Brain dump pt 2.1 - See Spot Hide

Back to the eye doc today for non-dilation testing: The Octopus. I've faced this beast a bunch, but it's usually just the blinky-light portion. Today I got the blinky-lights, plus the Space Invaders Centipede as well.

The good news is that things look pretty good, especially when compared to 10 years ago when things went sideways for a while.

The not so good news is that there's still some vision loss in the lower/inner quadrant of my right eye, but nothing like before. So what the tests show don't match up with what I'm describing. Spot is at roughly the 10 o'clock position in my right eye, not the 7 or 8 o'clock position.

Because these tests thus far are negative, I'll be back in 4-6 weeks for another round, and then we'll see if an MRI is necessary. No, I'm not pushing for it now, because 2024's deductible is a LOT lower.

in other vision news, my glasses are not ready. Doubt I'll see them before the new year even though I was promised two weeks. It also involved three phone calls because the lady couldn't find me in the system. i'm curious how my vision will be with progressives that have the bifocal starting at the proper spot rather than ridiculously low.

Brain dump pt 4.1 - getting to Atlanta

The first leg of the Atlanta trip - Home to Rocky Top, TN, could've been worse, but I could've planned it so much better. Hitting greater Cincinnati at 5pm was not ideal, as was forgetting how early the sun sets this time of year. Took too long to get over the bridge into KY, and then once in KY, I had no idea how far I'd have to go to get out of the NKY side of Greater Cincinnati. it was also pitch black by now (6pm!) and it felt like midnight. Very disorienting. I haven't driven down here at night in years and years, and I can't decide if seeing the rocks and drop-offs, or NOT seeing them, is worse. Some rain, nothing terrible, and I got to the Econo Lodge just a bit later than planned.

I went super-cheap for this stay, since it was just a quick stop for the night. The night clerk did inquire whether I was traveling alone (yes) and staying just the one night (yes), and tried to put me in a room in sight of the office, but they were all booked. I guess other solo women were staying there, too. I ended up on the other side of that building, also on the first floor (thank you, mountainous terrain), and while there was a lot of light coming in around the door, I could park right there, had no one in the rooms on either side of me, and the room was clean and not scary. The bathroom wasn't as updated, but it was functional, which is all I needed.

I slept like shit. it was cold and damp, so I put the heat on, but for most of the night I had it set to cycle off and on, and with each cycle it woke me up. it FINALLY occurred to me to switch over to the fan always-on, and then I finally got some sleep. woke up later than I wanted to, showered, attacked my newly-cut hair with a ton of product, and then hit the road in the rain.

Started seeing signs for Buc-ees, but with the rain, I opted not to stop. Plus, it was not a convenient time. A couple stops for breaks and gas, and managed to find Speedways to get my extra discount. I think I was paying $2.40/gal for gas. *happy dance* At one point, there was a sign for "Dayton/Cleveland" and I had to laugh. I know there's a Cleveland TN, but I forgot there's a Dayton TN too.

About a dozen miles before the TN/GA state line, Rover hit 38k miles. Very proud of her! just under 40k miles in 4 years; not bad for someone who hardly drives anymore.

Georgia wasn't terrible - the drivers were fine for the most part, not the full-on homicidal that KY drivers are. Because it was December 1st, when I saw the "buckle up Georgia" signs, I thought they looked Santa-y. About the time I hit Atlanta, it occurred to me that they were most definitely invoking the confederate flag. gross. That was the first time I had any inkling that maybe this might not be the sunshine-and-roses trip that all my others had been.

I got to metro Atlanta about 3pm friday afternoon, and while it was chaos, it was controlled chaos. plenty of well-marked lanes. HOV lanes nowhere near where I needed to be, so no accidental use. The express lanes were closed, so no expensive oopsie there, either. My second moment of reality in living color was multiple encampments under overpasses, and people standing on the highway where things were slow enough to actually engage in soliciting money/food/whatever. I've never encountered that on an 8-lane interstate.

Got to Ben's place about 3:30; once again, no amount of studying google maps helps me when it comes to navigating in the real world. He greeted me at the door with a big ol' bear hug, and I was very proud of myself for not crying. Arnold the cat had Opinions about the situation, naturally. Ben helped me schlep my stuff in, and then we set about to catching up. We had about two hours before we had to hit the road to the show. Ben was willing to go - residual root canal drama/pain had subsided enough, and I volunteered to drive if he could navigate. No idea what we talked about. I know I rambled a LOT. we discussed dinner, but I wasn't hungry, but still insisted he eat something; he did not. I got ready first, admiring my awesome-looking hair (getting it chopped was such the right thing to do!), strapping the girls into The Good Bra, and donning the just clingy enough tshirt. The flannel I had planned to go with it ended up getting tossed aside, as it was 70 degrees and i was sweltering. "You ARE in the south" Ben reminded me.