PVD

I had a bout with PVD over the weekend. I had flashing lights in my eyes and more floaters. I was afraid I had a detached retina, so I went to an eye doctor. I had never heard of PVD, but apparently it is quite common in old folks my age. The following quote from a medical web page describes my experiences pretty accurately:

"Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD) is a common condition which occurs in about 75 per cent of people over the age of 65. As people get older the vitreous, a jelly-like substance inside the eye changes. The vitreous takes up the space behind the lens and in front of the retina, the light sensitive layer at the back of the eye. It is 99 percent water. The other 1 percent consists of substances which are important in maintaining the shape of the vitreous. The outer part of the vitreous (the cortex) has the highest concentration of collagen. The vitreous is attached to the retina, more strongly in some places than others.

"When a PVD starts, the jelly comes away from the retina. The vitreous changes with age. The central part of the vitreous becomes more liquid and the outer part (cortex) peels away from the retina. As it comes away from the retina it can cause the symptoms of posterior vitreous detachment. Many people are not aware that they have developed PVD but some notice symptoms such as floaters or flashing lights. Floaters can take many forms from little dots, circles, lines, to clouds or cobwebs. Sometimes people experience one large floater which can be distracting and make things difficult to read. The flashing lights that occur are also caused by the PVD. As the outer part of the vitreous detaches from the retina it can pull on this light sensitive membrane, especially where the vitreous is attached quite strongly to the retina. The pull of the vitreous in these areas stimulates the retina. This stimulation causes the sensation of flashing lights since the brain interprets all stimulation signals from the retina as light."

Cold and Snow

If you watched Monday Night Football, you know Seattle was hit with a snowstorm last night. I know this won't impress the folks in Buffalo, but north Seattle got over a foot of snow, which paralyzed traffic for hours. My son left his car at work and walked home. My daughter left her car at home and rode the bus but could not get home after the football game. Her bus never showed up. She gave up and took a different bus to a friend's house.

The problem we have here is the hills, and with temperatures just below freezing, the streets and highways all become ice skating rinks. And most folks do not own tire chains.

I know this won't impress the folks in Buffalo, but it is supposed to get down to 16 F at our house tonight. I expect to use over 6 therms of gas to heat my house today (at a dollar a therm). I've got to go wrap the outside faucets.

Cute Photo

We had two family feasts over the holiday weekend and a good time was had by all. Here is a cute photo of Soto and his "main squeeze":

Christmas Cactus

Up here in the northwest, our Christmas cacti bloom at Thanksgiving.

About Canada

From How I Met Your Mother

Lily: Even if she is married, it's a Canadian marriage. It's like their money, or their army, nobody takes it seriously. :)


With apologies to Canadian money, which nearly on par with the U.S. dollar, and the Canadian army, which has served honorably side by side with the U.S. Army many times over the years.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Every year the secular humanists try to remove God from Thanksgiving. The original feast was just a party with the European settlers and the native Americans, they say. They were thankful for a good harvest. But wait, those "European settlers" were the Pilgrims, a group of religious zealots who left England and the Netherlands in search of religious freedom on a new continent. They were thanking God at that first Thanksgiving feast, thanking God that they had survived that first horrible winter, thanking God for the good harvest, and thanking God for their new friends, the "Indians". There is no doubt in my mind.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Rain Update

It is raining again. My old record for November rainfall was 13.12 inches. Gone. Exceeded on Monday. And Tuesday. And Wednesday. Tonight we passed 14 inches, but it is still raining and will through Friday. Maybe we will hit 15 inches, since we have a week left in November.

It's Back

The rain is back. We had three days without rain (not sunny and clear, but cloudy with sun breaks). For those of you not familiar with the term "sun break", it is when a patch of blue sky crosses between you and the sun. The sun shines for a few minutes, then the clouds obscure it again.

Crane Collapse in Bellevue

This crane collapsed a few blocks from where I work.

Be FOR Something

Be FOR Something

Remember this post from Sotosoroto? I guess Sotosoroto was wrong. I guess when the voters get fed up with the party in power, they most certainly will vote in the opposing party, even if the opposing party has never defined what they are "for".

Obstructionist Label

In 1995, when President Clinton faced off against a Republican-controlled Congress, the Republicans were labeled obstructionist for refusing to pass his budgets and legislation.

In 2007, when President Bush faces off against a Democrat-controlled Congress, I expect that the mainstream news media will portray President Bush as being obstructionist for vetoing legislation and budgets passed by the Democrats in Congress.

The mainstream news media is biased. Watch for it.

GRIDLOCK!

Whichever way the Senate race in Virginia goes, neither party will have a firm grip on either house of Congress. Congress will be gridlocked. I expect no progress on Social Security, reducing health care costs, cutting taxes, raising taxes, dealing with illegal immigrants. Just gridlock.

Stand Still, Look Pretty

My daughter gave me a CD called "Stand Still, Look Pretty" by a new female Country duo named "The Wreckers" for my birthday a while back. I like Sugerland (my current favorite) better, but I recommend getting the Wreckers CD. I was pleased to see them featured on the CMA Award show last night.

Vote for Change

I see "Vote for Change, Vote for Democrats" signs all over King County (Seattle area). This does not make any sense locally, because the Democrats control Seattle, King County, and Washington State. We have to vote Republican or Libertarian or Independent for change!

Congressional Races

My reading of the tea leaves is that the Democrats will net 4 seats in the U.S. Senate, leaving the Republicans in control; and the Democrats will net 20 seats in the U.S. House, putting the Democrats in control. Speaker Pelosi!

This will be historic if this happens, because never before has the House switched parties when the Senate did not. Apparently, a net change of 4 and 20 seats, respectively, in the 6th year of a president's term, is below average on both counts. That is, greater changes in both halves of Congress are typical in the 6th year.

While I am at it, I predict that Democrats will be challenging election results all across the country if fewer seats change hands than I have predicted here, since the Democrats thoroughly expect to win a lot more seats in the House, and a few more in the Senate.

Frost Damage

A couple of frosty nights with temperatures down into the mid-20's finished off our dahlias.

Before the frost:


After the frost:

Rain? In Seattle?

Detailed Local Forecast for Seattle, WA

Today: Cloudy with periods of rain. High 52F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Rainfall near a half an inch.
Tomorrow: Cloudy with periods of rain. High 56F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
Saturday: Rain. Highs in the mid 50s and lows in the low 50s.
Sunday: Showers. Highs in the low 50s with temperatures nearly steady overnite.
Monday: Mainly cloudy with rain, windy. Highs in the upper 50s and lows in the low 50s.

Mamurd loves wind and rain, so she's happy with this forecast. But for the rest of us who love sunny days in Seattle, YUK!