Today was the day! I had my left eye cataract surgery today. Scary as it is, I’d take this over going to the dentist.
After the paperwork was done, I sat down in a comfortable chair and a nurse administered something like nine different eye drops while she asked me some questions. This nurse also set up an IV type insert on my left hand, and gave me a shot to relax me. Then, I was put on a gurney, where I was hooked up to three of those heart monitor leads, a blood-oxygen clip-on monitor, and a blood pressure cuff. And I got some more drops in my eye. And another shot into the IV insert.
The doctor was supervising, and he did some sort of marks around my eye which he explained was due to the effect astigmatism has on the insertion point. Normally they would make the incision in the eye, directly to the side. In my case, that point was about 45 degrees toward the top of my head.
Then they wheeled me into another room, which was the operating room. I never saw any of this room except the ceiling and a complex piece of equipment hanging therefrom. They got everything situated the way they wanted it, the machine was brought into place over my eye, and the work began.
Something was placed over my eye-socket that pretty much fit all around it. I saw random colors, mostly blue I think, and once I saw something that looked like a bit of oil floating in water. This whole process probably didn’t take ten minutes, but of course I don’t really know the exact time. The stuff they shot into me had me fairly groggy, but I was awake throughout.
When it was over, they unhooked me from everything, sat me in a chair, invited my wife in, and explained what we needed to know about follow-up care. I get to take three different eye-drops for a few days, and go see the doctor tomorrow morning for the follow-up visit. And we went home.
At first, vision in that eye was cloudy and blurry. As the day has proceeded, it gradually has improved, but it still isn’t clear. Also, ten hours after surgery, my eye is still dilated. The doctor tells me that these things are normal.
The lens which was inserted is a ReZoom lens. The published statements about this lens is that about 92% of patients never need to use glasses again. However, vision with these can take a couple of months to get to it’s best. Besides loosing the cataracts, that’s what I’m after. So far, I’m pleased.
They’ll do the other eye on April 23.
I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.
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Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Clinton's Creative Expression
Hillary “misspoke” with the sniper fire remark.
“That depends on what you mean by ‘is’”. -President Clinton
Do you begin to see a trend, here?
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“That depends on what you mean by ‘is’”. -President Clinton
Do you begin to see a trend, here?
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Friday, March 21, 2008
Hate from the Pulpit
As a general comment on all this racist stuff with Obama’s preacher, and any other supposedly Christian preacher that preaches in that style, I have this to say:
Jesus never preached hate. Not once.
I strongly suggest that any preacher that does preach hate is not filled with the Holy Spirit, nor is he following the example of Jesus.
15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' - The Holy Bible - Matthew 7:15-23
Emphasis mine. That pretty much sums it up. Reverend Wright is walking down a dangerous path, as are many, many other pastors in this world.
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Jesus never preached hate. Not once.
I strongly suggest that any preacher that does preach hate is not filled with the Holy Spirit, nor is he following the example of Jesus.
15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' - The Holy Bible - Matthew 7:15-23
Emphasis mine. That pretty much sums it up. Reverend Wright is walking down a dangerous path, as are many, many other pastors in this world.
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Thursday, March 20, 2008
Spring!
Today, the oak trees here in East Texas are blooming. In just a couple of days, all the bare limbs will be gone and all the trees will have shiny new green leaves.
Beautiful.
Mowed the yard for the first time this year, this afternoon.
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Beautiful.
Mowed the yard for the first time this year, this afternoon.
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Thursday, March 13, 2008
Political Scandals
I’ve been seeing all this about the Spitzer / hooker incident, and it got me to wondering what the scorecard is for Democrats vs Republicans on scandal. There’s a good article on Wikipedia here. I added up the Democrats and the Republicans that got caught being involved in sexual scandals. I get Democrats 29, Republicans 27.
That’s so close that either party should be careful about flinging stones at the other side.
And now we know without any doubt whatever that Washington really is full of scoundrels!
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That’s so close that either party should be careful about flinging stones at the other side.
And now we know without any doubt whatever that Washington really is full of scoundrels!
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Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Easter Eggs
I was in Wal-Mart the other day, and I came across something I’d never seen before: Easter egg color kits - in camo.
That’s right, friends, you can now make it nearly impossible for your young child to find their eggs!
What a concept!
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That’s right, friends, you can now make it nearly impossible for your young child to find their eggs!
What a concept!
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Friday, March 7, 2008
Everybody Look the Other Way!
“When good men stand by and do nothing, evil prevails.”
I’m sure this is a (mis)quote but I cannot find the source to give reference or to check it.
I have witnessed a very peculiar thing, and been a part of it. There are many documented cases of muggings, murder, rape, etc happening in the presence of bystanders, who did nothing to help. I don’t understand the psychology of this, but it is clear that it does happen, and frequently.
Over the past year, I have documented and observed a number of things at my church that disturb me. I won’t go into the details of that here; but most of it concerned the pastor, who has been there around two years now. These issues are to the extent that I began to wonder if the pastor was actually a Christian; and at that point, I quit supporting the church with money or attendance.
On several occasions I had wanted to confront the pastor about these things, but family and friends advised me not to do so.
About a week ago, this came to a head. Correspondence between myself and the pastor resulted in setting up a meeting to discuss the issues I had discovered (the details of which he remains ignorant). He and a deacon were to come to my home so we could go over these things and try to make peace.
In the days before the scheduled visit, I prepared detailed notes of the issues to be discussed. I sent early copies to certain individuals that I trust, including my wife.
All agree that the documentation is good, the issues are real, and every one of these people think I am in the right.
But almost all of them advised me to drop it and not have the meeting. < EDIT 3/27/08: two of my friends pointed out that they did not advise me to drop it.>
I don’t understand this culture of silence, that says ‘thou shall not confront the pastor’. I simply do not understand why, knowing someone in authority is misusing that authority, he should not be confronted. I mean, the man is an employee, and I pay his salary, and I have a problem with his job performance. I don’t get it. However, when that many people tell me not to do something, I do listen, not being an idiot. They’re bound to know something I don’t.
So I called off the meeting, told the preacher that I would have no further communication with him, and it’s over for good. I will now leave that church and not go back until that pastor has gone.
And the man is still in his position, and he will continue to do the things he’s been doing, and nobody will call him on it. And, in my opinion, he is going to eventually destroy that church.
Beats me. It feels like watching somebody getting mugged. I have felt for months that I should take action to try to stop this misbehavior, or at least make sure the pastor is actually aware of what he is doing. But universally, every person I’ve talked to about this tells me to let it go. And so I’m done with it.
On the advice of good people, I will stand by and do nothing.
But I just don’t get it. And I don’t like it.
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I’m sure this is a (mis)quote but I cannot find the source to give reference or to check it.
I have witnessed a very peculiar thing, and been a part of it. There are many documented cases of muggings, murder, rape, etc happening in the presence of bystanders, who did nothing to help. I don’t understand the psychology of this, but it is clear that it does happen, and frequently.
Over the past year, I have documented and observed a number of things at my church that disturb me. I won’t go into the details of that here; but most of it concerned the pastor, who has been there around two years now. These issues are to the extent that I began to wonder if the pastor was actually a Christian; and at that point, I quit supporting the church with money or attendance.
On several occasions I had wanted to confront the pastor about these things, but family and friends advised me not to do so.
About a week ago, this came to a head. Correspondence between myself and the pastor resulted in setting up a meeting to discuss the issues I had discovered (the details of which he remains ignorant). He and a deacon were to come to my home so we could go over these things and try to make peace.
In the days before the scheduled visit, I prepared detailed notes of the issues to be discussed. I sent early copies to certain individuals that I trust, including my wife.
All agree that the documentation is good, the issues are real, and every one of these people think I am in the right.
But almost all of them advised me to drop it and not have the meeting. < EDIT 3/27/08: two of my friends pointed out that they did not advise me to drop it.>
I don’t understand this culture of silence, that says ‘thou shall not confront the pastor’. I simply do not understand why, knowing someone in authority is misusing that authority, he should not be confronted. I mean, the man is an employee, and I pay his salary, and I have a problem with his job performance. I don’t get it. However, when that many people tell me not to do something, I do listen, not being an idiot. They’re bound to know something I don’t.
So I called off the meeting, told the preacher that I would have no further communication with him, and it’s over for good. I will now leave that church and not go back until that pastor has gone.
And the man is still in his position, and he will continue to do the things he’s been doing, and nobody will call him on it. And, in my opinion, he is going to eventually destroy that church.
Beats me. It feels like watching somebody getting mugged. I have felt for months that I should take action to try to stop this misbehavior, or at least make sure the pastor is actually aware of what he is doing. But universally, every person I’ve talked to about this tells me to let it go. And so I’m done with it.
On the advice of good people, I will stand by and do nothing.
But I just don’t get it. And I don’t like it.
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Democrats Have a Little Trouble
It’s fascinating to me that the Democratic party seems to be so incompetent that they cannot even run a smooth primary. I seriously fear for our country if this bunch actually gets in control.
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Thursday, March 6, 2008
When Good Men do Nothing
Evil flourishes when good men stand by and do nothing.
I’m seeing it happen at my church. What a tragedy.
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I’m seeing it happen at my church. What a tragedy.
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Sunday, March 2, 2008
The Most Artistic Way to Lie
From Time Enough For Love by Robert A. Heinlein - the two most artistic ways to tell a lie.
“It’s not enough to be able to lie with a straight face; anybody with enough gall to raise on a busted flush can do that. The first way to lie artistically is to tell the truth - but not all of it. The second way involves telling the truth, too, but is harder: Tell the exact truth and maybe all of it .. but tell it so unconvincingly that your listener is sure you are lying.”
Politicians, take note...
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“It’s not enough to be able to lie with a straight face; anybody with enough gall to raise on a busted flush can do that. The first way to lie artistically is to tell the truth - but not all of it. The second way involves telling the truth, too, but is harder: Tell the exact truth and maybe all of it .. but tell it so unconvincingly that your listener is sure you are lying.”
Politicians, take note...
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Israel vs Palestine
In the news stories you see Palestinians being quoted as complaining about ‘Israel’s crimes’ and other similar statements. It amazes me that 1) they can say it with a straight face and 2) apparently, a large part of the world believes it.
From what I have read, Palestinians fired the first rocket of this exchange. Israel has just as much right to defend itself against an attack on its territory as any other country - or individual for that matter.
The Palestinians want to lob rockets at random over into Israel, at non-military areas, and then have the gall to act surprised and indignant at what happens next. If you are stupid enough to lob rocks at a hornet nest, you deserve what happens to you.
The terrible, awful thing about it is that innocents are killed. But the reason they are in the line of fire is that those civilians permit the terrorists to set up rocket-launching sites in their midst. If those cowardly terrorists cared about those civilians they would not use them as human shields and then act indignant when civilians get caught in the cross-fire.
The UN chief has urged Israel to show restraint. I wonder if he urged Palestine to show restraint?
If, for instance, Mexican militant organizations started lobbing missiles over into Texas, how long do you think it would take the US to remove the threat? Shucks, if the US government failed to correct the situation, Texas would on its own.
Every individual and every country has the right to self defense.
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From what I have read, Palestinians fired the first rocket of this exchange. Israel has just as much right to defend itself against an attack on its territory as any other country - or individual for that matter.
The Palestinians want to lob rockets at random over into Israel, at non-military areas, and then have the gall to act surprised and indignant at what happens next. If you are stupid enough to lob rocks at a hornet nest, you deserve what happens to you.
The terrible, awful thing about it is that innocents are killed. But the reason they are in the line of fire is that those civilians permit the terrorists to set up rocket-launching sites in their midst. If those cowardly terrorists cared about those civilians they would not use them as human shields and then act indignant when civilians get caught in the cross-fire.
The UN chief has urged Israel to show restraint. I wonder if he urged Palestine to show restraint?
If, for instance, Mexican militant organizations started lobbing missiles over into Texas, how long do you think it would take the US to remove the threat? Shucks, if the US government failed to correct the situation, Texas would on its own.
Every individual and every country has the right to self defense.
-Pop
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