Open wide.

A few years ago, when I lived in my parents' house in Regina, I called in a piano tuner. I wasn't in when he stopped by, but my brother handled the visit. When I came back, my brother ruefully explained to me that he had received a thirty-minute lecture from said tuner, and had been informed in shameful detail how mistreated the piano was, how it should have been tuned years ago and properly maintained since, and how he was violating his high standards by even accepting our uncultured money.

On that note, today I went to the dentist for the first time in nine years.

(dread)

He was perfectly congenial, but during his initial inspection, he said something I never thought I'd hear from a dentist.

"Denton, I hope you won't be offended by my saying this..."

(dread)

"...but you've got the biggest mouth I've ever seen."

Wait. What?

I can't possibly imagine why he'd lie about such a thing... but that would mean he's telling the truth, which I understand even less. I'm frightened and confused, and none of this makes any sense.

Although it might explain a few things about karaoke night.

The great ones make their own luck.

Wow. This has been a really good weekend. I mean, it was all right for me -- I finished Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, read the Rats of NIMH (not nearly as creepy as the movie, thanks to the absence of Dom DeLuise), and the "Folk on the Rocks" road trip is turning into a grand adventure.

However, I also heard this weekend about an artist, just one of many on the web, who draws fanart of The Simpsons. Then, for a change, she drew the whole cast in manga style. Neat, right?

Neater than you think. Bongo comics, the Simpson's comic publishing arm, was actually thinking of printing a manga-themed story as a joke. They contacted her from right out of the blue, and asked if she wanted to draw it. Incredible, right?

More incredible than you think. As she mentions on her LiveJournal, the Simpsons design team looked into it, and she was then offered a job as a designer for the new Futurama project!

I know in my heart that she is a good person; for I cannot conceive of such things happening to bad people.

However, that's not even the best example I've heard this week. There's a rumour going around about a dentistry student at the University of Michigan who's still in classes, and has already been offered a teaching position at Harvard upon her completion -- and she's still weighing that decision against her other options.

Now that's a person who better be of outstanding moral character. Fortunately, since she's my cousin, I can confirm that she is. Congratulations, Jill!

And, on a completely unrelated note, my mother phoned me up yesterday to ask me if I'd ever considered going back to university for a Master's.

...

Have I mentioned that Legend of Zelda is a really awesome game?