grace.kindness.peace.disruption.pain.processing.rinse.repeat.have a nice day.

For all of you who were wondering, my root canal went quite well this morning. The good doctor took about 80 minutes to perform the procedure. There was very little pain, as the nerve was not infected before the procedure. Many people attribute the pain from the infected nerve to the root canal procedure. I believe this is incorrect. The procedure removes the nerve that would register the pain. Once it's gone, there should be no pain. The procedure was gentle enough for me to doze off several times, only to be gently woken by the words "please open wider."

Has anyone ever told you that you are the greatest coworker? If so, you've been lied to. I'm sure that you're a nice person and all, but unless you are one of the nine people I work with, your title no longer stands.

I came back from a pleasant dental appointment today to find 100 feet of evenly spaced plastic bugs leading me to my cubicle. Upon sight of the first one, I thought, "Yikes! I hope that thing isn't alive." Upon determining its plastic consistency, and soon thereafter seeing a long trail of its friends, I thought, "I hope this isn't about me." It was and I was shocked to see the thoroughness of the decoration.

1931
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My coworkers have planned the prank for weeks – and it really paid off. There were dozens of hidden critters, stuffed animals, multiple yards of draped camouflage netting, burlap wall coverings, and even ambient jungle sounds. There are many surprises yet to be found in the mass – I was even greeted by a critter in my glove as I left for the evening.

I must say thank you to my team for making me feel so very appreciated. This prank will go down in the annals of creative going away pranks. Thanks!

Well, it's official. The sovereign government of Sierra Leone will allow me to come in and stay awhile. The following tidbit of joy greeted me as I opened the mail today.

I'm not sure how I feel about the government of a country making the marital status of the bearer the most obvious thing about a visa for their country. Look at it there – highlighted in purple and in a font twice as large as anything else on the form. I'm generally not sensitive about my marital status (especially after my induction into the Bachelors to the Rapture not-so-secret-nor-serious society), but come on. I could foresee this being salt in a wound to many singles. Sensitivity is ever so important … just like oral hygiene and paying your taxes.

Don't be getting any funny ideas about pasting a copy of this into your passport and sneaking into Sierra Leone. I would appreciate your company, I'm sure. But you should really get your own. Besides, I’ve removed the sensitive numerical information. I'm generally not naive, but I am unfamiliar with the sensitivity of posting such a thing. If there is a reason that this should not be displayed, please let me know.

I think I need to stop thinking that my posts here need to be overly witty or insightful. Such thoughts keep me from posting anything until I have adequate time (which isn't going to happen) to think of such things. So here … I present you with … not much.

Preparations for my coming journey to Sierra Leone are going smoothly. I was recently approved for health insurance and my visa application is in the mail – make that delivered (thanks usps.com!) – to the Sierra Leonean Embassy in our nation's capital. There are many, many new antibodies floating luxuriously throughout this body of mine. I finished the regiment of rabies vaccination last week. The only medicine that awaits me is Lariam – the anti-malarial drug that tends to cause "vivid dreams." You can translate that into nightmares. I would already call myself a non-nightmarish vivid dreamer so I'm in for a real treat.

I must say that the preparation for this trip has been wonderful. Sure, it's been tough at times, but I have been blessed by so many people who have chosen to encourage me, support me both financially and in prayer, and to simply listen to my story. This only goes to show me that life is in the journey – all moments have something to offer. I too often focus on what's next and don't take full advantage of what's around me now – be it country line dancing or a cup of coffee with a friend. A wise man once said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once and a while, you might miss it."