Specialization is for Insects

Liz and I both bought new glasses recently. We paid about $200 for four pairs of glasses between us. Last time I bought glasses, I would have been ecstatic to get one pair for less than $200.

The ultimate guide on how to order eyeglasses online is at http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com/. The site explains what you need to do, reviews online retailers, and provides a forum for questions and comments about the process.
(more…)

I made some new year’s resolutions this year. Yeah, I know, it’s February. Frequent updates to Specialization is for Insects was not one of my resolutions.

(more…)

I took a 40 hour firefighting class this week, and got a certificate proclaiming me a “Firefighter Rescue Technician”.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great class. The biggest problem is that the class lacked focus. I went there every day for five days, and I’m not sure what it was I was supposed to be learning.

When I signed up for the class, the class was called “RIT Company Operations”. I knew exactly what I expected to learn, and I was excited to see what they had to offer. However, sometime between the registration and the class, they changed the name to “Firefighter Rescue Technician”.

No problem, right? Firefighter Rescue Technician still sounds like it might have a lot to do with RIT. (Perhaps I should explain that RIT stands for Rapid Intervention Team. At every fire where firefighters are entering a dangerous environment, there is supposed to be a designated RIT company ready to rescue the firefighters.)

Unfortunately, the “Firefighter Rescue Technician” class didn’t have a whole lot to do with RIT operations.
(more…)

Last night I went out to the store to buy some new light bulbs. While I was there, Liz called and asked me if I could buy a new light fixture for the kitchen ceiling. The one we’ve had is none too bright, something that is really noticeable now that the sun is once again retreating to the southern hemisphere. We’ve talked about replacing it, and I guess Liz decided that today was the day.

I headed over to Menards and started looking at their ceiling mounted fixtures. It’s hard to compare light brightness from memory. (In fact, it’s pretty much physiologically impossible.) I called Liz and asked her to take a look at our current fixture and tell me what type and wattage bulb was in there, so I could be sure I was buying something beefier.

Liz put down the phone to get up and check the bulb. A minute later Fiona got on the phone and said that “mommy is stuck” cause the light fixture had come off the ceiling and Liz couldn’t get it back on the ceiling. She was standing on a chair, holding the light above her head.

(more…)

The other day while I was shopping at the grocery store, a very friendly lady snookered me into going to see a chiropractor. Normally I avoid these sorts of sales pitches, but for some reason I talked to her and stepped on her scale. The scale said that I am 10 lbs. heavier on my left leg than my right, and that this could indicate some sort of spinal posture issue. She told me that if I pay the promotional $20 I could get an exam, x-rays and consultation. The whole thing would take 30-45 minutes. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I agreed and made an appointment for 9AM on November 12.

The 12th (today) is my birthday. Liz and I both have the day off. I thought it might be interesting, and what the hell, it’s less than an hour.

Well here I am this morning, back from my visit. And if the result of seeing a chiropractor is to be very very angry, then they were successful. I showed up to the office (Chiro One in Flossmoor) at about 8:45 and filled out some forms. Then I waited. And waited. And waited some more. They had a flat screen monitor running a presentation with a lot of new age BS about “innate intelligence” and “universal intelligence”, so I watched that for a while. Then a I waited some more.

Every few minutes a patient would come in, swipe their card and go back for whatever it is they do at this place.

At about 9:40, I was told it would be about 10 more minutes.

At 10:00 the place was starting to look pretty deserted. Even the receptionist had stepped away from the desk.

I left.

I don’t care about the $20. I want my hour back.

MSI November 9, 2007

We joined the Museum of Science and Industry today. The girls wanted to see the Technology of Star Wars exhibit, but it was sold out for the day. Instead we looked around the museum and watched an OmniMax movie about Prehistoric Sea Monsters. I guess we’ll have to try to see the Star Wars exhibit another time.

Well, any of you early facebook adopters can quit now. I’ve joined, and it’s officially no longer trendy.

The web interface is really slick. They make very good use of web 2.0 type features like filling in text boxes for you from a server side database. For example, if you are typing in the name of a town, as you start typing “Homewo” it starts listing the various “Homewood”s in the USA, and you can pick the one you want. It also has some slick plugins, like one that allows you to put pins on a map for places you’ve visited.

Of course, it was only after I joined that I realized facebook is part of the Evil Empire.

In other news, I’m home sick today. This is the first time I’ve used a sick day since I became a full time firefighter in 2004. A while back I posted that I don’t get enough rest or exercise. Yeah. Well, it’s still true. I’m sure not getting enough sleep lately has contributed to me getting sick.

The overtime money has been good, almost 100 hours in the last month. But it’s catching up with me.

Time to rest and get better.

I finally started scanning some old slides and posting them to my gallery. The first batch are pictures from the BSA Troop 621 1990 European Super Trip. They are scanned from slides with an Epson 4990 flatbed photo scanner. Despite my best efforts with both canned air and Digital ICE technology, there is still a lot of dust and scratches on the images.

(more…)

The girls are back in school this week. I am jumping for joy.

Liz and I enjoyed our newfound freedom today by going to see a matinee of The Bourne Ultimatum today. Overall, a very good movie. But it left me with several questions.

1. When did the matinee start costing $7 per adult?!?
2. How come $7 at the concession stand only gives you 2 small sodas? Shouldn’t there be a cheeseburger included for that price?
3. Why would the director spend countless hours and dollars coordinating spectacular chase and fight sequences, and then give the camera to a guy who is too close to the action and can’t seem to hold the camera steady? (Maybe he spent too much going to the matinee and couldn’t afford to get a steady-cam.)
4. Have I always been this cheap? Or is this a recent trend?

Despite the excessive cost, and the excessive camera shake, I’m really glad we got to see this movie before it comes out on DVD. Cause I love watching a good movie in a dark theater.

We’re on vacation in Missouri. This is a good thing, cause I’ve had a rough month. Between my fire-engine wreck last month and a host of smaller mistakes, including irritating our new chief, I’d have to say this is a low point in my firefighting career.

Upon reflection, I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t sleep enough, and I don’t exercise enough. I think if I fix these two problems, things will go better. The last two nights, I’ve been able to sleep 9 or 10 hours a night, and I’m starting to feel better and more alert. And I’ve been able to get by with less caffeine.

Exercise is still lacking. It’s tough to exercise on vacation. But I get to try to keep the kids in line, so thats something.

When we get back home I’m going to start sleeping more and exercising more. The girls will be starting school in a week, so they will have to go to bed earlier, which means I will be able to go to bed earlier. My goal is to be in bed by 10PM every night.

Then I can get up at 5AM and go speed-walking around the neighborhood for 30 minutes or so. Maybe not the greatest exercise plan in the world, but it’s a start.

And if I get more sleep and exercise, I’m hoping everything else will improve.