Category: Not Workers Compensation

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Remember: Not all fortunes are fortunate!
Remember: Not all fortunes are fortunate!

I got Chinese take-out on Saturday night. I know I had promised a review of online glasses retailers, but I just had to share this with you.  Tune in tomorrow for the GlobalEyeglasses.com review and the day after for the Goggles4U.com review.  My fortune cookie had three fortunes in it!  ((Original photo courtesy of TheTruthAbout.  Photo editing – all me!)) I typically consider this lucky.  Saturday… not so much.

Fortune: Your magnetic personality will draw people to you this month

Saturday night was February 28th, as in the end of the month.  I didn’t notice anyone drawn to me.  ((You know – any more than usual.))

Fortune: Your financial situation will soon be improving

Soon is relative, so I guess this could still come true.

Fortune: Sonn a visitor shall delight you

This one undoubtedly came true.  In the wee hours of Sunday morning an unexpected visitor presented themselves.  My typically delightful moo shu paid me a visit in the form of food poisoning.

Anyone interested in some Chinese take-out leftovers?

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Glasses, online
Glasses, online!

No matter which website you order glasses from online, I would suggest the following five steps: ((Photo courtesy of Morningstar Lee))

  1. Get your prescription. When getting your eye prescription, being sure to have your physician provide your “Pupillary Distance.”  ((The “Pupilary Distance” is the distance between your two pupils, measured in millimeters.))  I’ve put together a chart at the bottom you can take with you to the doctor’s office.
  2. Measure your glasses. Measure your current glasses using a metric ruler.  The most important measurement is going to be “Temple Width.”  The “Temple Width” is the overall front width of your glasses.
  3. Choose frames. On the website of your choice, narrow down the available glasses by the “Temple Width.”  From there you can narrow down the available choices.
  4. Wait. Both of the websites I ordered glasses from took about two weeks to get the glasses to me.
  5. Double check. Take your new glasses back to your eye doctor.  They will have a machine that can check the prescriptions on the lenses.

SPH

(Sphere)

CYL

(Cylinder)

AXIS

ADD

(Addition)
O.D. (Right)
O.S. (Left)
Pupillary Distance

mm
Temple Width

mm

Coupon Codes:

  • I tried GlobalEyeglasses.com and used the coupon code “glassyeyes” for 10% off.
  • I also tried Goggles4U.com and used the coupon code “glassyeyes” for 5% off. (I have no idea why they both use the same coupon code…)

Yesterday I had my doctor’s test out all four pairs of my glasses.  Tune in next time for the reviews of GlobalEyeglasses.com and Goggles4U.com!

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A Road Warrior is prepared for bad weather
A Road Warrior is prepared for bad weather

Here’s what my fortune cookie on Saturday night said:

My fortune

I rather enjoy putting my imaginative skills to work with these little doodles.  ANYhow, now that that’s out of the way…

The last few days I’ve had several appearances in less than ideal weather.  With no further ado, my Road Warrior Checklist for traveling in bad weather:

  • Timing. My rule of thumb is to leave 15 minutes earlier for every hour of a planned trip in bad weather.
  • Speed. Speeding will make you feel good about your pace, but will never save you a significant amount of time.
  • Pick the correct lane. There are a lot of factors involved in choosing the correct traveling lane.  Driving in the path of other vehicles ensures your tires are touching more of the road and less of the water.  Stay out of the fast lane if possible.  Get out of other people’s way when they want to pass.
  • Stay in the correct lane. Try not to change lanes.   There is a lot more water between lanes and more chances to hydroplane.
  • No Cruise Control! There is an urban myth that if your car is on cruise control and you start to hydroplane your vehicle will accelerate to make up for the loss in traction.  The reason the highway patrol recommends against the use of cruise control in wet weather is that you only have moments to react to hydroplaning by reducing speed and maintaining control of your vehicle.  Cruise control in these situations will deprive you of a few moments of a potential speed decrease (where you would take your foot off the gas) by maintaining your current speed.
  • Following distance. Other people are going to be driving like maniacs.  Always make sure you have plenty of following distance.
  • Brakes. If your brakes are squeaking, they’re already in bad shape.  Get them checked out and replaced regularly.
  • Tires. Get your tires rotated regularly, make sure they have plenty of tread, and make sure they are properly inflated.  Remember the penny test: if you stick a penny into the tread and can see the top of Lincoln’s head you need to replace your tires.
  • Windshield wiper blades. Worn blades will just smudge.  Just plan on replacing your windshield blades every year.  Don’t forget your rear windshield wipers!

Prior “Road Warrior Checklists”

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Wordpress Upgrade
Wordpress Upgrade

I upgraded to WordPress v2.7.1 as soon as it came out (after testing on another website, of course).  I can honestly say WordPress is the only software I use that I actually look forward to upgrading.

Since version 2.7 RC 1, upgrading to the next version of WordPress has been this easy:

How to Upgrade WordPress
How to Upgrade WordPress

You click “Upgrade Automatically” and wait about 5 seconds.

You’re done.

Not entirely off topic: a friend of mine asked me yesterday about the best way to put up a new website.  She had thought about using Yahoo Site Builder or some such.  Yahoo and its like are great at building free, quick, and ugly websites.  If you’re going to publish on the internets, why not just opt for something just as easy and that has hundreds, if not thousands of possible totally free themes to choose from?  I say, go with WordPress.

I used to code sites by hand – that’s a chump’s game.  Just install WordPress and call it a day.

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Road Warrior
Road Warrior

I used to really dislike driving long distances.  However, in the last few months I’ve done a few things to completely change my mind.

  1. Use a GPS. I no longer have to worry about leaving directions at home, taking a wrong turn, finding food or fuel, or needing a detour.  I just hop in the car, hit the road, head in the general direction of my destination, and plug in the address on the way.
  2. Buy prescription sunglasses. Sunglasses have made a world of difference.  Yesterday I drove out to Auburn in the morning and back to the East Bay in the afternoon, driving into the sun both ways.  Having the sunglasses has completely eliminated squinting and strain on my eyes.
  3. Take Music. Loading up the GPS with music has really helped pass the time.  I even added a few hours of MCLE, just in case!
  4. Drive slower. I’ve made a point of obeying the speed limit, even when I’m running late.  Driving fast saves a negligible amount of time and can be very stressful.

These four things have transformed my long drives from stressful events into fairly enjoyable trips.