Laser Eyes!

Alright, so here is the post I've been dreading to write, as my laser eye surgery isn't nearly as interesting as the results. Neither is is really that easy to convey to you the life-changing effect it has already had on me. I'll try to give you a little glimpse into the process and the results but be warned... this might be a very boring post.

As most of you know by now, because I've been talking about it for months and posting status updates about it on Facebook for the past few days, last Saturday I had laser eye surgery on both my eyes to correct my horrible vision. I have wanted this for years and finally took the plunge, both financially and physically. It is odd how much this decision effects your life in contrast to how relaxed and quick the actual surgery is.

From start the finish the whole surgery process took about 90 minutes on the day, I was physically 'in surgery' for about 10 minutes! In that time here is what happened: the nurse numbed my eyes, then using a plastic ring they spread my eyes open and cut a flap in my cornea using a laser. After each flap was cut the surgeon opened up my eye and then placed my gaping cornea and iris under the laser. I was asked to stare at a bright red light while a blue laser was shot in my eye in a circular patten. This took 41 seconds for my right eye and 43 for my left. The whole time I could smell the laser burning bits of my eye... gross. For your information, burning eye smells exactly like burning hair. Aside from the smell this process was completely painless and I'm happy to say all went 100% well!

Once I was out of surgery I was made to sit in a darkened room where the nurse went over my aftercare procedure. I have three drops I use four times a day for seven day, which is really no big deal at all but what they don't really tell you before hand is that you have to sleep in these RIDICULOUS goggles for seven nights after your surgery! They are not very comfortable but not as uncomfortable as you'd expect but they are certainly affecting my ability to sleep soundly for more than 2 or 3 hours. Oh well, seven days is worth the results. After I had been told about aftercare I was free to go!

I was feeling fantastic, my sight was already better, not perfectly clear but 100% better than before, I walked out of the surgery with only my sunglasses on... completely free of corrective lenses! Rob was with me and I was feeling so good I decided to take the bus home instead of spending £10 on a taxi. For the first 5 minutes this seemed like an alright idea then the numbing drops wore off and I thought I was going to die!!!!! Not only was the bus slow, it was just about the sunniest day in London since we've moved here, go figure! Every time the tiniest bit of light hit my eye or eyelid it felt like tiny hot daggers poking me. I was in real pain and completely unable to open my eyes! The bus took what felt like eternity to get home. Rob had to guide me with my eyes completely shut from the bus stop all the way home and once inside I went immediately to the completely dark bedroom and tried to sleep with my silly goggles for a few hours.

When I work up it was dark out and I could get up and walk around like normal as long as the lights were off. My vision was definitely improving and by 10pm that night I could watch TV and pretty much see everything almost perfectly!

Sunday morning I woke up and was completely blown away! Everything was instantly sharper my sight was better than it had ever been with contacts or glasses. I couldn't believe the things I could see! I could read book titles on our book shelves from eight feet away! I could see the digital clock numbers on our TV from nearly 10 feet away. Not only could I see and read these things, I could see them SO MUCH SHARPER. I couldn't wait to get out in the real world and go shopping. Outside in the sun the difference was breath-taking! Not only was everything sharper, everything was more vibrant too. I could see colours better, individual bricks on building or leaves on trees were all distinct. I kept testing Rob to see if I could see more clearly than him, and I think I can! It's absolutely incredible.

Sunday evening I had my 24hr check up with the optometrist and i had my first sight test. The check up went well and everything seems to be healing fine... good new. When I took my sight test I could see better than 20/20... GREAT NEWS! In fact, my right eye was 16/20 and my left was 18/20! The results were better than expected but still might change over the next week or so. I was thrilled.

Today is Tuesday, three days after my surgery, and I'm still noticing things that I could never see before. If you have never worn glasses or contacts you'll think I sound like a gushing lunatic, if you have worn them... don't hesitate any longer, if you can, go out and get this done as soon as humanly possible! I'm not exaggerating, the surgery really is this good!

Walnut Cinnamon Buns

Judging by all my recipes you would never guess that in all actuality I don't really have that much of a sweet tooth! I know, you must think I'm joking, but I'm not. I really only like baking and unfortunately most of the stuff I know how to bake is sweet. This said, I do certainly enjoy something sweet occasionally and certain things I just can keep my hands off, see my Snickerdoodle post.

Mmmmm... eat them warm!

So last night when I was sitting around watching the Oscars I suddenly got an unshakable craving for cinnamon buns, don't ask me why. Gooey, sticky, and sweet cinnamon buns <mouth waters>, I couldn't get them out of my head. I immediately found a recipe and got to work. Here is the recipe I used. However, I couldn't find any pecans so I used walnuts, which give the buns a unique flavour, a very good substitution if I do say so myself. I also baked them in two smaller round pans instead of one big rectangular one, just so they could turn out onto a dinner plate when they were finished. These are so good I will be making these again for sure!

Making the most of my eyes

So about a week ago I posted a bit about having laser eye surgery. Well, that has happened and I will be posting about it here later. But this post is all about my minor freak out leading up to the surgery.

I think it's understandable when you read that someone is going to cut your eye open and shoot lasers in it that you are allowed to have a minor emotional crisis. Luckily my crisis manifested itself into wanting to enjoy my sight while I still had it before I risked potentially going blind.

So I convinced Rob to take the Friday before my surgery off work so we could enjoy a full day of eye-astonishing activities which actually started on the Thursday night before my surgery with a movie.

We went to see The Artist, which really was as good as it was hyped up to be. It was extremely entertaining, and isn't that what you go to the movies for? I know this is an odd choice in film if I was hoping to see something before I go blind as it's silent and in black in white, but hey-ho! I was thrilled.

The next morning we got up and headed to Kew Gardens where I got to feast my failing eyes on the most amazing orchid and tropical flower exhibition. I really don't know how to describe it so I'll just let you look at the photos below. Kew is just about my favourite place in London and this is really why, it never fails to amaze me.

The crocus had just started to come out,
the grounds were carpeted with them... stunning

Fantastic plant, it looks painted! 

So abundant and vibrant 

Rob in an archway of tropical lilies and bromeliads. 

Fantastic tropical flower display! Unbelievable Orchids, lilies, and
bromeliads displayed in the Princess of Wales greenhouse. 

Such a cool orchid, the pictures do not not do the colour justice. 

One side of a ten-foot long archway of the most colourful orchids. 

After a lovely day at Kew and quick visit from a work colleague to drop off a very thoughtful card and chocolates before my surgery, Rob and I were off to an extremely unusual wedding. We attended one of our best friends wedding's in Saskatoon, Canada via Skype from a flat London. It was a Skype wedding! This was the wedding that we had planned on going to in New York this September, but circumstances changed since then and the it actually took place in Canada on Friday with all of the grooms family and friends attending via Skype. What a fantastic time we live in! I owe so much to Skype and being able to see Thom and Gillian get married LIVE from so far away just adds to my many digital memories. For those of you who have never been to one, here is what a Skype wedding looks like!

Many congratulations and best wishes for decades
of joy together to Mr and Mrs Walton! 

Pancake day... why not?!

Tuesday 21 February was Pancake Day here in the UK, otherwise known as Mardi Gras. I always thought people flew down to New Orleans, got drunk, and flashed people for beads on this holiday but here in the UK they eat pancakes a much more mild form of indulgence before lent.

Rob and I are not religious so we were not really celebrating Pancake Day for that reason... I just really wanted to eat breakfast for dinner. I'm not the biggest breakfast fan, some people are crazy for the meal, but I do enjoy a breakfast for dinner everyone once and while. I figure Pancake Day was the perfect excuse! 

After poached eggs and friend tomatoes on toast we gorged on Scotch pancakes with maple syrup, freshly whipped cream, and mango slices! I'm only posting this because this meal was as good as it looks! YUM-MY! 

Quorn Chilli... better than real beef

In a desperate attempt to save some money Rob and I bring our lunches to work four out of five days. But being as lazy as we are, we don't really enjoy having to prepare said lunches in the morning. We've found the best solution to this was to make things that could be easily served in the morning when we're tired and grumpy. For a while this was mainly soup and bread rolls but that got boring quickly so we switched things up a bit.

At the same time we're also trying to cut back on our meat intake, not just for our health but for the environment as well. I tend to feel guilty eating meat more than once a day.

These two efforts combined to create pretty much the best chilli EVER! I don't have a very appetizing photo of the finished product as it's still in the saucepan but don't be fooled, this chilli is way better than any other I have ever tasted, including any made with actual beef or lamb. The recipe is below and I'm so proud to say that this one I just developed myself! Please try it out and ENJOY!

Quorn Chilli

Quorn Chilli
Serves 6-8

olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped

3 tins of peeled plum tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1-5 green finger chilies, finely chopped

tbsp chilli powder (optional)

200 grams (on normal bag) Quorn mince

1 tin of red kidney beans, drained

1 green pepper, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 bunch coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped

For Serving

Rice or couscous

In a large saucepan heat a tablespoon of olive oil then add the onion. Sweat the onion over a medium/high heat till it is just about translucent. Add all of the tomatoes and turn the heat up to high. Stir the tomatoes vigorously so the full pieces break up into rough pieces. Let simmer on high for about 5 minutes. 

Turn the heat down to medium/high and add the garlic, chilies, chilli powder, and Quorn. Simmer on medium for another 5-10 minutes or until the Quorn is fully broken up and heated through. 

Add the kidney beans and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add the greeen pepper and season with salt and pepper then let simmer on a very low heat for at least 35 minutes. The chilli should reduce and thicken while it simmers. 

Once it has reduced down to a good consistency, lightly stir in the coriander. 

Server over freshly boiled rice or prepared couscous. Chilli will keep in the fridge for about 5 days. 

NOTE: I use about 5 chilies but this is very spicy, considering I also add chilli powder. You can reduce or omit either of these ingredients to suit your tastes. Also, if you prefer chilli with beef or lamb you can use this recipe substituting the Quorn for about 500g beef or lamb mince. 

A winter warmed with a Spanish feast

So several weeks ago, when it was bitter cold in London, we went for dinner at a Spanish friend's house. We had her for dinner before and she wanted to show us traditional Spanish cooking in return. It was delicious! She really went all out!

'A truly Spanish table'

Delicious meat and cheese, a good photo, too.

The meal consisted of lots of Tapas including sardines and mussels, a meat and cheese board, some delicious bread and two brilliant centrepieces... Spanish tortilla and octopus!

The Spanish tortilla was similar to what I grew up calling a frittata but the potatoes were shredded and the whole thing was fried, never baked. It was so much better than a frittata! When I took my first bite I was convinced there must have been loads of cheese in it because it was so creamy and delicious but that was just the way the potato egg had combined, it was fantastic. I will chase my friend and make sure to get the recipe on here soon, no one should go without eating this!

Spanish tortilla

The Octopus was amazing as well. I have eaten tiny octopus before, but mainly in pasta and certainly never as undressed as this, just some paprika and olive oil. I really enjoyed it. I can't believe how nice it was just by itself or with some boiled potatoes.

Octopus with potatoes

Too top off the amazing meal, Rob and our other friend, Tom played a bit of guitar for us while we all sipped Cava and GnTs! A lovely winter evening!

The evening's entertainment! Rob and Tom

See is for Cindy

Two weeks ago I shocked Rob with how horrible my eyesight is when I took him along to a consultation for laser eye surgery. This was the first time Rob had ever been to an eye doctor and he was very interested in all the usual machines and tests, he also got a first hand glimpse at how awful my eyes are with out my contacts or glasses. He just couldn't believe that I couldn't tell which way the GIGANTIC 'E' was pointing on the very top line of tests. I'm glad he was there though, because often I forget how strange it must be for people with 20/20 vision, too, and how jealous I am of them. 

At the consultation I found out that I'm able to get Lasik surgery done that should result in 20/20 vision when I'm done. Rob and I thought about it for a week and looked very closely at our finances. Rob was all for it apparently I'm missing out on life if I don't (I guess I agree). I was a bit more hesitant, not just for the fact that they would be shooting lasers IN MY EYES, but there is a lot more we could do with the money than laser eye surgery... we could go on an amazing holiday, fix up our house or both! But after talking to a few people who have had it done and had NOTHING bad to say about it, I was convinced and I'm going for it! 

In exactly two weeks to the date I will be at my 24 hour recovery appointment able to see without the aid of any contacts or glasses! I seriously cannot wait! Read some cheesy poetry with more about how I feel here. 

2012, the year of travel!

My mother has to be the luckiest person I know, almost every year she gets to accompany my dad to a convention for his work and while he sits in meetings all day, my mom and the other wives/partners get chauffeured around to all the local tourist attractions and treated like royalty with 5-star meals and private guided tours at some of the worlds most amazing places. She's been to Vienna, Hawaii, India, San Diego, Vancouver and in March will be headed to Dubai! 

To make us feel a bit more included into this life of luxury she leads, my parents are travelling home from Dubai via Italy (as you do) and Rob and I will be spending the week with them in Sorrento. It will be so nice to get away and to see my folks again. Unfortunately it won't be as warm as it would if we went later in the year, but a week off of work in a country with AMAZING food, is never anything to turn your nose up at! 

That week in March will officially kick off the Scott-Clark year of travel 2012, or at least that what I'm calling it.

In July I will be headed back to Cleveland, where I grew up, for the first time in over seven years to attend a friends wedding. I've got mixed feelings about going back... I can't wait to see people but it's a long way to go to see Cleveland, not my favourite city. Though there is one thing that Cleveland can guarantee in July that London can't... SUN! It might be the only warmth and sunshine I see all year! 

Once I return from Cleveland I have a few days to relax and watch some Olympics, including the 4x100 Mens Relay LIVE at the Olympic Arena! Then we're off to the Isle of Skye in Scotland for a week of relaxing with friends. We went last year and the scenery was stunning, the company was fantastic, the food was delicious and even the weather was great! I can't wait to go again. 

Then, about two weeks later we're off over the the Atlantic again to go to a friend's wedding in New York City. Rob and I are going to turn this into a proper Northeast Holiday, renting a car and driving to all the places Rob's never been before, Boston, Philadelphia, Delaware, and maybe even up to Maine. We'll spend several days in NY for the wedding itself were both Rob and myself are going to be groomsmen!!! I'm thinking about buying a very cute 'fem-tux' for the event! 

By the end of September we will be well and truly tired so we'll rest up in October and November, all ready to go on a skiing adventure with both our families in Europe for Christmas! Details on this are yet to be confirmed but even if others don't come Rob and I are going to go somewhere for sure! 

I think with all the excitement of 2012, 2013 will have to be the Scott-Clark year of debt reduction! 

Corrective vision

Everyone's perception is different.

My red is not your red;

your wrong is not my wrong, 

but I wish for a clearer one,

nonetheless.

I hope the laser beams some sense

into my blurred reality.

I hope it makes the world crisp; 

makes my red redder, 

more right.

Maybe my glass will be half full

and I'll walk on shining, clean pavements, 

no longer in a crowded, busy city.

Everyone is suddenly beautiful 

and smiling.

But does sight really change perception?

Can I really feel differently 

with new modern eyes? 

Everyone's perception is different. 

I am excited. 

Snickerdoodles

I've always loved Snickerdoodles because they were one of the only cookies my mom made when I was growing up (she's not much of a chef) and also cause they have the greatest name. Also, they are not found in the UK at all! When I brought some into work my colleagues had no idea what I was talking about, another recipe that hasn't crossed over yet!

I found a fantastic recipe and I've made two batches (50 cookies per batch) of these cookies this week simply because Rob and I are just inhaling them. I'm in danger of developing a dependency on them but luckly my beaters broke so I won't be able to make them again until I replace the beaters which will have to be after pay day. Hopefully, I can ween myself off them by then!

Snickerdoodles

Makes about 50 cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt


For rolling
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).

Cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat until fluffy (30 seconds). 

Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

Mix the 2 tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Using a large cookie dough scoop, make balls of dough, and then roll each ball into the bowl of cinnamon/sugar. I like to mix the cinnamon and sugar in a ramakin and then put the ball in the ramakin and spin it to get even coverage. 

Place dough 3 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove from baking sheets and cool on a cooling rack.