I know in the past, I’ve mentioned on this blog that I don’t wear contacts, and that’s because I injured my eye a few years back. Actually, I didn’t injure it so much, as I got a contact with bacteria into my eye, and that’s what caused the problem. After wearing that icky contact for 8 hours, and then drifting off to sleep…I woke up with my eye swollen shut the next morning. I assumed I scratched my eye with a fingernail when taking out the lens, so I wasn’t in a hurry to get it checked out. The next day, it still hurt, but it was Memorial Day weekend and my doctor’s office wasn’t open. I knew I’d wait for HOURS at the ER, so I didn’t go, and put it off another day. When I finally got it checked out, it was a really bad situation – I almost lost my cornea. Waiting it out, and hoping it would get better really didn’t help me any!

I wish that I had access to this ACLens.com back then. They’re a site that sells contact lenses, like Acuvue, Bausch & Lomb, Ciba Vision, FreshLook, and other top brands. But more than that, they have a education section full of articles and a forum for contact lens users with more than 30,000 posts! They have a feature called Ask The Doctor where you can submit your very own eye related question. I could have really used something like that when I had my eye issue! If I had emailed my question and symptoms, they could have told me that what was going on with me was not just a scratch, and to get my rear to the ER immediately!

I got an invitation in my email from the 3-Day to attend a special meeting just for past walkers. They call it an “At It Again Workshop”, and it’s designed specifically to help walkers who are “at it again” fundraise and train. I suppose after a few years of doing this, there’s a potential to get burnt out, despite WANTING to do it. Or, your donations might drop off because you don’t have a new pool of people to tap into. I’m not there yet, but it would be interesting to attend and meet people who have walked before, like me.

I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve gone to see a counselor or therapist. Sometimes, when you’re struggling with issues, and life, seeing a professional can really put a whole new spin on things for you, or at least give you some tips on coping with things. I found that it really helped me to talk it out with someone, especially when that someone was a professional who wouldn’t judge me or attempt to promote their own agenda. I found my therapist by asking my mom – she’s a registered nurse, and has worked in the area we live in since before I was born, so 30+ years. That makes her pretty qualified to recommend someone to me. However, I realize not everyone has a mom in nursing, or a relative in the medical field to ask for advice. Or, even if you do, you may not want mom to know you’re seeking a therapists help. If that’s the case, you can use this searchable directory of mental health professionals. They’re sorted by treatment area, or area of specialty, language spoken (ideal for areas with a high immigrant population), gender (sometimes, you want someone of the same sex. Or not), location (self explanatory!), mode of treatment (talk therapy? Or something else), and the type of care, e.g. managed or insurance coverage. This site actually invented and perfected the therapist finder concept, and it’s been rebuilt and relaunched with a more powerful search function. It’s definitely easier to use than asking around for referrals, because let’s face it – most people probably don’t want to admit they see a therapist. And it’s certainly better than staring at ads in the yellow pages.

In addition to finding a therapist, you can also view all of the resources on the site, from psychology news and research briefs. I just finished reading an article there on the Autism genome project – two possible sites have been linked to the development of autism though the project. I have a good friend who has a son with autism, so I always find it interesting (and exciting) to read about new finds relating to autism.

I came across this weight loss blog this week, and noticed the article about residents of NYC having a lower BMI than residents of other places. I never thought about it, but it makes sense. If you don’t have a car, you do a LOT of walking. The author of the blog calls himself a “fattie” and says he’s been overweight his whole life. He’s decided to change that, because he’s worried about sleep apnea, diabetes, high blood pressure, and the other issues that come with being overweight. I wish him well – and I’m glad he recognized that there is time to make a difference and avoid all of those issues!

I’ve been sitting at my desk, at the laptop, for over 12 hours now. Sheesh! And I wonder why my back aches? I have horrible posture as well. I usually sit hunched over the keyboard, or with one leg tucked under me. When I was seeing a chiropractor before the 3-Day last year, he ALWAYS got on me about slouching. What can I say? I’m a born slacker. Err, sloucher. After a long day of sitting at the computer, I always try to stretch out before I crawl into bed. Bending over and touching my toes usually makes me feel better, but it’s nights like this that I wish I had a professional masseuse living in my house.

Dimpled skin. Orange peel legs. Cottage cheese thighs. Cellulite – the bane of every woman’s existance! For years, various remedies for cellulite have been touted…from creams to rub on your skin to exercises you can do to tone and retain the muscles of your body. Nothing has been proven to get rid of cellulite, until now. The deposits of fat lay on your legs, taunting you with their puckered texture. Although cellulite is normal, who wants it?

There’s a new product on the market called Rubber Glass which helps to reduce cellulite. It’s a small massager which is used for vacuum massage. This technique increases the circulation of blood, and the quality of the tissue. And now, you can get $10 off on your purchase of this item with the promo code rgeasy – that code is valid until 3/21/07. I looked at the before and after pictures on the cellulite massager website and I have to admit, I do see a difference!

Tonight is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. We had a lively dinner table discussion with the kids, and they each announced what they’d be giving up for Lent. My oldest is giving up ice cream, my middle child said candy, and the boy is still deciding. My 11 year old suggested that I give up soda. Perish the thought. Without a Coke to wake up each morning, I’d need a nap by lunchtime, after swallowing a few Advil to get rid of the headache brought on by the lack of caffeine.

We travel quite a bit, and with a family our size (2 adults, 3 kids) we usually try to get a bigger hotel room. Typically, it’s not a problem when we go to Orlando – lots of hotels have suites there, so we can get a hotel room with a pull out sofa and kitchen and a separate bedroom area. I’ve noticed a disturbing trend though. A lot of hotels think that if they put a small kitchen area in the room, it counts as a suite. Nope. I don’t want a BIGGER room, I want 2 separate rooms! This is a great website listing nothing but two room suites – not these regular hotel rooms with extra stuff!

I’ve been tweaking a directory for blogs and websites over at another site of mine, and I’d love to have some of you submit your sites and let me know what you think. If you don’t see a category that your site fits into, please let me know, and I’ll add it! Just head on over to the Geeky Speaky Blog & Web Directory and submit your info. Links with a reciprocal are free, and you can pay $5 or $10 in order to not link back.

Beautifully landscaped grounds. A rec room with a pool table. Smiling employees. A view of the lake. Sounds like a great resort to vacation at, right? Nope, it’s what you’ll find at the Stone Hawk drug rehab center in Michigan. If you have a problem with drugs, or you have a family member or friend who needs help, Stone Hawk is worth a look. They don’t use medication to resolve the issues caused by drugs and alcohol. The clients are not considered patients – rather, they are students learning how to live drug free. Once a student completes the program, they’ll be confident that they can live a drug free life with the new skills they’ve learned at Stone Hawk. If you’ve tried other programs and they haven’t helped, give Stone Hawk a try.