I had post on Monday. I hadn't had any all last week, so I wasn't expecting any at all, and it had fallen to one side of the doormat, so I trod on it. One of the letters was from the hospital telling me I had an appointment the day after my birthday. Now, I've been referred to the hospital to have my wisdom tooth taken out and I couldn't tell from the letter whether they were going to do it that day. It's a bit of a standard letter.

Fortunately, there was a number on there you could ring for enquiries. After twenty minutes on hold I finally got through to a person who told me she couldn't tell me whether they would be taking my tooth out or not. And couldn't understand why I might want to know. But she gave me the direct line for the oral surgery department at the hospital.

So I rang them, but they had done for the day. I rang them again at 9am and got voicemail. And again at 9.30am. So I gave in and rang the number on the letter again on the basis that speaking to another call centre peon might tell me something different. I only spent ten minutes on hold this time and instead asked how long my appointment was for, on the basis that if they told me it was ten minutes that would be a bit of a giveaway that they would just be looking at my tooth, not taking it out.

Let's first bear in mind that my appointment is at 9.30 and the letter says to come half an hour early in case they want to do x-rays and it says they might be running late. Which means I have to get to somewhere two buses away by 9 o'clock. I'm not driving there at that time, and besides, the booklet they sent with it is very keen to describe just how hard it is to park there.

The woman I spoke to told me that my appointment was an hour long, but they tell people to allow an hour and a half! When I asked she did confirm that they wouldn't be taking my tooth out during that hour to an hour and a half.

Basically, the upshot of this is that I might end up getting into work until lunchtime that day. Which given that it's the day after bank holiday Monday is rather going to make things interesting. And if they're going to try and choke me with a x-ray, I want to see it.