Ready to Go
7:37 AM on the left coast and I've got a day and a half left of life in the States. I've been here for two weeks getting stuff done, including eye surgery (custom Lasik), a day in court, purchasing car parts, shiny things compra por la mujer (yeah, still speaking pigeon Spanish), and lots of other things stuffed inside of two weeks; including a fond farewell to select coffee girls (notably 'D,' Monique, Kim and Giang for those keeping score). And I saw Harry Potter. And Serenity.
Also missed the New York soiree launching OSM (Pajamas Media) and other events that all seemed to be timed to be just outside of my time and place limits. I failed to hook up with most people I had plans of visiting with, including Luke of LYT Rules (sorry Luke), but I did manage to use my free ticket to the Miss Polonia pageant in Long Beach.
Speaking of OSM, I kind of was ignoring it with being busy and all, until links started showing up on Reynold's site, and I finally clicked through one. Then I searched and found that I actually was linked in there (no, seriously, it's under 'L' for Last Chance Cafe). So, now I have to post stuff. You're welcome.
First off, the eye surgery. Pretty weird. I'm typing now without glasses, but the haze from the screen makes things look fuzzy. When the eyes do focus, things can become crystal clear momentarily, and that's pretty cool. But according to the doctor yesterday (one week post-op checkup) my eyes are still a little swollen, and I had to buy a pretty expensive prescription to use for the next six months. She said this is pretty normal for old geezers getting the operation (45+) but otherwise everything looked hunky-dory.
Driving at night requires attention because of halos around headlights, which can be distracting. We've also been having Santa Ana conditions here in Southern California, which tends to dry out the eyes, which makes healing slow, and creates good conditions for brush fires, I might add. All in all unless something totally weird happens with my sight, or my eyes, I'll just be chilling for the next three to six months to wait and see how everything heals.
The operation was spooky. Anyone who has ever seen A Clockwork Orange will recognize the part where they hold open your eyes for the actual surgery. The only entertaining part was during the first laser on the right eye, when I saw lots of different colored polka dots that distracted me momentarily. I wasn't so lucky with the second eye, which took longer and was less pleasant.
Bottom line is that I'm not blind; I have 20/15 vision in one eye, and 20/25 in the other—when things are clear. If everything clears up on schedule I'll call the procedure totally worth it, but we'll have to wait a bit longer.
Next post this weekend from Costa Rica.
