On changing tables

I recently saw this about the lack of changing tables in public men's rooms. Seriously, where are the changing tables? It's something you never really notice before you have a baby. And I assumed that all public washrooms would have a changing table. But that is so not the case. I can't tell you how many times Jon has come back from the men's washroom to say that there is nowhere for him to change Cohen. And what is sometimes even crazier is that there aren't changing tables in ladies rooms a lot of the time. This morning we were at the doctor's office for a checkup. No changing table in the ladies' room! At the medical clinic. So weird. My favorite situation is when the changing table is in the wheelchair accessible stall, so you have space and also privacy. No, my very favorite is when there is a family washroom that we can all go into, like at the airport. There's my little rant for the day/week.

A little girl

(yes, I did a whole project on dentures)

Yesterday  (actually Thursday)at work a patient came in, and the first thing he said to me was that he had heard that there was a little girl here who could help fix up his teeth. I was the little girl he had heard about. I said yes, I could, and quickly figured out his problem, gave him some freezing, and left the room to let my assistant take an x-ray. When I left, he asked the assistant if I was a dentist. Yup, she said. He said he couldn't believe it. How could that little girl be a real dentist? When I went back in to take out his tooth, he asked me if I was strong enough to take his tooth out. My assistant, who has watched me take plenty of teeth, laughed and told him not to worry. Then I took the tooth out, just like I do at least five times a day.

The thing is, I am not a little girl. I have not been a little girl for a long time. This scenario has played out countless times in my 3.5 year career. People think I am the assistant. People think I only clean teeth. People think I only treat women. People think I only deal with kids. People think I am not strong enough. People think I don't do extractions. It's the reason I never go by my first name at work. My husband goes by "Jon" at work, and has never been asked if he is really the dentist. Sometimes I think maybe when I am forty, I will be taken more seriously. Or maybe if I wear a white coat that says "dentist." I don't know.

It's not something that bothers me on a day-to-day basis. Not at all. I guess I just find it interesting. We are still really surprised to see women in certain roles, and we still trust men more than women for certain things. I'm not trying to change the world, but I am happy to be showing people in my community that women can be professionals too.

I've never texted while dating

(an oldie. newly dating in Dominican)

I have a semi-rant about texting. I am a texting fan because it is sweet to keep in touch with my bff and my sister during the day about stupid things like what I am having for lunch or what they are wearing. I am not a fan because it's so hard to read people's emotions. Read on, if you want....

hotel review: fairfield inn, st john's, NL

we stayed at the fairfield inn this past weekend when we went in to st john's for a little relaxation and shopping. this hotel is super new, and it has a pool.

price: pretty expensive. around $200 plus tax per night. i wasn't able to find any deals
bathroom: really nice. no tub, but the shower was big. also, paul mitchell hair care products
pool: tiny pool with a water slide. full to the brim with kids at the rare time it is open
breakfast: included. so good for continental. cereal, waffles, fruit, yogurt, toast, oatmeal, juice, coffee, eggs, bacon, hash browns.
wifi: yes, awesome. also, computers and printers in the lobby
tv: good. we watched office space
location: really close to the big shopping mall and starbucks, and a bunch of other things. though jon and i prefer to be downtown.
parking: free
notes:
- i had one really big issue with this hotel. the pool was closed most of our stay. it opened for just a few hours after supper, but then closed right back down again until checkout the next day. since floating around in a pool is one of the main reasons j and i even go to hotels( especially now that i am super pregnant), it was a major let down. we totally would have gone to a different hotel had we known the pool would be closed. when we checked out, i explained the situation to the reception desk lady. she just smiled really weird and said there was nothing she could do. i think she was playing a game on her computer maybe? i emailed my complaint the next day, and they did get back to me with a small discount for my next stay and an upgraded room. so we will definitely give them a second chance.
- the lobby is really nice. it is decorated really cool with this huge oversized double sided sofa in the centre.
-this hotel was packed with kids. i'm not sure if it is always like that, and it really wasn't a big deal to j and i, but it's good to know.

gander's coffee scene

the coffee situation in gander is the most major issue j and i have with living here. so this is what is up: there is this one little coffee shop that used to be an extreme pita. they have not changed the decor, so when you go in, you feel like you are in the extreme pita, not the coffee shop. there is coffee, some saran-wrapped baked goods, some wraps. this one coffee shop closes at 4:30 pm, and is closed on sundays. this is all not great, but ok. BUT. the very first week we moved here, we visited this coffee shop. the tap at the sink by the cash was going full blast for no apparent reason. j asked about it, and the owner/manager said that it was broken and they just never bothered to get it fixed. we have stopped in every month or so since then, and the water is always running. today we walked by and the water was still running. that is a lot of water. 10 months of constantly running water. SO. we go to mcdonalds for coffee now. the coffee is good. and we use our bodum all the time. i really miss sitting in a coffee shop reading on a saturday afternoon though.