Deodorant, Part III

I made a deodorant switch recently, so logically my first thought was to post about it on the old family blog. I vaguely remember the blog discussing deodorant usage, so I did quick search and viola, this will be the third Heffernan blog post discussing deodorant.  What does this say about our family, why do we find this so important, is that a raccoon on my lawn?  All important questions to tackle another day.

So, I like to think that I don't sweat much.  This led me to the conclusion that I could make the switch from an antiperspirant and deodorant to a deodorant only.  Ted had advocated this switch in the past, so I decided to try it out for myself.  With all due respect to Ted, this did not work well for me.  I know his theory is that the alcohol in the deodorant slowly kills sweat glands over time with usage, but that is a transition I simply do not have the time to take.

After using deodorant for a few weeks I found myself rather ripe after performing very little. In fact, I had to buy a new antiperspirant and deodorant and ditch my recent deodorant purchase. I feel it is my duty to inform the world that the deodorant only path did not work out for Colin.  But I am not disheartened.  I learned an important lesson: I sweat more than I thought, and thus get super smelly if I don't use an antiperspirant and deodorant product.  Maybe one day I will try deodorant again, but alas, that day is not today.  That is all.

Kevin's LASIK - UPDATE (1 week)

One week into my life after LASIK, and I had my first eye doctor appointment.  Here's the brief update:

• I have 20/20 vision in my right eye
• I have 20/25 vision in my left eye
• I have a slight astigmatism in my left eye which is causing a very slight blurring effect.  I can read up close and far away, but combined with the halo effect it makes written words appear to have a shadow.  It is likely (80-90%) that over the next 2 weeks to 2 months the astigmatism will go away as my cornea heals and flattens out.  Even if it doesn't, it's not so bad that my life would be limited or I would need corrective lenses.  
• The halo effect has decreased, but is still very noticeable at night.  Night driving in the rain is not advised.
• All pain, discomfort, and burning sensations are gone, and have been since Day 2.
• My eyes are still dry, but not to the extent that I always remember to put in my required hourly artificial tears.  
• On those rare occasions when I touch my closed eye, it is still very tender to the touch or to pressure.
• My eyes at night get tired earlier.  It's the same feeling you have when you've worn contacts too long, but in this case, I can't take out my contacts.

So overall, this LASIK thing has so far proved to be pretty awesome.  My eye doctor doesn't have any concerns, and it is now extremely unlikely that any complications will result from my LASIK.  It is also unlikely that I'll have to wear corrective lenses for nearsightedness.

Feel free to be jealous.

Kevin's LASIK

LASIK!

I finally got Teresa’s approval and shelled out the buck$$$ and got LASIK done for both my eyes.  Here’s my story…

Prior to LASIK:

I had to fill three prescriptions and buy a bunch of preservative-free eye drops.  The three prescriptions are for a eye steroid to fight infection, another steroid to reduce inflammation, and Xanax for the day of surgery.  Other than that, there really was nothing that I had to do before surgery, except fill out a bunch of forms.

Day of LASIK:

My appointment was at 1:20, and I would be at the LASIK center (TLC Lasik in Dublin, OH).  I took the entire day off and got a few things done around the house.  I picked up Teresa from work around 1:30, and we went for a lunch together (sans children), which was nice.  I had no anxiety, but Teresa assumed I would never see again, so it was nice for calming her nerves.  I arrived at the center at 1PM (I like to be early), checked in, filled out some more forms, and found out that the Xanax was optional, and only if I wanted to take it.  I didn’t want to take it, so I didn’t (waste of a prescription). 

I got taken back to prep for surgery around 1:20.  Prep involved a quick eye check by the LASIK doctor (Dr. Boyle), a bunch of info about what to expect, a bunch of eye drops for numbing my eyes and preventing infection (something like 5 different drops in each eye over a period of 10 minutes), and then just hanging out.  I got taken back into the actual LASIK room probably around 1:50.

NOTE:  if squeamish, you will want to skip the next paragraph

The LASIK room smells and sounds like a data center (e.g., climate controlled, computer fans, slight smell of electric current passing through silicon).  The LASIK (picture below) has a bed that you lay out and your head swivels under two machines.  The first is a laser that cuts open your cornea to create a “flap” on the top of the cornea that can be folded back.  This is actually the most painful part, because a device applies pressure to your eyes to hold it in place for the laser.  This is the only time during the surgery where my vision was lost for any period of time, and this was mostly because of the pressure on my eye.  Before anything was done, I had devices put in my eye so that the lids couldn’t close.  They did each eye independently and taped shut the opposite eye when the other was having the flap created.  Once both eyes had their “flaps” created, I was swiveled under the other side of the machine.  This was the LASIK laser, which simply reshaped the remainder of the cornea under the flap to refocus the light passing through.  It lasted about 30 second for each eye.  After the reshaping was done, Dr. Doyle used a tear-like solution and a very gentle brush to wash my cornea’s and remove any debris the laser had created when ablating my corneas.  This was the weird part, because I could see her doing this but couldn’t feel it.  It didn’t hurt at all, but it tickled when she touched any part of my eye not numbed by the drops (e.g., eye lashes, eye lids).  Finally, Dr. Doyle folded back my “flaps”, which, much like contacts, stuck to my eyes by suction.  No sutures are necessary to secure the flaps; however, rubbing the eyes and any contact with the eyes is strictly forbidden for a week, because touching the eyes and move the “flaps” and cause them to fold open or move.  The “flaps” won’t move on their own, and heal shut within 24-72 hours, and will completely heal back in something like 1-4 weeks.

 Here's the process in a pictorial format:

 This is the LASIK machine that I was under

Immediately after LASIK

My vision was fixed, kind of.  I could see as soon as I got up, but everything was foggy.  Think of looking through a really dirty windshield in your car.  Yeah, you can see, but any light has a halo-effect to it, and the details are all a little vague.  This is because tears and moisture got under the “flaps” and need to be absorbed.  Once they are this effect goes away.  Also, while my vision was much improved, at first I knew that I didn’t have 20/20 vision.  In fact, my right eye could see much better than my left.  I was kind of pissed.  However, the numbing drops were wearing off, and I didn’t want to have my eyes open anymore. 

I was told to go home and nap for four hours, because I would experience “discomfort” and maybe some “burning” in my eyes and the nap would help promote healing.  To say that I was grumpy was an understatement.  Teresa, bless her heart, drove me home, after a detour to pick up the kids from Daycare.  Here’s what I was dealing with during that 45 minutes:

-         Discomfort – Imagine wearing contacts (or not) and getting something in your eye.  Something big.  In both your eyes.  At the same time.  And not being able to rub your eye, remove your contacts, or do anything about it.  It was so damned annoying!

-         Burning – Here’s an idea, take normal tap water, mix it with some soap, and put that in your eye.  The burning sensation was kind of like that.

-         Nausea – I didn’t want to open my eyes, because it felt better to close them.  However, riding in a car that was wobbling and moving was making me somewhat nauseous.  Then I open my eyes, and my vision is totally different than what I’ve ever experienced, which makes me nauseous.  Needless to say, I made it home just in time. 

I got home at 3PM, put on the sweet goggles they give you so you don’t touch your eyes inadvertently when you sleep, and went to the guest room to lay down.  I prayed to fall asleep and finally did.  I woke up around 5:30, with my eyes only slight less “discomforted” and “burning”.  Teresa came up and asked if I wanted dinner, to which I very un-patiently responded I didn’t (did I mention she was awesome?), and decided to roll over and stay in bed until 6:30.  At some point, Dr Doyle called my cell phone to check on me, and actually left her cell phone number to call in case of problems (what a swell doctor!).  I fell asleep again, and when I woke up at 6:52 two things dawned on me:  1)  I could see the alarm clock from four feet away! and 2) the discomfort and burning were gone.  Yeah, there was still some discomfort, but whereas before I wanted to gouge my eyes out, now I just wanted to put in some drops and wash it away.  Also, all traces of nausea were gone (thank God).

 I have no idea who the girl is, but she's wearing the LASIK goggles.  Picture courtesy of the "Internet"

Night of LASIK

You’re not supposed to read books or strain your eyes, but TV is OK.  I sat with the kiddos and Teresa, all of which were very happy that “Daddy the grouchy bear” was gone.  We watched some TV and I applied my three sets of drops (steroids, anti-inflammatory, and tears), and then did tears as often as possible.  My vision was still foggy, but I could see pretty well.  I still noticed that my right eye was better then my left, but as long as the burning and discomfort were gone, I was ok with it.  I went to bed around 10PM, put on my sweet goggles, and slept pretty well.

The morning after LASIK

I woke up to Sam and Ryan coming down the stairs and into out room, looked easily over at Teresa’s alarm clock (did I mention that’s really cool?!), and got out of bed at 6:47am.  I had a follow-up appointment at 9:10am that we’d all be going to.  My vision that morning was much better, less foggy, though there still was some “halo-effect” happening.  But I could see very well, and while my eyes were dry, I used all my drops to get them going.  Nearly all of the discomfort was gone, and no burning remained at all.  Most of the discomfort was because I could feel my eyes were dry.  The tear-drops helped that, and I used them frequently. 

I got to my doctor appointment, sat in front of the reading charts, and for the first time ever, without corrective lenses, I saw the chart.  I read the bottom lines of the charts with each eye and together, getting a “that’s really excellent” for my eye doctor.  She didn’t tell me what my vision was at the time, saying that it would continue to progress and likely at that point would only get better or at worse stay the same.  She did mention that I have a couple of spots, one in each eye, that are very dry.  I am to continue using all the drops I have at the regular times, and they should clear up on their own.  If they don’t clear up by themselves, it is possible I may need to have another procedure to address those spots because they could affect my vision long-term.  I have a follow-up on Thursday to take a further look.

Personal thoughts:

First, my eyes are dry and I use drops a lot.  I used to hate putting drops in my eyes and was horrible at it.  Literally, 24 hours after this procedure and I’m a pro, putting drops in my eyes whenever I need to and not really batting an eye about it (literally and figuratively).  My current thoughts are that I should have done this sooner, and I’m very happy I did it.  My vision looks to be on its way to getting to 20/20, so I’m wicked excited about that.  I don’t know how to describe the pleasure of being able to see without wearing contacts or glasses – those of you who don’t have to deal with that are lucky as hell.  Those of you who do have to deal with those, I recommend the LASIK. 

Here’s what you need to have for the procedure:

1)      Thick enough corneas that it can be done.  Your annual eye appointment will be able to tell you if you are a candidate

2)      The ability to stomach people mucking around with lasers in your eye.  The forms I signed basically said I was screwed if something went wrong.  All risks are explained up-front, so you do it at your own risk.

3)      Around $4-5K for the procedure.  Most places will take credit, so at least you get the points out of it.  I also maxed out my healthcare savings account to pay for it ($2,500 is my FSA maximum).  That saves you some cash out of pocket.

4)      Commitment to using drops for the next 3-12 months.  Steroid and anti-inflammatory drops are done after a wear, but the artificial tears get used for as long as you need, and they aren’t that cheap.

5)      Keep in mind that the condition that requires reading glasses (presbyopia) cannot be corrected by any LASIK procedures.  It’s hell to get old.

6)      Find a good place to have it done.  As long as I continue to get my annual eye appointments, I’ll have a warrantee for my LASIK procedure.  If my eyes degrade over time, I can potentially get my LASIK center to do another procedure to fix it.  There’s all kinds of caveats on this, but I plan to keep the warrantee anyways. 

In parting, a buddy of mine had a great idea too – he gets corrective lenses per his vision insurance every year (as most of us do).  Instead of contacts of glasses, he just uses the money towards a nice pair of sunglasses.  He purchases them through his eye doctor, but since he gets about $120 for corrective lenses, he gets a pretty sweet pair of Nike shades every year.  I plan on taking full advantage of this fact this week!

PB&J Altercation

It's a miracle this has yet to happen to me.

This Sounds Pretty Cool

ESPN with some pretty awesome coverage options for the BCS title game tonight, as outlined in detail over at si.com. My favorite of the viewing options:

ESPN Classic will have a "Sounds of the BCS" presentation, which will be absent of play-by-play. The broadcast will capture the natural sound of the Rose Bowl from 72 microphones (USA Today reported that is 30 more than a normal broadcast).

The best televised sports viewing experience I ever had was when TNT did a gimmick NBA game with a mic'd camera at court level in each corner and no announcers. It was truly like being at the game. There was so much more awareness of the size and speed of the athletes that even though I don't really like NBA I couldn't turn it off.

I hope all other sports broadcasters are paying attention. Almost everyone now has multiple channel outlets like ESPN - Fox has a million, so does NBC. I will watch this game with no announcers tonight. I will watch the hell out of it. And any time a broadcaster gives me such an option I will always choose this for viewing - the only exception being a soccer game called by Sir Ian Darke.

The Rock-afire Explosion

My basement is ready for Colin... Just in time for next Thanksgiving!

I fondly recall our family trips to eat pizza and play video games. I think there have been various forms, and Chucky Cheese is perhaps the last man standing in this dying breed of restaurant. However, our pizza place of choice was Showbiz Pizza. Showbiz Pizza had it all: fresh-made pizza to chow down, skee-ball to win tickets, a giant ball pit to secretly punch the friends you hated, video games to eat your quarters and most of all A GIANT ANIMATRONIC ANIMAL BAND  THAT SCARED COLIN TO TEARS! Yes, Showbiz Pizza was called by all adults, "The Screaming Place".

So apparently, since Showbiz has gone down the drain, their old bands, The Rock-afire Explosion, are now available. UPDATE!!! I much prefer this version of 1,000,000 by Nine Inch Nails! It also features the gorilla that was Colin's favorite, Fatz Geronimo. So watch and laugh - unless you're Colin. In that case, cry. Be careful about showing this video to Mia, because I'm almost certain fear of animatronic animal bands is an inherited autosomally dominant genetic trait!

Anyone for a Road Trip?

Jack Swarbrick unveiled the long-overdue schedules for the next 3 seasons this week. This is a preview of our future with the ACC.

I know we all love making the pilgrimage to South Bend for a game every year or two, but I look at this schedule and my eyes widen with the road games we have coming up. I wonder if anyone would consider making a road trip or two with me. Here are some that I would really love to see:

• 9/13/2014 Purdue @ Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy (Close for me and an awesome stadium)
• 9/27/2014 Syracuse @ MetLife Stadium in NY (Trip to NY anyone???)
• 11/1/2014 Navy @ FedEx Field in DC (Home game for DC folks)

• 9/12/2015 Virginia @ Charlottsville, VA (I hear this place is BEAUTIFUL)
• 10/3/2015 Clemson @ Clemson, SC (A true raucous road game)
• 10/31/2015 Temple @ Lincoln Financial Field in Philly (Home game for Philly folks)
• 11/21/2015 BC @ Fenway Park in Boston (1st football game in 45 years)

• 9/3/16 Texas @ Austin, TX (Yeah, Texas)
• 10/1/2016 Syracuse @ MetLife Stadium in NY (If it doesn't work out in 2014, another chance)

Keep it cheap, keep it simple. (With the exception being a possible NY family trip). I would also recommend we try to use our ND ticket contacts (Uncle Dan, Dr. Fox, Mr. Paulus) to get the tickets. Some of these sites will be hostile.  I would also imagine trying to buy them online will be VERY expensive. This will be the first Notre Dame visit to several of these locations, and regardless of what anyone says, these teams' fans will be dying to see us.

So anyone in???

Next?

So Breaking Bad is no more. I didn't got into it from the outset, but after being told for the 100th time that it was the best TV show ever, I downloaded the series and watched it. Yeah, it was great. Not only that, but it helped redefine television as perhaps the dominant artistic medium in entertainment. More than ever, big named actors and directors are joining TV casts, and the most interesting creative stories are being told on the small screen.

It can all be difficult to digest because there seem to be SO MANY great shows on TV right now. No normal person can watch them all. DVR helps, but on-demand and internet streaming is the key. Right now, I watch 2 or 3 shows on a weekly basis. Then, I fill in my free time (summer, show hiatus periods) with shows that I already know are good from internet streaming/download. This is great because a lot of these awesome new shows (I'm looking at you Game of Thrones) have 10 episodes seasons, and then 9 months of nothing!!!

So given the humongous success of The Walking Dead (the top rated show on all channels, not just cable), it is obvious that the next big series on my radar would get the greenlight. You should all look out for The Strain when it drops next year on FX. I actually started to read this trilogy back in 2011 on our beach vacation. It's co-authored by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. This is a fun series that was clearly written by a movie director. Never did I doubt that it would find it's way to the screen someday. I hope the suspense and amazing visuals evoked by reading these books can translate to television. It's kind of like The Walking Dead, except things actually happen, the characters do things and go places, and there is a point to their actions beyond just staying alive.

Sorry for the rant there. I've been very underwhelmed by Season 4 of The Walking Dead. 6 episodes and all they've done is get sick from a virus. Awful.

So if they can do the effects right and make a gritty, realistic series in the style of The Walking Dead, I think this could be another big TV hit. On that note, maybe give the first book a read. You'll like it a lot. The backstory on where the vampires came from and how they survived to the present is so different and unique that it's worth reading just for that. A popcorn book with great mythology and ideas.

Honest Trailers

Okay, has anyone heard of this series from Screen Junkies? I just saw the newest version for Man of Steel. Look, I loved the movie and have it in 3D Bluray at home right now. However, this thing is absolutely hilarious. Watch it and try not to laugh out loud. Having actually seen the movie might be a prerequisite though. Major spoiler alert warning on this one. I plan on spending some time watching a few more of these Honest Trailers. Priceless!

Hitchhikers

So the USWNT had some bus issues last week after practice. Their team bus broke down on the side of the road in Orlando. So what did they do? Put their thumbs up and hitched a ride back to the team hotel!!! This photo is priceless. That a young girl and her mom picked some of them up is even better! Check the link for more awesome fan shots!

Fans give a lift to Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux and others!

Of course any of us would gladly give a lift to the easy on the eyes women's team. However, it raises the question: who would you refuse to give a ride to from the USMNT players? There are a few that I'd prefer didn't make it to the game on-time!!!