Monday, October 26, 2015
The new Supergirl show was on tonight. I watched The Big Bang Theory, and Supergirl was on right after it, so I just left the TV on, figured I'd give it a chance.
It started out ok, but then they brought in a bunch of criminal aliens with superpowers and otherworldly technology, which includes weapons that look like something a 10-year-old boy would design and Worf would carry, and all kinds of explosions, so I lost interest in the second half.
Calista Flockhart is Kara (Supergirl)'s rich bitch witchy boss. I was pleased to see her, I wondered what happened to her after Allie McBeal. Jimmy Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) turns up in Kara's office, yeah, THAT Jimmy Olsen, except now he goes by James since Jimmy got all grown up and smooth and sexy and deep-voiced, and he's now black. If I ever watch the show again, it'll be for him and Calista.
The snork part? Kara takes off her glasses, and one of her male coworkers says, "You're really pretty without your glasses."
I HATE THAT!!! I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle him. I heard that so many many times in my youth. One time in college a guy actually took my glasses right off my face in the Husky Lounge and then wouldn't give them back, because, "I like looking at you without glasses." I wanted to kill him. At that time my vision was 20/350. I was legally blind. Anything past 18 inches was a blur. I was furious.
When I got a little older I learned how to handle that comment. Some guy would say, "You look so pretty without your glasses" and I would smile sweetly and respond, "You look so handsome without my glasses."
.
Showing posts with label glasses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glasses. Show all posts
Monday, October 26, 2015
Sunday, January 29, 2012
3449 Jasper says, "Catnip?"
Sunday, January 29, 2012
I don't seem to be updating much lately. Don't know why. Oh, well....
-------------------------------
Back when I was choosing my new glasses and lenses, the rep talked me out of progressives. After I had researched progressives and realized she had given me very good advice probably at the cost of a larger sale, I wrote a letter to LensCrafters' corporate complimenting her.
Early last week I went in to pick up the gold glasses, that they had told me would take about two weeks. They took a lot less. I was fitted by the store manager. He was really nice. The glasses were perfect, and then they replaced the badly-cut lenses in the silver frames, and they were perfect, too. Then as I stood up to leave, he said, "I want to thank you for the letter you wrote to corporate. That was really nice of you."
Wow. I thought it would be anonymous. Well, I've accidentally discovered the way to get great and fast service, I guess.
-------------------------------
I still don't understand men's ties. They've got to be more idiotic than women's high heels (although not as idiotic as those stupid platform shoes). And if you absolutely have to wear the tie because it's "traditional" and says "serious business attire", then what the heck is wrong with clip-on ties? Does it HAVE to be difficult and uncomfortable to count?
--------------------------------
I watched "Driving Miss Daisy" on cable a few days ago, and was shocked by something I missed the first umpteen times I'd watched it. I think it was probably the late '60s when the son gave the chauffeur a $75/week raise. It knocked me over. In the late '60s a teacher's starting salary was $4,500 per YEAR! The usual decent raise was $300 per YEAR! When I started with IBM, a programmer made about $9,000 per year.
I think I went into the wrong profession.
I mentioned it to Daughter, and she said quite seriously that when she graduated from college with the engineering degree in three areas, chauffeurs were earning more than she, and she had seriously considered switching careers.
Now, I think the chauffeur's raise in the movie had more to do with appreciation for his care for Miss Daisy than with the job, but although he showed appreciation for the amount, his reaction was not like he'd just won a million-dollar lottery, which is more like it. It was his "Wow. OK. Thanks." reaction that floored me.
--------------------------------
I had a brief discussion re macular degeneration with Zarina in the comments on a previous post. I agree with her that sometimes it can move quickly, and I'll need to have it checked often. Later I remembered something.
I'm trying to remember when it was. Jay was alive and healthy, so it must have been before 1998. My vision plan didn't cover optometrists but did cover ophthalmologists, so when it was time for a new prescription, I went to an ophthalmologist. I don't remember exactly what he said, but he did mention macular degeneration, both eyes, very small, nothing to worry about, but --- he gave me a square grid with a dot in the middle. I was to put it on the wall somewhere that I'd see it every day (I put it on the refrigerator), and I was to call him immediately if the lines ever got wavy.
It was there for years, got aged, stained, and tattered, and then one day somebody "helped" me by cleaning all the junk off the refrigerator (yeah, Daughter, I'm looking at you), and the grid disappeared. (The opthalmologist had died suddenly a few years before, and the scandal in the village was that his landlord had thrown out all his records.) I didn't bother replacing the grid.
Between then and now, probably 15 years or more, I've had four or five exams, all with dilation, some with ophthalmologists and some with optometrists, and no one has mentioned macular degeneration until this recent one.
So, it doesn't seem to be progressing. And the spots are in exactly the same place in both eyes, so it might even be congenital. Evidence arguing for a congenital spot of insufficient blood supply is that every ophthalmologist and optometrist I've ever seen since the age of 12 has remarked that they can't get me to 20-20.
So I doubt that it's a big deal. On the other hand, I have to watch for the effects of age, so it's a good idea to get an eye exam every year and mention that they should look for it.
.
A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
-- Steven Wright --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Steven Wright --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't seem to be updating much lately. Don't know why. Oh, well....
-------------------------------
Back when I was choosing my new glasses and lenses, the rep talked me out of progressives. After I had researched progressives and realized she had given me very good advice probably at the cost of a larger sale, I wrote a letter to LensCrafters' corporate complimenting her.
Early last week I went in to pick up the gold glasses, that they had told me would take about two weeks. They took a lot less. I was fitted by the store manager. He was really nice. The glasses were perfect, and then they replaced the badly-cut lenses in the silver frames, and they were perfect, too. Then as I stood up to leave, he said, "I want to thank you for the letter you wrote to corporate. That was really nice of you."
Wow. I thought it would be anonymous. Well, I've accidentally discovered the way to get great and fast service, I guess.
-------------------------------
I still don't understand men's ties. They've got to be more idiotic than women's high heels (although not as idiotic as those stupid platform shoes). And if you absolutely have to wear the tie because it's "traditional" and says "serious business attire", then what the heck is wrong with clip-on ties? Does it HAVE to be difficult and uncomfortable to count?
--------------------------------
I watched "Driving Miss Daisy" on cable a few days ago, and was shocked by something I missed the first umpteen times I'd watched it. I think it was probably the late '60s when the son gave the chauffeur a $75/week raise. It knocked me over. In the late '60s a teacher's starting salary was $4,500 per YEAR! The usual decent raise was $300 per YEAR! When I started with IBM, a programmer made about $9,000 per year.
I think I went into the wrong profession.
I mentioned it to Daughter, and she said quite seriously that when she graduated from college with the engineering degree in three areas, chauffeurs were earning more than she, and she had seriously considered switching careers.
Now, I think the chauffeur's raise in the movie had more to do with appreciation for his care for Miss Daisy than with the job, but although he showed appreciation for the amount, his reaction was not like he'd just won a million-dollar lottery, which is more like it. It was his "Wow. OK. Thanks." reaction that floored me.
--------------------------------
I had a brief discussion re macular degeneration with Zarina in the comments on a previous post. I agree with her that sometimes it can move quickly, and I'll need to have it checked often. Later I remembered something.
I'm trying to remember when it was. Jay was alive and healthy, so it must have been before 1998. My vision plan didn't cover optometrists but did cover ophthalmologists, so when it was time for a new prescription, I went to an ophthalmologist. I don't remember exactly what he said, but he did mention macular degeneration, both eyes, very small, nothing to worry about, but --- he gave me a square grid with a dot in the middle. I was to put it on the wall somewhere that I'd see it every day (I put it on the refrigerator), and I was to call him immediately if the lines ever got wavy.
It was there for years, got aged, stained, and tattered, and then one day somebody "helped" me by cleaning all the junk off the refrigerator (yeah, Daughter, I'm looking at you), and the grid disappeared. (The opthalmologist had died suddenly a few years before, and the scandal in the village was that his landlord had thrown out all his records.) I didn't bother replacing the grid.
Between then and now, probably 15 years or more, I've had four or five exams, all with dilation, some with ophthalmologists and some with optometrists, and no one has mentioned macular degeneration until this recent one.
So, it doesn't seem to be progressing. And the spots are in exactly the same place in both eyes, so it might even be congenital. Evidence arguing for a congenital spot of insufficient blood supply is that every ophthalmologist and optometrist I've ever seen since the age of 12 has remarked that they can't get me to 20-20.
So I doubt that it's a big deal. On the other hand, I have to watch for the effects of age, so it's a good idea to get an eye exam every year and mention that they should look for it.
.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
3447 Rabbit skins.
Sunday, January 21, 2012
I wear bifocals. The old style, with the visible line at the top of the bifocal section. People have been telling me I should get the progressives, where the division is not apparent, that the line "ages" me.
When I ordered these new lenses, I asked for progressives. They cost more, and the rep would get more sales credit for selling them, but I have to admire her honesty. She strongly recommended against them. She said I would hate them.
There is a large difference between my far and close prescriptions, so the "progressive" part, where the two blend, would be large. In that "shading in part", there would be a wide area of distortion, both at the top and the sides of that area. I would lose a significant amount of peripheral vision, and the close vision area would be much reduced. Right now I go from far to close with little eye or head movement. With the progressives there would be a jump where neither close nor far worked and I would have to move my head more.
If you get progressives when you first start needing bifocals, the difference is small, and the distortion is minimal. You get used to it. Your brain learns to ignore that area. And as the close correction goes up and the far correction goes down gradually as you get older (which is what happens), each increment is easy to absorb. But to suddenly jump into progressives now, she said, I'd never be able to adjust. They'd drive me crazy. The blur in the middle of my field would have me tripping over curbs.
I had already made it clear to her that I like a wide and deep visual field, and that I watch TV and do needlework at the same time, and therefore the looking down required by those skinny weasel glasses, as opposed to simply dropping my eyes slightly, would quickly make me seasick. She heard me and understood.
So, I'm staying with the little old lady visible lines. I like seeing well better than looking good. Vanity is a sometimes thing with me, easily tossed when not advantageous. If I really want the illusion of youth, I'll get a neck and face lift.
*******
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_lens#Disadvantages] It's explained there, in almost the same way she said it.
---------------------------------
Here and there and everywhere I'd been hearing about "Say Yes to the Dress". It's on Friday nights on one of those high-number cable channels. There's not much else on Friday nights, so I watched it three or four times.
It takes place in a fancy wedding dress store, where consultants help you find the perfect dress. The most common phrase from the brides is, "I want to feel beautiful". And then there's frustration, tears, pushing or snorts from their "support" - bridesmaids, sisters, mothers and future MILs - until finally The Dress makes her Feel Beautiful.
I don't understand. Your man doesn't make you feel even more beautiful?
Then there's the whole enormous cost of fancy weddings, which I don't understand. I've already ranted about couples with three kids who haven't gotten married yet because they "can't afford it".
But mostly I don't understand the dresses the consultants put on these women.
An apple-shaped woman (read big round belly) should have a fitted bodice, then a high empire waist that flows smoothly straight down in a soft flowing fabric with slight gathering, and narrows just above the ankle. It will make her look taller, slimmer, regal, and plays up her best features, which are her face and bust. Most heavy women have great lower legs, so she could even go to knee length. But over and over, they come out in dresses that are tight tight tight to mid thigh, then poof out into a tulle mermaid bottom. Worse, the tight upper part is "ruched" (I hate that word - whatever happened to gathered!) which is supposed to be "slimming" but never is and that makes her look even bulkier.
I don't understand why all the dresses these days seem to be strapless. I thought a bridal dress was supposed to look virginal, or at least modest, especially for a religious ceremony. I went to the David's Bridal website to check, and yeah, dresses with sleeves or even just covered shoulders are rare and special order. Aren't long lace sleeves beautiful?
I don't understand why so many dresses have that bunched up look to the skirts, you know, those random tucks.
Most of them look like if you dyed them pink, they could be '60s prom dresses.
I dunno. Maybe my age is showing. (Hey! You! Get off my lawn!)
Me? Three weddings. The first had one week's preparation. Ex#1 was in the army and had come home on leave for my college graduation, and declared he was not returning, was going AWOL, until I married him. I didn't want to, but I was incapable of "being responsible for his going to jail". I looked to my mother to say no (I wasn't 21, the legal age), but it was like she translated "he wants to elope" into "we're gonna have a wedding!" and went into action. I was married in a knee-length straight-skirted sleeveless cocktail dress, white lace over satin, and a short veil. There was even an official reception, my mother's side of the family and my parents' friends. I invited no friends. Nobody said anything about my inviting friends. I think my mother thought it was her party.
Ex#2. I wore a pale blue dress, suitable for the office, and a blue Jackie O pillbox hat with an eyebrow veil. Church ceremony followed by a dinner with friends of ours from the office, and members of his family.
Jay, the one that really counted. Judge's chambers. I wore a turtleneck sweater and jeans. Jay wore jeans, too. The "reception" was Jay and me, and our two witnesses: Daughter and a friend of hers, dinner at a local steakhouse.
I think maybe someday I'll pretend I'm getting married, and go to a fancy bridal shoppe and try on dresses. Just to see if they do have some kind of magic. No way I'd ever pay for one, even if I were getting married, but ... just to see if I suddenly Feel Beautiful(er).
.
If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
-- Steven Wright --
------------------------------------------------
-- Steven Wright --
------------------------------------------------
I wear bifocals. The old style, with the visible line at the top of the bifocal section. People have been telling me I should get the progressives, where the division is not apparent, that the line "ages" me.
When I ordered these new lenses, I asked for progressives. They cost more, and the rep would get more sales credit for selling them, but I have to admire her honesty. She strongly recommended against them. She said I would hate them.
There is a large difference between my far and close prescriptions, so the "progressive" part, where the two blend, would be large. In that "shading in part", there would be a wide area of distortion, both at the top and the sides of that area. I would lose a significant amount of peripheral vision, and the close vision area would be much reduced. Right now I go from far to close with little eye or head movement. With the progressives there would be a jump where neither close nor far worked and I would have to move my head more.
If you get progressives when you first start needing bifocals, the difference is small, and the distortion is minimal. You get used to it. Your brain learns to ignore that area. And as the close correction goes up and the far correction goes down gradually as you get older (which is what happens), each increment is easy to absorb. But to suddenly jump into progressives now, she said, I'd never be able to adjust. They'd drive me crazy. The blur in the middle of my field would have me tripping over curbs.
I had already made it clear to her that I like a wide and deep visual field, and that I watch TV and do needlework at the same time, and therefore the looking down required by those skinny weasel glasses, as opposed to simply dropping my eyes slightly, would quickly make me seasick. She heard me and understood.
So, I'm staying with the little old lady visible lines. I like seeing well better than looking good. Vanity is a sometimes thing with me, easily tossed when not advantageous. If I really want the illusion of youth, I'll get a neck and face lift.
*******
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_lens#Disadvantages] It's explained there, in almost the same way she said it.
---------------------------------
Here and there and everywhere I'd been hearing about "Say Yes to the Dress". It's on Friday nights on one of those high-number cable channels. There's not much else on Friday nights, so I watched it three or four times.
It takes place in a fancy wedding dress store, where consultants help you find the perfect dress. The most common phrase from the brides is, "I want to feel beautiful". And then there's frustration, tears, pushing or snorts from their "support" - bridesmaids, sisters, mothers and future MILs - until finally The Dress makes her Feel Beautiful.
I don't understand. Your man doesn't make you feel even more beautiful?
Then there's the whole enormous cost of fancy weddings, which I don't understand. I've already ranted about couples with three kids who haven't gotten married yet because they "can't afford it".
But mostly I don't understand the dresses the consultants put on these women.
An apple-shaped woman (read big round belly) should have a fitted bodice, then a high empire waist that flows smoothly straight down in a soft flowing fabric with slight gathering, and narrows just above the ankle. It will make her look taller, slimmer, regal, and plays up her best features, which are her face and bust. Most heavy women have great lower legs, so she could even go to knee length. But over and over, they come out in dresses that are tight tight tight to mid thigh, then poof out into a tulle mermaid bottom. Worse, the tight upper part is "ruched" (I hate that word - whatever happened to gathered!) which is supposed to be "slimming" but never is and that makes her look even bulkier.
I don't understand why all the dresses these days seem to be strapless. I thought a bridal dress was supposed to look virginal, or at least modest, especially for a religious ceremony. I went to the David's Bridal website to check, and yeah, dresses with sleeves or even just covered shoulders are rare and special order. Aren't long lace sleeves beautiful?
I don't understand why so many dresses have that bunched up look to the skirts, you know, those random tucks.
Most of them look like if you dyed them pink, they could be '60s prom dresses.
I dunno. Maybe my age is showing. (Hey! You! Get off my lawn!)
Me? Three weddings. The first had one week's preparation. Ex#1 was in the army and had come home on leave for my college graduation, and declared he was not returning, was going AWOL, until I married him. I didn't want to, but I was incapable of "being responsible for his going to jail". I looked to my mother to say no (I wasn't 21, the legal age), but it was like she translated "he wants to elope" into "we're gonna have a wedding!" and went into action. I was married in a knee-length straight-skirted sleeveless cocktail dress, white lace over satin, and a short veil. There was even an official reception, my mother's side of the family and my parents' friends. I invited no friends. Nobody said anything about my inviting friends. I think my mother thought it was her party.
Ex#2. I wore a pale blue dress, suitable for the office, and a blue Jackie O pillbox hat with an eyebrow veil. Church ceremony followed by a dinner with friends of ours from the office, and members of his family.
Jay, the one that really counted. Judge's chambers. I wore a turtleneck sweater and jeans. Jay wore jeans, too. The "reception" was Jay and me, and our two witnesses: Daughter and a friend of hers, dinner at a local steakhouse.
I think maybe someday I'll pretend I'm getting married, and go to a fancy bridal shoppe and try on dresses. Just to see if they do have some kind of magic. No way I'd ever pay for one, even if I were getting married, but ... just to see if I suddenly Feel Beautiful(er).
.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
3446 Peanut Butter (Jasper isn't feeling original today...)
Saturday, January 21, 2012
There are windows on either side of my front door. As I come down the stairs I can see driveway, lawn, street, houses through the sheer curtains. This morning I was confused. I couldn't see anything but white. Something on the porch obstructing the view?
Snow. Our first real snow of the winter. I didn't measure, but it looks like maybe four inches or so. I don't know if I'll shovel the driveway. It will be in the 40s or low 50s on Monday. On the other hand, I'm out of yogurt, eggs, veggies, and laundry detergent.
-------------------------------
Well, the end of another week when I felt very busy, but have accomplished very little.
I had three things on the to-do list last Monday morning:
The doctor's office said they'd mail the prescription. No, they don't call pharmacies. "Mail? Egads! I want it NOW!" So I said I'd come in and pick it up. She said after 2 pm, after the doctor comes in. Ok.
Monday of last week, when I knew I'd be getting a prescription for the UTI, I had looked for my prescription insurance card. IBM has changed the carrier. I found the letter saying I would get my 2012 card at the end of December. I never got it. I called, and IBM forwarded the call to CVS Caremark, and the guy there said they'd send me a new card (which, by the way, 12 days later, STILL has not arrived), but in the meantime I could just have my local CVS call Caremark, and they'd verify my insurance and give them the number.
Went to optometrist (her office is in the LensCrafter store). I'd had the exam before Christmas, but she said she couldn't get me to 20-20, so she wanted to dilate my eyes to see why. Surprise. In each eye I have a small spot of age-related macular degeneration. She says it's common at my age and my spots are small and not a big deal, but we'll want to watch them, and I need to eat more dark green veggies.
Then I went to the LensCrafter section to pick out some frames. I always get two pair. As I explained to the saleslady, if my car breaks, I can rent one. If my glasses break, I can't rent or borrow. I need a backup.
I wanted a pair that wouldn't clash with silver jewelry, and one for with gold jewelry. In the past, I'd get like a neutral brown, but they didn't have anything like that, and besides my hair is too light now for brown. I want a very lightweight-looking frame, like the frameless ones, or with just the top frame and the cord around the bottom. I wanted metal, not plastic. And I definitely don't want those stupid narrow weasel glasses! I want a large visual area so I don't have to move my head just to look up and down. I watch TV and do needlework at the same time, and I'd get seasick in weasel glasses.
That all narrowed my choices to a few. (Note - remind me to select frames BEFORE getting dilated next time.)
Now, the silver ones were horribly expensive (Tiffany & Co., made in Italy? Close to $400 list), but were on sale at about a 50% discount. The gold ones were less expensive than the silver, even with the sale. My vision insurance pays 100% for one pair of glasses, including frames and lenses. I wanted to use the insurance for the silver, BUT the saleslady told me I could EITHER get the sales discount, OR use the insurance, but not both.
Huh? Is that even legal? They're on sale, but not if you use insurance? Um, what if I paid the sale price for them and then submitted the receipt to the insurance company? Will LensCrafters even know?
She said I had to use the insurance on the gold pair. My eyes were dilated. I felt confused. I decided to figure it out later.
I think something else went wrong there, too. I'm supposed to get 100% coverage for one pair, but I think I got $100 off. Not the same at all! Given that my lenses alone are over $260, something's wrong there. I have to sit down and look at the receipt and figure it out, call the insurance company, go back and have LensCrafters explain the receipt to me, raise a little hell.
Well, they had in stock only one pair of lenses that would fit the silver frames, and that would take an hour or two. They had NO lenses in stock for the gold ones, they would take two weeks to come in.
So I drove to the doctor's office to pick up the prescription for the UTI, then the other direction to the CVS to get it filled. When I told the guy behind the counter that he'd have to call Caremark about my insurance, he said the woman who handles insurance was not there, so they couldn't fill the prescription until she came in, in about two hours. So then I went back to LensCrafters. Where I sat and waited for an hour until my glasses were ready.
By the time I got the new glasses, it was 4:00 pm. My eyes take a very long time to go down from dilation, so I can't see any detail, and I can't drive when headlights start to come on, even with sunglasses. The CVS was only slightly out of my way going home, so I went back there.
The clerk who "does insurance" wasn't there, sick child or something. "Come back tomorrow." I had a small fit, so they gave me five pills (of the 20 on the prescription), no charge, "That'll hold you until we can fill it."
I drove the 2 miles home very carefully and slowly because every oncoming car was a supernova in my eyeballs.
By 10 pm my pupils had gone down enough for me to notice that the groove in the bottom of the new left lens was incomplete, so that the lens was sitting on top of the nylon cord instead of the cord being tightly in the (nonexistent) groove. Guaranteed that the lens would pop out eventually. And the top of the same lens had a rough spot where it met the frame. Unacceptable. I'll have to go back to LensCrafters.
So at the end of Monday, my to-do list for Tuesday was:
Tuesday morning. Had to be home by 12:45 to babysit Nugget. Deposited checks. Went ok. Then to LensCrafters. They recut the groove and reset the lens. That's ok now. The rep said that it was just a bit of plastic and wax at the top of the lens that made it look rough. They cleaned that off and handed the glasses back to me.
Uh, no. With that filler gone, it is now obvious that the lens is badly cut on the top. There's an actual space between the top center and the far left corner of the lens and the frame. The lens meets the frame in only two spots across the top. The rep said it was not noticeable and would hold just fine. I pointed out that for what those glasses cost, I have a right to perfection, "...and this ain't it!"
So they're ordering new lenses. I get to go back in a week or two.
Then to CVS. They searched for my pills. Nope, no bag anywhere with my name on it. They finally found the prescription form. It had not yet been filled, because "the woman who does the insurance isn't in yet, come back at 2 pm."
I had a minor fit. This is my third trip already. And I'd have the Nugget all afternoon. The pharmacist then came over and said that I already had five pills (down to three since I'd taken one last night and one this morning) and that should hold me until they got it straightened out.
At that point I confess I lied. Calmly.
I said I was leaving town that evening, returning Friday, and three pills wasn't going to cut it, and there's no reason for them to not at least TRY calling. ANYONE can call Caremark! All you need is for them to verify that I do have the insurance and the plan number is whatever!"
So a clerk called. And guess what?
Caremark couldn't find me in the computer.
The problem is an old one. My last name is one of those European double names, acquired from Ex#2. He always writes it with a blank between the two parts. I always write it with no blank - all one word - because as two separate words it confuses computers and alphabetization. And because I'm smarter than Ex#2.
For some dumb fool reason (probably because IBM is so patriarchal), the blank pops up occasionally in IBM benefits processing, particularly randomly in the medical plans, because that's where I was "connected" to him having been under his plan for a while, even though we've been divorced for 29 years. That's a subject for another rant.
So when I realized what the problem might be, as he was about to hang up, I said "Try it with a blank", and they found me in the system, and I got my pills, and I made it home in time to keep the Nugget for the afternoon.
(Incidentally, they gave me the full 20 pills, although I already had been given 5. This could be a serious mistake depending on the prescription. Probably not serious for Cipro, though, so I'm not going to say anything to anyone and just take them all. Two and a half more days of antibiotic probably won't hurt and might help. I figure they owe me something for jerking me around.)
Fred the van has been in the shop since last Saturday. The guy called yesterday, and they're going to have to find a junkyard part that's no longer manufactured by Dodge, and even then they may have to fudge some stuff to get Fred to pass inspection. So they still have him.
The whole week has gone like that. Everything has taken longer than it should, or had to be postponed for other silly crap. Sometimes I wonder why I bother to try to organize my life with to-do lists. And goals. And plans. The rest of the world refuses to cooperate.
.
A way to take up more space is with perfume.
-- Andy Warhol --
Hmmmm. I never thought of it that way, but yes, it's true.
Perfume almost shouts "This is MY space!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Andy Warhol --
Hmmmm. I never thought of it that way, but yes, it's true.
Perfume almost shouts "This is MY space!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are windows on either side of my front door. As I come down the stairs I can see driveway, lawn, street, houses through the sheer curtains. This morning I was confused. I couldn't see anything but white. Something on the porch obstructing the view?
Snow. Our first real snow of the winter. I didn't measure, but it looks like maybe four inches or so. I don't know if I'll shovel the driveway. It will be in the 40s or low 50s on Monday. On the other hand, I'm out of yogurt, eggs, veggies, and laundry detergent.
-------------------------------
Well, the end of another week when I felt very busy, but have accomplished very little.
I had three things on the to-do list last Monday morning:
- Deposit a check at the bank.
- Call the doctor and see if they got the results of the urine culture, and if so, get the antibiotic prescription filled.
- Go to the optometrist and get my eyes dilated to complete the exam, and pick out some frames, get new glasses.
The doctor's office said they'd mail the prescription. No, they don't call pharmacies. "Mail? Egads! I want it NOW!" So I said I'd come in and pick it up. She said after 2 pm, after the doctor comes in. Ok.
Monday of last week, when I knew I'd be getting a prescription for the UTI, I had looked for my prescription insurance card. IBM has changed the carrier. I found the letter saying I would get my 2012 card at the end of December. I never got it. I called, and IBM forwarded the call to CVS Caremark, and the guy there said they'd send me a new card (which, by the way, 12 days later, STILL has not arrived), but in the meantime I could just have my local CVS call Caremark, and they'd verify my insurance and give them the number.
Went to optometrist (her office is in the LensCrafter store). I'd had the exam before Christmas, but she said she couldn't get me to 20-20, so she wanted to dilate my eyes to see why. Surprise. In each eye I have a small spot of age-related macular degeneration. She says it's common at my age and my spots are small and not a big deal, but we'll want to watch them, and I need to eat more dark green veggies.
Then I went to the LensCrafter section to pick out some frames. I always get two pair. As I explained to the saleslady, if my car breaks, I can rent one. If my glasses break, I can't rent or borrow. I need a backup.
I wanted a pair that wouldn't clash with silver jewelry, and one for with gold jewelry. In the past, I'd get like a neutral brown, but they didn't have anything like that, and besides my hair is too light now for brown. I want a very lightweight-looking frame, like the frameless ones, or with just the top frame and the cord around the bottom. I wanted metal, not plastic. And I definitely don't want those stupid narrow weasel glasses! I want a large visual area so I don't have to move my head just to look up and down. I watch TV and do needlework at the same time, and I'd get seasick in weasel glasses.
That all narrowed my choices to a few. (Note - remind me to select frames BEFORE getting dilated next time.)
Now, the silver ones were horribly expensive (Tiffany & Co., made in Italy? Close to $400 list), but were on sale at about a 50% discount. The gold ones were less expensive than the silver, even with the sale. My vision insurance pays 100% for one pair of glasses, including frames and lenses. I wanted to use the insurance for the silver, BUT the saleslady told me I could EITHER get the sales discount, OR use the insurance, but not both.
Huh? Is that even legal? They're on sale, but not if you use insurance? Um, what if I paid the sale price for them and then submitted the receipt to the insurance company? Will LensCrafters even know?
She said I had to use the insurance on the gold pair. My eyes were dilated. I felt confused. I decided to figure it out later.
I think something else went wrong there, too. I'm supposed to get 100% coverage for one pair, but I think I got $100 off. Not the same at all! Given that my lenses alone are over $260, something's wrong there. I have to sit down and look at the receipt and figure it out, call the insurance company, go back and have LensCrafters explain the receipt to me, raise a little hell.
Well, they had in stock only one pair of lenses that would fit the silver frames, and that would take an hour or two. They had NO lenses in stock for the gold ones, they would take two weeks to come in.
So I drove to the doctor's office to pick up the prescription for the UTI, then the other direction to the CVS to get it filled. When I told the guy behind the counter that he'd have to call Caremark about my insurance, he said the woman who handles insurance was not there, so they couldn't fill the prescription until she came in, in about two hours. So then I went back to LensCrafters. Where I sat and waited for an hour until my glasses were ready.
By the time I got the new glasses, it was 4:00 pm. My eyes take a very long time to go down from dilation, so I can't see any detail, and I can't drive when headlights start to come on, even with sunglasses. The CVS was only slightly out of my way going home, so I went back there.
The clerk who "does insurance" wasn't there, sick child or something. "Come back tomorrow." I had a small fit, so they gave me five pills (of the 20 on the prescription), no charge, "That'll hold you until we can fill it."
I drove the 2 miles home very carefully and slowly because every oncoming car was a supernova in my eyeballs.
By 10 pm my pupils had gone down enough for me to notice that the groove in the bottom of the new left lens was incomplete, so that the lens was sitting on top of the nylon cord instead of the cord being tightly in the (nonexistent) groove. Guaranteed that the lens would pop out eventually. And the top of the same lens had a rough spot where it met the frame. Unacceptable. I'll have to go back to LensCrafters.
So at the end of Monday, my to-do list for Tuesday was:
- Deposit a check at the bank.
- Get the antibiotic prescription filled.
- Get new glasses fixed.
Tuesday morning. Had to be home by 12:45 to babysit Nugget. Deposited checks. Went ok. Then to LensCrafters. They recut the groove and reset the lens. That's ok now. The rep said that it was just a bit of plastic and wax at the top of the lens that made it look rough. They cleaned that off and handed the glasses back to me.
Uh, no. With that filler gone, it is now obvious that the lens is badly cut on the top. There's an actual space between the top center and the far left corner of the lens and the frame. The lens meets the frame in only two spots across the top. The rep said it was not noticeable and would hold just fine. I pointed out that for what those glasses cost, I have a right to perfection, "...and this ain't it!"
So they're ordering new lenses. I get to go back in a week or two.
Then to CVS. They searched for my pills. Nope, no bag anywhere with my name on it. They finally found the prescription form. It had not yet been filled, because "the woman who does the insurance isn't in yet, come back at 2 pm."
I had a minor fit. This is my third trip already. And I'd have the Nugget all afternoon. The pharmacist then came over and said that I already had five pills (down to three since I'd taken one last night and one this morning) and that should hold me until they got it straightened out.
At that point I confess I lied. Calmly.
I said I was leaving town that evening, returning Friday, and three pills wasn't going to cut it, and there's no reason for them to not at least TRY calling. ANYONE can call Caremark! All you need is for them to verify that I do have the insurance and the plan number is whatever!"
So a clerk called. And guess what?
Caremark couldn't find me in the computer.
The problem is an old one. My last name is one of those European double names, acquired from Ex#2. He always writes it with a blank between the two parts. I always write it with no blank - all one word - because as two separate words it confuses computers and alphabetization. And because I'm smarter than Ex#2.
For some dumb fool reason (probably because IBM is so patriarchal), the blank pops up occasionally in IBM benefits processing, particularly randomly in the medical plans, because that's where I was "connected" to him having been under his plan for a while, even though we've been divorced for 29 years. That's a subject for another rant.
So when I realized what the problem might be, as he was about to hang up, I said "Try it with a blank", and they found me in the system, and I got my pills, and I made it home in time to keep the Nugget for the afternoon.
(Incidentally, they gave me the full 20 pills, although I already had been given 5. This could be a serious mistake depending on the prescription. Probably not serious for Cipro, though, so I'm not going to say anything to anyone and just take them all. Two and a half more days of antibiotic probably won't hurt and might help. I figure they owe me something for jerking me around.)
Fred the van has been in the shop since last Saturday. The guy called yesterday, and they're going to have to find a junkyard part that's no longer manufactured by Dodge, and even then they may have to fudge some stuff to get Fred to pass inspection. So they still have him.
The whole week has gone like that. Everything has taken longer than it should, or had to be postponed for other silly crap. Sometimes I wonder why I bother to try to organize my life with to-do lists. And goals. And plans. The rest of the world refuses to cooperate.
.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
1741 Dilatory Day
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
I visited the optometrist today. My eyes were dilated at 3:30 pm, and it's now 11 pm, and my pupils are still wide open. I had to wait four hours before I could leave the mall, and then it was only because I had some good sunglasses, and was driving east. I'm still having some difficulty focusing.
My prescription hasn't changed much. I'm a little less nearsighted than last year. I went ahead and got new lenses for my old everyday frames (I like the frames, and they still look good), but didn't get the sunglasses or the backup glasses changed. I don't know why my lenses are so expensive - $225, extra lightweight, scratch resistant, bifocal, no other coatings.
If you're nearsighted, that's one big benefit of aging - your eyes get better.
I had the full exam, and the only place I'm less than "just fine" is depth perception. I got only one out of four on that, but it's because I read so much, and I'm a left-brain reader, which means that my right eye does all the work and the left eye just goes along for the ride. That screws up depth perception. If I read more fiction, my eyes might share the load more, I guess.
I'm rather pleased because both my grandmother and mother were starting cataracts by my age. I'm clear.
--------------------------
The volunteer folks called while I was out, left a message and followed up with an email. The county office for aging wants someone to come in every other Monday all summer to handle scheduling, appointments, and fliers for the mobile medical exam van.
I can't seem to convince these people that I want no assignments that require an ongoing commitment, I don't want to commit too far out, and I want to keep weekends free from Friday 5 pm until Monday noon. I want just SWAT-team type stuff, like manning an desk at a clinic, or swinging a hammer some afternoon. I can commit to weekend days no more than two or three weeks ahead. I don't want ANY responsibilities that extend beyond one stint.
Their problem is that they do have a lot of volunteers who do want something to do, something regular to make them feel useful, who want responsibility, but most of them are verging on senility, and they really can't handle the jobs they're assigned. They get confused easily, and don't know that the problem is with them...they think the problem is the materials.
------------------------
The temperature today was in the mid-60s. Snow is predicted for Friday. Sigh.
.
I visited the optometrist today. My eyes were dilated at 3:30 pm, and it's now 11 pm, and my pupils are still wide open. I had to wait four hours before I could leave the mall, and then it was only because I had some good sunglasses, and was driving east. I'm still having some difficulty focusing.
My prescription hasn't changed much. I'm a little less nearsighted than last year. I went ahead and got new lenses for my old everyday frames (I like the frames, and they still look good), but didn't get the sunglasses or the backup glasses changed. I don't know why my lenses are so expensive - $225, extra lightweight, scratch resistant, bifocal, no other coatings.
If you're nearsighted, that's one big benefit of aging - your eyes get better.
I had the full exam, and the only place I'm less than "just fine" is depth perception. I got only one out of four on that, but it's because I read so much, and I'm a left-brain reader, which means that my right eye does all the work and the left eye just goes along for the ride. That screws up depth perception. If I read more fiction, my eyes might share the load more, I guess.
I'm rather pleased because both my grandmother and mother were starting cataracts by my age. I'm clear.
--------------------------
The volunteer folks called while I was out, left a message and followed up with an email. The county office for aging wants someone to come in every other Monday all summer to handle scheduling, appointments, and fliers for the mobile medical exam van.
I can't seem to convince these people that I want no assignments that require an ongoing commitment, I don't want to commit too far out, and I want to keep weekends free from Friday 5 pm until Monday noon. I want just SWAT-team type stuff, like manning an desk at a clinic, or swinging a hammer some afternoon. I can commit to weekend days no more than two or three weeks ahead. I don't want ANY responsibilities that extend beyond one stint.
Their problem is that they do have a lot of volunteers who do want something to do, something regular to make them feel useful, who want responsibility, but most of them are verging on senility, and they really can't handle the jobs they're assigned. They get confused easily, and don't know that the problem is with them...they think the problem is the materials.
------------------------
The temperature today was in the mid-60s. Snow is predicted for Friday. Sigh.
.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
1178 New Glasses
Thursday, March 22, 2007
I've been reading through old journal entries. Even a year ago I had things to say: observations, philosophy, personal experiences that affected the course of my life. I had opinions and passion. Some of it was interesting to me, rereading, and I already know what it says!
Quite different from entries these days. I don't seem to be thinking much. It's like I'm on hold. Waiting. Listening to the uninspiring music in my head.
-------------------------------------------------
Today I got the Aerio checked out, and as expected, it was a loose heat shield. They removed it. Seems like every car I've ever owned eventually lost its heat shield. One of these days I'm going to park in high grass and burn a village down.
Then I went to the mall and got a major eye exam, four different kinds of drops, dilation, six different machines to peer into, the works. Conclusion: I don't have hardening of the eyeball or rotting of the retina. And just for fun, I got a definitive analysis of my eye color.
The doctor kept saying "Your eyes are such a beautiful color", so I asked him, "What color are they, exactly? There's always been some difference of opinion there, and you should be an expert." He said "Gray, uh, gray-blue, uh, gray-green? Gee, I don't know." So he said "Let's go back to the microscope, and I'll tell you exactly what you've got in there."
I don't know if it's common or rare, but he seemed to be surprised by what he found, or what he didn't find. I have some bits of brown right around the pupil, and some specks of definite green throughout the rest of the iris, but that's the only color there. NO blue, and NO gray. What was surprising is that most of the iris has NO COLOR at all! None. There's no pigment. He said that's what causes the silvery color, and also why they can be very different depending on what I'm wearing, and the ambient light.
(So, if I have mostly no pigment, why am I not more sensitive to strong light?) Anyway, he kept marveling over how light my eyes are. Oddly, they've never looked particularly light to me, but things do look different in a mirror. Mirrors affect color. Ladies with blue hair think it's steel gray.
I lucked out on the frames. Among the thousands of narrow frames, there was one small stand of rounder, deeper frames, and they were on sale! I bought two pairs (I am so dependant on my glasses, I always get two), one at $98, and the other at $87. The $87 ones were originally $250, and they're the ones you can bend every which way and they spring back. They're both half-frames, with the nylon thread around the bottom of the lens. The lenses, on the other hand, were $250 per pair.
The whole procedure took five hours, and cost $500 after the 30% discount AAA got me. I do have vision insurance through The Company health plan, but, well, nobody but a few private practice ophthalmologists accept it.
It takes ages for my eyes to "undilate", so that shot the rest of the day.
Dr. said there was a large change in my prescription, I'm a lot less nearsighted now (one of the few benefits of age) and it might take a few days for me to get used to the difference.
I notice no difference, other than that I can now read the newspaper.
.
I've been reading through old journal entries. Even a year ago I had things to say: observations, philosophy, personal experiences that affected the course of my life. I had opinions and passion. Some of it was interesting to me, rereading, and I already know what it says!
Quite different from entries these days. I don't seem to be thinking much. It's like I'm on hold. Waiting. Listening to the uninspiring music in my head.
-------------------------------------------------
Today I got the Aerio checked out, and as expected, it was a loose heat shield. They removed it. Seems like every car I've ever owned eventually lost its heat shield. One of these days I'm going to park in high grass and burn a village down.
Then I went to the mall and got a major eye exam, four different kinds of drops, dilation, six different machines to peer into, the works. Conclusion: I don't have hardening of the eyeball or rotting of the retina. And just for fun, I got a definitive analysis of my eye color.
The doctor kept saying "Your eyes are such a beautiful color", so I asked him, "What color are they, exactly? There's always been some difference of opinion there, and you should be an expert." He said "Gray, uh, gray-blue, uh, gray-green? Gee, I don't know." So he said "Let's go back to the microscope, and I'll tell you exactly what you've got in there."
I don't know if it's common or rare, but he seemed to be surprised by what he found, or what he didn't find. I have some bits of brown right around the pupil, and some specks of definite green throughout the rest of the iris, but that's the only color there. NO blue, and NO gray. What was surprising is that most of the iris has NO COLOR at all! None. There's no pigment. He said that's what causes the silvery color, and also why they can be very different depending on what I'm wearing, and the ambient light.
(So, if I have mostly no pigment, why am I not more sensitive to strong light?) Anyway, he kept marveling over how light my eyes are. Oddly, they've never looked particularly light to me, but things do look different in a mirror. Mirrors affect color. Ladies with blue hair think it's steel gray.
I lucked out on the frames. Among the thousands of narrow frames, there was one small stand of rounder, deeper frames, and they were on sale! I bought two pairs (I am so dependant on my glasses, I always get two), one at $98, and the other at $87. The $87 ones were originally $250, and they're the ones you can bend every which way and they spring back. They're both half-frames, with the nylon thread around the bottom of the lens. The lenses, on the other hand, were $250 per pair.
The whole procedure took five hours, and cost $500 after the 30% discount AAA got me. I do have vision insurance through The Company health plan, but, well, nobody but a few private practice ophthalmologists accept it.
It takes ages for my eyes to "undilate", so that shot the rest of the day.
Dr. said there was a large change in my prescription, I'm a lot less nearsighted now (one of the few benefits of age) and it might take a few days for me to get used to the difference.
I notice no difference, other than that I can now read the newspaper.
.
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