Today is my nephew David’s birthday. He is 23 years old today.
I remember when he was born, and his little cone head, and my proud brother, Michael, carrying his son and showing him off.
I have a son now, and I can totally relate to that experience. And I can also tell you that my nephew means a great deal to me. He and I have a storied past, but my life would not have been as rich as it was had it not been for my nephew.
So, I say with as much heart as I can, I love you Dave. And happy birthday.
I have very good vision now (more on that later)…
Yesterday morning I woke up with roughly 20/200 (left) and 20/400 (right) vision. I got out of bed, put my glasses on, went to the bathroom, took my glasses off, took my shower, put my glasses back on, went to work and basically experienced the bulk of the day like I have been since I was 10 years old.
I left work a little earlier than normal yesterday to go to an eye appointment. My appointment was at 3:45. My surgery was scheduled for 5:00. I went under the laser at about 5:10, came out at about 5:15 and could see dramatically better than before.
Now for the details
When I walked out of the surgery room I was checked by an ophthalmologist and given the green light on my condition. I was given packet of stuff (eye drops, sun glasses, a sleeping shield, etc) and was told that if I could it would be best if I went home and took a nap for the next four to five hours. I was told that I would experience some burning, itching, irritation and what not in my eyes over the next few hours, but it should subside after about 5 hours. I was told that that following day I should be ok with very little irritation in either eye.
I was also told that I would be sensitive to light for a little while and that my vision would be a little blurry for a little while (a few days to a few weeks).
Well, let me tell you, everything I was told was true with the exception of one thing… the first four hours. After my surgery we had two small errands to run that were on the way home. The anesthetic that was put in my eye for surgery wore off about three minutes after we got in the car, and my eyes started to burn like hell had taken a vacation under my eyelids. Then the feeling quickly turned to a feeling of molten glass pellets laden with boiling acid being ground into my eyes. The pain was utterly uncomfortable. I wouldn’t call it excruciating, but it is pretty dang close.
So I came home, went to bed and slept until about 9:30 waking up once and adding artificial tears when I did. At about 9:30, when I woke up, I noticed that the burning feeling had went away for the most part. I was, however, unusually sensitive to light. I actually had to turn my lights in the house off and wear my sunglasses for about fifteen minutes as my eyes adapted to being open. But soon after that I was able to take the sunglasses off. About an hour and a half later I was able to have my eyes open for a longer while with the lights on and without my sunglasses. Every now and again I would have to suddenly close my eyes because of a reaction to light, but for the most part, I was able to see and see well.
I woke up this morning for my follow up appointment and I was utterly amazed. I can see clearer than ever before with more detail than ever before. And I have a slight blur still from the surgery!
I went to the follow up and found out that I am no 20/15. Yes, that is right, I have better than perfect vision. I am so beyond stoked, I cannot put it into words. If you have ever considered getting laser vision correction surgery, stop thinking about it and get it done. Now.
My only suggestion to you is, immediately as possible after the procedure, go to sleep and stay asleep for about five hours. If you can do that, you will be golden. And about 12 hours later you will be able to see perfectly without any need for glasses at all.
THIS IS A FREAKING MIRACLE AND I SUGGEST IT TO ANYONE. And if you are going to use a doctor that you choose (which I recommend you do) and you live in or near the bay area, visit Dr. Scott Hyver. He is awesome.
Happy birthday to you!
Yes, it is my son’s second birthday. Two years old. Man, it seems like just yesterday he was born. And now he’s two. And singing. Happy birthday to you. All day long.
Man, when is the next birthday?!?!?! 
I love you AJ.
Somehow, some way, my wife put a little bug in my ear that I should have laser vision correction. For some strange reason I let her.
We have just gone done taking care of possible the worst financial mess we have ever been in. Yes, it hurt a little, and yes, we had to make some drastic maneuvers to make everything work out well. But my wife made sure that, in the midst of all the calamity and chaos that there was enough money left over from our maneuvering to allow me to get my eyes done by one of the foremost laser vision correction surgeons in the Bay Area (possible the state of California).
So today is my day. I go in at 3:45 for another exam just prior to the surgery. I am expecting to be in the laser chair some time around 5:00 PM. I am expecting to walk out of the office with perfect vision some time around 5:15 PM. And I am so fricking nervous/excited/anxious that I can hardly keep my mind focused on what else is going on today.
I have wanted this for so long. I have been talking about it for years. Finally, because of the generosity of my wife and the love she has for me, I can go get it. And feel good about doing it. Yes, it does cost a bit to have the procedure. But she’s right…
I rarely spoil myself. And I do deserve this.
Anyway, I have some more anxiety to produce. But I can say with some degree of expected certainty, that I will see you tomorrow. Without my glasses. 
The call was excited, frantic and a little winded. In fact, I had just talked to my wife not two minutes before this call, so it is no wonder I was taken aback by an excited call like this.
“You daughter has something to tell you.” said my wife in a solid, stern voice. “What could it be?”, I thought. Did she accidentally flush my computer down the toilet? Perhaps she microwaved the neighbor’s cat again. Or worse, she decided she was leaving the house to become the next Brittany Spears! Oh the horror and agony waiting for my daughter to get on the phone and tell me what she had to tell me.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, baby.”
“I KNOW HOW TO RIDE A BIKE. I CAN RIDE ALL THE WAY DOWN THE COURT AND I CAN TURN AND I CAN STOP!”
“Now that is the most awesomest news there could be today.” I exclaimed, patting my 6 year old daughter Adriannah on the back through the phone as best I could.
And indeed it was some pretty awesome news. After all, how many times does your six your old daughter learn to ride a bike? And what’s more, how many times do they think to call daddy straight away to tell him the good news?
I love my kids, and I am so happy I am a dad.
Warning: If you are from any of the states listed below, and reading this makes you want to shoot me with a loaded porcupine, please read yesterday’s post again in lieu of this one. Thanks.
Alabama: Heck Yes, We Have Electricity
Alaska: 11,623 Eskimos Can’t Be Wrong!
Arizona: But It’s A Dry Heat
Arkansas: Literacy Ain’t Everything
California: By 30, Our Women Have More Plastic Than Your Honda
Colorado: If You Don’t Ski, Don’t Bother
Connecticut: Like Massachusetts, Only The Kennedy’s Don’t Own It Yet
Delaware: We Really Do Like The Chemicals In Our Water
Florida: Ask Us About Our Grandkids
Georgia: We Put The “Fun” In Fundamentalist Extremism
Hawaii: Haka Tiki Mou Sha’ami Leeki Toru (Death To Mainland Scum, Leave Your Money)
Idaho: More Than Just Potatoes … Well Okay, We’re Not, But The Potatoes Are Real Good
Illinois: Please Don’t Pronounce the “S”
Indiana: 2 Billion Years Tidal Wave Free
Iowa: We Do Amazing Things With Corn
Kansas: First Of The Rectangle States
Kentucky: Five Million People; Fifteen Last Names
Louisiana: We’re Not ALL Drunken Cajun Wackos, But That’s Our Tourism Campaign
Maine: We’re Really Cold, But We Have Cheap Lobster
Maryland: If You Can Dream It, We Can Tax It
Massachusetts: Our Taxes Are Lower Than Sweden’s (For Most Tax Brackets)
Michigan: First Line Of Defense From The Canadians
Minnesota: 10,000 Lakes… And 10,000,000,000,000 Mosquitoes
Mississippi: Come And Feel Better About Your Own State
Missouri: Your Federal Flood Relief Tax Dollars At Work
Montana: Land Of The Big Sky, The Unabomber, Right-wing Crazies, and Little Else
Nebraska: Ask About Our State Motto Contest
Nevada: Prostitutes and Poker!
New Hampshire: Go Away And Leave Us Alone
New Jersey: You Want A ##$%##! Motto? I Got Yer ##$%##! Motto Right Here!
New Mexico: Lizards Make Excellent Pets
New York: You Have The Right To Remain Silent; You Have The Right To an Attorney
North Carolina: Tobacco Is A Vegetable
North Dakota: We Really Are One Of The 50 States!
Ohio: At Least We’re Not Michigan
Oklahoma: Like The Play, Only No Singing
Oregon: Spotted Owl… It’s What’s For Dinner…
Pennsylvania: Cook With Coal
Rhode Island: We’re Not REALLY An Island
South Carolina: Remember The Civil War? We Didn’t Actually Surrender
South Dakota: Closer Than North Dakota
Tennessee: The Educashun State
Texas: Si’ Hablo Ing’les (Yes, I Speak English)
Utah: Our Jesus Is Better Than Your Jesus
Vermont: Yep
Virginia: Who Says Government Stiffs And Slack jaw Yokels Don’t Mix?
Washington: Help! Nerds And Slackers Overrun Us!
Washington, D.C.: Wanna Be Mayor?
West Virginia: One Big Happy Family… Really!
Wisconsin: Come Cut The Cheese
Wyoming: Where Men Are Men … and The Sheep Are Scared
So I went to the doctor and the doctor said…
“Congratulations Mr. Gonzalez, I can surgerize your eyes without worry of permanent disfigurement because you are a text book candidate for WaveFront LASIK”. SWEET!
So this Friday I am going to be plunking down a wad of cash and asking someone to slice my cornea, flop it back and use a laser to remove tissue from my eye. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?
Of course, by Saturday I will be able to see without corrective lenses, which means more mobility, flexibility and play time with the kids. Now that sounds delicious.
See you this weekend. And a whole lot better than I would if it were today.
PS A big thanks in advance for Dr. Scott Hyver for making my vision better without screwing me up forever. Pray for him, and me, this Friday. Thanks.
So I am wanting to work on a new theme for a site that I have yet to unveil. And it is becoming increasingly harder to get what I want without knowing what I need to achieve what I want to achieve.
But, since Google knows everything there is to know about everything, I decided I’d ask him. And he gave me a bunch of answers. But few of the answers he gave me were worth anything. So I asked a different questions a couple of different times, and he gave me more answers. Then he gave me this answer:
CSS Play - Menus
So I thanked Google and moved on to CSS Play. And thank God I did, because I have learned a ton in the last few hours. I cannot wait to get this into practice.
If I have not mentioned it yet, I hate cleaning backyards, garages, bedrooms and everything else that, over time, gets funknasty and overladen with crap.
Of course, with a family the size of mine, it is very easy for this to happen. It is even easier when I can talk my way out of doing anything by asking my wife if she wants to go to the store or something 
. But eventually, things need to get done. And this weekend was a time to get things done.
After taking a break from cleaning the side of the house yesterday to go and buy a new living room furniture set, I had to get back to the daunting task of getting about nine months worth of uncrushed cardboard boxes broken down and prepared for hauling. That sucked.
After about three hours of that (and after only getting through what seemed to be about 3.65% of the trash on the side of the house) I decided that the rest would be done next weekend and that I would retire to prepare myself for my wife’s birthday dinner.
Yes, we are still celebrating her birthday. But that is okay, because of cleaning yard and stuff tonight, I get to stuff my face full of great big food from Claim Jumper Restaurant. So that makes it better. Even better still…
We get to go to the in-laws place after dinner for some Chocolate Decadence cake. Mmmmmm, I can feel the chocolate already…
I think I am going to do something spoilish for my wife today. She doesn’t know it yet, but I do. 
My wife has wanted something for a very long time now, and I personally think it is high time she got what she wanted. Yes, their have been the vacations, and the dates, and the Christmases, and the other spoilings. But this one, well, I really want her to have this.
No, I am not going to spoil the surprise for her by telling you what it is. But I will say this, she is going to love it.