We are not amused

While I have derived amusement from voice mail recordings in the past, today's voice mail experiences have struck me as sadistic. While waiting for someone to tell me that no, I still don't have any dental benefits at all, what does the managed care organization's system keep telling me all about? Right--the importance of dental health. Bastards.

I did find out that Howard University's got a dental clinic, which is a heck of a lot easier to get to than Baltimore. Unfortunately, they aren't making any appointments till the 21st. The only other dental clinic anyone could tell me about is out in the middle of nowhere, apparently impossible to get to by public transportation and probably surrounded by tobacco farms.

Well, at least I found out about something local, even if they aren't taking appointments for a while. (That's better than last time I tried to get dental care, when I only heard about the nowhere-clinic.) The woman at the dental society was concerned that I might have a big problem, though, and suggested going to the ER if the pain isn't gone quickly. I'm really not a fan of emergency rooms.

Gah. If anyone knows of local dentists who might take pity on the penniless, please let me know ASAP.

"Fear of Clowns: No Laughing Matter"

Although there are no official statistics, some experts believe that as many as one in seven people experience some level of coulrophobia, as fear of clowns is clinically known. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea and overall feelings of dread. Link via mind_hacks.

To go along with this story, the perfect link is: Creepy Clown. Aieee!

Also via mind_hacks: Cognitive science café.

This might creep out some Angel fans: Wolfram Research. There's nothing terribly creepy about the site, once you get past the wolf and the ram.