All's Well that Ends Well

I have had my last eye exam since both cataracts have been removed. The good news is that with glasses I can see 20/20; the bad news is I still need glasses. It is more than a disappointment for me and it will take a while for me to accept it. I really thought I would be glasses free. ok, moving on.

I tried going to eyebuydirect.com again, but I had a little trouble with the size of the lens I got last time and one of the pair had such long temple arms that they could not be adjusted for me. So I thought I would call them and get it closer to right this time. All the lines are busy, leave your name and message and your call will be returned in the order it was received. Ok I did that....I still have not heard from them, hours later.

Then I thought I had it all figured out, so decided to order on line...the very best I could do with express delivery is ten business days. Well, I need them sooner than that. So on to plan B; try the local eye mart that opened here in the last year.

What I thought was going to be a $50 or pair of glasses costs $141. and NO you can't have them in an hour. Maybe by noon tomorrow. Good enough, I want them in the next couple of days, so this works.

I was a little sad when I left the store and it is all cold and drizzly out...and then it hit me! Someone told me there is a REALLY GOOD sandwich shop right here in this little strip mall. I went investigating and sure enough, there it was.

I walked in, not expecting much, even though the name of the place is Jason's Deli. Well, excuse me, I am from the New York area and you just don't use the name Deli unless you 'got' pastrami and maybe a little corned beef. So here we are on the verge of 6 inches of snow (that is a LOT for here) and the place is almost empty. But I pressed on, I see a take out menu so I decided to review it before I actually got into the place. Hum, all the usual bland stuff roast beef, turkey, chicken salad, tuna salad but nothing there is catching my eye. Then I saw it, in it's own little section of the menu Pastrami and next, Corned Beef. OK, I'm in Let's give this a try.

I decided that it would be best if I took this home instead of running the risk of getting sleeted in, so I went to the take-out section and ordered: Pastrami on rye with mustard...walkin'. He understood it all, but HAD to ask if I wanted it on toast...no. Very quickly the wrapped sandwich appeared on a tray and then it along with a pickle and bag of chips were packaged and handed over. I was enjoying the aroma all the way home and as soon as I got my coat off, unwrapped that puppy and took a look at what an Arkansas Deli calls a pastrami sandwich...



Oh my gosh!!! for a minute I thought I was back in New Jersey at a local Jewish Deli. Oh, I couldn't help myself; I took a big bite and savored all the flavors. Man that was a good sandwich. And if you don't think for a minute it took all my will power not to gobble the whole thing down before I got a picture, well, you are mistaken.

So, I find out this is a central-southern chain...if you find yourself in the south near a Jason's Deli, go there, I doubt that you will be disappointed.
This one is located at:
745 E Joyce Boulevard, Fayetteville, Arkansas

They deliver as well. Just in case you wanted to know. Call them at 479-442-5500.

New Position

I have recently been appointed as Treasurer of a local non profit organization. This is not a first for me. It seems as soon as you let people know that you have an accounting background an organization will sniff you out, ply you with compliments and before you know it....WHAM...you are knee deep in debits and credits. It's OK. I actually like doing it.

I have been away from this sort of thing for a few years and I was pleased to receive not only the responsibility but some great software! In my absence from the accounting world, Quickbooks has developed a downright usable piece of software for non profits. The detail requirements far exceed anything you may see in regular accounting. This software makes it, I dare say, EASY!

They have a series of videos that introduce the modules and after spending a mere 30 minutes or so, I am right back on top of things.

So here I am, feeling good....doing good!

Ideas...Where do they Come From?

Here is an interesting partial summary of a book that I just finished reading. I really love just watching the art work come together, but listen to the message and maybe go read the book. Get those good ideas percolating!

The Other Eye

I got the other eye done on January 4th. So now I have all the cataracts removed and am on the way to recovery. It seems that I know lots of folks, who know lots of folks who had this done. They all said "it's nothing, really." So I was expecting it to be, well, nothing.

The vision is no where near what I expected it to be. I suppose those folks who had it done, live with someone who can drive them around and that certainly makes it more like nothing. Since I do all my own driving, it has been a bit more than a challenge. Don't get me wrong, I can see really good for about three feet or so. But I cannot read the titles of the programs on TV from my chair...I would need to get up and stand closer and read it. That is not a problem for me. It is a problem when I am trying to drive and a pedestrian appears to be a blurry mass that could be a tree or a trash can or a person. So I have been driving only when necessary and only during the off hours of the day. I am happy to report no mishaps.


So if you want my opinion, this surgery is more than nothing. You really don't see well for better than a month. If you need to drive every day, that is a problem. I am delighted that I can read without glasses for the first time in a very long time! Weird, huh?

I will be very happy to get my distance vision back again too. It has gotten better. During the day I can see pretty well; it is just at night that things get eerie.

So for now I am becoming a becoming a bookworm. The library is furnishing me with lots of the latest titles every other week.

Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson is pretty good and interesting on how the brain connects to various ideas and presents unique solutions in the process.

I just finished The World According to Monsanto...THAT is a scary book! The stuff that happens to our food, soil and air is very sad.

Part of this reading marathon was also The Secret Gift by Ted Gup a fabulous true story of a man who chose an odd way to help folks during the depths of the depression.

Next up: Let's take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell and

The Wave by Susan Casey about rogue waves in the ocean; I probably selected this because for a long time I had dreams about REALLY huge waves with varying conclusions. I haven't had one of those in quiet a few years now, so the book may fill that gap.

Well...Duh!

Some of you may recall that I bought a heated bird bath recently, then after resolving minor problems with a timer/extension cord was successful in having it work by providing my local birds with drinkable water in the dead of winter. Not only that...I was able to enjoy seeing them eat and drink just outside my dining room window. It was a win/win endeavor!

Then trouble.

Out of the blue it stopped working. Of course I had to check everything about it before I was willing to give up. I checked the plug under the tray and in so doing spilled the water from the tray all over my sneaker. Then I followed the extension cord back to the outdoor receptacle and then I tinkered with the receptacle. A vague memory of prior troubles with the receptacle danced through my brain (but not enough to provide the past solution)as I was formulating my attack plan. I plugged in my boom-box and turned it on, but nothing happened. Ah, Ha..the receptacle is fried.

I went on line and discovered how easy it is to replace it and got a new one from Lowes and followed the installation instructions to the letter. Electricity really scares me. I couldn't find the breaker for the porch outlet, so I cut the juice to the entire house. Anything to continue living! It didn't take long before I was replacing the faceplate and plugging in the boom-box again.

With a feeling of complete satisfaction, I turned it on. Nothing.

OK, I see I have reached my limit when it comes to electricity. I called in an electrician. Like every other tradesman that I have met here in Arkansas, he was patient, knowledgeable, polite relaxed and friendly. He rang the doorbell and before I could answer it, he was tightening the button so it wouldn't wiggle anymore (I have been trying to fix that since I moved here!)

OK the inspection didn't take long. The solution came in the form of a question: Where is your GFI. Hummnnn, gfi? I seem to remember something about those but where are they? The bathroom? He said yes, you probably do have one there, but there should be others. Now, my brain is hurting. I saw labels in the breaker box with GFI on them. He said no not that.

I went to the garage as if I knew what I was doing and scanned the walls. It all came back to me...yes, there is this one outlet with a reset button and now I see it has a little red light that is all aglow. I reset the button and like magic all was right with the world.

We stood on the porch happy to have the problem solved and discussed gardening. After several minutes I thanked him for his help and asked how much; you can't stay in business by solving these problems for people for free! He was hesitant and charged me very little.

As we were leaving I asked if he could install canned lighting in my living room ceiling. (This is something I have been trying to get done for a while, I got a price earlier this year but the guy never called me back). He looked and said sure. He calculated the total cost mentally while listing all the material that he would need. He said he could do it next week. I am so looking forward to this!

If I didn't have that little brain-fog about the GFI, I never would have gotten the lighting done in the living room.