"Doctor, My Eyes", part 6

I had the surgery on my right eye earlier today. Nothing much to report about the procedure itself; I went in, they poked around for a few minutes, and then we were done. I got my favorite cabbie to pick me up and bring me home after the procedure, because he's cool like that.

Now my right eye feels like it has something in it, and there's a peripheral reflection there, but I'm given to understand that's normal, and will fade in a few days. Likewise the blurred vision that I currently have in that eye. I guess it takes a little while for the eye to adapt to the new lens. Meantime, I can definitely tell you that I no longer seem to be looking through dirty glasses!

(For parts 3-5, check my blog on Communities, where I'm known as MagpieCat. I know I should have cross-posted them all here, but I didn't. Oh, well.)

"Doctor, My Eyes", part 2

Well, since it's an outpatient procedure, the insurance will cover 90% of the amount over the $300 deductible. Ouch. Well, I spent 3 times that on the cats' health in January, so it's more than reasonable that I spend this on my own health. Usually Honey's the expensive one for health care. (femme that she is, when she said she was high-maintenance, I always thought it would be clothes. sheesh!)

Anyway, next Tuesday morning, I have the pre-op appointment with the ophthamologist to see whether "the lens is ready to come out", whatever that means. Then in the afternoon, I have an appointment with my primary doctor, so that he can assert that I'm healthy enough to undergo cataract surgery. I think I'll be able to schedule the surgery once we've done that.
Now I have a week of waiting, before then next stage of the process. I hate waiting. I'm nervous, but I know that worrying won't help at all.

Doctor, My Eyes

I went to see the eye doctor today, because I need computer glasses. I need distance glasses, too, but my old ones are still okay for that.

I've been noticing lately that my vision is blurry, as if I'm looking through dirty glasses. Today I found out why: I have cataracts. I can't see them in the mirror, but I definitely have them, especially in my right eye. So I'm not getting glasses until I get at least the right eye taken care of, because my eyes will be different - literally. The doctor says that they basically open the cornea, slip out the bad lens, and put in a prosthetic lens. He gave me contact info for a couple of surgeons who can do the surgery.

Now I have to contact my insurance company to find out what hoops I have to go through to make it happen. You know, am I allowed to go directly to the specialist, or do I have to get a referral from my primary doctor, or is the referral from the eye doctor enough? If I have to go through my primary doctor first, that adds a whole other layer of delay to the process. He's a great guy, but he's not the easiest man to get hold of in a hurry.

Here's hoping this will be pretty straightforward.

Ah, Spring!

I love living in the San Francisco Bay area. It's nearly 6pm, and it's 71 degrees and sunny. I have all the doors and windows open to let the fresh air flow through my little house, and I'm sitting in my sunny corner listening to the birds outside discussing who gets to nest where this year. An ice cream truck drove by a few hours ago. I know that the price of such lovely weather is that we'll probably be rationing water this summer, but right now? I'm loving it.

7 Ways to Nourish Your Spirit

Many of us spend much of our time taking care of other people, or operating at others' direction. Whether it's taking care of our families or working for a boss (or both), the point is that we spend a lot of time and energy putting other people first. Now and then we need to put ourselves first for a little while. Here are some of the ways that I do that.

1) Meditate. Even just a few minutes of focusing on nothing more than breathing slowly and deeply can be quite refreshing.

2) Find a piece of quiet. There are many ways of doing this:
a. Take a long bath, with candles (lock the bathroom door)
b. Take a walk in the park.
c. Go to the library.

3) Take yourself out to dinner. Never understimate the therapeutic value of an hour spent interacting only with someone whose job it is to take care of you. Trust me, this is huge.

4) Do something creative. Whether it's writing or practicing an art or craft, creating is very good for the soul.

5) Get lost. Go for a long drive in an area that either:
a. is lovely, or
b. you haven't explored before, or
c. both

6) Explore your world. If you can't spare the gas for aimles driving (understandable these days), take transit or walk to explore where you live. Is there a museum (art or history)? Is there an old part of town with interesting architecture or funky shops? Take a camera or sketchbook to capture what you see, or take a break at a cafe to write down your impressions.

7) Run away from home. We always have reasons why we can't take a full vacation right now, but how about a weekend? You don't even have to leave town. Just take a weekend at a nice hotel, or a bed and breakfast, or even a funky little motel. The point is to be somewhere other than home for a little while. Sure, the messes at home will still be there when you get back, but give yourself a break. Let someone else pick up after you for a couple of days. Enjoy any (or all) of the other activities listed, without anyone around clamoring for your attention.

What's cool is that if you and your honey need some bonding time, you can do any of these activities together. The point is to give yourself a brak from the routine, so you can recharge your batteries.

45 Things About Me

My sister sent me this in an email. One is supposed to pass it on, but I decided to post it here instead.

1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing? No
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? NO
3. Do you own a gun? No, because I'm too likely to use it.
4. What's your favorite drink at Starbucks or other specialty coffee. In the winter, Double Decaf Mocha; in the summer, Strawberries & Cream
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Sometimes
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Good in Mac & Cheese
7. Favorite Christmas song? "St. Stephen's Day Murders"
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Decaf Mocha
9. Can you do push ups? Um, that would be NO
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding band (my DP has its mate)
11. Favorite hobby? Knitting, Quilting, Crocheting, Cross-stitch, Beadwork, Embroidery. (do you sense a theme here?)
12. Do you have A.D.H.D? Quite possibly -- what was the question again?
13. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? I'm too willing to please other people before myself, but I'm working on that.
14. Middle name? Suzanne
15. Name three things you're thinking right now? I want to resume my current stitching project, I'm probably going to post this to my blog instead of sending out email, why isn't my satellite working today?
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Water, Milk, Decaf coffee
17. The friend you had the longest? Julie, since 1998
18. Current hate right now? Hearing the English language mangled by people who should know better
19. Favorite place to be? In my sunny window, playing with fabric (or yarn, or beads, etc)
20. How did you bring in the New Year? Honey and I watched old movies until we fell asleep
21. Do you like to travel? Yes, but it's such a hassle these days.
22. Name three people who will complete this: It depends on who reads my blog post
23. Do you own slippers? Yes
24. What color shirt are you wearing? Purple
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I've never tried it.
26. Can you whistle? Not really, but that doesn't stop me
27. Favorite color? Rainbow
28. Would you be a pirate? That depends; can I be Will Turner?
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? Random bits of stuff
30. Favorite girl's name? Ariana
31. Favorite boy's name? Geoffrey
32. What's in your pocket right now? A patch
33. What is the last thing that made you laugh? An e-mail about an elderly Wal-Mart applicant.
34. Best bed sheets as a child? Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how long ago that was?
35. Worst injury you've ever had? I broke my ankle skiing, at the beginning of the best snow season ever. I was in a cast until spring.
36. Do you love where you live? I like it better than the last place I lived; it's a walkable neighborhood, and I have no upstairs neighbors
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? Three
38. Who is your loudest friend? Julie
39. How many pets do you have? Four cats
41. What is your favorite book? "This Alien Shore", by C.S. Friedman
42. What is your favorite candy? 80% cacao dark chocolate
43. Favorite Sports Team? PITTSBURGH STEELERS!
44. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Sleeping
45. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Mmmm, Saturday (roll back over)

Tell me 45 things about you.

Really Simple Goal Setting

Leo Baubuta of Zen Habits, has written another excellent post, this time on making goals more manageable.