TEETH AND THANKS AND BYAMPOD AND DIGI AND TEETH

Hello, you lot. Just a quick one to say thank you for sticking with us for another month of Patreon. We're well aware that it was a month where content was a bit lighter than usual (which has been reflected in a drop-off in Patrons).

Huge apologies for that, especially to those of you who are here from BYAMPOD, which we know we've particularly neglected of late. We're hopeful there will be one with you over the weekend, as we're scheduled to talk to our mates Pedanthony and Shoggz tomorrow about their Leicester Weekend experience (which was anything but typical...). We also have the next ep after that lined up.

Not sure what's happening with Digi next week, as we're going away for a few days early next week to babysit our grandson. The week after we're doing Digi Level 2 filming, but will hopefully be able to get a Digi in before that happens.

Work has at last started to calm down a bit, though I've another episode of The Dumping Ground still to write for CBBC. But... it should mean that even though I've still a Digi Level 2 to edit, and Digi Live to plan, we can get back to a regular sort of schedule for everything soon. 

It has been a bit anxiety-inducing having to juggle so many things at once while still helping to look after my mum - life has somehow been relentless over the past two months - but we're still climbing out of the hole that recent years have put us in, so needs must. 

Aaaaanyway. Tonight at 8pm on the Cheapshow YouTube channel you'll get plenty of us as part of their Urinevision live stream. Sanja and I are quite heavily involved this time - I've been editing videos for all the musical entries all week, so it has my pasty fingers over the entire thing. Some of the entries are REALLY good, and I had a bit too much fun making videos for them. To the point that I had to force myself not to share them with you early...  

It'll be well worth a watch, as the Cheapshow streams always are. Expect chaos.

We're planning our next live stream, which I want to get in before Digi Live - and see if we can use it to help get a few more bums on seats, as it's less than two months away now. Maybe we'll do that next week or the week after...? Something just chatty and lo-fi.

TEETHS

Lastly, apropos nothing... I went to see the dentist this morning. No, this isn't the set-up to a joke. 

I used to be terrified of the dentist. Growing up, my dentist was - in the words of my parents - a "butcher". Not literally, but with hindsight they felt his solution to every visit was just to drill holes and do unnecessary fillings. I just remember the pain from dentist visits, partly stemming from an accident when I was a few years old, where a swing hit me in the mouth, and broke most of my teeth. I even bit my dentist once, and have a very vivid memory of his hairy fingers (he never wore gloves). 

Somehow, however, that full-on phobia dissipated over the years. I still find it a chore, but only in the same way as getting an MOT, or something; it's a costly expense that's necessary, but kind of boring. Nowadays, I just think that - at worst - there'll be a bit of discomfort, that'll be over in an hour tops. It's never that bad, and it's worth it to be able to crunch things. 

Unfortunately, both Sanja and I hadn't been since before Covid. Very bad. Don't judge us. I don't think I mentioned this, but I had a crown fall out literally during the first lockdown. 

When I finally was able to get an emergency appointment - with a new dentist - they told me that they couldn't put the crown back in, that the tooth was basically about to explode any second (or something), and that I needed it extracted immediately and replace with an implant to the tune of around £1,700. 

I had no work on - and didn't have the money - but was in zero pain, so suffice to say I couldn't get out of there fast enough. And then was too scared to go back, because of the cost, even though underneath all that I kind of had this feeling that the guy was trying to pull a fast one on me, and do a load of unnecessary - but lucrative (for him) - work. 

I was always intending to go back and see my original dentist - who is lovely and gentle and helped cure my phobia - at some point when I was at least earning some money again. 

Alas, in the past couple of weeks, I've managed to chip a tooth, and Sanja had an implant fall out, so we've had our hand forced. Ignoring the fact that - between us - we're looking at an extortionate bill (WHY can't you get an NHS dentist anymore?!) - the dentist this morning told me that the tooth which had the crown in is actually fine, not about to explode, and simply needs a new crown fitting. 

No extraction, and no £1,700 bill. 

Anyway. That's all. I just wanted to say: get a second opinion if you can. Also: a visit to the dentist isn't so bad these days. Apart from the cost.