Joe Biden is Better Than That

I repeat, Joe Biden is better than that --->

I know we haven't blogged in a while, but we were busy voting in Cuyahoga County, which I'm pretty sure makes us the most important people in the country.  Sadly, that also makes us residents of Cuyahoga County.

Since last we blogged, we've been busy with all kinds of autumn activities.  We went apple picking with our neighbors, carved pumpkins, and got dressed up for Halloween.  This year we went as Effie Trinket and Seneca Crane from the Hunger Games.

Seneca

Effie

Local Weirdos

The costumes were pretty well-received, though they did make us the silliest looking people to have passed through Ohio this Autumn.

...well, almost

I know, I know, that's probably enough cheap shots about this year's, shall we say, losers.  It's just that in our house we feel very strongly about certain rights.  For instance, how could we support an administration that wouldn't support this precious and super gay union:

Pretty sure Tolliver is the wife

And of course we had to protect Pig, Pog, and Pi's right to female reproductive surgeries.

Because who wants another one of these around?!?!

Let's see other than that, we've been very busy with school and internships.  Nicholas is flying through his second year of dental school and has progressed way past the stage when he is only allowed to create wax casts of teeth.  In October, for instance, Nicholas performed my annual prophy cleaning.  

The doctor at work

The "compliant" patient before she fell asleep in the chair

Wendy's eye view

And he only had slightly less facial hair than the last person to clean my teeth--I wonder how Mrs. Weston is these days--He was so kind, so gentle, so reminiscent of someone that I just can't seem to put my finger on it...

Oh, yeah

Meanwhile, I've been spending a lot of this semester working with adolescents who have diagnoses of substance dependence.  It's just the way they show it in the movies.

Of course, I'm practicing in Lake County, Ohio, so instead of Sandra Bullock, Angelina Jolie, and Leonardo DiCaprio it's much more like this

Well, that's it.  We hope that you're enjoying the splendor of autumn because I know we are.  We have loved taking in the beautiful scenery around Cleveland: the crisp air, the changing leaves, the local wildlife preparing for the cold winter months.  

Check out this wintering squirrel with his nuts

Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today.

...It's coooooold out there everyday.

Would it help if I played Sonny and Cher in the background?

Well, I'm sure you're all wondering what we've been up to over the last few weeks.  Hmmmmm....Let's see, we went to the Dental School's picnic at Squire Valleevue and Valley Ridge Farms.  It was a lot like... Picnics and Mommunists (8/16/11).  Actually it was pretty much exactly like that.  Except there was a new crop of infants and instead of being mediocre at football, all of the men were mediocre at volleyball.  Oh, and instead of going out for custard afterwards, we went out for ice cream.

I went to go observe Nicholas working in the lab.

September 2011

September 2012

...and Nicholas continues to make fake teeth.

September 2011

September 2012

Okay, I will grant you that his technique has gotten a wee bit more sophisticated over the last year. 



I got a bad cold, and Nicholas made me matzoh ball soup.

Jew-y picture I used in 2011

Jew-y picture I'm using in 2012

All in all, I have to say that the start of this school year has felt a little...familiar.

Just in case we lost you on this one...

Of course, some things do change.  For instance, this time last year we were feeding a small stray tabby cat on the porch and talking about how, under no circumstances, were we going to take her in and end up with a fourth cat (Ha!)  Not only did we let Pog in, but we let Jon Fielding in as well.  Have we told you about Jon Fielding and his dirty dangler yet?

Not these.  We had these removed

Fielding's dangler is the one leg that he leaves dangling under him from wherever he has perched.

I guess it would have been too much to ask to get a "fixed one"...well, I guess if he'd been normal, someone wouldn't have just let him out to roam the streets of the Cleve.

Anyway, I'd better go, because if I don't do my reading...well, pretty much nobody notices.

I wanna roll my eyes right now, but the doctor said if I keep doing it my ocular muscles might spasm and eject my eyeballs

Just wanted to pop in and let you all know that February is treating us well in the Cleve.  Since last we wrote Nicholas has become a real dentist.  I went to the clinic the other week and watched him drill the teeth of his first patient.

If you're wondering why the patient looks familiar, it's probably because you know his cousin.

At any rate, we just wanted to pop in and wish you a happy Valentine's Day.  As we curl up by the romantic light of the fire,

The majestic Cuyahoga River

we can't help but feel blessed by all of the love in our lives. 

Even Tolliver has found a girlfriend

Sending you all our love,

The future Mr. and Mrs. Lias

This blog entry has been brought to you by

Van Holten's Hot Mama Pickles: the individually wrapped pickle snack available at your local Blockbuster.

Gray Days

Well, the didactic portion of Nicholas' first semester of dental school is over.  He did really well and we're both very proud of the hard work that he's done.  At this point he's been going into the under-served areas of Cleveland and putting sealants on the teeth of public school children so that they don't get cavities.

Hard at work

This is a really wonderful program that Case has established and the dental students do a lot of very hard work.  And besides, why wouldn't you hand over your children to strange men doing charity work?

Oh, yeah.

As for me, I'm in process of writing all of my final papers.  I must say I'm handling it well:

Artist's rendering

Okay, fine, maybe I've been a little stressed as the end of the semester approaches; but I'll rally.  I have to.  Cause, really, who ever heard of a crazy mental health professional?

 Oh, yeah.

School aside, autumn in Cleveland has been really nasty.  We've had a ton of gray days and inches upon inches of rain.  Take a look at our back yard from this past weekend:

 Clearly God's covenant never to flood the world again does not extend to the suburbs of Cleveland.  You know where I'll bet it never floods...

It's a bible joke AND a gay joke

Well, I'm busy with finals so that's all for now.

This blog entry was sponsored by 

Topol brand toothpaste: where dental hygiene isn't just our job...it's TRADITION!

lf the whole world moved to their favorite vacation spots, then the world would live in Hawaii and ltaly and Cleveland

Due to popular demand, we've decided to resume our blog writing.

Popular Demand

Sorry that we've been depriving you of tales from our adventures.  And let's just say, they don't call it the wild, wild (mid)west for nothing. 

So, shortly after we moved in, Nicholas and I took to feeding one of the local stray cats--Pog, the Pig doppleganger.  One night a couple of weeks ago we put some food in Pog's dish and called for her; but she didn't come...as it happens, she's been reluctant to respond to the name that two strange humans made up for her a few weeks ago.  At any rate we set the food down on the porch and went about our business.  When we returned later to check for Pog, we found a gigantic raccoon eating out of her dish.  Seriously, this thing wasn't like a regular size raccoon; it was HUGE.


To scale

 I don't know if you were aware of this, but Nicholas and I are not quite the wildlife experts that we appear to be.  I tried all of the usual tacks and when squealing and knocking on the window then giving it the finger when it looked at me didn't work, Nicholas was at the bat.  Rugged outdoorsman that he is, he had the presence of mind to stick a curtain rod out the door and smack at the ground near where it stood to spook it.  And I could tell that Nicholas had really intimidated it because as soon as it had eaten its fill, it walked away with the slow, casual walk of a terrified animal.
See, didn't I tell you? Adventures galore!

But there's definitely more to our time in Cleveland than our rugged outdoorsy escapades.  We've also been enjoying some domestic bliss.  As always, I've been experimenting with new recipes; but Nicholas has really stepped up as well.  When I got back from Costa Rica last weekend, Nicholas had a huge pot of matzoh ball soup waiting for me.  I could hardly believe it.  Over the year and half that Nicholas and I have been living together, he's really come a long way.

Nicholas with the Pope in 2009

Nicholas today

I know, even I'm surprised.
Speaking of all the progress that Nicholas has been making, today I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the lab with Nicholas and watch him work.  You see, tomorrow Nicholas has a competency exam (that's where the dental school professors determine whether or not he's able to stand trial) and I went to keep him company while he practiced.

Editor's Note: In no way is a competency exam associated with whether or not the dental student is able to stand trial. 

And so I finally bore witness (bore being the operative word) to the process of waxing teeth.  I must say, Nicholas was really in his element.

Man makes fire

Man waxes tooth



Man poops pants? (Just guessing based on furrowed brow)


Seriously though, when Nicholas was done, it looked like just like a real incisor.  So for those of you who have been waiting anxiously for Nicholas to be able to do your dental work for free, the moment has arrived.  Nicholas can now do your dental work...as long as what you need done is to have green wax replica of your incisor made.