Friday, July 31, 2009
Contacts didn't work out
In fact, they didn't even last two days. I either need a new pair or need to give up on them entirely. And I think I might have given myself pinkeye. I had thought since I changed the solution out with moderate frequency and washed my RGP's, I should be good to go. We'll chalk that one up on the list of "seemed like a good idea at the time" ideas.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Back to trying contacts
And this could be a big thing for me.
How can something as simple as a pair of contact lenses make a big difference, you ask? Because I see so much better with them. With eyeglasses, my corrected vision is 20/40 to 20/50, which is just bad enough that they don't recommend I get a driver's license. with my RGP (hard) contact lenses, my corrected visual acuity jumps to 20/30 to 20/40 which is okay to drive.
I tried RGP contacts from July 2007 to July 2008, and eventually gave up on them; I couldn't ever seem to wear them for more than 8 hours in a day despite all the eye-rinses for allergies I tried, and despite impeccable proper care and handling of the lenses. They were also expensive, $100 per lens to replace, compared to $40 for a pair of eyeglasses through zennioptical.com....so i finally just said screw it, and put my RGP's into storage. I've still been maintaining the lenses, every one or two months I would clean the lenses, change out the storage cases with new solution, etcetera, to keep them maintained properly.
So, today I got a wild hair and decided to pull them out of mothballs and give them a try.
I need to go by my original wearing schedule which is something to the effect of:
Day 1: 3-4 hours
Day 2: 4-6 hours
Day 3: 6-8 hours
Day 4: 8-10 hours
Day 5: 10-12 hours
Day 6: 12-14 hours
Day 7 14+ Hours (all day wear)
They sure aren't as uncomfortable as the first time I tried wearing them. The thing with RGP's is that they aren't instantly comfortable like soft lenses are, you need a few days to get used to the feel of the hard plastic rubbing on the inside of your eyelids. But I am finding them only slightly uncomfortable at the moment, and I love how well I can see with them compared to eyeglasses. We will see how things progress, I would love to be able to get my eyesight under control enough to be able to finally get a driver's license. At 25 years old it will be long overdue.
How can something as simple as a pair of contact lenses make a big difference, you ask? Because I see so much better with them. With eyeglasses, my corrected vision is 20/40 to 20/50, which is just bad enough that they don't recommend I get a driver's license. with my RGP (hard) contact lenses, my corrected visual acuity jumps to 20/30 to 20/40 which is okay to drive.
I tried RGP contacts from July 2007 to July 2008, and eventually gave up on them; I couldn't ever seem to wear them for more than 8 hours in a day despite all the eye-rinses for allergies I tried, and despite impeccable proper care and handling of the lenses. They were also expensive, $100 per lens to replace, compared to $40 for a pair of eyeglasses through zennioptical.com....so i finally just said screw it, and put my RGP's into storage. I've still been maintaining the lenses, every one or two months I would clean the lenses, change out the storage cases with new solution, etcetera, to keep them maintained properly.
So, today I got a wild hair and decided to pull them out of mothballs and give them a try.
I need to go by my original wearing schedule which is something to the effect of:
Day 1: 3-4 hours
Day 2: 4-6 hours
Day 3: 6-8 hours
Day 4: 8-10 hours
Day 5: 10-12 hours
Day 6: 12-14 hours
Day 7 14+ Hours (all day wear)
They sure aren't as uncomfortable as the first time I tried wearing them. The thing with RGP's is that they aren't instantly comfortable like soft lenses are, you need a few days to get used to the feel of the hard plastic rubbing on the inside of your eyelids. But I am finding them only slightly uncomfortable at the moment, and I love how well I can see with them compared to eyeglasses. We will see how things progress, I would love to be able to get my eyesight under control enough to be able to finally get a driver's license. At 25 years old it will be long overdue.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
"Back to Reality"
On the final leg of my trip home (Minneapolis/St Paul to Los Angeles International) I was sitting on the Boeing 757-200 jetting my way off into the sunset yesterday evening when I overheard a quick exchange between two passengers making small talk, that I could totally relate with:
Passenger A: "So, are you from Minnesota?"
Passenger B: "No, I live in California. I spent the last week in North Dakota; I was visiting home. Now It's back to reality for me."
I was struck by the way she worded that. She lives in California, but her home is North Dakota.
That sort of explains how I feel...now, family members reading this blog, don't get upset, I mean no disrespect in this, but after graduating from university in the midwest I've been feeling a sort of gravitational pull trying to bring me back "home". Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, doesn't matter which state, really....I am attracted by the slower country lifestyle, the lack of crime, the friendliness of the people, the wholesome lifestyle out there...contrast that to the California rat-race, the hustle and bustle of the people who have no time for even so much as a smile and a nod in passing to acknowledge one another...The crime, the gangs, the state government in shambles...I could go on and on.
I feel like while my reality is that I live in California, my heart is in the midwest somewhere wandering around in a cornfield, confused. Okay that's a terrible metaphor, but after spending 8 days in Sioux City I am starting to think more and more about seriously looking for work out there. I don't know for sure yet, I need to do a lot more soul-searching.
But for now, it's "Back to Reality" for me. My Iowa trip is over with, and now I need to unpack suitcases, wash clothes, sort through a pile of bills, catch up on to-do lists around here, and figure out which direction I want to steer my life. No pressure, though.
It was a great trip for me, refreshing for the soul to see all my old friends again, and even meet some new ones (Mary, Mancy, Julie, Josh, I'm looking in your direction!) I had a great time and didn't want to leave. Oh, how I hated to leave!
Passenger A: "So, are you from Minnesota?"
Passenger B: "No, I live in California. I spent the last week in North Dakota; I was visiting home. Now It's back to reality for me."
I was struck by the way she worded that. She lives in California, but her home is North Dakota.
That sort of explains how I feel...now, family members reading this blog, don't get upset, I mean no disrespect in this, but after graduating from university in the midwest I've been feeling a sort of gravitational pull trying to bring me back "home". Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, doesn't matter which state, really....I am attracted by the slower country lifestyle, the lack of crime, the friendliness of the people, the wholesome lifestyle out there...contrast that to the California rat-race, the hustle and bustle of the people who have no time for even so much as a smile and a nod in passing to acknowledge one another...The crime, the gangs, the state government in shambles...I could go on and on.
I feel like while my reality is that I live in California, my heart is in the midwest somewhere wandering around in a cornfield, confused. Okay that's a terrible metaphor, but after spending 8 days in Sioux City I am starting to think more and more about seriously looking for work out there. I don't know for sure yet, I need to do a lot more soul-searching.
But for now, it's "Back to Reality" for me. My Iowa trip is over with, and now I need to unpack suitcases, wash clothes, sort through a pile of bills, catch up on to-do lists around here, and figure out which direction I want to steer my life. No pressure, though.
It was a great trip for me, refreshing for the soul to see all my old friends again, and even meet some new ones (Mary, Mancy, Julie, Josh, I'm looking in your direction!) I had a great time and didn't want to leave. Oh, how I hated to leave!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Congratulations Chad and Mary Benson!
They did it!
The ceremony was very nice, and the reception was killer! I had a great time, even though I have never sweat so much in my life. By the time the ceremony STARTED, I needed a shower. By the time the ceremony and post-game photos were taken, and the reception started, i all but decided Randall's Tux shop is going to end up burning my outfit because I sweat all the way through my undershirt, shirt, vest, AND coat!@ Holy crap!
The reception was a blast, and afterwords, dan and laura and I went out to Perkins for a couple more hours together one last time before I fly home.
Finally starting to unwind from the day, 2am and I'm happy to say all's well. I'm exhausted though. Tomorrow I fly back home, as much as I hate to leave. I have a lot of packing to do before then, but hopefully I will have time. I kind of wanted to do it all tonight so I can have tomorrow to spend with people, but right now I'm gonna crash.
Congrats to Chad and Mary!
The ceremony was very nice, and the reception was killer! I had a great time, even though I have never sweat so much in my life. By the time the ceremony STARTED, I needed a shower. By the time the ceremony and post-game photos were taken, and the reception started, i all but decided Randall's Tux shop is going to end up burning my outfit because I sweat all the way through my undershirt, shirt, vest, AND coat!@ Holy crap!
The reception was a blast, and afterwords, dan and laura and I went out to Perkins for a couple more hours together one last time before I fly home.
Finally starting to unwind from the day, 2am and I'm happy to say all's well. I'm exhausted though. Tomorrow I fly back home, as much as I hate to leave. I have a lot of packing to do before then, but hopefully I will have time. I kind of wanted to do it all tonight so I can have tomorrow to spend with people, but right now I'm gonna crash.
Congrats to Chad and Mary!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Clay Pigeons
In lieu of a bona-fide bachelor/stagg party, we all decided to go out this morning and shoot clay pigeons. I've never fired a shotgun before so should be fun. But what i'm looking forward to most is being the unofficial outing photographer. Chad has put all his lenses at my disposal, which makes it feel like Christmas for me.
In other news, the bride's sister, brother-in-law and other good friend came into town yesterday; Now there are either 9 or 10 people crashing at this house; all sharing a single restroom! Wow! I got up at 7:30 after going to bed around 3:45am, just so I could hope to find the bathroom free and grab a shower before anyone else. My efforts were a success. Now I'm ready to crash for awile.
Today we also pick up the Tux's and have our rehersal, rehersal dinner, and they also said that we can go in and start decorating the reception hall this evening if we wish. normally they only let you in the day of, but they don't have it booked so gave us the all clear.
my trusty Optoma HD65 video projector will be playing the video slideshow during the reception, so that is one small way for me to help out. Chad and mary are both teachers so i have found myself wanting to help, but being mroe or less unneeded, as they have simply gone down their organized to-do lists and knocked off the items one-by-one. Very organized.
In other news, the bride's sister, brother-in-law and other good friend came into town yesterday; Now there are either 9 or 10 people crashing at this house; all sharing a single restroom! Wow! I got up at 7:30 after going to bed around 3:45am, just so I could hope to find the bathroom free and grab a shower before anyone else. My efforts were a success. Now I'm ready to crash for awile.
Today we also pick up the Tux's and have our rehersal, rehersal dinner, and they also said that we can go in and start decorating the reception hall this evening if we wish. normally they only let you in the day of, but they don't have it booked so gave us the all clear.
my trusty Optoma HD65 video projector will be playing the video slideshow during the reception, so that is one small way for me to help out. Chad and mary are both teachers so i have found myself wanting to help, but being mroe or less unneeded, as they have simply gone down their organized to-do lists and knocked off the items one-by-one. Very organized.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sioux City, IA
Chad and I went walking around downtown Sioux City, he with his Rebel XT body and Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8L IS, and I with my XTi body and kit lens.....here's a few of the sights I saw:
It was both relaxing and fun! Having a great time. Wish I had more time to blog, but I'm having too much fun! Enjoy.
It was both relaxing and fun! Having a great time. Wish I had more time to blog, but I'm having too much fun! Enjoy.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Gonna see dan and laura today
I guess my last post did make it to the site afterall. Anyway today we're gonna get to see dan and laura! I saw them back in april for a day but it will be good to see them again. They'll also be down here for the wedding. So that's my update for the day. enjoy!
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