Down For Maintenance...Not My Computer, Me!

When someone first starts writing a blog, they come to it with enthusiasm [or, at least, let's hope so. Whether the goal is money or notoriety (there aren't that many
famous bloggers), it's easy to be "up" for regular posting]. Soon, though, reality sets in. Lots of EC drops, but almost never a comment. I'm okay with that, though. After all, I'm not the most active commenter out there. Still, I try. I make an effort to add something new here at least once a week [it's much cheaper than psychotherapy, and I can pretend I'm creative].

For the next two weeks, though, I may be away completely. Why? Well, it's my turn for maintenance. I've mentioned here a time or two that I'm diabetic [more insights on the subject here]. In case you're not aware, diabetes plays all kinds of havoc with its sufferers' bodies. One area that usually takes a beating are the eyes. In my case, the problem is cataracts. They're not at the "I can't see anything" stage, but my opthamologist thinks it's a good time to have them out.

I have to confess I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. I probably shouldn't be. After all, this same doctor took care of TheWomanILove's cataracts, a couple of years ago, and she's done quite well since her surgeries. And I seem to remember reading somewhere that cataract surgery dates back to ancient Rome, making it one of the older regularly-practiced procedures. There's even a bonus up-side for me. My eye doctor seems to think that, by implanting a plastic lens in each eye after removing the cataracts [think permanent contact lenses], I might not need glasses for my near-sightedness. What is nearsightedness? To explain, please welcome a special guest: (Jinkies, that Velma is hot! Daphne's got nothin' on her...)

Still, it's a moment of mixed emotions. I've worn glasses since I was about seven, more than 40 years! The only photo I have of myself without glasses is, well, revealing in other areas [hey, I was in college...]. The pleasure most people feel when the air hits their exposed face seems, well, freakish to me. Besides, for various reasons, they can only do one eye at a time. So, for a week, I'll be looking out through one surgically-improved eye, and one that is still very nearsighted. Talk about an odd view of the world!

Complicating all this is the fact that, in-between the two eye surgeries, I'm going in for my first colonoscopy. I could throw in a link to a medically sensible explanation of the procedure, but just think: camera sliding around up your ass, and I think you'll have a better sense of the whole thing than medical science can give you.

In summary, then: I'll try to get back here as soon as I can. But if there's nothing new here for a couple of weeks, I think you'll understand.

-Mike Riley