An errand day

Today was the day to pick up my new glasses and get the frames fitted. I was probably more excited than I should have been, but it’s been a long boring stretch for the last eight months or so. It’s also been a long time since any of our flex spending account went to my needs.

I’ve got to say my driving glasses are wonderful. I’m one of those who needs tri-focals these days, but I don’t wear them. I used to have one pair with computer length focus and another for driving. Each one had a reading bifocal installed.

On my last go around, the doctor talked me into progressives for my work station. It took me forever to get used to them, and I was determined to go back to the old way. The doctor talked me into trying it again. Something about a new company with a wider field of view, etc.

To be honest, they do have a wider field of view, but I still hate them. I only took the risk because there was a guarantee that I could get different lenses if I didn’t like them. I hate them this time.

For some reason, letters are smaller to my vision and fuzzy. They also are trying to force me into a walleyed vision in order to see out of them. The biggest disappointment is in myself. I don’t know why I listen to people, but I try to accept the fact that technology marches on, there could be new things, all that jazz.

I’m writing this while wearing my old glasses. The ones I was supposed to be replacing. If this were my first go at progressives I’d give it more time, but it isn’t. Love my driving glasses, love these frames, but I hate the progressive lenses.

I spent some time working through my last batch of critiques. That was a chore with the new glasses and the reason I backed up to the old pair. No new words today, but I might manage some tomorrow.

Life takes precedence

I never even opened my manuscript today. Not one new word, or bit of editing. My wife and I were both off and decided to dedicate ourselves to other things, like each other.

The day started off with peach waffles.

Fresh from the backyard, these were awesome. There is a waffle in a baggie, and a few more spoonfuls of peaches in the refrigerator. I might do this again tomorrow.

It’s getting to where finding a good peach on the tree is a challenge. The birds are having a field day back there right now. There are probably about ten bushel baskets left on the tree. It grows enough for all of us, and I’m about finished with peaches for this year.

We had to get my wife’s car serviced today, so we spent an hour at the dealership. Service is free there, and free is important to us right now.

After that, we went to Old Chicago for pizza, and I had beer. There were a few stops on the way home to get Otto a new ball, and my wife some lemon cucumbers.

I pulled an odd stunt today. My out and about glasses are bifocals, and they darken in the sun. I elected to leave them home in favor of the progressives. All the material says you have to wear the progressives, or you’re never going to get used to them.

I would have liked to have the shades, but I’m determined to get used to these odd lenses. It’s working out really well. They have a distance correction, and that’s very clear. So far so good.

Drinking a couple of heavy dark beers, then heading out to 100 degree bright sunlight, was pretty strange. The peripheral vision on these things is dismal at best. Everything moves in an unreal fashion off to the sides. I may, or may not have said something to my wife about how her jelly was jiggling.

Honestly, I’m getting along well with the progressives, but there is a reason I have the other glasses too.

It’s looking like new fiction over the coming weekend is on thin ice. I only have two days this time, and we’re both off together. This story has no deadlines, so I’m not going to let it bother me.

Eye Exam

In the USA, I’m allowed to set money aside from my paycheck to cover medical expenses. The money is pre-tax, so there is about a 30% savings by doing it this way.

Every year, my wife and I pull a number out of thin air and create what’s called a Flex account for this purpose. My employer handles the rest for me. I never touch the money. I am given a card to use when paying for medical stuff.

The insurance through my employer is very good, but I use my Flex card to cover my portion. The year runs from July through June in my case, and most years we spend it all by October. This brief explanation is for my non-USA readers.

This means that it’s rarely my turn and I tend to skip things. I got some specific things checked that everyone is supposed to get at fifty. I got mine at fifty-three to give you an example.

This year we had money left, and I’d been griping about my eyes. We decided to get me an appointment, and that I could spend freely. The reason is when Flex money is left over, the government gets to keep it. No arguments, the ability to budget is my sole responsibility. This causes us to be careful how much we put in the Flex account, and we try to put slightly less than what we need in there.

Turns out, I haven’t had an eye appointment since 2012. That was the year I learned about tri-focals and refused to get them. I’m on the computer so much that a sliver of correction isn’t good enough. I chose to get two sets of glasses; one for regular use, and one for computer use. Each pair of glasses is bifocal with a reading chip in them.

Turns out things are worse. Not a big surprise, since I was complaining about my eyes. All three corrections are going up, with my reading and computer vision correcting +2. I am kind of excited, because the testing machine clarity was so much better.

With Flex money to burn, I decided to get two new pair of frames too. I currently have a squarish pair for regular use, and an oval pair for workstation use. I hoped to do this again, but that isn’t the case.

Turns out ovals are out of style. It’s just nice to be able to know which pair is which, even by touch. I really like my tiny glasses, but it looks like the new ones will be bigger too. I like more of what I call a cowboy style; wire frames, small, etc. I got as far as wire frames.

I really freaked them out when I asked for glass lenses. Turns out they are not en Vogue either. I’m rough on glasses and plastic lenses would get all scratched up in no time. As such, it’s going to take about four weeks to get my new glasses.

I asked about Lasik, and learned that I am a poor candidate for the surgery.

Who knows, maybe my new glasses will cut down on eye strain. I might be able to write longer without feeling like someone is shoving hot bamboo splinters into my eyes. Maybe I’ll even spot the occasional typo that slips through.

Do any of you skip medical maintenance issues? Do you take a back seat to the rest of your family? Is anyone able to be an author with tri-focals? Do I have to change my Moai banner when the new frames arrive?

The Idea Mill # 5

For newer readers, I save articles I find in a folder. These are articles that make me scratch my head and think about the fiction I write. When I have enough, I post another idea mill article. Let’s all speculate, shall we.

The first one is based on the eyesight of the mantis shrimp. This is a beautiful, but strange ocean creature with no real value to humans, beyond the esthetic. This story shows why the world’s odd creatures should be protected, and what might be lost when a species goes extinct.

It seems the mantis shrimp sees the world a bit differently than humans. It has to do with the way his eyes interpret polarizing light. Using this special skill, the mantis shrimp is capable of seeing human cancers. Cool, but how useful is that?

Scientists have built a camera that replicates shrimp vision. Rather than create another $10,000 procedure for insurance to pay, they seem to think it can become a smart phone app. This restores my faith in humanity, to a degree. Part of the article said shrimpie sees neurons. Since I’m a speculative fiction writer, this trips my trigger.

What about an app that goes down the police state path. Check someone out with your camera, and know whether they are a child abuser, rapist, or terrorist. Can you imagine picking your girl up for a date, and having to pass muster for her father under these circumstances? What if dating became more like qualifying for a loan. “Sorry bud, you have a predisposition for osteoporosis. I can’t inflict that on my future children.”

Read about the mantis shrimp here.

Our next story is something that could add some spice to a science fiction story. In fact, I may redesign this and include it in my current manuscript. Someone has designed, and built, a tiny camera drone. This one can snap around your wrist, like a bracelet. Read the article here, then we’ll speculate.

The design seems to indicate availability to the general public. What might happen if a pervert gets one of these? What if they start clusters of these on a pattern through our malls, schools, and airports? Maybe your amateur girl detective needs one of these to get herself into trouble. Could these cruise our workplaces and watch over our shoulders at every move we make? Maybe your bad guys want these locked in a safety deposit box, only to deploy after closing time. What would you write about these?

Next, it seems the U.S. Navy has built, and is about to deploy, a rail gun. This gun fires a projectile at seven times the speed of sound using an electro magnetic pulse. It has a considerable range and appears to be capable of pinpoint accuracy. This will allow replacement of million dollar missiles with $25,000 projectiles. Good news or bad news depends upon which end of the gun you happen to be on. Read the article here.

I recall a failed attempt to build a space gun. I may have posted this article in a previous Idea Mill. The U.S. tried for years to build a gun capable of launching items into orbit. The original is scrapped and rusting somewhere. The rail gun might see this become reality. What if we could launch a satellite for $25,000? Even a relatively small business could have a satellite in space. Could this mark the end of the cellular network? Would we all get satellite phones? What would this do to the Internet?

What if organized crime had its own satellite network? Would there be multiple internets forcing us to subscribe to several, like cable TV?

I have one of my Macabre Macaroni stories coming soon that references a space gun, only mine is a mortar.

The last one today is about Ebola. This one includes charts to show just how fast this disease spreads. Read about it here.

Ebola could become the Black Death of our era. Others have written about this, but if you write about a zombie virus or any kind of dystopian settings, you really ought to be watching this unfold. How is the world reacting and responding? Is anyone making money here? Does anyone want it to spread? Are the terrorists watching? Are we watching celebrities as the world crumbles?

PS: I changed my background early. I’m off to Coeur d’Alene for a week, and wanted access to my Mac for this.

Speculate with me people, what would you write?