Thirteen wonders I want to see

I was inspired this week by an article on MSN  about voting for the new seven wonders of the world. There are 21 contenders. Here are the top places I’d love to visit in no particular order.

 Acropolis, Greece: This set-in-stone wonder attracts millions of visitors each year to its famed Parthenon and statues of Greek gods and goddesses.

 Colosseum, Italy: The 50,000-seat amphitheater in Rome was inaugurated in A.D. 80 and served as the backdrop for thousands of gladiators who dueled to the death.

 Petra, Jordan: This ancient city in southwestern Jordan, built on a terrace around Wadi Musa, or Valley of Moses, was the capital of the Arab kingdom of the Nabateans. The city is famous for water tunnels and stone structures carved in the rock.

 Pyramids of Giza, Egypt: The only surviving structures of the original seven wonders, the three pyramids were built as tombs for pharaohs 4,500 years ago. Nearby is the Great Sphinx statue.

 Taj Mahal, India: The white marble-domed mausoleum in Agra combines Indian, Persian and Islamic styles and was built by a 17th century Mogul emperor for his favorite wife, who died in childbirth.

 Machu Picchu, Peru: Built by the Incan Empire in the 15th century, Machu Picchu’s walls, palaces, temples and dwellings are perched in the clouds at 8,000 feet above sea level in the Andes.

 Eiffel Tower, France: The 985-foot tower, built in 1889 for the International Exposition, symbolizes Paris. The open-lattice iron icon is the City of Light’s tallest structure.

 Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany: The inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, Neuschwanstein is a creation of ‘Mad King’ Ludwig II of Bavaria. Perched on a peak in the Alps, the gray granite castle rises to towers, turrets and pinnacles.

 Christ Redeemer Statue, Brazil: The outstretched arms of the 125-foot statue of the Christ the Redeemer overlooks Rio de Janeiro from atop 2,343-foot Mount Corcovado.

 Sydney Opera House, Australia: With a roof resembling a ship in full sail, the opera house is situated on Bennelong Point reaching into Sydney’s harbor. It was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon and opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973.

 Great Wall of China: The 4,160-mile barricade running from east to west is the world’s longest man-made structure. The construction of the wall took place over hundreds of years, beginning in the seventh century B.C.  Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral, Russia: Domes with golden cupolas surrounded by red brick walls are at the heart of Moscow’s Kremlin. The Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed on adjacent Red Square features nine towers of different colors.

Thirteen Reasons I Forgot Thursday Thirteen

It’s Thursday…already. Oh my gosh. Someone shorted me a day this week. Ack!

1. I have C.R.S. (Can’t Remember S#*t) 2. Its summer and my son is home from camp, requiring my attention. (Hey, its sounds like a good excuse)3. I’m in a funk. Haven’t felt like reading, writing, or doing much other than watching movies.

A Midsummer Night’s Steam story

Blurb:

One tempting heiress. Two sexy cowboys. Three means fun beyond her wildest dreams—until her Cord starts to unravel. 

Thoroughbred rancher’s daughter Caitlyn Culver has always wanted playboy Cord Daily, even after her daddy threatened to bankrupt him. But winning a racehorse in a poker game means Cord is no longer just a cattle rancher. He’s come back wealthier and more wicked than ever.

Snaring this cowboy won’t be easy for Cait, and keeping him will be even harder. Still, his sexual antics and taste for ménages won’t scare her off. She knows the best way to snag a man like Cord is to pretend indifference. So when he comes onto her in the barn, she plays along—only to leave him tied to a ladder, aroused and unfulfilled.

It’s payback time.

Cord seeks out Cait and brings along his playboy cousin, Dolan Crane. The two cowboys are enough to set her body afire. She’s bound and determined to resist their sexual allure, but ends up experiencing a night beyond her wildest fantasies. Now Dolan wants Cait for himself. Cait’s father wants Cord’s racehorse. And Cord wants Caitlyn to choose—her father’s money or her cowboy’s love.

Recommendation:

Take Me is a smokin’ hot page turner. Cord and Cait really steam up the pages. Add in Dolan and you have a menage that will leave you breathless. I love cowboys and menages, and this one will definitely be on my keep shelf. My only complaint is it ended, but I’ve got my fingers cross that Ms. McKade will be writing Dolan’s story for us.

Take Me will be available from Samhain Publishing on June 22nd. You can’t go wrong by picking up this book.

Okay, here are all the down and dirty details. I was put into a surgical cap, gown and booties then given a Valium. Trust me, if you have this procedure, take the Valium when it’s offered! In the surgical suite, I laid flat on the padded bench and numbing drops were placed into my eyes. Next, the used gauze soaked in numbing drops and held it beneath my eyelids then the left eye was covered since they were working on the right first. 

The bench was swiveled so I was under the laser, looking up at a flashing red light. Then a thick circular device was placed over my eye which held my eyelids back as it pressed down. This was one of the worst parts, the intense pressure bordering on pain.  

I was repositioned under a different machine which created the flap in my cornea. This took 15 seconds during which time I was asked not to talk or move. I had an almost panic moment. I say almost because I didn’t freak, but my heart rate and breathing both kicked up and if someone hadn’t been holding my hands, I probably would have reached up to run a hand through my hair—a nervous reaction of mine. I can’t imagine how I would have been without the Valium. 

When I was placed back under the red flashing light the device was removed from my eye. It almost felt like it has suctioned itself to my eye so it was a bit disconcerting to feel it pulled away. The cover was moved from my left eye to the right and the process repeated. 

When they switched eyes again they used a plastic drape with adhesive to hold my eyelids out of the way. I was again asked to look at the red light while a solution was dripped into my eye and an instrument I really couldn’t see worked at the periphery of my vision. At times the red light disappeared or became blurry. This is also when I started to smell something like burnt hair or flesh. Then I was told to hold still for 32 seconds while the laser reshaped my eye. During this part the machine made clicking noises. 

After that what looked like a small white spatula was smoothed over my eye, I presume to put the flap back in place, followed by more drops. The right eye was covered and the same done to the left. I lost track of the flashing light and became distracted as the constant flow of solution went down into my ear and hair while they worked on my left eye and I was asked to focus. This brought on another near panic moment wondering if I’d messed up the procedure for that eye. The whole thing took less than 15 minutes. 

When we were all done they placed plastic shields over my eyes and had me sit with them closed for fifteen minutes. My eyes were then examined to ensure the flap was in position and everything was looking good. I was sent home with a mild sleeping pill and told to keep my eyes closed except to navigate my way around the house for the next five hours. The pill helped me sleep through 2 ½ of those hours. 

Today I went for my post-op recheck. I have anti-inflammatory and antibiotic drops for daytime, along with ointment for nights and some moisture drops for whenever I need them. Since my right eye is a bit more inflamed than they would like, I will be going for a recheck again on Tuesday, otherwise it would be a routine 2 week check-up. Moisture is a big issue after the procedure. 

My eyes are extremely bloodshot and strained, but I can see well, although a bit blurry at times. The blurriness is due to the inflammation and is supposed to dissipate over the next week. So far I am pleased with the results. I am sitting here typing this without contacts or glasses. This is huge for someone who has relied on both for the past 24 years for extreme nearsightedness. Right now I can see as good as, if not better than I did with my contact lenses. When they checked my eyes I was 20/20 and almost 15/15 as I could read the 3 middle letters on the smallest line. 

So to all those of you considering Lasik or sitting on the fence, I say go for it if you have the money. Do your research, check out the different doctors in your area and choose the one you are most comfortable with then get it done. The procedure is a bit daunting, but it’s over quickly. If I made it through, so can you!

Scott, Samhain cover artist extraordinaire, has done it again with the cover for Margarita Day, releasing August 21st. TK and I LOVE it!

Thirteen Things I’ve Learned About Lasik

After 25 years of wearing contact lenses I’m having lasik done on both eyes next week. (Because of this I won’t be posting a TT next week) It’s really an amazing procedure. Here are thirteen things I’ve learned.

1. Lasik is expensive. Prices vary by doctor, but the cost typically ranges from $1500 to $2500 per eye.

2. Lasik can make your vision better than what is achievable with glasses or contact lenses.

3. The laser was first approved by the FDA for use in Photorefractive Keratectomy in 1995.

4. If you wear contact lenses expect to remove them for a minimum of one week before the procedure. Contacts change the natural shape of the eye and are kept out to allow the eye to return to its normal shape.

5. Contraindications: Several conditions may prevent you from having lasik including large pupils, thin cornea tissue, diabetes, glaucoma, prior eye trauma and a few others.

6. Anesthetic drops are put in the eye, the laser creates a flap in the cornea then laser pulses reshape the cornea. The flap is put back in place and heals naturally.

7. Dependent on your eyes, you may not be a candidate for lasik, but there are other procedures to improve your vision such as PRK (similar to lasik) or even inserting a lens beneath your cornea.

8. Lasik takes only a few minutes, the flap seals within 4 to 5 hours, and you only need to take one day off from work. Any mild discomfort typically ends when the flap is sealed.

9. After the procedure, eye dryness is a problem and you can’t use ceiling fans while sleeping for three months.

10. The physician typically gives Valium or Versed to deal with nervousness before the procedure.

11. Many physicians now use a bladeless technology. This was a sticking point for me. The thought of a blade coming toward my eye freaked me out. My doctor is one of those using the new bladeless technique.

12. During the first week after the procedure, vision may fluctuate minutely during the healing process.

13. In some cases the eye may need to be retreated due to the way it has healed or other factors in order to achieve the best possible vision correction.

I’m nervous and excited about having the procedure done. Definitely gonna need the anti-anxiety meds before the procedure…LOL! I’ll let you know afterwards how it went. Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

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I love going to the movies, the whole experience. A huge tub of hot buttered popcorn. Cushy stadium theater seating. *sigh* Okay, I get very annoyed by those people who insist on using their cell phones during the show or are rude in other ways, like kicking the back of my seat, but overall, I still love it.

Last night I went out to dinner and then saw Mr. Brooks. The cast includes Kevin Costner, William Hurt, Demi Moore, Marg Helgenberger. Great line up, psuchological thriller, should have resulted in a great movie. IMHO, it was a total flop!

Mr. Brooks (Costner) is a successful, somewhat geeky, businessman with a murderous alter ego, Marshall (Hurt). Detective Atwood (Moore) is the cop who is out to catch him. A great deal of the movie is spent with Costner and Hurt driving around in an old Volvo wagon and bordered between being silly and stupid. They have a whole set of rules for killing, which Mr. Brooks breaks when his daughter quits college because she’s pregnant. It turns out the daughter also gets off on the thrill of killing, but has not done it well enough not to get caught. Mrs. Brooks (Helgenberger) is of course clueless that her husband and daughter are psychos.

The movie had me keeping a close eye on my watch, counting down the minutes until it would be over. The movie didn’t begin to hold my attention, and there wasn’t even one of those scary moments that makes you gasp. I was totally disappointed.