Please don't waster your time or money buying from theinverterstore.com

They sell defective merchandise that catches fire, and then when the inverter fails to function properly, they charge a restocking fee. In fact, the only reason they processed any sort of credit (it took over a month to get a partial refund), is because I called to complain. Don't do it. Just don't. Save your money for an iTunes purchase -- anything but an inverter from theinverterstore.com

While he and his team at Brazos Eye Surgery of Texas may be perfectly wonderful at caring for their own patients, Dr. Swann is treating me like a red-headed stepchild. Not only does he look at me with insult on his face when I ask him a question about the condition of my damaged eye, but he doesn't give clear advice on what needs to be done to repair the structures in my eye that are failing. Last week he told me that I needed a cornea transplant within the month. When his bosom buddies in Dallas couldn't see me until mid-September, I became concerned, and wanted to expedite the process, even if it meant going elsewhere (which is apparently something on the order of blasphemy -- I forgot about the God complex these guys have). I've already been seen by a cornea specialist in Austin, and suggested that I be given a referral to him. Amidst a few hushed gasps, the secretaries began that process.
Today I received a call from Dr. Swann's office saying that my Austin cornea specialist is not a SUB-specialist, but that he “would see what he could do to help”, is how Swann's person put it. I was never told that I needed a sub-specialist, because Dr. Swann considers it beneath him to spend more than 90 seconds of a day talking to a trauma patient.

Since the original posting, I've been in contact with the Austin cornea specialist's office, and have learned that Swann's office person was “clearly misinformed” that he wasn't a 'sub' specialist, and that such a term is not in use – he is a cornea specialist who performs many such procedures each week. I'm more inclined to believe that I'm being deceived by a doctor's office that is engaged in some form of political or territorial bias, and has resorted to deceptive methods to get their way in order to honor whatever manner of affiliation it is that is at work here. Dr. Swann wants me to use his buddy McCall, who is not available until mid-September, and when I suggested that they try to get me in with a specialist who has already seen me, their tone changed markedly, as if there was a vested interest that was being purloined. I would have to say that after reviewing the facts that I believe that Dr. Russell Swann is more interested in honoring his own professional affiliations than he is in delivering the necessary care to a patient.
Something else has been suggested which would also explain Swann's behavior: he's not trying to generate business for his associates -- he's just not competent to evaluate my condition. I should have considered this possibility. When I was left alone in the exam room, young technicians and assistants would drop in and ask to take a gander at my eye, because "they don't get cases like mine."

Over the last few weeks I've done a lot of complaining, with not much room or energy left over to be reflective or creative. Many times I have written that I didn't want for my blog to be overladen with negative. Even so, I have had a difficult time fulfilling this goal. Today my wife and kids are traveling, and so I hope to spend time at this keyboard working on a remedy.
Earlier this summer I sold my Toyota and purchased a Honda scooter in an effort to save on gas. The scooter does a good job getting me to the office and around the small suburb where I live. I am pleased with the performance, and just performed my first oil change last night -- 0.6 litre of 10W30.
Even though we're in the midst of a heat wave here, riding the scooter is a lot of fun in the morning and around sunset. In fact, on days that I am unable to ride due to cargo-carrying requirements and travel needs, I find myself suffering from a touch of withdrawal. Going for an errand on the scooter right away dismisses the withdrawal symptoms. Funny.
A couple of weeks ago I scooted to dinner with friends while my wife was traveling. When I left the restaurant and headed for home there was practically no traffic. For most of the four-mile ride I was alone on the road. For those few minutes I felt as if the world had been given over to me. The sun was low. The upper atmosphere was alive and full of energy, as evidenced by the clouds that were transformed into massive brush strokes that turned from white to orange to purple and grey in front of the sun. The air temperature was just below body temperature, but patches of it were considerably hotter and cooler. Cool, damp patches of air lingered in lower-lying spots of topography. In addition to variations in air temperature, the air was flavored with its contents. I could smell the train tracks before crossing them. I could tell when large commercial production facilities were near, because there would be a break in the natural scents of earth and vegetation. I was amazed at how many of these sensations are unavailable to the operator of car or truck, or at least when I am driving the car or minivan how I am unable to perceive more of the tastes and sensations of the environment.

My Waco doc took a look at my ruined eye and had a couple of remarks, one of which amounts to good news: my retina is still attached. On the negative side, my cornea is failing. We're not sure exactly why, but it may be due to some scar tissue coming in contact with the cornea, causing it to degrade. This means that I need a new cornea within the month.
When my retina specialist heard this, he suggested that we have the oil that is supporting my retina removed and replaced with another gas bubble before proceeding with the cornea transplant, in order to prevent degradation of the new cornea by the oil. This would not be an issue if I still had an iris to form a barrier between the oil and my cornea. What a mess! A gas bubble means more time on my face, and a little more insanity along with it.

Ol' Doc Swann sez that my cornea is failing -- no big surprise, since it's a wreck. The prob is that something in the anterior region of what remains of my eye is touching the cornea, and is causing it to degrade faster than we would like for it to do, so a transplant is needed within the month, if at all possible. As it stands, I cannot get in until mid-September, but the staff at the office is doing what they can to expedite the process.

If the operation is a success, I just might be able to see a bit better than I can at the moment. Actually, anything would be a radical improvement. Right now, I have a baseball stitch running through my cornea, resulting in a shattered windshield-effect on what I loosely refer to as vision.