Wednesday

. . . .  I took possession of my new top front partial this morning. My smile is improved but by the way the thing is made I am having trouble with certain letters of the alphabet. The letter C is difficult because my tongue cannot get to the roof of my mouth. The support piece from one side of the appliance to the other gets in the way. Same problem with the letter D. G is not a hard sound like it used to be. J is not the same as it was. G is OK as long as I am speaking the word good but not when I speak the letter G. The letter H comes out as ASH. T is a problem also because the cross piece on the roof of my mouth gets in the way of my tongue. There is a space between the roof of my mouth and the partial that may be a problem, I am not yet sure. The dentist explained that my lower jaw juts too far forward to get a truly beautiful result but I don’t mind that. It is an improvement over what used to be there. I feel that if the partial fit closer to the roof of my mouth most of my speaking problem would be solved. I will get back to him soon and ask about that.  Another question is what happens when the old teeth that are now holding the partial in place slide away due to the slight pressure and the partial is overcome by gravity. What holds it in place then?  There is no way to ‘stick’ it to the roof of my mouth.. . . . I had eaten a bit earlier than usual this morning so by the time I left the dentist I was beginning to develop an appetite. I had my book with me so I began my continuing exploration of the city. Old town has been pretty well gone over but that main shopping area is always exciting so my plan was to walk in that direction.  As I stepped out the door I remembered that Natalia had pointed out to me a store that sells hard liquor; that store was in the direction of the Gold Zone so that is the way I went. I was looking for a bottle of Tequila that is bottled with a worm in it. I had seen such a thing at some point in my travels but it was a long time ago. I found the store, a large store that had a sample of every kind of alcohol I could ever imagine but no tequila with a worm in it. And no other kind of poison with a worm in it. The man behind the counter told me that perhaps it was a product of Northern Mexico but they claim to have never seen it in this part of the country. I had no reason to continue walking toward the Gold Zone but I did so anyway. After another mile I decided I was close enough to McDonalds to try out my new teeth on a 2,000 calorie double burger. I was also carrying my book with me so I ate slowly and enjoyed the meal while Herman Melville entertained me. The teeth worked fine. When I left the Golden Arches I considered catching a bus back home but I was feeling so well I decided to walk awhile before relenting to that temptation. As happens I walked all the back to the Blue Port Restaurant and sauntered in for a beer and chips. My teeth did a good job of crushing those chips up into a fine tasty dust that mixed well with the Pacifico Lite. And lime. Around here beer is served with sliced lime, not a bad flavor, sure better than salt in the beer. I was there for almost another hour with Herman and Captain Ahab before walking on home. As I walked by the Oxxo Market I considered stopping for an ice cream but denied myself the pleasure. It is close so I may stop by later. I would guess I walked seven miles today, give or take.