[Insert generalized apology for not writing here]
Yeah, yeah.  I'm sorry, but not much has happened that you would have cared about anyway.
Plus, school started so I've been really bogged down with homework.  You don't want me to fail do you?
Because of school I've been kinda stressed out (and we're only five days in!) but lists always make me feel better so here's one for you guys; get ready for some rambling:
  • Hair
  • School
  • Yawning
  • Swelling
  • Braces
  • Eating
  • Numbness
  • Talking
  • DMV
  • Stitches
  • Pain

I still don't know what I'm going to do with my hair.  It mostly just bugs me right now, so I've been wearing it in a ponytail.  I found this website where you try on celebrity hairstyles.
These are my obvious favorites.  You can try to guess who they are and then click on the picture to find out. Or if you're really lazy--just like me!--then just ignore them.
I'm thinking I'm going to get rid of the blond in my bangs, but after that I don't know what I'm going to do. 
I want to grow it out some and put a few different colored streaks in the underside, but I'm not sure my parents or semi-fascist high school will go for that.

Speaking of school, it started Thursday so I went and got registered the Monday before.  I'm telling you, it's like lines mean nothing some people.  Why is it okay for you to just walk up to the front while everybody else is waiting?!  Needless to say, I was pretty pleased when a teacher (who's usually mean anyway) chewed this lady out.
Yes, line cutters.  I don't like them; therefore, there have been many altercations involving me in the cafeteria before.  I'm seriously not okay with that and I don't mind making sure people know it, but it's an unnecessary stress that I'm not really wanting to deal with again this year. It seems like our new principal, who's been in the lunchroom, is trying to get the SRO's to watch the line, so maybe it won't be a problem.  I know this has nothing to do with jaw surgery, but I just have to vent a little sometimes.

So I'll get back on track with yawning. For the most part, all my pain is gone, but yawning is about to kill me.  I mean, I'm stretching my mouth as far as possible over and over again, so it's going to hurt.  But I assume it'll get better soon just like my laughing did.

I think my swelling is pretty much gone!  If you look closely, my left side is still a little puffier than my right, but I suppose it could have always been that way.  I had been thinking that I was still swollen under my eyes too, but I realized that those are cheekbones.  I've never had any before!

Braces, braces, braces.  I went to the orthodontist on the seventh and had my braces tightened and my surgical hooks removed.  He said that the only real thing left to fix is my bottom right teeth.  I was afraid that it would hurt more than usual since my mouth is still a little sensitive, but the lady was really gentle and it went okay.  The only thing that hurt later was the teeth on the bottom right, so they must have been serious about everything else being straight. Before my surgery the ortho cut my wire between my front two teeth, presumably to allow the surgeon to expand my palate or shift my midline; as a result, my upper right 1 overlapped my upper left 1 in the following weeks. At my appointment, I got a new (whole) wire and my teeth shifted back to a normal position... then my upper left 1 started to overlap my upper right 1.  Oh well, I'll mention it when I go back next month.  When I go they're going to move some brackets and hopefully I'll have my braces off before Christmas!

Eating is going well. I can eat almost anything now without much trouble and chewing gum hasn't proved to be a problem.  Food still gets stuck in my braces much more than before surgery, but without my surgical hooks this has improved some. Drinking isn't going as well as eating, though.  I'm efficient... but that's it.  I still am unable to wrap my lips around a straw so I just make some suction with my tongue and the roof of my mouth.  It works fine, but it's pretty hard to keep the liquid in my mouth after that.  I'm better with simply drinking out of a cup or can, but that's not perfect either.  And don't even get me started on taking medicine! 
People stare at me a lot because I've taken to brushing my teeth at school, but I look back at these starers with eyes that condemn their lesser hygiene.  "Look at you with out a toothbrush, without minty fresh breath.  You're just jealous."  Honestly, though, I can't laugh at anybody else when I'm still drooling like my friend's six month old daughter.
I'm working on it.

I am pleased to report that I seem to be in 70% of people who regain full feeling. I'm still completely numb inside my mouth, though.  I can't feel a thing in my mouth, even when it's bleeding.  One funny thing though, is that when I eat something hot the outer part of my left cheek feels warm and wet, and the opposite things happens on my right cheek when I drink something cold.
I have some feeling under my nose, but not completely.  I have feeling there, but it's kinda... muted. I don't know how to explain it very well.  I guess, if you're willing to be imaginative, you could say it's like my lip is distracted: I have most of it's attention, but part of it's always drifted off to a place without John Mayer and line cutters.

There's a reason I type instead of talk.  Before the surgery I had hopes that my problem with certain words would clear up but, alas, it's gotten worse.  I'm fine with most words and short sentences, but I talk like I have peanut butter in my mouth when I get long winded. 
And my f's whistle.  I sound like an old man!
It's irritating, but I think it's getting better.  I'm auditioning for a play at school on Thursday, so I'm a little worried, but my monologue is short, I'm adopting an airy accent, and my confidence is way up from where it was last year (not to mention that I've always gotten flustered when lines got wordy), so maybe it'll go all right.


I went to the DMV before school started and got my license.  I think I'm in the .00000001% of people who actually like their picture, but right now I think I would like any picture of myself.  If it helps those of you who don't like yours, my hair's bad and I look extremely over eager.
I was pretty nervous because we went to the one in our area with the worst reputation for rude employees, but my lady was really, really nice.  The computer was being slow so we talked about jaw surgery (her sister had it too) and gastric bypass surgery for half an hour.
Yeah, she was really sweet.  And she said she liked my necklace.

Since I last wrote, all of my stitches came out.  I tried extremely hard to pocket one and take a picture of it for you--they were really long. And smelly--but I kept losing or swallowing them.  Sadface.
But if you want me to describe them, I will. Really? You care that much? Okay, then!
Um... they were white.
There isn't really much else to say about them.  They each seemed to be about two or three inches long and some had cute little knots in them that were more like miniature hair bows than your traditional knot. And they didn't hurt all that much coming out, even when I pulled them out against their will.

PAIN! My favorite song by Pain is probably Milk.  My mom once commented on how appropriate their name is because she didn't appreciate their talent, but they're from Alabama, so I'm inclined to like them.
02_milk.m4a
File Size: 4784 kb
File Type: m4a
Download File

Why am talking about a band and not pain related to jaw surgery?
Because I don't have any, that's why!
And that brings our little chat to a close.  I need to go to bed.
I'm not making anymore promises about when I'll post, because you see how long it took me this time.
The next time I feel like it (and by that, I mean sometime within the next few years), I'm going to add a couple of new pages about stuff relevant the recovery process.  Or maybe not.  Who knows?  I'm just keeping you on your toes!
Picture
I started writing this a couple of weeks ago, but I decided to save it for the two month mark and update it now, so my pictures are a little old, but since my webcam has once again quit, they'll have to suffice.
Lastly,
Currently Reading: The only thing I'm reading for pleasure right now is Cirque Du Freak. I said at the beginning of summer that I was going to try to read 20 books this summer.  My AP work was so ridiculous that I only got 16 read.  And I still need to finish the required books, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens and The Great Gatsby.
Current Weight: 115.3 --that's good, but I had Pizza Hut buffet for dinner, so I'm probably up a little bit from normal.
Current Task: Tarea.  Mucha tarea.