2019 weekly - Week 39

22/09/2019

I can feel the swelling is under control today when I woke up. A relief. So the swelling peaked yesterday, exactly as my dentist predicted, 2-3 days after the surgery. I didn't feel pain, just uncomfortable and quite ugly. It's good to see the light of the tunnel.

I also tried a croissant yesterday (dipped in liquid), quite naughty, I know. And it was not the right time as oozing started again. So today I'm back to smooth food, apple banana puree with yogurt. So far so good.

I saw something rather beautiful and touching yesterday. I thought I would share it here as a reminder:

Yes, Emerson was an American philosopher but this excerpt sounds so much better in French.

"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded".

2019 weekly - Week 38

18/09/2019

Had two dental implants inserted today. Ouch, indeed. One side was left it too late, which made everything more complicated. My fault entirely. The surgery was completed, perhaps not exactly according to plan but the Xrays on the day look seemingly fine. Will see what comes afterwards.

Local anesthetics was a god-send. Don't even want to imagine the operation details but just to marvel (again) at the magic of modern medicine.

Muse's music (from their Simulation Theory) was playing in my head while the surgery was going on. Their music soothed me.

Got back home around 18:00. Anesthetics had eased off on right side, feeling actually alright (minimized swelling and discomfort). The right side, the tricky side, was another thing entirely. It's twice as swollen and definitely more painful. I was given a cocktail of drugs to self dose. Well, let the recovery begin.

20/09/2019

Got my dentist's call this morning at 9am. A nice surprise. He wanted to know how I'm getting on. I described how I feel and my symptoms. I guess he was glad/relieved to hear that I don't feel any numbness. The tricky right side was a bit of struggle for him. On the day of surgery he told me the implant might have gotten closer to the nerve than he planned. Well, so far I don't feel anything funny, just a face even bigger than I like.

21/09/2019

Been on baby food since the surgery. It's really not fun.

2019 weekly - Week 37

10/09/2019

First french class, new teacher and new classmates. And I understood 90% of what le prof said tonight. Pretty good start.

11/09/2019

Parents are flying back today. Although it's nice to have them, it's definitely good to be on our own as well.

2019 weekly - week 36

01/09/2019

Bonjour septembre, c'est difficile à criore qu'on est fermement à l'autome.

If it's Autumn, it has to be the season of apple cake. Apples are my favorite fruit in cakes, more than anything else. Yes, blueberries are nice in cake but apples have better texture for me in cakes. Here is another apple cake recipe I tried and liked.

Gâteau aux pommes

For the cake:
2-3 medium-sized apples (slightly larger than your fist), peeled, cored and sliced
100 g sugar (or 50g sugar + 2 tbsps Stevia)
2 eggs
60 ml oil or melted butter
100 ml milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of rum (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
150 g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

For the butter topping:
80 ml melted butter
50 g sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven at 180C.

In a mixing bowl, beat sugar, eggs, oil together. Stir in milk, vanilla, rum, cinnamon, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well before adding all the apple slices. Stir to combine.

Pour the batter into a round cake tin and bake for 30 minutes. At the same time, make the butter topping by mixing everything together.

After 30 minutes, the cake should pass the toothpick test. If so, pour the butter topping on top of the cake and put back to the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Cool before serving.