elfs | "A funny little cheese..."

Omaha and I had lunch together downtown after a business meeting. I left her at Westlake Center, the big shopping machine in the heart of Seattle's retail district.

Later this afternoon, I went for the second dental appointment to get the crown on my lower jaw completed. The replacement turned out to be sufficiently problematic that they needed to numb me up before doing the clean and insert, and by the time I'd left the dentist's office the entire right side of my mouth was numb.

I drove home, kissed my family hello, and then went into the kitchen to get myself a drink. My mouth is still mostly numb. On the counter, I see funny little blocks of cheese left out, and cookie cutters nearby. It looks like an unusual variety-- Omaha doesn't often buy the kind with a rind, but I shrug and figure she'd done something clever with the kids' lunch, as she is wont to do from time to time. I pick up one of the leftover pieces and pop it into my mouth, and before I bite down I notice it taste kinda funny. I can't really taste it, but there are some working buds on the front left corner of my tongue, so I roll it that way...

And I realize it's not cheese at all, it's soap. I recall that there's a Lush Soap Store in Westlake Center. Omaha had mentioned being low on handsoaps.

Grief.

I poured myself an Arnold Palmer^[?] (the non-alcoholic version), and am now trying to wash the flavor out of my mouth with it and a few small, cut blocks of real gruyere.