What the cluck? There's a chicKEN in my office

The Humane Society visits the TV show each week, and they normally bring dogs that need to be adopted and occasionally a cat.

This week, they brought two chickens.

I thought that having legendary actor Ed Asner sit in my office for an hour was unusual (and it was).  Chickens in my office are pretty unusual, too.

I thanked the chickens for having friends who are delicious, especially when they're cut up into tasty breaded nuggets and fried.  And, dipped in ranch.

A chicken in my office checking out her eggs

Bonus photo:
A giant mouth to chew the chicken with,
that was brought to the show by a local orthodontist

I'm guilty of statutory grape

As I get older, there are a handful of things that instantly take me back to an earlier moment in my life that I remember vividly.  One of those things is grape soda.

I went to camp for a week each summer when I was a kid.  It was Camp Moses Merrill in northeast Nebraska.  The camp had a little snack shack where every afternoon we were allowed to buy snacks and sodas.  My parents gave me some spending money that was kept as a 'bank' to be used at the snack shack.

I remember buying an orange or grape soda every afternoon.  Camp was full of interesting experiences that I have not really had except when I went each summer.  When I graduated from high school, I was a counselor there for a couple of summers.  I still bought grape sodas at the snack shack as I moved into young adulthood.

I haven't really thought about those camp experiences until recently when I walked past the vending machines at the apartment complex I live at.  Crush sodas are available in that machine... orange, strawberry, and grape.  I had an impulse and purchased a grape soda from that machine a few weeks ago.

I was so excited about how delicious it was that I bought a six pack of grape Crush at Walmart Neighborhood Market when Anthony and I went grocery shopping on Sunday.  I have been drinking one every night this week.  Every one of them has been wonderful.

Life can often be complicated.  But, I do my best to keep myself happy by finding simple things that bring me joy whether it's taking pictures, walking the dog, or drinking a grape soda.

Oh grape soda, how I love thee.

Grape me.

A half eaten burrito and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

Today's Sunday adventure with Anthony included dinner at Taco Bell (It is one of my favorite places to eat) and a grocery shopping trip to Walmart Neighborhood Market.

I ordered my second Smothered Burrito ever (it was just as delicious as the first one a few weeks ago) and Anthony got a 7 layer burrito.  The dinner included the sounds of a couple of senior citizens who were nearly yelling at each other.  They weren't yelling because they were angry, they were yelling because it became quite obvious they were both hard of hearing.  I'll take that over annoying jazz dinner music any day.

We headed over to Walmart Neighborhood Market at 22nd and Craycroft.  I managed to pick what I thought would be a smooth riding cart but it turned out to act like it was in an earthquake all the way through the store.  The highlight of the shopping trip was finding some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle masks and having Anthony take my picture.

Smothered Burrito at the Taco Bell on Grant and Tanque Verde.
This is what I ordered and ate.
It's really wonderful.

Anthony's half eaten 7 Layer Burrito.
He did finish it.

This bar thingy hangs over the entrance to the Taco Bell drive thru.
Anthony read it and said "Don't ring your dong on this."

Nesquik Drinking Straw Glasses at Walmart Neighborhood Market
I'd buy these but use them for beer instead.

Wood Building Set... reminds me of a date I've had.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle mask.
I was hoping I'd look like a tough guy, I ended up looking like a jackass.

Eye am getting older

Getting older sucks.

I had one of those 'next phase' of getting older moments today when I got an eye exam.

I called on Friday and got an appointment for today at Accent On Vision on Oracle Road near Orange Grove.  I've gone there for eye exams, contacts lenses, and glasses since I moved to Tucson.  They take good care of me and the staff there is totally awesome.  A shout out to Paloma for helping me out today, as well as the optometrist Dr. Peterson.

Here's the getting older sucks part:  Have you ever felt sad for those old people who need 'reading glasses' to see things up close?  I'm now one of those old people.  They are going to be a supplement to the contact lenses I've worn for years.  I did get a new contacts prescription (right eye was the same, left eye strength needed to be increased) and invested the money in what the Accent On Vision staff described as "the Cadillac of contacts":  Ciba Vision Dalies Total 1.  I've previously had longer wear contacts, I have to put new ones in every day of this type.  I'm wearing them now, and I have to say they are the most comfortable contacts I have ever worn.  But, they don't solve my 'having trouble reading things up close' problem.

I also purchased two pairs of eyeglasses.  One pair can be worn without contacts and they're tri-focals.  The good news is they don't have the weird look where you know when you see someone wearing them that they have that feature.  The second pair is to be used when I have contacts on, basically as reading glasses...where the top portion has no magnification but the bottom does.

I went hog wild today, spending $700 in addition to what my vision insurance covered for the contact lenses and two pairs of glasses.  I am hopeful it will make my increasing struggles to see the computer screen among other things at work much better.  One thing I've realized already:  I need to buy a new laptop computer.  The resolution of the screen isn't as good as I thought it was!

Anthony came along to take photos for me and we went to lunch afterward at Mimi's Café next to Tucson Mall.  I tried to convince him that he needs an eye exam since he's only had one in his life, but he's in a state of denial and believes he doesn't need it.  Maybe that's just as well, if he doesn't see perfectly then I will always look fabulous to him.

Trying on frames before my appointment started at Accent On Vision.
An oopsie -- I didn't realize I was looking in the women's section.
No wonder they looked pretty on me.

That's Paloma on the right, she asked me to read the
lowest line I could see on the eye chart.
My response was "Made In China"

This is the eye chart, and as you can see at the bottom...

The lowest line says "Made In China".
Pretty good eyesight don't you think?

This machine doesn't make any noise!
Then I remembered I was getting an eye exam, not ear.

This machine had a picture of a farmhouse way down a road.
I live in the city so I don't know if that was helpful.

This machine blew a puff of air into my eyes.
It was like being in the shortest windstorm ever.

This machine would not make an attractive hat.

They asked me to take my contacts out and pointed to this rack.

Turns out those were contact lens cases.
Not candy.



It's impossible to look good when you take a contact lens out of your eye.

Rows and rows of sunglasses...
and one pair that attempted to make a break for it.

I'm sitting in Captain Kirk's chair from the Enterprise
Eye exam, ahead warp factor one.

They have a fancy new gadget that takes a picture of
the back of your eye from the inside.
This is the photo of mine.
Pretty freakin' cool.

Here's one of the pairs of glasses I decided to get.
Bonus: Now you know what I'll look like wearing them with my eyes closed.

Here's the second pair of glasses I decided to buy.
I thought they complimented my hair quite nicely.

Anthony has a thousand dollars worth of fancy bags at home...
but chooses to carry his driver's license and debit card in a tissue box.

Today's sneaky photo of Anthony: At Mimi's Café near Tucson Mall.
We had a delightful lunch.
Bonus: Photobomb of older gentleman in hideous Hawaiian print shirt

Bread and butter on our table.

Anthony ordered this salad with strawberries in it.

I ordered a turkey, brie cheese, and cranberry croissant with onion rings.
It was KENtastic.

Meeting Peter and Lynda Ford

I met Peter and Lynda Ford today.

Peter is the son of acting legend Glenn Ford.  Peter has been an actor in some movies as well, and his wife Lynda also has appeared in movies.  She told me a funny story in our green room about how many times she has played characters in movies that die (the example she gave was the Poseidon Adventure).

Peter and Lynda were in town to host a screening of the original "3:10 To Yuma" (the 1957 version), a western that starred Glenn Ford in which he played the lead character.  Personally, I remember Glenn most for playing Jonathan Kent in the original Superman movie (that was released in 1978 and starred Christopher Reeve as Superman).

They were great guests on the Morning Blend, and were kind enough to pose for a photo.

Lynda Ford, Ken Carr, and Peter Ford
I'm the filling in a Ford sandwich.