This is how I roll

Day 41
Thursday, February 10, 2011
I don't know about you, but I love going to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. It's like a spa day...for your mouth!

I had a dentist appointment this morning at 1030 and since this was my first trip to a German dentist I didn't really know what to expect. My reliable GPS helped me to arrive just on time but like usual, there is never anywhere to park in Europe. I had to park a block away and walk and then I couldn't figure out how to open the door to the dentist office. I'm not kidding, the door was locked and when I rang the bell, no one buzed me in. I heard footsteps and talking on the other side of the door so I thought maybe they were coming to let me in. It turned out just to be some people leaving the building but thankfully when they opened the door to leave, I walked in. I was a little shocked at first to see only walls and a staircase but I climbed the stairs and that's where I found the check-in desk. I was looking forward to learning some new words in the dentist office but the dental hygenist ended up being an American who had just moved here two months prior and knew almost zero German. At least I got to speak a little German with the dentist, Dr. Winkelmann, when he came in the room to check my mouth. He told me I could stand to eat more sugar because my teeth looked so healthy. I politely told him that the reason they look this way is because I do not eat much sugar.

After my dentist visit it was warming up outside and since my poor car was so filthy, I decided to drive straight to Patch Barracks and give it a good scrub and vacuum at the car wash. I knew the line would be really long and I was pretty hungry so I stopped by the Commissary to pick up something for lunch and buy some car cleaning supplies. While waiting in line at the deli to order a sandwich, I politely allowed the gentleman in uniform who was standing behind me to move a head of me in line so he could get his lunch and get back to work. He was so thankful for this simple act and he mentioned how often he notices the lack of courtesy around here. I felt really good for this tiny act of kindness, I only hope somebody else would do the same thing for my husband one day.

While waiting in line to use the ONLY car wash on base, I ate my sandwich, pumped up the jams, and then started cleaning the inside of my car with the supplies I had purchased. The temperature rose to about 50 degrees and after a couple of hours, my car finally looked clean again. I was very excited to show it off when I picked my husband up from work.

Tonight I had plans to eat dinner with my friend Michelle before we headed to play Bunco (for some reason they spell it "Bunko" here) with the Stuttgart Marine Corps Spouses group. We enjoyed some chinese food at Bao Jing just outside of base and had my husband drive us to Bunco so we could have a drink or two if we wanted without having to worry about driving.

Contemplation often makes life miserable.  We should act more, think less, and stop watching ourselves live.  ~Nicolas de Chamfort