Head Service

So this morning I have back to back services for my head, to use a body metaphor. At 8 I see Lucy, the dental assistant I've been seeing for decades, for my thrice yearly cleaning, and at 930 it's back across town to Dania, my haircutter for 25 years.

I am indeed a loyal patient/customer. I saw Dr. Milton and his staff since law school, and then when he retired, went to his suggested colleague, Larry Huber. Luckily, I seem to have inherited my paternal grandmother's teeth -- she died at 97 with all of them. I have had exactly three cavities my entire life -- the last of which was filled when I was 12. So Dr. H and I just catch up about grandkids and grown kids, and Lucy does the real work. She is very skilled and pleasant -- I don't mind the visits at all.

I wonder also how much credit I owe childhood dentist Charles Levine for my dental luck. He offered what was then cutting edge: a coating on the teeth which was dried with an ultraviolet gun. Maybe that protection was enough to get me through young adulthood, where I would go years without seeing the dentist. 

Wifey more than makes up for my lack of contribution to the dental economy. She is always going, with new and complicated issues involving gums and cavities and "deep scale" cleanings. Hopefully the Ds favor their father's side in the dental area.

I met Dania when D2 and her girl Lindsay were in kindergarten. I learned she cut hair, and started seeing her. In 1/4 century, I "cheated" on her just once. I figured my loyal patronage got me special favors, and once asked for a next day appointment before going on a trip. She was unavailable. Annoyed, I went to a barber in Sunniland, who was less than half the price. He also did a crappy job. I came crawling back.

During Covid's early days, I also missed a few appointments -- my son in law Joey actually did a fine job on me with his haircut contraption. And then, Dania came over and serviced me on the front porch. It's nice to get back into the shop again -- Lindsay has a baby, and she and her husband Rob, a school boyfriend, moved home to Miami from Texas, so Dania is very excited.

Her husband, not Lindsay's Dad, still wants out of Miami, though. He was born in Havana, but finds Miami too Cuban for his liking. I always get a kick out of that when Dania reminds me -- he thinks he'd be much happier surrounded by gringos in North Florida.

My busy day continues after the head services. I meet Paul and Stuart for lunch -- they're coming to Dadeland for a meeting we have with a TV lawyer about a dispute over a fee. I'm pretty confident the matter will NOT settle, and we will litigate against the fellow I call Saul Goodman, on account of the fact that he has ads just like that wonderful character from "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul." We'll see how it goes.

In any event, I shall be attending this meeting with newly sparkling teeth and a cute haircut, as Wifey always notes. I don't think our unworthy adversary will even notice.