April 12, 2009

Happy Easter to you and your family!!!!  Hope you have a blessed and special day!!!

April 18, 2009

It has been a rather crazy month so far.  I've been trying to recover data from my crashed computer and haven't yet been successful.  I've been sick.  I've had car problems.  Got my taxes done.  You know, one of those kinds of months!!!  The fun thing I'm doing...I got a teeny refund (WAY better than having to pay taxes) and bought the upgrade version of Microsoft Expression Web 2.  My web host is not going to be supporting FrontPage much longer, nor is Microsoft going to be supporting or improving it in the future.  I've been trying to learn Dreamweaver, but have gotten stuck on some things and converting my web site to another type (asp, for example) is going to take some extensive work.  So, in the interim, I think Expression Web 2 may get me through without requiring a big learning curve (hoping not, anyway) and without requiring a big cash outlay.  So far, so good.  I'm using it today for the first time and it seems pretty easy!  I'll keep you posted.

The other thing I did is set up a Twitter account.  Wanted to see what all the buzz is about.  I'm also trying to get a Facebook profile out there, though I don't have much on it just yet.  I really do like technology and I really don't want to get left behind.  I'm getting there!!!  Not too bad for an old gal, eh?  LOL!!

April 20, 2009

You know those stories that continue to make the rounds of the internet.  Some of them are funny.  Some make you teary-eyed.  None of them are true.  But sometimes they have a good message, so you read them every time they come around and ponder the words before you delete them.

Got one of those today from a friend.  I've read it before, but it always struck me as worth reading and remembering.  It's the one about the husband who is pulling out clothes for his wife to be buried in.  He pulls out some things she had been saving for a "special occasion" and he sadly decides that her burial qualifies.  I have a similar story.  It's about my mother's silverware.  So I thought I would share it with you while the thoughts were fresh. 

You see, my mother didn't have much that was "fancy" or special.  But she had a few things and one of those was her nice silverware.  The kind that's made out of real silver.  It mostly sat in the drawer of our hutch as I was growing up and it was only pulled out for use during very special occasions.  We didn't have many of those...only a handful that I recall.  So when she, as the last living parent, passed away, and my brother and I started cleaning out the house, deciding what to keep, who would take what, what we would sell, I got the silverware.  It's very pretty, with a daisy design on the handle.  I like it because it's not as ornate or pretentious as some silverware.  It's a little more my style...just a little rustic / country.

A few months after my mother passed away, my then husband told me he was in love with someone else.  As it turned out, we divorced later that year,  dividing things up and he took our everyday tableware.  That left me with the "special occasion" real deal silver knives, forks and spoons.  And I put them into everyday use.  I've never regretted it.

It made me sad initially because my mother had gotten so little delight out of her pretty silver.  She died without ever really getting much use or joy from them.  I didn't get much joy out of them at first either...because I was grieving the death of my marriage.  But as time went on, using them each day, I have come to enjoy them and have decided not to buy another stainless steel "everyday" set.  I decided life is short and special occasions are hard to come by.  Sometimes, you have to make the occasion special by using your special stuff...those things you are saving, for whatever reason, for some day in the future that may never come.  Use those extra-nice towels.  Wear that fancy dress.  And that sexy, expensive underwear...just because.  Go ahead and unwrap that fancy soap.  Use the nice steak knives.  Burn the candles.  Pull out those fancy dessert plates. Make a moment special just because it's the one you hold in your hand - today - right now - instead of waiting for some special moment to magically occur.  Sometimes the magic never happens.  Not unless you create it from what you have right here; right now.    

April 25, 2009

About a year and a half ago, I decided to try a new clinic when I needed an eye exam.  My optometrist had moved and was no longer very convenient for me, so I decided to find someone in my community, close at hand and easy to access.  Luckily, there was a place less than half a mile from my house, so I made an appointment.  I knew my vision had changed some and was looking forward to getting some new contacts so I would be able to see clearly once again. 

Unfortunately, that was the beginning of a 4 to 6 month ordeal.  I probably should have just cut my losses and gone elsewhere, but for some reason, I kept going back hoping they would finally get it right.  For one thing, they didn't have any lenses on hand.  So every time an adjustment had to be made, they had to order a trial pair of lenses for me. It always took a minimum of a week for them to arrive after they had been ordered.  Then they were NEVER right.  I had worn Acuvue bifocal lenses for years (yes, I wear bifocal contacts...I'm older than dirt) and really liked them.  But for some reason, this place and this optometrist could not seem to get a pair for me that would allow me to see.  She finally asked me if I would try another brand...a brand she preferred to sell, called Proclear.  In desperation, I agreed.

The Proclear lenses were thicker, yet still comfortable.  But I could never see quite as well with them as I had been able to with Acuvue when I was going to my former optometrist.  However, after 4 months of trying one lens after another and then another month of trying different Proclear lenses, I decided to live with the best she had been able to achieve thus far and I gave up.   Even so, I was very dissatisfied with the quality of the Proclear lenses.  I never got a box that didn't have at least one defective lens in it...so defective I couldn't wear it (torn, warped, etc.) and had to throw it away.  It was frustrating, not to mention excessively expensive.  But I lived with them until last week, mainly because I have had way too many other things to deal with to take time off to deal with this one.

A few months ago, I noticed I was having a lot more difficulty seeing.  It seemed the problem was mostly with my right eye.  I thought it was just my imagination at first, but it became more and more evident that there was a problem.  I finally figured my vision had changed and that I needed to get my eyes checked.  But there was NO WAY I was going back to the last place again.  So I did an internet search and decided to try a clinic that is about a mile away from my house and is still quite convenient.

It was evident immediately that this place was much more like what I had experienced with my original optometrist.  The exam was more thorough.  The optometrist seemed more competent.  I felt more comfortable because of it.  But I was a bit surprised to find that my vision hadn't really changed that much.  Certainly not enough to cause the problems seeing that I was experiencing. 

Luckily, I took my remaining contacts in to the exam with me.  I gave them to the optometrist so he would know what I had been wearing and told him how unhappy I was with the brand due to their poor quality control.  That's when he noticed that the lenses in the box for my right eye were marked with one prescription, while the box itself was marked with a totally different prescription.

You got it...and talk about non-existent quality control!  The box was marked with my correct prescription.  The lenses inside of the box were something else entirely.  They were totally different...obviously in the wrong box.  Suddenly, it made sense.  No wonder I couldn't see!

The good news, this optometrist doesn't sell that brand.  He likes Acuvue and another brand.  He had trial lenses in stock, so gave me a pair to wear home to see how they worked for me.  He changed my prescription slightly as well.  And I can see again!!!!  Not four months later.  Not even one month later.  Now.  Immediately.  Whew!  I think I found a new optometrist!!!!

Take my advice and learn from my experience...steer clear of Proclear contact lenses.  

April 26, 2009

Today is a special day.  This is Raynelle Colbert�s birthday and because she is a special person, I�m taking a moment to celebrate her!  Raynelle (for those of you who wonder) is a co-worker.  She is technically my assistant, but in reality, she is my teammate and friend.  The two of us together make up the human resources team where I work and I am so blessed to be able to work with this wonderful and exceptional individual.  She is truly one of the most extraordinary people I have every encountered...which is why I�m writing this and taking a moment to celebrate her on her day.

Raynelle is a warm, giving, caring person who instantly makes you feel welcomed�as if you were a long lost friend.  She is wise, witty, funny, fun, smart, full of depth and just generally wonderful!   She is a professional, but not a cold, distant type.  Her professionalism is born from confidence, competence, a good heart, a strong positive character and a genuineness that can�t be faked.  Her laugh is contagious.  She brings sunshine into the room when she arrives each morning.  You can count on her.  She conducts herself with integrity, honesty, respect, diligence, care.  She is truly remarkable in every way and I love her for who she is, just exactly the way she is.  She is a gem of incalculable value.

She could justifiably be an angry person, but she�s not.  Rather than let the world make her into something she is not and didn�t want to be, she has and continues to be who she is as she changes the world around her instead. She seems to look for � and find � the good in each person.  This is a person who makes the world a better place simply because she is in it.  She makes me a better person.  That�s the kind of individual she is.  I truly cannot adequately express the uniqueness of her gift and character.  All I can say is, she�s amazing!  She�s wonderful!  She�s incredible!  I�m so thankful that she is a part of my life.

So, Raynelle, this is to celebrate you�all that you have been, that you are and that you will yet become.  You are beautiful, both inside and out, from the depth of your soul to the tip of your toes!  I love you dearly and am full to overflowing with good wishes for you on your birthday.  I�m so glad you were born!!!  The world would be a darker place without you.  Thank you for being my friend.