06 March 2008

Means and Ends

At least twice a day every day, we must brush our teeth.

Is life about brushing teeth?

20 comments:

Random Michelle K said...

Well, we wash our hands more than twice a day...

And most people eat at least three times a day...

And we visit the room of resting multiple times a day...

So maybe life is simply supporting our existence as walking alimentary canals?

Megadeus said...

Don't forget flossing. And washing your face. Comb or brush your hair. Shave your, face or legs or whatever (as applicable).

When you think about all the maintenance, the human body is a wreck.

John the Scientist said...

Well, I say:

"Ni tsai tswo suh muh?"

and

"Bu kuh i"

at least a thousand times a day, so I think that is the purpose of my existence.

Heinlein said: A zygote is a gamete's way of producing more gametes. This may be the purpose of the universe.

If so, then the purpose of the universe is to drive me insane.

Janiece said...

No, but if you don't, people don't want to be around you.

I consider teeth-brushing, hand-washing and daily exercise to be "life maintenance" type activities. Neccessary, but not the purpose.

My purpose, like John's, is to say age appropriate things to my zygote. It's currently, "If you're so tired, why don't you go to bed?" and "When was the last time you washed your sheets?"

Once the zygotes are self-sufficient, I suspect I will explode.

John the Scientist said...

Janiece - I wrote the bastadized transliterations becuase I suspect MWT often heard very similar things as a child, and so will find it viscerally amusing.

They mean:

"What are you doing?"

and

"Not allowed"

respectively, at least in this context.

Anonymous said...

Janiece, I understand! Although I still have to remind the youngest to change his underwear daily, or he doesn't... scary!

At 3 min a tooth brushing, the average 75 year old has spent a little over 114 days of his/her life brushing teeth.

I don't even want to think about how many days/years we spend in the room of resting throughout our lives!

vince said...

Life is not all about brushing your teeth. Life is all about 42.

John, it is important to remember:

You are a fluke
Of the universe.
You have no right to be here.
And whether you can hear it or not
The universe is laughing behind your back.

Random Michelle K said...

No Vince, 42 is the MEANING of life.

But life is ABOUT 23.

Fnord.

MWT said...

Actually, those particular phrases weren't a big part of my childhood memories. I doubt my upbringing was anything like what you and your wife are offering to your kids.

Meanwhile, my teeth are clean now. :) And they talked me into buying an expensive electric toothbrush while I was there. So hopefully they'll stay clean for the next six months...

Megadeus said...

Did they chastise you about flossing, or are you one of those goody two-shoes types* who actually flosses?


*I can say that because I floss pretty regularly.

MWT said...

Yes, I get the riot act about flossing every time I go in. *hangs head in shame*

vince said...

OK Michelle, I now am having feelings of uneasiness and confusion. Rational thought is leaving my mind.

mwt, isn't it amazing that only expensive electric toothbrushes can truly clean your teeth properly? I've never liked them, despite having owned several. I just use the good ol' manual ones.

Janiece said...

Vince, I just noticed your new avatar.

I LOVE OPUS, YES I DO.

I think I have a crush on you now.

Random Michelle K said...

mwt,

I love my sonicare electric toothbrush. My problem is that I brush to hard, and in doing so, cause my gums to recede. The electric brush keeps me from brushing too hard, so it's a winner!

And I also hate to floss, so just bought those flossers on a stick, and they are much easier to use. I feel bad about the amount of extra waste they make, but I think I'd rather keep my teeth.

Nathan said...

Life is about eating and drinking good stuff. Brushing your teeth is penance.

MWT said...

I don't dislike flossing - I'm just fundamentally lazy when it comes to remembering to do it. ;)

And I have an Oral B that I've been using for nearly 2 years. It does work a lot better than manual, for me at least, especially with the waterjet that comes with it. However for some reason my dentist doesn't like Oral B and keeps pimping Sonicare at me, so I finally bought one. I'll try it out, see which I like better, maybe write lengthy reviews on Amazon. If I really don't like it I can always sell it on eBay.

vince said...

Janiece, you have just confirmed that you are a women of excellent taste.

Opus for President - A desperate choice for desperate times.

Anne C. said...

I like what Nathan said. Life is about the good stuff and the mundane is what we do to keep doing the good stuff.

Michelle, I have the same issue. The dentist switched me to a softer toothbrush. I'm wondering if a motorized one would help more. I tried the flossing aid and finally a tooth-fanatic friend suggested what he does, which is to get the disposable floss-picks and keep them in the car. Then, while I'm commuting to or from work, I can also floss. So far, it's working, not consistently yet, but sometimes is better than never.

Random Michelle K said...

Anne,

I got the sonicare and it's been a huge help. Because it does all the work, I don't push as hard, so I've stopped damaging my gums. I put off buying on for several years, because it seemed like an awfully expensive investment, but it was worth every penny.

I added the flossing thing into my evening routine, and that helped. I think the tool makes it much faster, and is a lot easier for me, so I've so far been flossing every night since I got it, which I have never ever done before.

MWT said...

And just because I finally remembered:

"Aiyah! Nee tzai GAN MAH?" was the phrase we got a lot. ;)