See what I'm saying?

When we last saw our hero (that's me) he was on the hunt for the mysterious classic Wonderbread. Having uncovered the secret location of such loaves, he has now on a quest, a journey to...the eye doctor!

Aight check it. I am 34 years old and have never had any eye problems. Sadly, like more lower middle class americans with little or no insurance I had adopted the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mentality about medical care for my eyes. Don't get me wrong, I have seen doctors and they look into my eyes. Since they never saw anything of major concern I didn't worry about it. Case in point, after my exam with all the fancy equipment, the optometrist came to the same deduction as my general physician did by having me take 20 steps away from the eye chart and cover my eye and read the chart on the wall, but I am getting ahead.

Okay, so the Optomotrist ran the battery of tests as they do, including the dialation. Dialation (sigh) I cannot remember the last time I voluntarily put anything in my eye, so that was a little bit of a scuffle. So he said my vision is perfect in my left eye (which is called a "plain-o" lense), and 20/30 on my right, so I'm not in dire need right now, but an ounce of prevention...

So now I'm half blind due to the dialation and he says "take a seat in the lobby." The lobby walls are lined with shiny eyeglass lenses so naturally you are inclined to look around, well the best I can in my current state. Prada, JLo, Nautica, Calvin Klein, Burberry, Vera Wang and on and on. Some of the prices, well most of them were just ridiculous. $700 for a pair of frames? Not even including the lense...you know the reason why you get glasses. Not gold, platinum or any material of special value, just the design. How vain. Well then again, if you got it like that. I clearly don't. The frames I liked were "silhouettes" and they were $209. My insurance only covered $100, so I thought I'd shop around and I did. I had picked up a copy of the electronics issue of Consumer Reports yesterday (because I plan on getting a plasma tv very soon) and it happened to also review eyeglass providers. At the top of the list was Costco, and I just happened to join thanks to this fiiine dark skinned sister I met at my realtor's office.

So browsing though Costco's selection. I saw 2 pair of frames that were both less than $100. In fact they had most of the same names that the doctor had, but they were a fraction of the price. For instance, the most expensive burberry frames I saw were like $149, but most were $59-$99. I actually got a pair of Boo-Berry's (or is that burburry...anyway) thats whats in the picture. Something I would have never thought to see was CONVERSE, yeah the shoe guys, and Izod - the shirt guys. So Costo was cheaper with no insurance. Go figure.

So whats the plan-o? Get the lense from the doctor with my insurance for free, and get the frames from Costco and save-o mucho dinero.

If it aint broke, don't call me a White Bread Fan

See! This is exactly why they make blogs.

For several months - I didn't even realize it had been so long - I had been looking (but not finding) Wonder sandwich bread, the regular kind. As of late all I had seen was that "white bread fans" and that "whole grain white" madness, oh and the enriched kid's concoction, enriched with Iron and calcium. Now, if I'm a "white bread fan", wouldn't I want white bread instead of some yucky subsitute? Maybe they should call it "white bread fans that want something else" or "not for white bread fans."

What in the world happened to plain old WONDER SANDWICH bread? Every time somebody gets a "great new idea" why do those clowns always think they should REPLACE the product that everybody loves and with a new version? I can't even make a decent sandwich now because some idiot in Wonder Research & Development said "Brilliant! Let's do it!"

But then it reminds me of what Coca-Cola did when they came out with that new version. At first they replaced the old flavor, and then after people compained, they brought the original back, calling it "classic." So today I was a little more deternmined than others. Kroger, ain't got it. Harris Teeter, ain't got it. Food Lion...BING BING BING! Food Lion has a "classic sandwich" rendition of Wonder bread. Kinda wierd that the "upscale" stores didn't have it, but the more "urban" location had all three.

I would discuss this further, but ummmm, I gotta make a samich cuz. Peace!

Technology for better or worse

I was in class today and we were talking about how education has/changing with reference to the technology available. She said there were 3 distinct generations interacting and the differences that can be obstacles or ways to interact better.

Baby Boomers - Born in the 40's-60's, grew up during the civil rights movement and segregation, color tv had pretty much phased out radio and b/w tv as the primary means of entertainment. Used record players and the 32 *i think) mm film projectors...the ones with 2 reels. 8 track tape players were in cars.

Generation X'ers - born in the late 60's-80's. Microwave ovens reached mass appeal, cable tv, VCRs and personal computers were for rich people. Walmart was just getting started. Cassette tapes had pretty much replaced 8 tracks and cds were just starting to replace vinyl records. The ATM was starting to appear a many major banks.

Millennials - born in the late 80's-2000. This generation has always had all the things everyone else learned to love, not to mention the internet, cell phones and DVDs. Few have ever heard of an 8-track or has seen a vinyl record. Personal computers are available for public use and in schools. Wireless internet access is available at most coffeehouses and hotels.

Among other things we talked about was the ways these technologies made today's kids better, and also worse. 2 things that we all agreed made todays kids worse off was penmanship-from always typing on a computer and learning how to cook-without a microwave. When grew up (gen x) the microwave was neat because it allowed me to cook some things FASTER, because I used it in addition to cooking on the stove or oven. Nowadays the microwave replaces the stove, and if there is nothing to microwave, call dominos. Not good.

Another way that technology was actually bad was that communities are actually getting smaller with each generaton. Ask any baby boomer and they will tell you about their large families and/or large circles of friends they had growing up and even now. As the generations progressed, those communities and families got smaller whether that was due to economics or social climate, people just dont talk the way they used to. One person said blame that on the drugs (prozac, zoloft, etc.) not the technology. But all this stuff does make you wonder, with all this technology are we better or worse off? Even scarier, if the proverbial lights go out, how long before we become cavemen....again?

10 things I've done since my last blog

Okay, in my attempt to blog at least once a month, this time I actually have been doing alot worthy of telling

1. Drove to Jacksonville, Florida
I went with some members of my church for a conference. It was nice, didn't have time to go to the beach though. We had a great time and it was the first road trip in the Acura in a lonnng time. On the way back we all stopped at The Outback, first time I've eaten there in a long time too. Usually I'll get a blooming onion to go.

2. Shopping (1)
I got tired of my wardrobe and a bunch of other things I've had for much longer than I should have, even though they were for the most part in perfect working condition. Mostly clothes, back in the 90's when I was in Maryland, I had gotten used to business casual al the time, because of the nature of my on-call, government contracts. After I came back to NC, the first job I had was real lax (computer software programming) and we could wear pretty much anything. Then when I got the trach, I had to wear what was comfortable. Anyway, I am now at the point where I'm coming back full swing into my biz casual style of dress.

3. Gained 5 lbs.
Yes, I'm a little on the skinny side, and I've been trying to gain a few lbs, then get the procedure done to finally get this friggin trach out after 4 long, frustrating years.

4. Purchased insurance
I had been procrastinating about getting insurance, since being self employed makes it very expensive, but now I'm by myself I can budget better - not to mention I have more $$$ to budget with, so I got a full insurance policy-and by full I mean the kind where you go to a doctor just because you can - ER/urgent care, dental, medical, eye, fertility, mental health, alternative, etc. I got it all just in case anything breaks, I am now under warranty. :-) Besides it will pay for what I mentioned in #3.

5. Kudos
Among the projects in my contract, I designed 1 35" x 60" bulletin board at my alma mater. It is 1 of 3, and everybody complimented me on it, from the Chancellor's office on down. It's good to know I still got it.

6. Toys
I got a VCR/DVD recorder combo and it is very very nice. In the very least, it saves space, but being able to record stuff off the tivo onto a dvd is great, because I don't lose the picture quality as when i record to VCR...AND, with a DVD-RW I can erase them if I want. Okay, kinda geeky, but if you are not technically challenged you will like the convenience of having something like this. Another reason I got it is b/c my church's broadcast is on DVD at one station, and VHS at another. Now I can make both formats.

7. Flew to Ft. Worth, Texas
I've been to Chicago and Omaha, Nebraska before, but Ft. Worth is the farthest west i've been. I went for a conference where I presented a paper on Visual Literacy (www.ivla.org) While I was there, we stayed at the same hotel JFK stayed in before he went out and was assassinated. We also went to "the stockyard" where from what I understand, they sold cattle like brokers sell stocks on Wall Street today. It was a very pretty city, and the people were very very nice. Not the dumb/redneck stereotype that Jeff Foxworthy does. There were alot of middleeastern cabbies though, I thought that was...different. One thing that did stand out was, that weekend was the Texas State and Oklahoma football game. This is the big to do there. The equivalent of the ACC on the east coast or hockey in Canada or soccer in Italy. I mean they let (grade school) out for the day. (some) Businesses shut down...and the highway...fuggetaboutit. Wasn't "Friday Night Lights" with Billy Bob Thornton in Texas? Yeah, like that. I did meet this wonderful couple from St. Lucia, Ian and Luann. They were both educators and schooled me on their creole culture and social issues. Deep brother and sister. Said I could come visit whenever I wanted. I was like Li'l John....YYYYYEEEEEEEAHH!

8. Raised the Dead...twice
In the past month i've not one, but two friends' hard drives to crash and (potentially) lose all their data. One was a laptop, the other a desktop. I was able to get their data off the dead drives. Whew, you talk about happy happy joy joy?

9. Shopping, part deux!
This time I was in the kitchen. Dishes, cutlery, cookware, flatware. Old/ex stuff gotta go. I only got the everyday and small stuff though. I saw some great things at macy's to go in an armoire (cause aint nobody s'pposed to touch it) but I'm going to wait until I actually move to get that stuff. Move? Yes move. Keep Reading...

10. Negotiating my house!
YAY, I am finally able to move into a house. I had found 4 I liked, 3 owned by one guy, and the 4th someone else. Well, trying to get financed 2 got sold, and then me and the realtor couldn't see eye to eye. I saw the house and contacted the builder (since it was new) and started to work a deal with the builder. Well in his bad judgement he called his realtor. Realtors always want their commissions, that is after all why they do what they do. Anyway, once builder guy called the realtor, the price he and I negotiated is out the window. Why? Realtor comissions...so scratch that plan. Now on the last of the four, we are meeting next week to sign the papers and finalize the terms, then well, you know...praisin' time!

Honorable mention...
I met Dana Dane, yeah the rapper. That accent is a trip, but it's not as pronounced as I remember from back in the day. I didn't know he had a clothing store. He came to NCCU to speak about Hip Hop.