November 1 Rant

Mike's dental appointment is this week. Hopefully, that means whatever needs to happen with his teeth can finally get started. This whole year has been a trial just in regards to his dental problems. Actually, it's been a problem for years, but ignoring it hasn't seemed to work. Unfortunately, he came down with a cold over the weekend. I'm praying we don't have to re-schedule....again. It would be great if he could get all of this taken care of before Christmas (Thanksgiving even, but that seems so soon). It also means he'll probably give up his job at the Space Center...he'll at least need a leave of absence. He is looking for some other type of employment that would be closer to home. It's weird. Everything in our life is on hold while we wait to see about the teeth.

I used to like going to the dentist. As a kid, I thought it was great. I liked that just cleaned feeling. I never had cavities or any problems. The orthodontist was a little unpleasant, but I still got out of school to go, so it wasn't so bad. But ever since I left home and had to find my own dentist, it's been difficult. I had one dentist who rubbed up against me in an uncomfortable way; another who filled a cavity I didn't have; another filed down a back molar so far it feels like a stub (I'm still not sure why); another wanted to do a "special" cleaning that wasn't covered by my insurance. Now every time I go (which is rare) I'm on edge - trying to make sure I'm not getting taken. I think it's indicative of most service-oriented businesses anymore - nobody cares.

Was there ever a time when people actually did their jobs? Where they took care of the client or customer's needs first? Where it mattered that the end result was positive for both sides? Our dealings with contractors to get our house repairs done was almost worse than the dentists. "They" all seem to want to get the most money out of us for doing the absolute least amount of work possible. Customer satisfaction? Who cares?!