’ll just take a moment….’ every time she wanted to visit her daugher in Vietnam or pave her driveway.
April 18, 2011 at 11:50 am
This is why I’m scared of MOST places. Whether it’s the dentist, the doctor, or a hair salon, it’s never fun to hear how bad you are at something.
“Oh wow… who cut your hair last? This really needs help,” is just another form of, “Do you floss?”
April 18, 2011 at 2:11 pm
Good point. Especially if it’s some daily thing you should know from childhood. “Okay, so here’s how to trim your nails…”
April 18, 2011 at 7:37 pm
Very funny post! And congrats on being FP. I’ve always been suspicious of the whole flossing thing. And of dentists….
April 21, 2011 at 10:11 am
Ha ha so funny! I’m a terrible flosser, quite inconsistent and I always dread cleanings. They always ask “Have you been flossing?” and I do the same thing I floss like a ton of times right before I go thinking that it’s gonna fix it!
April 21, 2011 at 10:40 am
I would definitely go to that dentist. It’d be good for my self-esteem.
Awesome post. 🙂