Surgery Update

If you have to have surgery, this is a good one. I was out of the surgery center by 9:30 (surgery was scheduled for 8:00, I don't know exactly what time they started). The rest of the day I had to put in eye drops every 2 hours and wear a shield. Otherwise I could be out and about, but no strenuous activity and no lifting over 14 lbs. There is virtually no pain. The next day I went in for a follow up visit. I had 20/30 vision in the operated eye which the doctor said is very good for so soon after surgery. Pressure was good, etc. and I could remove the shield except at night. Had to continue the drops every 2 hours for 2 more days. They are now down to 4 times per day. I am not supposed to overdo reading for a few days. I have been out and about working on misc. things around the house, reformatting Suzanne's computer, etc. Have to wear the shield at night and continue the drops for abt 2 weeks.

They marked an L on my forehead just above the eyebrow with a permanent marker to show which eye was being operated on and they took the lens out of my glasses on that side, so I have been going about town with an L painted on and one lens missing. Also, I cannot shower or shave or wash my hair for 3 or 4 days, so I must have been a pretty weird sight shopping around town for stuff. The frame of my glasses also broke the night before the surgery, so I have to use an old pair. Since I don't want to spend much on glasses I won't be using for long, I will get the lens for the other eye replaced and a blank lens put in for the operated eye for the old frames till I get the second eye done.

Here I am at last

Well, this is my entry into the blogging world. I feel like somewhat of an anachronism. This past week I attended a Summer Institute on teaching pre-AP chemistry. I was the only one there not familiar with the TI graphing calculators commonly used in High School Chemistry. When I went to college we used slide rules and I graduated directly to the computer. It was good to review some of the concepts taught there, such as thermodynamics and electrochemisty, that I haven't thought about for 40 years or so, and was never really comfortable with when I did learn them.

My schedule for the fall has been changed. I will have 3 sections of regular John Jay HS pre-AP chem and 3 of Science Academy (magnet school) pre-AP chem. It will be nice to have only one prep again and students who are more motivated to learn.

This summer I have been working on some home improvement projects. The downstairs half bathroom is almost finished and the family room floor a little over half done. Those of you familiar with the previous state of the bathroom will recognize an improvement, I hope. The half concrete wall is done in the same tile as the floor with added accents.

The wall before and after



All that remains is for Janet and Suzanne to paint the other two walls with their special technique that they want to use. The laundry room floor is also done, but not the painting, yet.

Two views of the bathroom at present







I am procrastinating doing the stairs because I am expecting a difficult time getting them done right.

I will be taking a forced break this week for my cataract surgery on Wednesday. Can't do anything strenuous for a couple of days afterward. Hopefully I will be able to read again, comfortably. I was asked to read a scripture in Sunday School today and had a hard time of it.