Wisdom Teeth

Well, it's official. I saw the dentist yesterday, and I'm on the list for wisdom tooth extraction. Turns out my two bottom teeth are impacted and have been pressing into the teeth in front of them, so they need to come out and soon. I dunno how soon they'll come out, but even though I'm glad to know about it, I'm also terrified to know that I have to go in for my first actual surgery. The idea of being knocked out and having no awareness during the whole procedure. More info to follow as I find out more details, but yeah, this is the first step.

Compassion

Maybe it's stupid of me, but I've always been this way. I always feel very deeply for my friends, both joys and sorrows, and it affects me to a level I probably shouldn't let it. Whenever a friend has something bad happen to them, I feel just as bad on their behalf as if I'd had it happen to me. My friends have always confided in me, and I've been happy to listen. I've been told that I'm a good listener, and it's one of the ways I try to be a good friend, but it comes with it's toll on me. I'm trying really hard lately to become unattached from the problems of the people I care about, but it's harder than it sounds. Somehow I do feel like if I don't feel bad for them the way I always have, I'm not caring like I should. On the other hand, as my mom said, letting myself get beat up about stuff that's not my fault and that I can't control makes me basically a doormat. Too many of my friends over the course of my life have used me as the punching bag to make themselves feel better, and I took it, because I thought a good friend should be there, but they were never there for me. I don't want to feel miserable like this, but I do still want to show I care. For me, at least, it's a hard balance to maintain. When I did my spiritual gifts inventory I found that I had the gift of compassion, which is to say that I care about people. I guess I have to use that gift and not let it use me. My best bet is just to keep my friends in my prayers. Whether they believe or not, God will take care of them in the way He sees best.

Mud Bogging and Drag Racing

This weekend, and really all summer, my dad has been racing his trucks in the mud bogs. I usually don't go with him, since it's a long, hot, dirty day, but he's very good at it. He's always been a winner and he's been competing for as long as I can remember. Even as a small child I remember going to races with my parents, watching my dad's trucks race and more often than not, win. Yesterday were the annual races here in Taos, and though dad didn't win, it was an enjoyable day. I got splattered with mud and mildly sunburned, but that's the fun of it. Pity that dad sold his truck, really, but that's what he does. He builds them, sells them, and builds some more. He's always been happiest when he's working on something new. Some racers complain that he must be cheating, because he's such a regular winner, but really, he works hard and knows what he's doing. He's been doing this for so many years that he has experience with what works the best and likes to experiment to try to make it even better. He even sometimes races a heavier truck than the others in his competition class, but he still beats them.

The other thing that I enjoy doing with my dad is drag racing. Not the actual racing, but watching the pros who race with nitro in the National Hot Rod Association. Every summer we go to the races up at Bandimere Stadium near Golden, CO. The last couple of races we've been in the sponsor tents, which is really nice, since there's a cool place to sit and eat that's not under the sun, since of course the races are very hot. In between rounds, we go into the pits, check out the merchandise, and try to catch our favorite drivers for a picture and an autograph. This year our favorite racing team, Team Pedregon, is doing very well, they're brothers, Cruz and Tony, and though they race for different sponsors, Advance Auto Parts and Q oil, they help each other and share information. They're in the top ten and if they can win their next few races they'll win the championship. We were doubly lucky this year to go to the races in Las Vegas as well, and I'm already looking forward to next year.