The Swamp

Another factor is that the extensive work he did on me was part of his continuing education, so that may have factored in there.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 2:23 pm Another factor is that the extensive work he did on me was part of his continuing education, so that may have factored in there.

Oh for sure there is gray area. I am glad you didn't have to pay, but again, you can't do that in KY.

A_B wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 2:23 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 2:23 pm Another factor is that the extensive work he did on me was part of his continuing education, so that may have factored in there.

Oh for sure there is gray area. I am glad you didn't have to pay, but again, you can't do that in KY.

Here's an article I found that actually uses the exact same math that I did. It also looks like one of the bigger reasons is that it may incentivize doctors to do unnecessary procedures. This last part is, I believe, rampant in the dental field.

Rass, I'd like to request a bookmark for the next time my wife says I don't listen!

A_B wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 2:20 pm Well, I just added some information that spells it out a little bit and I think is the crux of the argument. And again, I only know about Kentucky because of my wife's work. It may indeed be a non issue for you.

here's the part I added.

(ETA: If you waive the patient portion, it actually means that the service offered was in fact cheaper than the doctor said, so the insurance would be in their rights to come back and ask for money back. Simple math, but say your insurance pays 80% of all services (and that you have no deductible or met it at other doctors). So a $100 crown they would pay 80, assuming you paid the remaining $20. But if you waive that, then the service actually only cost $80, so the insurance could come back and say, well, we're only paying $64.)

I'm sure this is considered fraud in every state. On the part of the dentist, not SC.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 2:32 pm

A_B wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 2:20 pm Well, I just added some information that spells it out a little bit and I think is the crux of the argument. And again, I only know about Kentucky because of my wife's work. It may indeed be a non issue for you.

here's the part I added.

(ETA: If you waive the patient portion, it actually means that the service offered was in fact cheaper than the doctor said, so the insurance would be in their rights to come back and ask for money back. Simple math, but say your insurance pays 80% of all services (and that you have no deductible or met it at other doctors). So a $100 crown they would pay 80, assuming you paid the remaining $20. But if you waive that, then the service actually only cost $80, so the insurance could come back and say, well, we're only paying $64.)

I'm sure this is considered fraud in every state. On the part of the dentist, not SC.

Well yeah. SC should keep the money and run.

This occurred twenty years ago, so I think we're good.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 2:34 pm This occurred twenty years ago, so I think we're good.

Shit. Here I thought I was punching a live horse.

BSF21 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 2:03 pm

Shirley wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 1:39 pm I once got a filling without any anesthetic. I had had a lot of fillings and teeth pulled as a kid, and for some reason, I convinced myself that the anesthesia really didn't help that much, because I could always feel it. Well... let me tell you, the anesthesia DOES make a difference. A huge difference. I basically chose to recreate The Marathon Man for myself. I squeezed the SHIT out of those dentist chair arms. I always take the novocaine now.

Oh I played that game on my last crown because they didn't really explain it to me. I had a temp on and they said "once your permanent comes in, we just pop the temp off and put your real crown on". So I'm thinking nbd, little cement, no problem. They didn't tell me that once they pop the temp off, they vigorously clean the entire tooth again. Holy shit was I screaming.

It was about 25 years ago, but i can still vividly remember the sound and feel of the two different speed drill bits. Shudder.

Since we're on dentistry, I will say I had a root canal last Monday and it was possibly the most pleasant experience of my long dental career. 2 shots in the face, about 10 seconds of total discomfort, then I didn't feel a damn thing for an hour and immediate relief followed.

(didn't feel a damn thing for an hour and immediate relief followed...title of your sex tape)

BSF21 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 4:42 pm Since we're on dentistry, I will say I had a root canal last Monday and it was possibly the most pleasant experience of my long dental career. 2 shots in the face, about 10 seconds of total discomfort, then I didn't feel a damn thing for an hour and immediate relief followed.

(didn't feel a damn thing for an hour and immediate relief followed...title of your sex tape)

I've got a root canal in my near future here as well as several appointments for root scaling and then I think something like 12 or 13 fillings.

I've had a couple of them. People talk about root canals as an example of something painful, but I've found that getting one is a great relief and improvement over what you felt before getting one.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 6:05 pm I've had a couple of them. People talk about root canals as an example of something painful, but I've found that getting one is a great relief and improvement over what you felt before getting one.

So relieved to hear this. I've been terrified of root canals since I was a kid. I'm usually pretty tolerant of dental pain, but this has always freaked me out.

Maybe it's from looking at chicks on Instagram cosplaying Mortal Kombat, but COVID masks on women are kinda sexy.

Root canal today wasn't bad at all, but now that novocaine is wearing off I can tell my mouth is gonna be sore tonight.

brian wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2020 5:34 pm Root canal today wasn't bad at all, but now that novocaine is wearing off I can tell my mouth is gonna be sore tonight.

Take an Advil or two for sure for the next 48. Then you’re gold.

Maybe a little sativa, too

I guess Max and I are the only two people who enjoy going to the dentist.

At previous military bases I would request to be on the 6 month rotation so I'd get seen twice a year. Then one day the dentist looked at my record and asked "Why have you been coming to the dentist every six months for years? There's no reason. You have no cavities and you've never had any oral issues that require such oversight."

I was like "Toothpaste commercials said that the ADA recommends twice a year check ups, soooooo....🤷‍♂️"

I guess it just stems from when I was a little kid I had the worst fucking horse teeth that grew in crooked. My smile was awful. Then one magical day I was approved for braces fully paid for by the state of Massachusetts and 3 years later I had a nice smile. I don't want to lose that or the compliments I get because of it.

And with all that being said, I still don't floss enough.

I go every six months, too

sancarlos wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2020 8:27 pm Maybe a little sativa, too

Funny, I had actually just taken a hit as I read this.

i am such a dork i carry floss in my pocket everywhere :D - my family mocks...until they need to use it. "$5 per use, bitches!"

Johnnie wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2020 8:27 pm I guess Max and I are the only two people who enjoy going to the dentist.

At previous military bases I would request to be on the 6 month rotation so I'd get seen twice a year. Then one day the dentist looked at my record and asked "Why have you been coming to the dentist every six months for years? There's no reason. You have no cavities and you've never had any oral issues that require such oversight."

I was like "Toothpaste commercials said that the ADA recommends twice a year check ups, soooooo....🤷‍♂️"

I guess it just stems from when I was a little kid I had the worst fucking horse teeth that grew in crooked. My smile was awful. Then one magical day I was approved for braces fully paid for by the state of Massachusetts and 3 years later I had a nice smile. I don't want to lose that or the compliments I get because of it.

And with all that being said, I still don't floss enough.

not exactly the type of confession this thread was made for, but I can't really post this in the covid anxiety thread so i'll just change the format of how i write slightly.

Confession- I've spent the last week or so fighting suicidal thoughts at an alarming rate. Whats causing you to be so depressed TT? Well I will tell you.

Confession- My dad is mentally ill and i'm not handling it so well. Having your dad not recognize you, or forget how to eat food, or breakdown in tears at a restaurant, or have him strangle you in your sleep because he thinks you are a burglar, these are all things that weigh on me and hurt my soul in a way I lack the adequate words to express. My dad lost his shit before I got sober, so he still lives in a world where he thinks I'm a fucking junkie, and unless there is some miracle of medical cure for whatever fucked off mental illness causes him to be like this, my dad will literally never be proud of me for getting clean. That shouldn't bother me, but it does. Watching my mom deal with my dad slowly deteriorating is a different kind of suck. It kills me to see him like that and the guilt when i don't visit is unhealthy in its own way.

Confession- I very much miss drugs sometimes. I still think about them. Its just an acceptance that the struggle is unrelentlessly constant and will be forever. This makes me sad. I'm always going to be fucked up in the head. Forever. Its just a part of my identity. i struggle with it.

So now we get to the real trigger for me....standup.

Confession-People have treated me differently since I started doing comedy and it feels fucking weird. Its ridiculous the things people will say and do if they think you might possibly one day be famous. I had married women offering me money and watches if i would fuck them. Its all batshit crazy, especially considering

Confession-There is a condition called imposter syndrome and I fucking have it about comedy. I feel so fake. I don't even know if I'm funny. I'm trying like hell to be, but its so subjective there is no way to know if you are any good or not. I can make the arguement either way, and that uncertainty makes me a weird kind of anxious and depressed that builds until I get to go onstage and release it all and then the cycle starts all over again.

Confession- I'm a crazy person, trying very hard not to be. I feel like I'm through the worst of it, and writing this stuff out in the relative anonymity of a message board that gets like one new member every 3 years helps. Please don't go calling any hotlines on me, I'm not in a mind state to do anything stupid or self harmful, just writing helps. feel free to ignore all of this post, i mostly wrote it for me.

TT,

Keep writing if it helps. Mental illness both on the side of your dad battling it and you battling isn’t easy. I think I speak for a lot of people here when I say we’re here for you.

Your feelings are valid and important. I think that might be something you need to hear. Work through it at your own pace, but you’re you and the way you think and feel about this stuff is OK.

Hugs bud. You’re doing great.

Not being flip, but if women are offering you money for sex, you must be good at comedy. The guys who get booed off the stage don;t get offered things like that.

Let your creative side flow - write that TV show, write a short story, get it out on paper.

And are you able to speak to a therapist at all?

I just want to make it clear, my wife and I have not made it out to a show yet.

TT, I can relate to everything you wrote, except for the stuff with your father and the women offering money for sex. Just know that the feelings will pass. I know that seems impossible at times, but it will.

I get the imposter syndrome, too. I've heard so many of the greatest comedians all say they went through it, most CEOs of major companies go through it, too. The interesting thing with comedy is you get the most real, most harsh, instant feedback of just about any job I could imagine. You can't fake being funny or good at standup. If you get up there and people laugh, you are funny. Nobody is laughing to make you feel good. If you get paid gigs, you are funny. Nobody is paying you if you aren't funny. If you get respect from other comics, you are funny, and they know better than anyone and they aren't going to blow up an unfunny comedian's head. You are legit funny, your stage presence is fucking on point. You look comfortable, and you own the stage in all the videos you've posted. You grab the crowd, take them for a ride, and they are all in. That shit just can't be faked, and a crowd will turn on a shitty comic in a second. I'm sure you've witnessed that. I think you've just progressed really quickly and haven't had the normal amount of time to adjust to getting paid gigs and longer sets. That's all because you have real shit to say, structure it extremely well, and you are a great joke writer. Try to enjoy your success and not over think it. Easier said than done, and easier to see it from an outside perspective.

And just curious, how much does a miniature George Muresan command on the married women sex circuit?

comedy groupie, handing something to TT wrote:<wink wink>

To echo BSF, definitely continue to write/vent here if helps.

TT- you have my thoughts - that is not much, I know.

As for imposter syndrome - I have it every day. I am having it right now. Each day I "attorney", I feel it. The only time I haven't felt that way in 20 years was the times I was writing for the long missing front page.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:26 am TT- you have my thoughts - that is not much, I know.

As for imposter syndrome - I have it every day. I am having it right now. Each day I "attorney", I feel it. The only time I haven't felt that way in 20 years was the times I was writing for the long missing front page.

Oh, you were an imposter there, too.







I KEED!

And just to add - back in December I had pretty close to a full breakdown.

Today I was practically singing as I walked the dog on a sunny day.

While my issues are different than yours TT, I can tell you that things can and will get better. Just try to find the light at the end of the tunnel and keep moving towards it. You can't change the past, and as for imposter syndrome - watch Dane Cook or other hacks who've made it big. You are undoubtedly better than they are.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 9:34 am While my issues are different than yours TT

Give the Texans a few more decades and they'll be at the Tottenham level.

TT, glad that words on a page can help. Lord knows that the guys here have been a help to a lot of us for a lot of things.

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 7:48 am I just want to make it clear, my wife and I have not made it out to a show yet.

this made me LOL. to the other question, 1000 bucks to break the sanctity of her marriage.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:05 am TT, I can relate to everything you wrote, except for the stuff with your father and the women offering money for sex. Just know that the feelings will pass. I know that seems impossible at times, but it will.

I get the imposter syndrome, too. I've heard so many of the greatest comedians all say they went through it, most CEOs of major companies go through it, too. The interesting thing with comedy is you get the most real, most harsh, instant feedback of just about any job I could imagine. You can't fake being funny or good at standup. If you get up there and people laugh, you are funny. Nobody is laughing to make you feel good. If you get paid gigs, you are funny. Nobody is paying you if you aren't funny. If you get respect from other comics, you are funny, and they know better than anyone and they aren't going to blow up an unfunny comedian's head. You are legit funny, your stage presence is fucking on point. You look comfortable, and you own the stage in all the videos you've posted. You grab the crowd, take them for a ride, and they are all in. That shit just can't be faked, and a crowd will turn on a shitty comic in a second. I'm sure you've witnessed that. I think you've just progressed really quickly and haven't had the normal amount of time to adjust to getting paid gigs and longer sets. That's all because you have real shit to say, structure it extremely well, and you are a great joke writer. Try to enjoy your success and not over think it. Easier said than done, and easier to see it from an outside perspective.

And just curious, how much does a miniature George Muresan command on the married women sex circuit?

these next 2 weeks are a test for me. These are the first shows i have booked by strangers instead of networking and I'm nervous. It's kind of put up or shutup time. You are right in that you can't fake it, but you can certainly get lucky. Been running good for a year. very few misses. These next 6 shows are important if only for my sanity. It has been ridiculously fast

Yeah, TT, you're funny and you're good on stage. I know, we're all shocked too! But it's true. Keep at it and keep trying to go bigger. You're talented.

TT2.0 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:30 am

The Sybian wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:05 am TT, I can relate to everything you wrote, except for the stuff with your father and the women offering money for sex. Just know that the feelings will pass. I know that seems impossible at times, but it will.

I get the imposter syndrome, too. I've heard so many of the greatest comedians all say they went through it, most CEOs of major companies go through it, too. The interesting thing with comedy is you get the most real, most harsh, instant feedback of just about any job I could imagine. You can't fake being funny or good at standup. If you get up there and people laugh, you are funny. Nobody is laughing to make you feel good. If you get paid gigs, you are funny. Nobody is paying you if you aren't funny. If you get respect from other comics, you are funny, and they know better than anyone and they aren't going to blow up an unfunny comedian's head. You are legit funny, your stage presence is fucking on point. You look comfortable, and you own the stage in all the videos you've posted. You grab the crowd, take them for a ride, and they are all in. That shit just can't be faked, and a crowd will turn on a shitty comic in a second. I'm sure you've witnessed that. I think you've just progressed really quickly and haven't had the normal amount of time to adjust to getting paid gigs and longer sets. That's all because you have real shit to say, structure it extremely well, and you are a great joke writer. Try to enjoy your success and not over think it. Easier said than done, and easier to see it from an outside perspective.

And just curious, how much does a miniature George Muresan command on the married women sex circuit?

these next 2 weeks are a test for me. These are the first shows i have booked by strangers instead of networking and I'm nervous. It's kind of put up or shutup time. You are right in that you can't fake it, but you can certainly get lucky. Been running good for a year. very few misses. These next 6 shows are important if only for my sanity. It has been ridiculously fast

Don't put too much stock or pressure on any one show. Just last week someone asked Joe Rogan if he has ever bombed horribly. He laughed and said he still bombs onstage after 25 years, everyone does. Every huge comedian says the same thing. Some nights it doesn't work, some nights the audience isn't in the right space for the specific comedian, and you certainly know your material isn't for everyone. One bad night or one crowd not laughing doesn't mean your not good.

$1000 for one night? Damn, dude, you are even better than I thought. I think you have to go through with it, think of the material! Sacrifice for your art!

"You can't please all of the people all of the time, and last night, all of those people were at my show."

Shirley wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:37 am Yeah, TT, you're funny and you're good on stage. I know, we're all shocked too! But it's true. Keep at it and keep trying to go bigger. You're talented.

it's weird having people tell you that you are good and have value

You were good and had value before this, but it's great that you found something you like to do and you're good at.

When you have doubt about yourself, keep honing your routine and making your bits better, even if it's shaving one word here or changing one word there. Keep working on it and working on it. Practice your delivery. Maybe a different look or facial expression feels right and helps a joke hit in a better way.

It'll keep getting better and better and you'll be more and more comfortable doing it. And you'll feel more and more "real".

A_B wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:49 am "You can't please all of the people all of the time, and last night, all of those people were at my show."

/r/unexpectedhedburg

TT are you doing a show with Billy D. Washington on the lineup? I met him through an old Rockets message board and he gave me tickets to see him in Ft. Worth when I lived up in DFW area. He was on tour with Christopher Reid (Kid) and the 15 minutes spent chatting with both of them after the show is still one of the most surreal moments of my life. Billy's opener that night is still one of the funniest intros to a comedy show I've seen.

Kick some ass this weekend and I will see you soon, for sure.