Saturday, October 21, 2006

Uh oh. It's looking like I won't make it out to the State Fair this year after all, alas. No fried coke for me. Yup, they've figured out a way to imbue a little ball of dough with liquid coca-cola inside, and then the dough ball is deep-fried and a cola sauce and whip cream are drizzled over them, or so they say. You have to wonder how they come up with this stuff, and every year it's something new.

The deep-fried Oreos appeared last year, I think. So far, they haven't come up with the spaghetti taco, but odds are they will, evenutally. Actually, even though I haven't had one since I was probably under 10 years of age, I'd sort of like to have a candied apple now that my braces are off, if only for that nook-yoo-lar red coating that's probably bad for you.
Maybe next year.

Speaking of my teeth... Before braces, my molars were snug up against each other and the front and centers were a little more spaced out. Food never got caught between the molars because it was physically impossible to fit between there, and the front teeth didn't get food stuck up there because of their opposite-of-kung-fu-grip. NOW, however, they are pretty uniformly spaced, and I can floss 3 times a day and every single time I get swampy bits of salad greens and nefarious white blobs out from between the teefs, and all of it, well, decaying, is the best way I can put it.

And speaking of that, here's a question someone can maybe help me with. If there's someone you see on a casual or friendly basis, at what point is it advisable to tell them their breath needs a little work?

Believe it or not, I can seriously lack assertiveness when it comes to this kind of thing, and I simply clam up and don't mention it, all the while hoping my watering eyes don't give them the wrong idea. I take criticism so badly that it's hard for me to give it, because I don't want to hurt someone's feelings - is that silly of me?

Don't start thinking it's the softer side of Phlegm. I'm still the same embittered weirdo you've come to know and vex over.

Oh, and what's going on with Blogger & pictures lately? Frustrating!

9 comments:

Meg said...

Ummmm, carry breath mints, pop one in mumbling something like stuff gets between your teeth now that they are straight, and offer one? It took me 15 1/2 years to tell Husband he has bad breath, so let me know the verdict in 15 years.

Thomas J Wolfenden said...

My best friend's ex-wife had the most horrible halitosis... It took me years to say something, but by then the marriage was on the outs.

Maybe if I had of said something sooner?

Barbara Bruederlin said...

I could tell a family member that their breath needs attention, but certainly not a casual acquaintance. I am a whimp.

Janean said...

I know what you mean about the pictures! a coworker and I were just talking about that yesteray. I'm pretty patient but trying 10 - 12 times to upload ONE photo can make a saint scream.
About the breath issue...I'm kind of a chicken and non-confrontational. So my approach is to carry gum, mints or Listerine pocket packs and anytime I get anywhere NEAR the person I offer them one. If they say "no thank you" I cut the visit short. And next time I offer again. About the third or fourth time, they usually get the point and say "are you giving me a hint?" Whereupon I hedge and say "Weeellllll, YAH! but I like you anyway".
I know, I know...long drawn out process to spare someone's feelings and handle things in a lighthearted manner. But it's worked numerous times.
:D Good luck!

fuzzbert_1999@yahoo.com said...

I have a brother-in-law whose breath will melt plastic, but we don't say anything. You'd think his wife would say something.

I never use Blogger to download my pictures - I do the text editing on Blogger, but crank up Firefox for uploading pictures. If I touch the text in Firefox it screws up...note my Oct. 18th post...see how the text is smaller after the photo insert...I decided to slightly edit some of the text there and that's what happened.

I could go back and delete it and start over, but decided not to.

Jay Noel said...

Carry breathmints everytime you see your friend. Offer them all the time. Eventually, they will take a hint.

Anonymous said...

I wasn't in the mood to go to the fair, but screw it.

If that web page doesn't work, it's right here: http://tar-baby.com/thefair.html

wasn't really worth the time, I suppose.

That's a lie, but I'm so into this distraction abstraction bullshit, you know.

Becky said...

I have no issues with telling people they have crap stuck in their teeth, but I dont' think that I've ever told them the breath bit, except for a significant other.

Anonymous said...

I carry something called wow drops

http://valuenutritionstore.stores.yahoo.net/wowdropbreat.html

It's clorophyll and peppermint oil that kills halitosis and germs.

I usually pull out my bottle and use some. Invariably the stinky one gets curious and accepts some.