Extraction without extortion

Right, I've been to the dentist. Now it's over I'm so happy that I'm going to name him. His name is Christopher Layne and he is the greatest dentist that ever lived. Friendly, kind and totally painless. And the bill was amazingly moderate: extraction without extortion. Maybe because he's American and has read this:

No website to which I can direct you, but if you're in the West Midlands and your face hurts: he's your man. He's also very cultured - he took our MA in English for fun!

I'm not paralysed by anaesthesia nor crippled by pain - so bring on the Uppal!

Open wide

I went to the dentist today, slightly grumpily because Chris Layne is a great, charming and kind man who is leaving the NHS system - the 5th biggest economy in the world can't organise a dental health service. However, I cheered up: my gnashers are OK (appearances can be deceptive) and Chris's wife Helen didn't recognise me because I've lost so much weight - wonderful. People have largely stopped shouting Peep Show phrases at me too…

Also, my iPod chose 3 Snowpony (they're better than the review linked to suggests) tracks from the first 4 it shuffled today. I'm a sucker for side-projects anyway (this lot are related to Stereolab and a load of other interesting bands, and it took me back to a lost age of non-Britpop indie, in which intelligent women wrote and played songs which didn't fake a commercial version of feminism, but dealt with social and political issues through the medium of ancient synths and Fender Jazz Basses (retro-futurism?) - crunchy, funky stuff.