Look Ma! No Glasses!

I'm a week into my Orthokeratology, using Paragon CRT lenses while I sleep. It has been a little frustrating at times. Yesterday was a day I was questioning whether or not this was a good idea. I do feel better about it today. 

I have made 5 trips to the eye doctor in 7 days. I have had 4 different CRT lenses for my right eye, and one for my left. I have in my possession a soft contact for my left eye and 3 different ones for my right eye.  So far I have managed to keep them all straight (I think!). While my eyes are in transition, I wear whichever combo gets me through the day until my next appointment. 

I am going for the "monovision" correction, which means my left eye is being corrected for close vision and my right eye for distance. This morning there was a distinct improvement with my "really far" vision, and close up was better than yesterday, though not quite as clear as the first few days. I can definitely tell the lenses are working. Now my brain just needs to bring the two together, because the mid-range is still pretty blurry. So walking around the house is fuzzy, but reading and computer work are pretty clear (no knitting has been going on, but maybe today!) and I may try driving without soft lenses today (but will bring them with me if I feel I need to pull over and give myself some "correction").

The concept is very cool, and hopefully the monovision will eventually make things clear. If I don't think I can handle the monovision, the eye doctor will end up correcting both eyes for distance. This will mean I will probably have to wear reading glasses at times. I guess I can live with that. But I'm hoping I can avoid glasses either altogether, or for a very large portion of my day.

I've had glasses on my face for 43 years (I wore soft lenses for a couple of years, and even then it was off and on, not exclusively). I am ready to be rid of them. I just was too afraid to go for the LASIK. 

So there has been a little hiccup in the progress on my Rhinebeck sweater, but hopefully I will be back in full swing and can still get it done. If not, then being able to see without glasses or contacts (during the day) will be well worth it.

I was able to create a WEBS fund with money I got from eBay auctions that ended over the weekend. I sold off some stuff from my crashed car. Free money! I still can't believe that someone bought the manuals for $47.00! I literally had them in my hand over the trash can before I decided to try to sell them on eBay.  I got $40.00 for my iPod cord (it was different than the one I needed for my new car) People will buy just about anything, I swear! It's all good though... now I have money ($225.00!) for my trip to WEBS and it won't take away from my Rhinebeck fund! Yay!

Never Forget....

I am thinking back to the morning of September 11, seven years ago, and the days that followed. I remember thinking how life would never be the same. I remember feeling "stuck" for weeks. I had a hard time going about my daily tasks. I felt so guilty about being able to do the simplest of things, when so many were suffering and when so many were taken from us in that horrendous act of terror. 

We've all gone back to living our daily lives. Years later the memories are not as clear or as painful. But let us never forget those who were lost, or those who took them from this world. 

This morning people will stop for a moment of silence to honor those whose lives were taken, and we will also mourn the loss of our lives as they were before that tragic morning 7 years ago.

There will also be mourning of a different kind today at my daughter's high school. A student was killed in an accident yesterday on the way to school. She was a senior, at the beginning of a school year that brings so many special moments. Her classmates are going to have a rough day today, dealing with her death, realizing how fragile life really is. Kaitlyn has known her since middle school. I can't imagine what her parents and close friends are going through this morning, especially the 4 other students who were involved in the accident. 

Please drive safely. People are in such a hurry, or talking on cell phones, or texting, or just being careless. I have been hypersensitive to these things since my own accident 3 weeks ago. Slow down, people.... stop for that yellow light instead of running the red light. Make sure there is no one coming before pulling away from a stop sign. Pull over to use your cell phone. Don't drive down the freeway typing text messages. Seriously... is it worth losing your life or taking someone else's? Just slow down and be careful! 

~Chelsea Pascoe~ rest in peace. 

~America~ pray for peace.

Excited!

Tonight, 6 of my SILs and I are going to see Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick in concert. We have been waiting for this night for months! We have seats in the 7th row, and plan to have ourselves quite an evening. I am blasting Journey right now to get myself in the mood (not that my mood needs much convincing, really). I will probably listen to Journey all day today. 

My friend Deb lent me a DVD of a recent concert, and I have to say, it's a little weird to hear/see someone other than Steve Perry singing. But I'll give "the new guy" a chance and I'm sure I'll enjoy the concert nonetheless. He sounds very much like Steve.

(I am pretty sure that the first concert I ever went to was Journey, in the late 70s. I distinctly remember paying $6.95 for the ticket. Tonight's ticket cost roughly 20 times that amount. Luckily I am not paying for it. What is up with ticket prices these days? SHEESH! Even the nose-bleed seats are ridiculous!)

The weekend: I met my new grand-nephew on Saturday. Wouldn't you know it, I didn't have my camera. Let me just say, Charlie is a real sweetie, and so darned cute. I loved holding him and sniffing his little baby head. I wish he didn't live so far away. He's going to grow up so much in between visits. Darn. 

In other news...

Rhinebeck is quickly approaching. That means I have very few days left in my 40s! The big 5-0 is looming right up there in front of me. It's all good though. What better way to turn 50 than in the company of fiber-loving friends at Rhinebeck? I finally bought my tickets so it's official...I'm going to Rhinebeck! 

AND!!! It looks like there will be a trip to WEBS squeezed in on Thursday when I arrive. I'm flying into Hartford and my lovely hostess informed me that WEBS is about 45 minutes away and if I only have a carry-on (this may be an issue, but I will work around it!) we can zip over there for a short time before she has to be back home. WEBS! I'm going to WEBS! Thanks Christine! Big excitement even before the big weekend at Rhinebeck! 

There will be several friends there to help me transition into my 50s. Friends who I know here in Michigan, and friends I have known only online. I am finally meeting Christine (and hopefully Mary Beth) who I have known online for 11+ years. We have been part of an email loop which has seen members drop out over the years but there are still 11 of us who have kept in touch. Thousands and thousands of emails have been sent and read by all of us over the years. I have met some of them, and hopefully will someday meet them all. (HI loopies!)

Jane will come from GA, and I will also be meeting her for the first time, after knowing her online for quite a few years too. Jane has been so helpful to me as a test knitter for my patterns, and I have enjoyed our friendship so much as it has grown. I can't wait to see her in person! 

My friend Tamara will be driving from MI (hopefully Linda will still be able to join her!). Frankie used to be in our knitting group but she moved to NYC several years ago. She will be joining us as well.  

Now that the event is getting closer, I finally decided to get my butt in gear and have been knitting furiously these past few days on my Rhinebeck sweater. I am almost done with the back now, and that is only the first piece. Luckily sleeves and fronts are smaller, but that is 4 more pieces. Yikes. I am focused though, and hopefully will have it done in time. But, I just know that if I do finish it, temps will probably be in the 80s that weekend. And if I don't, well it will probably snow or something. So I'll work on getting it done so the weather will be picture-perfect for everyone who will be there.... never mind showing off the sweater, huh?

So that's the excitement around here. I'm off to make an appointment at the eye doctor to check out Corneal Refractive Therapy. It's a great alternative to LASIK for chickens like me who are afraid of the lasers, but still want to see without going through their day wearing glasses or contact lenses. If anyone has experience with this please leave me a comment!

I also need to call my doctor to make an appointment to get the results of all the tests from the past few weeks. Here's hoping they all say I'm normal! (not that I believe for a minute that I really am normal, but I'd like my test results to say I am!)

Moving on....

The bruises have faded.

The horrible sounds and memories of the crash are replaying in my mind less often.

I'm starting to get over the sadness of losing the car I loved so much. Well, I WAS starting to get over it. Yesterday, I saw another green xB in my town. They were a limited edition, are very rare, and I have never seen another one in the Romeo area. I have not seen another one ANYwhere in over a year. Yet yesterday I had to spot one coming down the road. It was like a knife to the heart. With a twist. 

I still freak out a bit when I see cars pulling up to intersections, hoping they'll stop. I am much more aware of every car around me and what they're doing, and trying to second guess their every move. It's rather nerve-wracking. I'm sure this will eventually pass, though I will continue to be more careful and aware.

I continue to be thankful and feel blessed about my lack of injury and pain. That is most important in this whole situation. (But I still want my car back, dammit)

I guess you never realize how much you rely on your transportation until you are suddenly without wheels, without warning. I am so lucky to have a neighbor/friend who was so generous and lent me her car throughout the week. I was able to do most of the things I would have normally done, and my inconvenience was greatly reduced because of her. Thanks Donna!

I got my new car on Wednesday. It's kind of cute (NOT as cute as my xB). It's a cool color (NOT as cool as my xB's green) and I guess I'm happy. When I got the insurance check, I paid off the loan on my xB and had some money left over. I got a good interest rate on the new car, and my payments are less than what I was paying on the xB,  even with no money down. So I'm not out anything, financially, because of this accident. No, my losses are emotional rather than financial or physical. 

Notice I am calling my old car "the xB" rather than Yarnbox. The reason? Because my new car will also be Yarnbox, until May. I had renewed my personalized plate in the spring, and decided to just transfer the plate for now, rather than have to pay the full fee again so soon. I have a temporary in my window for now, because I haven't been able to bring myself to put that plate on my new car yet. It feels like it's a Yarnbox imposter. I have 2 weeks to break down and do it. 

So, here it is. My 2009 Chevy Aveo5 2LT. She's got some features that the xB didn't have. I'm thinking I might need to have a sunroof put in, just to make me feel a little better (and because I deserve it, right?) 

The color is actually prettier than what it shows in this photo. I haven't had a chance to get a better picture, due to weather issues.  Weather...that means there is now mud splashed on my new car. We are supposed to have 5 days of sun (and HEAT) now, so she'll be getting clean again today. I may be taking her for a little road trip this weekend. Depends on if I head to the lake when Mike and Jake leave this afternoon, or if I wait until morning to go. 

Happy Holiday Weekend, everyone! Have fun, and stay safe! 

ps...this car has side airbags, and OnStar, which both make me feel much better.

Oh my poor Yarnbox....sniff

So, it's been quite a summer. A pinched nerve in my back (not once but twice) leaving me pretty much incapacitated until I could get fixed up by my wonderful chiropractor. 

Then, I ripped my leg open and needed 18 stitches. 

I raised my hands up and said to the universe: "What next?" 

There was my mistake. Universe answered and said "How about THIS?"

This morning I was coming home from Best Buy, with a back-up drive for my computer. I've never gotten into the habit of backing anything up. I've heard so many horror stories lately about people losing important files, especially photos. I've been pushing my luck for too long and decided I needed to start protecting my digital information.

I got the last one of these on the shelf at Best Buy. On sale, too. It even coordinates with my orange laptop cover! 

So, I was minding my own business, was less than 3 miles from home, and had myself a little bit of excitement. A guy pulled out from a side road (while I was traveling toward the intersection at 55 mph) and he attempted to turn. I think he thought I was going to stop (he had a stop sign, I did not).  I had enough time to lay on my horn and try to swerve around him, but he hit me right on the side and flipped me over. There is nothing that compares to the feeling you get when you are starting to roll over. I put my hands over my head and just prayed there would not be another car coming down the road to hit me again. I came to a stop, upright, within a few feet of an accounting building. I'm glad I didn't hit that too.

Anyway, I am ok (as far as I know). Sore, and will most likely be more sore tomorrow. I assume the insurance company will say my dear Yarnbox.... the car I have loved most in all my life, is totaled. Here is a photo of where the roof scraped the road (or vice versa!) More photos on flickr here 

Where has summer gone?

Wow, summer has really flown by. (Doesn't it always?) So many plans are formed when school lets out, and then the lazy days just flow one into the next and before you know it ... POOF! It's over and school starts again.

We have just returned from a camping trip. It was a week for Mike and Jake, who left last Saturday. I brought Kaitlyn and a friend to the campground on Monday, and came home yesterday. Mike and Jake will return today. During the days when it was just the 2 of them, they did some fishing, golfing, and just hung out together having some "guy time", which I'm sure they both enjoyed a lot!

The 4 of them went to Cedar Point on Tuesday and I had a nice QUIET day by myself at the campground.

While they were gone, I:

~made some progress on my sweater (still a long way to go and time is running out!

~read (Whack a Mole by Chris Grabenstein... I have really enjoyed all 3 books in this series)

~watched Olympics

~basically enjoyed my solitude. 

Wednesday we went into Monroe (hometown of Custer) and went to the historical museum. Very interesting stuff! One of the biggest battles of the War of 1812 was fought in the area. 

We spent Thursday on Put In Bay Island which was a TOTAL blast. Took the ferry over, rented a 6-seater golf cart for the day and just took in the sights, toured the Heineman winery and Crystal Cave (which was the world's largest geode, and you got to be inside of it. SO COOL!) Played 18 holes of mini-golf with a War of 1812 theme. Lots of history on the island. And lots of fun things to do. We had lunch at Mr. Ed's Bar and Grille, which was right across the street from a beautiful park overlooking the marina and lake. We loved buzzing around on the golf cart along with hundreds (thousands?) of other carts. The day was beautiful and we really had a great time. 

Mike has the camera, so I will post photos later on. 

Now it's back to reality. I'll have to catch up on laundry (everything smells like campfire of course) and restock the fridge and pantry. Jake missed his "Dawg Days" this week, which is where the kids go and get their schedules, get their pictures taken, order yearbooks, turn in emergency cards, etc etc. I'll have to take him in before school starts to take care of some of that. I can't believe I no longer have a child in elementary school, after all these years. Jake is off to middle school. And Kaitlyn is a senior. It's a big year in the Bloom house.  We still need to buy school supplies (once again, I urge all teachers...please send a school supply list to your students before school starts, especially if you have items on your list that are out of the norm....did you ever try to buy school supplies after school starts? They've already gone on clearance and there is nothing left). When I worked at Target, every mother of every 6th grader came to Target after school started, looking for a clipboard, and boy were they pissed that we didn't have hundreds of them on the shelves waiting for them.  (Note to self...Jake is a 6th grader...pick up a clipboard....it'll probably be on his list)

We also need to get Kaitlyn's senior pictures taken in the next few weeks. Her photographer will be my good friend Debbie, who is so creative and has a special talent for getting great shots. She did Kim's wedding photos and they are stunning.  Check out her website. Beautiful photography. She is also mentoring Kaitlyn, since my dad's photography genes seem to have been passed down and she wants to also make photography her career. Grampa couldn't be prouder!

Time to tackle another load of laundry. More will be coming when my men pull in with the camper shortly. I just got a call that they are on the road.

Favorite Things

Play along on your own blog if you feel like sharing!

My favorite:

Sport: hockey with baseball a close second
Game: poker
Color: green
Movie: Bridges of Madison County
Broadway play I have seen: none
Broadway Musical I have seen: none
Song: Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer"
American city I have visited: Savannah, Georgia and Skagway, Alaska
Foreign city I have visited: Victoria, BC
Book: "Lightning" by Dean Koontz
Children's Book: All Judy Blume books
Classic television show: Felix the Cat
Recent television show: Heroes
Actor: Johhny Depp
Actress: hmmmm....don't know
Perfume: don't wear it
Food: Lasagna
Dessert: cheesecake
Chain Restaurant: Ruby Tuesday
Local Restaurant: Jet's Pizza
Car: green Scion xB
Condiment: Mayo
Kitchen Appliance: Foreman grill
Home Appliance: macbook
Beauty Product: Bare Esscentuals/Bare Minerals products
Piece of clothing: shorts
HGTV Show: House Hunters
Food Network show: Unwrapped
Author: Marisa de los Santos
Male Songwriter: Neil Diamond
Female Songwriter: Sinead O'Connor
Holiday: Christmas
Ballet I have seen: The Nutcracker
Disney character: Eeyore
Flower: Daisy

Alcoholic drink: Southern Comfort with lemonade
Non-Alcoholic drink: Pepsi
Magazine: Interweave Knits
Animated movie: Brave Little Toaster

Television network miniseries: Roots
Season: Summer
Male vocalist:Neil Diamond

Female vocalist: Trisha Yearwood
Day of the week: Saturday
Household Chore: Laundry (Favorite? LOL I guess it's the one I mind the least)
Ice Cream: Death by Chocolate
Candy: Peanut Butter M&Ms
Artist: Van Gogh

A little getaway

Jake and I are venturing north to spend a few days at a cabin on the Manistee river.

I'm bringing my laptop, and will venture into town in search of a WiFi connection, and hopefully can check emails daily.

If you've ordered a pattern and don't receive it right away, this is why. Please be patient...all patterns will be sent by Thursday evening at the latest. Thanks!

TTFN!

Ouch, Part 2

So now that my back is better, what the hell, go for some stitches, why don't we? Let's add a little more excitement to the summer, huh?

Sheesh? What is NEXT? (If you're squeamish, perhaps don't read what comes next, though I will try to not be too graphic.....)

Under that large dressing are 18 stitches. (6 inside and 12 on the outside)

The gauze on my calf is just covering a scrape, and there is another (larger, deeper) scrape above the wound that needed the dozen and a half sutures. It was not pretty. It was not a nice clean cut. It was ...well...like something I've never seen before. I also have a small scrape and bruise on both of my arms.

What happened was...I was getting out of the pool, coming down the ladder. And unfortunately not one, but TWO of the rungs were missing the nuts on the bolts that go through the ends of the rungs. (Unbeknownst to me, because they are UNDER the steps of course). The middle step gave way first, then the bottom and before I knew it I was hanging on for dear life, with a gaping hole in my leg caused by the bolt on the middle step as I slid past it.

Jake was outside with me when it happened and I've got to hand it to the kid, he was amazing. He ran and got me whatever I asked for at lightning speed, didn't get grossed out by what he was seeing (I know Kaitlyn would have probably passed out and been totally useless to me at that point)

I first applied pressure with a towel, but then saw that it really wasn't bleeding much (I still don't know how that's possible). I then sent Jake for the gauze and tape that I had left over from my gall bladder surgery, got things covered up as best I could , and had Kaitlyn drive me to the ER.

It must have been an interesting wound, because the nurses (and other staff on hand) all filed in one by one to gaze, and comment, and call to whoever else walking by "Have you seen this?"

Then of course the parade again once it was sewn up (2 hours later) to marvel at how nice it looked.... you know, closed up and not gaping open and gross, and all.

And darn it, why didn't I grab my iPod on the way out the door? I could have listened to a bunch of Harry Potter, or some nice soothing music as I was trying to ignore the sewing up of my leg (and all the nasty things that procedure entailed.)

At least I had finally gotten around to shaving my legs after the pinched nerve incident.


ps...I do have knitting news. The Princess Lace Wrap is blocked, and photos will follow tomorrow. I just unpinned it from the sheet on the floor so Mike didn't injure himself in the morning as he stumbles around in the dark before work.

Ouch!

So yesterday I was just going through my day, minding my own business.....

Then right before I was going to make dinner, I tried to get up off the couch.  And couldn't. I was stuck in a hunched over position and any movement toward standing upright caused great pain in my lower back. The rest of the evening I was fine only if I was still, but any movement whatsoever brought about my phrase for the evening which was OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW! (complete with an ugly grimace on my face).

Trying to sleep last night was not fun. Just getting into bed and laying down caused bolts of lightning to shoot through my spine. Getting comfortable? That took about 1/2 hour of very tiny movements. Turning over when I started feeling the bedsores forming from lack of movement? OW OW OW OW OW OW OW!!!!!  Getting out of bed this morning? Oh, fun! 

I managed to get into the shower, but was not able to shave my legs or even wash my feet. Of course I had to drop the soap (and knock the shampoo bottle down off the shelf too) each of which took a long, painful time to retrieve.  As soon as I was dressed I made my way downstairs and got right on the phone with the chiropractor. They were able to squeeze me in. I didn't dare sit down when I got there, for fear I wouldn't get out of the chair again, so I was ushered back to a room, where I STOOD waiting for over 30 minutes. Granted, they had to squeeze me into the schedule, but I was not happy to be left standing there for so long, especially at least 20 minutes of it was past the time they told me to come in! 

Anyway, he said I have a major pinched nerve, did some adjusting, and told me to go home, find a comfortable position, and stay there, with ice on my back. And come back at 6pm to see if the adjustment was holding. So I came home, had some lunch, took my book and my iPod up to bed with an ice pack. I watched some TV, listened to the Harry Potter audiobook on my iPod until I started nodding off. Took a little nap, turned the TV on again, wowed my sister with some emails from my iPod (she was whining that she can't email from HER iPod) and finally made my way back downstairs for another trip to the chiropractor, after asking Mike to pick up some pizza on his way home. 

I am back again, sitting here with ice stuffed down the back of my pants. Lovely. 

Maybe tomorrow I can shave my legs.....

Summer afternoon in the hammock

Remember my new toys that arrived a few weeks ago? Here they are all decked out in their colorful protective coverings. I originally wanted a green case for my macbook but orange runs a close second as far as favorite colors. It came today from Overstock.com. They were having a 10% off sale over the weekend, and since it was already cheaper than the original website I found it on, and now would be even cheaper, I took the plunge. 

Fun, huh?

"myPod" now has a lime green aluminum case (complete with belt clip which turns into an easel) I have also ordered a silicone skin for it for times when the clip is not necessary, and also some new green earbuds. Not just because they were green, but because I find that the earbuds they send along with the iPod Touch are pretty much useless (unless you have huge Shrek ears or something). I don't understand why this great piece of technology comes with such crappy earbuds. I have read/heard the same thing from so many people. When you're buying an expensive item like the iPod Touch, you should not have to immediately go out and buy new earbuds to go with it. Apple: listen to the people and fix this issue!

So my new toys and I are spending some time hanging out in the new hammock. Remember what I said yesterday?

Life is good......

Life is good

It's 12 minutes past midnight....12 minutes past the 29th anniversary of our wedding. Amazing. So many memories....

Mike and I went out to dinner (Jake came with us because Kaitlyn was at work) and then the 3 of us stopped for ice cream before visiting Mike's brother who is recovering from heart surgery. He's doing very well, thank the heavens above. 

The holiday weekend was so much fun. We gathered with family where we almost always do on the 3 holidays that mark the beginning, middle and end of summer.... on the shore of Lake Huron in Michigan's "thumb". The weather was perfect (save for the first night that was 45 degrees.... Hello? Isn't this JULY?) There was no rain, there were hardly any clouds, the wind was calm (a rarity, believe me) and the temperature couldn't have been more divine. 

Mike was able to enjoy a 3 day weekend (many weekends lately have been non-existent as he has been working every Saturday and a lot of Sundays too). It must've felt so wonderful for him to finally get a chance to relax and enjoy some down time. It sure felt good for me, knowing he could sleep in and just enjoy the days spent with family, having fun . Eat, Drink and Be Merry. There was a lot of that going around, that's for sure.

My SIL turned 50 on Saturday, so the festivities of the weekend were not just for the holiday, but for her birthday too. Her "real" party is on the 19th, but the preview was a lot of fun as well.

Of course today I spent a good amount of time catching up on things around here. MUCH laundry, cleaning out the camper, vacuuming the pool (which somehow became disgusting in our absence) etc. 

I just finished reading Belong To Me, by Marisa de los Santos. I am sad that I am done reading it. After reading Love Walked In by her, and now this one, I am longing for more by this incredibly talented author. I don't have another book to start, so I guess a trip to the library is in order for tomorrow. I have to remind Jake to read more. He's not reading as much this summer as in summers past. I think some reading time together in the new hammock tomorrow sounds good. As long as it's not too unbearably hot out there. Well, we could always cool off in the pool. 

Knitting content: Princess Lace Wrap is off the needles. Photos to follow, after it has been blocked. Back to the sweater I need to finish by October/Rhinebeck!