I’m stoked. Ecstatic. Overjoyed. Tickled pink. Walking on air. Why?

I’ll tell you why. I can actually see again!

Not just “see good through glasses or contacts” see… I mean I can see… really see!

May not seem like a big deal to you if you’re one of the lucky ones who managed to make it through life unburdened by glasses or contact lenses. But for me, after struggling through life with this all-to-common handicap, dreaming of how great it would be to be free of these God-awful crutches; finally being able to see without corrective lenses is beyond description.

I feel 30 years younger. I just want to go outside and look at things. Cars look better… Girls are prettier… The fall colors just seem to come alive… It’s like a whole new world out there and I no longer have to view it from behind a glass wall.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

*****

Here’s the story:

Friday morning I went in for LASIK eye surgery on my left eye. Went back this morning for a follow-up visit and the eye doctor said my vision is currently 20/15, which is better than 20/20. Still have a bit of haze but that’s normal. The surgical flap has to heal yet.

(They peal back the top of the cornea with one laser and then another laser reshapes the surface of the eye underneath. Then they lay the flap back down. Yes, it’s a little scary especially while they’re doing it. My biggest fear when they started was that I wouldn’t be able to hold my eye still and would mess up the procedure.)

My vision will probably fluctuate for a few days. Driving was great. Like a whole new world. Everything was sharp and clear. Couldn’t have asked for better results. Only problem is that “computer screen range” is probably not going to be clear. It may get better, but probably not much. I’m using drugstore reading glasses 1.25 to type this and they work perfectly… so it’s something I can live with.

I have perfect up close “reading a book” vision in my right eye. I have perfect distance vision from about 4 feet out to infinity in my left eye (the one surgically corrected). There is just the in-between midrange that is fuzzy.

I’m so exited. First thing I did when I got home from the doctor was wash the windows on my car inside and out. I need to wash the windows on the house next. Now that I can see, I can’t stand looking through dirty windows. Before, I couldn’t see anything anyway, so it didn’t matter.

The operation is scary and not without risk, but I am so happy with the results that I feel like I have a new lease on life. I definitely would encourage anyone considering Lasik to go for it. (My friend and fellow writer, Ami Chopine is writing a book on Lasik and may have some caveats to share, but I feel for me that this was well worth it.

*****

I am only having the left eye done. I had a cataract in that eye about 4 years ago (yes, I was one of the youngest people they had ever seen with a cataract) and had surgery then to install an artificial lens. (I call it my Bionic eye.) That gave me almost perfect vision in that eye except for some astigmatism. The laser surgery was to finally correct the astigmatism and make that eye perfect for distance.

My right eye is very nearsighted, but perfect up close for reading. If I have it corrected, I would lose the up close vision which is important to me for doing detail work like reading the tiny print on a transistor or the fine grain in a piece of wood.

Going with what they call “mono-vision” gives me the best of both worlds. It’s a little weird, but not bad. For the most part the two eyes still work in concert and I can’t really tell that one is doing most of the work for any given task. Depth perception is fine.

*****

I did not expect the surgery to have this level of impact on me. I can only compare it to someone with a horrible disfigurement finally having the bandages removed after plastic surgery and discovering that they have been made whole again.

I was pretty excited several years ago when I first began to realize that I could rebuild my back. That too, was a monumental turning point if my life. After going for a decade thinking I was permanently disabled… I was pretty excited to discover I didn’t have to be.

I was so excited about that development that I wrote a book about it and started this website, but even that did not hit me this hard. Probably because it came about over several months and this literally happened overnight.

One day I was blind. The next day I can see.

If I were younger, I would go back to school and become an eye surgeon. That’s how excited I am about this.

– Dean

***************

I have a mouse.

I found the “evidence” on the kitchen counter this morning. (Yeah, I was pleased.)

Fortunately, things like that don’t bother me. I just hope he didn’t get his little feet dirty.

I would set a trap, but I’m all out of cheese.

By the way, did I happen to mention I also have a cat?

I don’t have a cat because of mice.

I have mice because of the cat.

You see my Kitty likes to bring them in the house so she can play with them. She catches them outside and then brings them in through her little cat door. She then proceeds to chase them around the house until they manage to get away from her.

She wouldn’t think of actually eating one of them.

That would be disgusting.

*****

This has gone on for years. It’s nothing new. In fact, it has become just part of the routine around here. She has also been known to bring in live rats, birds, baby rabbits, snakes, lizards, giant moths and other interesting insects. (Relax. I have managed to rescue all of the birds and baby rabbits, unharmed.)

*****

Tip-o-the-day: If you ever have a live bird or other animal loose in your house. Don’t chase them around with a tennis racket or other weapon like you see people do on TV. Just calmly throw a big towel over them. They will think they’re safe and will hide under the towel. You can then just wrap them up and safely carry them outside.

Second Tip-o-the-day: Don’t let the cat out with you when you turn them loose. Otherwise, she’ll just catch them and bring them right back in again.

– Dean

**************

If you’ve been reading this blog on a regular basis, you already know that I’m a big fan of the blog, Dr. Val and the Voice of Reason. Well, long story short, she was on vacation a couple of weeks ago in California and while there took the opportunity to enjoy a nice massage.

She relates the experience in her post entitled, Conversations at the Spa. (While you read this, keep in mind that she is a medical doctor.)

Those of you with healthcare backgrounds may especially appreciate this dialog:

Therapist (scrutinizing my back as I’m face down on a table): have you seen a chiropractor recently?

Dr. Val: Um, no. Why?

Therapist: Well, two of your ribs are out.

Dr. Val: They’re ‘out?’ Where did they go?

Therapist: A chiropractor can put them back for you so your muscles won’t pull in the wrong direction.

Dr. Val: Will a chiropractor be able to fix this permanently?

Therapist: No, you’ll have to keep going.

Are you starting to get the drift? Well, it only gets better. Here’s another little sample:

Therapist: I’m using my elbows to stimulate repair cells.

Dr. Val: Ahum…

Therapist: You have lactic acid build up in your shoulders so we have to flush the toxins out with special oils. You should also drink a lot of water.

Dr. Val: What sort of toxins?

Therapist: Like, dirt and metals and stuff that you’ve been exposed to.

[Snip]

Dr. Val: How do I know how many toxins I have in my body?

Therapist: Well, your shoulders are really tight and your ribs are out so I think you probably have a lot. You’ll need a lot of massage and you need to see a chiropractor. The oils I used on you will have a calming effect, though. You’ll probably sleep really well tonight.

Dr. Val: I see (inhaling, exhaling). I hope I do.

Yikes! Makes you wonder where massage therapists get their education.

Be sure to head over and read the whole post. It’s a stitch. And be sure to check out the rest of Dr. Val’s blog. She always has lots of good information for health conscious consumers.

– Dean

**************

Happy Monday everyone… or “Happy Computer Lock-up Day” as it’s known here at RYB headquarters.

No, I haven’t managed to fix my computer problems, yet. I have a pretty good idea of what’s causing it, but I just haven’t worked up the courage to undertake the software rebuild.

I’ve tried to get one of the cats to do it, but she seems to lack the proper motivation.

I’m toying with the idea of getting a laptop computer and using it for all my daily online activity and just using this desktop PC as a file server. That way, I’d have a portable machine I could take with me on trips plus it would free me up to work on this one without worrying about it being down for a few days if need be. (It would be a good idea to have a backup in any event.)

There are other reasons for getting a laptop, but I’ll probably put it off until after Christmas when the prices are lower.

*****

On a sad note, the kitty in the picture is actually no longer with us. She was poisoned during the Chinese cat food fiasco and subsequent recall that took place last Spring. Can’t definitely say she was poisoned by the tainted food, because she was fed a product that wasn’t on the recall list. But we took back the unused cans just the same.

Her name was Patches, because she had patches of fur from different breeds in her coat. For example, her main overall look was yellow Tabby, but her hind legs were dark like a Siamese. I used to tease her that she was made from spare parts.

When she was just a tiny kitten — while her brothers and sisters where playing and running around the kitchen — she would come over and climb all the way up and sit on my shoulder nuzzling my neck while I made breakfast. Needless to say, she won a special place in my heart. (I’m such a pushover.)

Reluctant to part with her, I gave her and her brother to my mother who kept her for the past 12 years.

I’m afraid I made the mistake of giving her away too soon, however. She apparently wasn’t fully weaned and so, for her entire adult life, she would climb into your lap and attempt to nurse. It was so cute and adorable if you didn’t mind a big wet spot where she slobbered all over you.

She never quite stopped being “just a baby kitty.”

Every cat has a different personality and her lot in life was to be a sweetheart. She is sorely missed.

Dean

**************

“Just take those old records off the shelf,
I’ll sit and listen to ‘em by myself.
Today’s music ain’t got the same soul,
I like that old time rock & roll.”
– Bob Seeger

*****

It’s no secret that my real passion is music. (I have about as much interest in back pain as I do in dental floss or ceiling wax.) And there’s nothing I like better than finding a “new” old song that I’ve never heard before or a band (old or new) that really knows what music is supposed to sound like. (Don’t get me started.)

One of my favorite bands from the 1960’s was a very popular vocal group by the name of Jay and The Americans. Over a span of 11 years they had a string of hits including such classics as This Magic Moment, Come A Little Bit Closer, Cara Mia and Only In America. (I’m particularly fond of Hushabye and Walking In The Rain.)

Why do I bring this up? Well, as it turns out, one of the founding members of that group was a fellow named Kenny Vance. Yeah, I’d never heard of him either until one evening I was watching one of those Doo Wop specials on PBS television and among the performers was this group by the name of Kenny Vance and The Planotones.

At the time, I thought they were a newly formed “cover band” and it seemed odd to me that they were included on a program showcasing classic artists from the 50’s… not that I cared because the song they did totally blew me away.

Here’s that performance… a sample of just how cool this guy and his music really is:

*****

Note: If you don’t have a high-speed connection, you can still view YouTube videos. Just let it play through once (it will stop and start several times). Once it’s done, just click it again. I’ll play correctly now that’s it’s loaded into your cache (or temporary Internet files).

*****

A little for you history buffs:

In the 1970’s, after Jay and The Americans broke up, Kenny Vance went on to a career composing and scoring television and film soundtracks. His list of movie credits include, “American Hot Wax,” “Animal House,” “Eddie & The Cruisers,” and “Looking For An Echo.”

He was the producer for the rock band, Steely Dan and for a while was the musical director for Saturday Night Live.

As an actor, he appeared in “Hurly Burly,” “Billy Bathgate,” “American Hot Wax,” “Eddie & The Cruisers,” and the Woody Allen films “Manhattan,” “Stardust Memories,” “Crimes and Misdemeanors” and “Husbands and Wives.”

During the making of the film “American Hot Wax,” he put together several bands … including one called The Planotones … for the purpose of shooting the movie. His goal was to recreate the early days of rock & roll as a way to tell the Alan Freed story.

Jumping ahead a few years… he re-formed The Planotones in 1992 and they are still performing to this day.

All of this has been my longwinded way of saying that – even though you may have never heard his name before – Kenny Vance has been around since the beginning and that’s why he was included on the PBS Doo Wop special.

– Dean

*************

I apologize if my last post was a little confusing.

First off, I start out talking about taking some time off… then go into the real subject; Ben’s blog… comparing it to Steinbeck’s book… which could make you think that the post is about a novel… but it’s not… it’s about a blog that reads like a novel. (Whew!)

Couple all that with the fact that I added the images as an afterthought. I really didn’t design the text to coincide with them… something I intend to do in the future… but for now I’m just playing around with flickr and photobucket.

I wanted to find a good cover shot of Steinbeck’s book, but couldn’t find one in the public domain that I liked so I just stuck with the Navy theme.

*****

Speaking of the Cosmos… I’m still here.

I haven’t actually gone anywhere. I thought I was back-to-blogging a couple of weeks ago (as alluded to in my last post) and yet, more than a few days have gone by and I haven’t posted anything.

It’s not that I have a lack of ideas. I’ve just been having trouble putting the words together. Chrysalis Angel hit the nail on the head today in a comment on that post; I’ve lost my muse.

She’s out there somewhere and it’s just a matter of time before I find her again.

*****

Part of the problem has been a lack of time. I start out each day with the goal of writing something for the blog and the next thing I know it’s late at night and I wind up telling myself, “It’ll keep till tomorrow.”

Even when I do take the time to “write something” it just ends up on the cutting room floor. After several hours of stomping and flailing around on the keyboard — what started out as an interesting post — just seems to turn into sludge.

*****

I have been working on several things related to the website including a new project that I think people will find interesting and helpful. I suppose I could blog about what I’m doing, but that would just take time away from the actual “doing.” (Not to mention that I may change my mind about halfway through the project and decide it’s not a good idea after all.)

But enough about me…

*****

BTW, The really cool street rod in my second to last post is a 1927 Model T Coupe… and no, it’s not mine. (I wish.) It’s just a picture I stole from who knows where. (If it’s yours, drop me a line and I’ll give you proper photo credits.)

– Dean

***************