The one hundred (episode one)

(1) My website is squaredonut.blogspot.com because my last name means square donut. I mean, you can buy a fasnacht. At least in Pennsylvania.

(2) Pennsylvania matters because I would sorta classify myself as Pennsylvania Dutch. Practically all my family settled there after moving from Germany.

(3) I have been told that fasnacht (or fastnacht) also means Shrove Tuesday...as in Fat Tuesday (part of Mardi Gras). You can celebrate it in Germany and other countries.

(4) As I was confirming #3, I found the following on the web. I have always wondered how square donuts and Mardi Gras were related and this website answers that question: "On Monday [before Fastnacht], dough was put out in straw baskets for raising, then cut in squares and deep-fried in fat, not baked. In the old days, [Fastnacht] was a chance for everyone to gorge on good doughnuts without reprise, for the lean days would now follow. The making of fasnachts helped use up fat and sugar prior to fasting."

(5) I have TMD - more popularly called TMJ - Temporo-Mandibular Joint Disorder. It means my jaw is misaligned, causing wear on the cartilage.

(6) Having TMJ can cause ear infections, and having an ear infection can increase the pain of TMJ. TMD also causes headaches and backaches, because of the nerves/glands/muscles around the neck area.

(7) I have worn 3 different kinds of retainers and gotten braces AND Invisalign in an attempt to "fix" or at least curb the pain caused by TMD. The jury's still out on the effectiveness of any of it. Muscle relaxers work really well to stop the pain for a while, though.

8) I have an ear infection (or at least extreme ear pressure) right now.

(9) I sit at a desk all day long, and I constantly correct my posture. Which helps ease the muscle tension in my shoulders...which started because of the TMD...which is worsened by the tension...you get the picture. It's an enormous cycle of pain.

(10) Another part of the cycle? Anyone will tell you that chronic pain has psychological consequences - heck, my mom (the psychiatrist) deals with LOTS of chronic pain patients. I think my TMJ and the pain related to it lead to my depression.

(11) Though the pain is worsening at the moment, I am depression-free.

(12) Why? Because God is good (all the time).

(13) I'm not sure that this is what the random one-hundred is supposed to be (but then again, it IS random, isn't it?), but I get tired of writing in narrative form.