Tough

While dining on salad and watching Desparate Housewives with my German and Chinese friends I discovered they just may be more than ready for the pain of childbirth. One, a la that bastard James Frey, underwent a root canal without anesthetic, only hers was for real. Apparently the nerve the novocaine would normally be shot into was infected and so would have no real effect anyway. She didn't find out until afterward that they could have offered her an antiseptic to clear up the infection in the nerve before performing the root canal.

She said the pain was excruciating and that she is deathly afraid of dentists now.

My Chinese friend had her own tale of woe: While working at a family doughnut shop, a large piece of metal fell from somewhere and sliced open the the top of her foot. Her uncle, not wanting to pay a hefty medical bill, took her to a doctor friend of his early in the morning. This doctor had run out of anesthetic and so she was stitched up without it -- while she watched, mind you, because she wanted to make sure he was doing a good job.

All I have to say to that is: yee-owch.

However, there is some pain to which none of us are immune. Friend #2 called about 15 minutes ago; she just broke up with her boyfriend and is on her way over. We're going to eat pizza and steamed broccoli in a grapeseed oil-garlic-ginger sauce.