Boxing Day Test

Susi, George and I went to the Boxing Day Test match, and a photo of George made it to the Ashes mini-site !
How cute is our little man ?
Ashes Mini-Site
Scroll down a bit to see him.
That link will probably change – the actual image is from here;
Fan photos from Boxing Day Test

Eye Surgery

As strange as it may sound, I’ve decided to have LASIK surgery to correct my eyesight, mostly to protect my ears.
Parents of 6+month old children will tell you how much they love to grab glasses and try and hang their entire body weight from them. I think I’ve got significant scarring behind my left ear, and risk looking like Chopper if I didn’t do anything.
The procedure was a little daunting, I mean, I make my living as a programmer, and being able to see was of fairly significant importance. The current state of the art equipment now basically means that it’s a “hands off” system and the entire procedure si performed using lasers. (Up until recently, a blade was used to create the “flap”)
I’ll admit that I was very nervous before-hand, but the amount of testing that is done gave me confidence that my eyes were suitable candidates for the surgery. For those who are technically inclined I was -2.25 in both eyes with a very slight astigmatism in my left eye.
The procedure is very quick (like about 20 minutes for both eyes) and the most uncomfortable part was the initial cutting of the flap where they use a pressure ring to hold the eye in place. The rest of the procedure was pretty much like an episode of the X-files, with lots of bright lights, and varying degrees of focus.
After it was over, I was able to see relatively clearly, with almost like a sepia haze and minimal discomfort. To make it hard for me to see, or more likely to rub my eyes, I’ve got 2xlarge plastic lenses (think Bono, but nowhere near as cool) taped to my face (which is making this typing challenging, but I’m glad I can touch type).
I came home, slept from 10:30am to 3pm. Fussed around the house, ate some lunch that Susi bought me (yummy, pie) lay on the couch and listened to the cricket until 9pm. Had a couple of Neurofen during the day to relieve the discomfort more than pain. I could best describe it as “lemon juice plus sand mixed together” and while it wasn’t that bad, it was quite “gritty”.
Took the tablet that I was given to help with sleep. Crashed at about 10pm, and woke up (via George) at 6:30 this morning. Eyes feel great. Only a small amount of discomfort in my right eye on the outside corner, but I suspect that is from a bit of crusty eye goop that will get cleaned up soon.
So far things look great. My eyesight is “perfect” from what I can tell, and it will be a matter of time before I can really tell if it’s a more permanent fix.
Here’s hoping !
I can really recommend the surgery (at this early stage). It’s quick, painless, not that daunting, and certainly the early after effects are very, very minor.