Vision is Everything

Since the 5th grade, I've been seeing the world through imperfect eyes. Diagnosed with severe nearsightedness, glasses and contact lens have been my friends for many decades. Then nearly two years ago, I was told that the vision in my right eye could no longer be corrected with glasses or contacts. The reason was most likely a deterioration of the lens...in other words...a cataract. My only option...cataract surgery.

For the past 2 years, I've been grappling with to decision whether to agree to the surgery. Yes...I know how many are done every year and how high the success rate is. But somehow I never thought I'd need to make this decision at a relatively "young" age and nothing medical in our family ever seems to go as planned. What to do? What to do?

Finally this summer I bit the proverbial bullet and called to make an appointment with the Ophthalmologist. His determination...my increasingly blurry vision is most likely a result of a cataract. Is he absolutely sure? No...only once he starts the surgery will he know the cause definitively. His recommendation...surgery.

Today I started the medicinal eyedrops in preparation for the surgery scheduled for early Monday morning. I will admit to a severe case of the pre-op jitters and there's been a whole lot of second-guessing going on in my brain. Am I making the right decision? Should I wait longer hoping technology and medical advances will make the results even better? Even with this indecision, I expect to face my fears and be in the surgical room Monday morning ready to go.

Stay tuned.

Hello...Anyone Out There???

Okay...I should be the one to talk. I've been away far too long to mention and I'm not even sure I'm ready to resume my blogging career.

Certainly I'd have quite a bit to post initially trying to catch everyone up on what's been happening in my oh-so-exciting life. Still, it takes time and energy and, at the moment, what little I have seems to be directed to another source of amusement...social networking. It's fast, it's easy and, best of all, it doesn't take a whole lot of thought.

Still... there's something about this blogging thing that keeps calling my name. We shall see...

Today's Giggle

It's the summer of 1957 and Harold goes to pick up his date, Peggy Sue. Harold's a pretty hip guy with his own car and a ducktail hairdo. When he goes to the front door, Peggy Sue's mother answers and invites him in.

'Peggy Sue's not ready yet, so why don't you have a seat?' she says.

"That's cool."

Peggy Sue's mother asks Harold what they're planning to do. Harold replies politely that they will probably just go to the malt shop or to a drive in movie.

Peggy Sue's mother responds, 'Why don't you kids go out and learn to screw? I hear all the kids are doing it.'

Naturally this comes as quite a surprise to Harold and he says: 'Wha...aaat?'

'Yeah,' says Peggy Sue's mother , 'We know Peggy Sue tried it and really likes it; she'd screw all night if we let her! ' Harold's eyes light up and he smiles from ear to ear. Immediately, he has revised the plans for the evening.

A few minutes later, Peggy Sue comes downstairs in her little poodle skirt with her saddle shoes, and announces that she's ready to go.

Almost breathless with anticipation, Harold escorts his date out the front door while Mom is saying, 'Have a good evening kids,' with a small wink for Harold.

About 20 minutes later, a thoroughly dishevelled Peggy Sue rushes back into the house, slams the door behind her and screams at her mother:

'Dammit, Mom! The Twist! The Twist! It's called The Twist'!

I've Got to Stop Thinking...

OK...it's all my fault. Just the other day, I was thinking how we're in the midst of the holiday season and yet we haven't had any household emergencies. It seems like every year we have some home disaster requiring repair and the spending of money. One year our heater went out just before Christmas; another time our drains backed up big time. And here I was counting our blessings that things were so calm.

So yesterday, Mr. Fairway noticed some water running out from the cabinet under the kitchen sink...never a good sign. Anyway, it turns out the water was dripping from the rusted bolts on the bottom of the garbage disposer. Thankfully, we left a message with our plumber who graciously called us back even though it was Sunday. He told us to go out and buy a replacement disposer and he would come by today to install it.

Now you may be wondering why Mr. Fairway doesn't do the install himself to save some money. Let's just say that, while he is a capable man with many talents, home repair isn't one of them. Oh, he can do the small things around the house but I put my foot down when it comes to anything electrical or plumbing related. The one thing I don't want to do is pay a professional even more money to fix the mistakes a novice like Hubby would do.

Mr. Plumber just left and now I have to call Mr. Electrician. Apparently our home is so old that, while our old disposer was hard-wired under the sink, our new local code requires a simple outlet to plug in the unit. Oh goody...more money and time to spend on the house...sigh.

Meme for the Season

I've been feeling kinda punky for the last few days so I haven't felt creative enough to think of anything to post. Thankfully, I found this great holiday meme at Driven to Distraction so here goes...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Since I seem to have lost all patience when it comes to wrapping gifts, gift bags are now my new best friends.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
We don't do a tree at all. Oh, we have a boatload of boxes filled with ornaments in the garage but, everytime I think of the effort it takes to pack each one after the holiday season, I resist the temptation to go out and buy a tree...real or artificial.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Tree? What tree?

4. When do you take the tree down?
Tree? Still...what tree?

5. Do you like eggnog?
I always look forward, as the holiday approaches, to having a glass of eggnog but then it never tastes quite like I remember so I limit myself to just the one glass.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
I honestly cannot remember one gift I got as a child although I can remember that I never got the one gift I always wanted...a set of Lionel trains. Drat!

7. Hardest person to buy for?
Mr. Fairway. Even though I tell him he's not allowed to buy himself anything after the first of December, he always cheats and buys whatever he wants so we don't really exchange gifts anymore.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Mom...our traditional gift to her (along with lots of clothes) is a bottle of Shalimar cologne. She's been wearing that scent for more than 60 years.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yep, a small one and it's been packed away in our garage with all the other decorations.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail. And it's the one holiday responsibility Mr. Fairway has!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
An ironing board from a boyfriend...yes, definitely a former boyfriend.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
"A Christmas Carol" starring George C. Scott. We watch it every Christmas Eve after we get home from church.

13. When do you start shopping?
Usually around the first of November although this year all the adults have made a pact not to exchange gifts so my shopping season has been shortened considerably. Whew!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Yep..a few although none of them come to mind at the moment.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Until our neighbor passed away a few years ago, her butterscotch haystacks were the gastronomic highlight of the holiday season.

16. Lights on the tree?
Since we don't do a tree, we don't do lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
"Angels We Have Heard On High" It took me a long time to learn the "Gloria" refrain and I just love it!

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
We drive 65 miles to my sister-in-law's home to celebrate with Mr. Fairway's family each and every Christmas Day.

19. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Ummm, no tree remember?

20. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning?
Mr. Fairway and I generally don't exchange gifts but sometimes we buy each other little items and open them on Christmas morning.

21. Favorite ornament?
I haven't seen our ornaments in so long (remember...they are in the garage) that I dont remember what any of them look like.

22. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
It's Mr. Fairway's family tradition for us to bring a smoked turkey. Yum.

23. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Peace on Earth. Mr. Fairway and I ask for this every year but so far the world just hasn't cooperated. Maybe this year...

Many Blessings

To you and your family...

The Name Is Bond...

So Mr. Fairway and I, along with our friend Joe, went to the movies today to see that wonderful, heartwarming holiday film...Quantum of Solace. Okay...so maybe heartwarming isn't quite the word to describe this action film. And I'm not sure "wonderful" describes the movie either. Let's face it...explosions, gunfire, dead bodies, blood aren't things I prefer to see. Give me a movie like Mamma Mia any ol' time. Still, I wanted to spend the day with the guys so I let them talk me into going to see the film.

Now I've been a James Bond fan since I watched Sean Connery swagger across the screen in the first Bond flick "Dr. No" in 1962. Of course I was under the age of 10 and didn't quite understand all the sexual references but I did love the intrigue and mystery of Mr. Bond. I can still remember asking my friend Myra to come to the movies with us and being turned down. Oh...she wanted to come but her older sister convinced her folks that the movie was far too "adult" for her and so we went without her. I have to give my parents credit...they knew my younger sister and I would enjoy the action parts of the movie while ignoring the parts which were too mature for us. How right they were.

And now that brings me to current day James Bond. I know much has been written about how Daniel Craig fares against the likes of Sean Connery, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan. Personally, I enjoy my Bonds dark and slightly sinister rather than light and charming so he more resembles the Bond I like. Still...I just didn't feel engaged by his character today. I'm sure much of that has to do with the screenplay (thin at best) but I just couldn't seem to make a connection with his Bond. And, if I have to be honest, Bond will always be the debonair, handsome Sean Connery that I first saw on the big screen so many years ago. Sigh...