OT - NO POLITICS Rainy Weekends Always Get Me Down edition

[Bourque]

I remember the day I knew my vision was going. I was a pretty decent contact hitter when I was in youth baseball. I made the A squad when I was 11, with hopes of making the Cooperstown tournament team the next year. Well, first day of batting practice the following year I couldn’t hit lol. Couldn’t see the ball! Didn’t get glasses for another year or so. Needless to say, but I did not make the tournament team. ...

My college professor parents never got my eyes checked so I never got a hit in Little League. Later I discovered that I was 20/200+ in both eyes with heavy astigmatism and almost legally blind w/o glasses. My folks also brought common sense to first aid and used rubbing alcohol to treat cuts and scrapes.

Growing up in a small city I was forced to play all my hockey games outside even if the pre-wind chill temps were 20 below. We were picked up and dropped off in an unheated van with no windows in the back. We got mild frostbite but no permanent damage. After the games we'd get ice cream. I'm not kidding.

My son only went to private schools and only lived in a house with his girlfriend in college. We sixties and seventies kids are much tougher, but I'm glad my son has had an easy life.

 

[quietbruinfan]

I remember the day I knew my vision was going. I was a pretty decent contact hitter when I was in youth baseball. I made the A squad when I was 11, with hopes of making the Cooperstown tournament team the next year. Well, first day of batting practice the following year I couldn’t hit lol. Couldn’t see the ball! Didn’t get glasses for another year or so. Needless to say, but I did not make the tournament team

Now, at 40, I struggle at night. Traffic lights and headlights sometimes turn into massive starbursts. Especially on rainy nights. Up close I’m starting to sympathize with my father, as I find myself pushing my phone away from my face to be able to focus on letters. Not ready for readers. Yet.

“Forty eyes” are definitely a thing

They definitely are a thing. I have needed distance glasses all my life and readers since about 12. I too see rainbows and starbursts etc. Phone is ok, but checks, or lists or tv tickers are very difficult.

 

[BMC]

The good, old days!

View attachment 1045201

Yes, yes it was!!!! Staying outside til it got dark, drinking from the water hose when we got thirsty, among other things. Wouldn't trade it for anything in spite of some difficulties.

 

[Bourque]

Yes, yes it was!!!! Staying outside til it got dark, drinking from the water hose when we got thirsty, among other things. Wouldn't trade it for anything in spite of some difficulties.

Agreed. Although my folks were home in the summer, I'd ride my bike all over the city 16 hours a day w/o any supervision. I'd have experiences similar to the 1986 movie "Stand by me". I discovered an abandoned country trash dump with hundreds of bottles to break and a rattlesnake on the tracks. I'd cross long train trestles but never got caught by a train because I'd put my ear to the tracks first.

 

[BMC]

Agreed. Although my folks were home in the summer, I'd ride my bike all over the city 16 hours a day w/o any supervision. I'd have experiences similar to the 1986 movie "Stand by me". I discovered an abandoned country trash dump with hundreds of bottles to break and a rattlesnake on the tracks. I'd cross long train trestles but never got caught by a train because I'd put my ear to the tracks first.

We couldn't go to town on our bikes but we could go as far into the woods as we wanted (go figure) and we did. We also could go across the street into the neighbor's yard. Most summer days were spent in the pool though.

 

[quietbruinfan]

It was indeed good to be a 70s kid. I remember playing until dark, hunting for snakes-garters and racers mostly, and generally doing kid stuff. ...

 

[Bourque]

We couldn't go to town on our bikes but we could go as far into the woods as we wanted (go figure) and we did. ...

That is funny. People with bad intentions towards kids would never think of going into the woods.

 

[BMC]

That is funny. People with bad intentions towards kids would never think of going into the woods.

It was a different time what can I say? There was maybe 1200 people in town. Everybody knew who the "bad people" were & where they lived too. At one time we lived in one of only 5 houses on our end of the street and they were located pretty far apart except for our friends who lived across the street & the little old lady who lived next door. If two cars went up the street during the day it was a traffic jam!

 

[Bourque]

It was a different time what can I say? There was maybe 1200 people in town. Everybody knew who the "bad people" were & where they lived too. At one time we lived in one of only 5 houses on our end of the street and they were located pretty far apart except for our friends who lived across the street & the little old lady who lived next door. If two cars went up the street during the day it was a traffic jam!

I understand. I grew up within 100 yards of a cornfield. My relatives were IA farmers, and I spent summers there. When I got married my 95-year-old great aunt Agnes was still driving.

 

[RoccoF14]

I grew up in the 70s & early 80s too, and it wasn't all peaches & cream. We tend to remember the good things, and forget the not so good. The late 70s kinda sucked if I'm being honest. Inflation, crazy gas shortages, high unemployment.....I had a lot of buddies who's parents were out of a job back then, up here in the Midwest rustbelt. It put a strain on a lot of families, to the point where we had a couple of my friends come live with us for a couple weeks.

That said, I DO miss getting on my bike, going to the playground and getting into a pickup game of baseball/basketball/shinny..... whatever. You could just hop on your bike and show up at the local school/park/playground and play with whoever was there (and there was ALWAYS someone there..), no questions asked. You figured out how many guys you had, made up your own rules and you played until it was time to go home or it got too dark to see anymore. You just don't see that anymore, and its kinda sad.

Nowadays, sports are all organized, scripted and controlled by adults........boooooo!

 

[RoccoF14]

I understand. I grew up within 100 yards of a cornfield. My relatives were IA farmers, and I spent summers there. When I got married my 95-year-old great aunt Agnes was still driving.

I spent my summers working on my uncle's dairy farm (1,300 acres) in North Dakota from the time I was 8 through my early teens......We probably had a very similar experience. I loved it....I also had an aunt named Agnes. Two of them, actually.

Farm kids are a cut from a different cloth than city kids, and I'm thankful that I got to do both....

 

[Troublesome 85]

 

[caz16]

I grew up in the 70s & early 80s too, and it wasn't all peaches & cream. We tend to remember the good things, and forget the not so good. The late 70s kinda sucked if I'm being honest. Inflation, crazy gas shortages, high unemployment.....I had a lot of buddies who's parents were out of a job back then, up here in the Midwest rustbelt. It put a strain on a lot of families, to the point where we had a couple of my friends come live with us for a couple weeks.

That said, I DO miss getting on my bike, going to the playground and getting into a pickup game of baseball/basketball/shinny..... whatever. You could just hop on your bike and show up at the local school/park/playground and play with whoever was there (and there was ALWAYS someone there..), no questions asked. You figured out how many guys you had, made up your own rules and you played until it was time to go home or it got too dark to see anymore. You just don't see that anymore, and its kinda sad.

Nowadays, sports are all organized, scripted and controlled by adults........boooooo!

I remember the days when school ended and we would bike all over the place, ride the subway for fun (my parents would have killed me), they had a drop in centre at the school and we could stop by and play basketball, etc. I had an odometer on my bike and we would do 20 miles some days, just living the dream.
Staying up late, watching the Midnight Special, sleeping in and watching game shows and cartoons in the mornings. It was pretty sweet! I was lucky, I had no worries, my Mom was always home and ready to serve up her home baking or make supper for which ever friend wanted to stay. It was an amazing time for me.

 

[Bruinaura]

I remember the day I knew my vision was going. I was a pretty decent contact hitter when I was in youth baseball. I made the A squad when I was 11, with hopes of making the Cooperstown tournament team the next year. Well, first day of batting practice the following year I couldn’t hit lol. Couldn’t see the ball! Didn’t get glasses for another year or so. Needless to say, but I did not make the tournament team

Now, at 40, I struggle at night. Traffic lights and headlights sometimes turn into massive starbursts. Especially on rainy nights. Up close I’m starting to sympathize with my father, as I find myself pushing my phone away from my face to be able to focus on letters. Not ready for readers. Yet.

“Forty eyes” are definitely a thing

Guessing you have some astigmatism

I've had that for years, at my last exam a couple weeks ago the doc said my astigmatism had actually improved a bit. Had no idea that was possible.

I have plenty of other eye issues to make up for it though lol

Binocular vision dysfunction......ugh

 

[McGarnagle]

Guessing you have some astigmatism

I've had that for years, at my last exam a couple weeks ago the doc said my astigmatism had actually improved a bit. Had no idea that was possible.

I have plenty of other eye issues to make up for it though lol

Binocular vision dysfunction......ugh

I got an eye exam and new glasses about a month ago. I had astigmatism on my previous prescription but this doctor said it went away and took the astigmatism off the prescription. I'm still adjusting to the new pair and not quite sure I believe her on that. They also gave me a PD that was 3 mm more narrow than my previous pair, so I either measured it wrong back then or they measured it wrong now. Either way it's another adjustment for my eyes and brain.

I'm at the point where I wear glasses for driving or watching TV from distance, but for general up close vision I've stopped wearing anything. If I have my glasses on and then go to glance at my phone or read a label or something that's within an arm's distance, it gives me a headache. I only put them on at work now if I'm going through a payroll register on excel with small font so I don't overlook anything.

 

[Bourque]

I grew up in the 70s & early 80s too, and it wasn't all peaches & cream. We tend to remember the good things and forget the not so good. ...

What's Goin' On
Blue
Songs in the Key of Life
Rumours
Blood on the Tracks
Exile on Main St
London Calling
Born to Run
Tapestry
Horses
Innervisions
Remain in Light
Ziggy Stardust
Ramones - self-titled
Exodus
The Great Twenty-Eight

Agreed. In terms of entertainment, I do think that was the peak. Imho everything from cartoons to movies to music (I listed some albums above) was at its peak.

 

[Kate08]

Best way to end a beautiful early summer day

 

[Alicat]

No idea about damage but the tornado touched down 3 miles from me. I’m in this area every Saturday. So glad I was prepared. Hoping there were no injuries between the tornado and all the rain hitting at rush hour.

 

[quietbruinfan]

Guessing you have some astigmatism

I've had that for years, at my last exam a couple weeks ago the doc said my astigmatism had actually improved a bit. Had no idea that was possible.

I have plenty of other eye issues to make up for it though lol

Binocular vision dysfunction......ugh

I have had astigmatism all along. I cant use bi-focals due to other issues.

I once started wearing a pair of distance glasses that I had lost for 15 to 20 years, and my eyes adjusted and improved! I finally broke that pair and my eyes reverted/regressed.
They definitely can improve with the right exercises and use. The Japanese have astoundingly low rates of vision problems, which they attribute to grade school eye-exercises.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

I grew up in the 70s & early 80s too, and it wasn't all peaches & cream. We tend to remember the good things, and forget the not so good. The late 70s kinda sucked if I'm being honest. Inflation, crazy gas shortages, high unemployment.....I had a lot of buddies who's parents were out of a job back then, up here in the Midwest rustbelt. It put a strain on a lot of families, to the point where we had a couple of my friends come live with us for a couple weeks.

That said, I DO miss getting on my bike, going to the playground and getting into a pickup game of baseball/basketball/shinny..... whatever. You could just hop on your bike and show up at the local school/park/playground and play with whoever was there (and there was ALWAYS someone there..), no questions asked. You figured out how many guys you had, made up your own rules and you played until it was time to go home or it got too dark to see anymore. You just don't see that anymore, and its kinda sad.

Nowadays, sports are all organized, scripted and controlled by adults........boooooo!

I grew up mostly in the 90s and already the childhood of kids now just 25-30 years later is in many ways almost unimaginably different from what ours was. There is a reflex towards thinking that 'my time was better' but I think for the most part the reality is that what kids have now is not better or worse, it's just different.

I will say though I'm very glad I grew up at a time before smart phones and social media. The amount of damage they do to today's teenagers is shocking.

 

[Gordoff]

Shes back from the NICU

My daughter was/is having post partum so I been talking to her everyday idk what else to do

Don't underestimate the power of talk and of understanding even if it's hard to comprehend what a depressed person is trying to say or explain. Just being there is everything sometimes.

 

[Gordoff]

This was kinda fun but also kinda tiring on my hands and back. Once that wheel catches a bit it really tries to take off. Today was just a proof of concept, there are a lot of corners and crannies near the front fork i gotta do, but there are a few sensors and electrical components i want to tape up first. But a pretty good start!
View attachment 1044591

You're a young looking grandpa.

 

[quietbruinfan]

I got an eye exam and new glasses about a month ago. I had astigmatism on my previous prescription but this doctor said it went away and took the astigmatism off the prescription. I'm still adjusting to the new pair and not quite sure I believe her on that. They also gave me a PD that was 3 mm more narrow than my previous pair, so I either measured it wrong back then or they measured it wrong now. Either way it's another adjustment for my eyes and brain.

I'm at the point where I wear glasses for driving or watching TV from distance, but for general up close vision I've stopped wearing anything. If I have my glasses on and then go to glance at my phone or read a label or something that's within an arm's distance, it gives me a headache. I only put them on at work now if I'm going through a payroll register on excel with small font so I don't overlook anything.

You sound like you need readers or a cheap pair of those drugstoe magnifiers etc. I have headaches switching among glasses from time to time, but they don't last.

 

[TD Charlie]

You're a young looking grandpa.

I’m also not a grandpa, but I’m gonna take this as a compliment and consider it as you just calling me a silver fox lol

 

[Troublesome 85]

This broke my heart since is so relatable