17 March - Teeth & Flowers

As usual I get an unusual health complaint. Am not going to list previous ones, suffice to say that I don't have many but when I do, am always told it's not that common or at least the way it presents itself. So this time it's the gum disease, affecting only one tooth, a poor little upper molar. Problem first came to light about 6 months ago when the area felt infected and I run to the dentist to get antibiotics. That cleared it but I don't think dentist said it was too awful. As the problem was starting again and I went back, this time he said it's bad. Not sure if toot can be saved. So on to the gum specialist who confirms she can do something which will only give me a 50/50 chance of success or I can remove the tooth and function in any case with remaining molars. Oh and it costs £600 (plus what spent already add another couple of hundreds). Of course removing tooth should cost less but we're always inclined to want to hang on to pieces of us so most likely I'll go ahead. I didn't even think to ask for a price breakdown till I got out. She said he'd last an hour, presumably she's working with one assistant so how come her time costs more than a lawyer? Actually never used a lawyer so god knows. Will have to ponder. As I left, after short conversation with a very boored janitor young guy who is not allowed to watch TV or use a laptop as has to focus on who comes into the building. For a 12 hour shift? I suggested he may want to study and he told me he already has a degree and did an MBA. Wow. And here he is, door person in non descript building housing dental practice among other things.

So I was thinking about how many hare lips or cateracts in third world £800 would sort out. Or more selfishly, how that's a week skiing or a week in Thailand. There is no rhyme or reason to why things cost what they cost in this stupid western world. Though D. in Angolan compound hell (working for a charity) can't go take a bath in a godforsaken 'hotel' because said establishments are there to serve the oil industry and are priced astronomically. So I am assuming that an oil engineer gets paid at least £800 for his day and that's why he accepts to have to go perform his duties in Angolan hell.

Then I got out and as dentist is by Finsbury Circus, I noticed that the great sort of tropical plants that I saw there last November (I had 2 of the same at home and thought if they have planted them outside in London, mine will make it too but alas mine are dead) are no more and in their place beds were being digged up and some already planted with other stuff - don't ask me for names of flora. No idea. Various men clad in bright uniforms were attending. So the thoughts that followed were along the lines of wow they must spend a fortune to keep up this 'garden' and rotate the flowers/plants and chuck what was good for 3 months and then dies in the frosts etc. And all this why exactly when just a bit of nice green grass surrounded by the pretty old trees bordering it would suffice to make it usable by the office workers etc? Why you spending 'my' money like this? Who consults me? Of course nobody does but think of the hundreds of hare lips/glaucomas/hip replacements etc that all this expense would pay for. Who sets what goes where? Why spend all this here when 3 miles south there's hideous housing estates? Clearly stuff there would be vandalised but if you tend to it regularly like you do in Finsbury Circus maybe it would be fine?

And on I go about my daily toil....