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Friday, June 5, 2009

Please excuse this interruption...

A series of thunderstorms have interrupted our work down in the garden; so I'm surfing around blogland, popping in and visiting some new sites, following back doors from my familiar haunts.

I'm noticing a few things about my habits and yours too.


I space/try to space my copy. It is not done for aesthetic reasons, negative space, illustrating importance, subsets, etc.. None of this. It is done for the simple reason that even when I enlarge the print, I have trouble reading it with my present spectacles. At the end of three lines, my eyes blurr.



Not your fault.



Not my fault, either. It is the fault of Medicare. Yes. And my supplemental insurance. Neither will cover new glasses. They will cover a trip to an eye specialist if I have some putrid stuff lodged in the eye and must be hospitalized. But, no new glasses. I must first get cataracts removed before new glasses appear on the horizon. (And I do not do surgery voluntarily!)



So, with that background, you can guess that my present glasses are limited in what they allow me to read comfortably on the computer. Some of you have so embellished and framed your
blogs that enlargement is out of the question.

So, ask yourself, do I want to discriminate against the poor, the old, the four eyes?


And another thing: some of our computers are ancient devices, with little memory. If you load your site with gadgets that need to be opened through other gadgets, you cause our poor devices to squirm and retreat.

Not your fault, either. Now, go on, do what you were doing. Don't mind me. I'm just taking a short break.

62 comments:

Bogey said...

Rosaria, I actually wear a pair of magnifiers exclusively for use on the computer. They work wonders for that and I think I bought them for under $20 at the pharmacy. Sure beats straining the eyeballs! Have fun in the garden!

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Oh, I have similar troubles...and so have selected larger type for my blog just so that I can read my own blog...LOL...Fun post!!!! I can sooo relate!!!! ~Janine XO

Elizabeth Bradley said...

I know what you mean, some blogs are so loaded down with music and videos and whatnot, my poor Mac freaks out and it takes forever before I can scroll, or leave. I have made the type a little bigger on my posts but I was considering making it much larger after noticing that so many others do. Bogey makes a good point. I buy those magnifiers at the drug store and they've worked for me.

Helen said...

Yes, yes get a good pair of 'readers.' They work well and won't cause damage.

You have given me incentive to remove the music on my blog ... I suspect it's a problem for a few blog friends and by now, I'm sure folks are sick of hearing it!

I tend to stay away from the blogs that have all of the ads, gadgets, links because I'm convinced it's where a virus or two came from.

We had rain on the high desert too. Yesterday's storm was fierce! But, I love it when it rains here because the smell is unlike any other ~ must be the lava dust, pine pollen and sagebrush. We are having a hot air balloon festival here Saturday and Sunday ... can't wait to head out armed with my trusty digital. Enjoy your weekend Rosaria.

La Belette Rouge said...

I can see your blog fine. Now if you were small print on a billboard I would never get to read you without having to dig in my purse to find the glasses I refuse to wear.

Pyzahn said...

Thank you so much for bringing this up. I come from an advertising background, so I'm very critical of layouts. Not a subjective opinion, but a matter of readability.

I find it very hard to focus on reverse type (white type on a black/dark background). And if there is so much busy-ness so that my eye can't settle, I move on.

I hope the storms pass soon. Please don't send them this way. I hope you have a blissful weekend of planting and anticipating your finished garden.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Pyzahn, busyness bothers me too. I'll have to look at my site with a critical eye and see if I need to change things - but don't ask me to change my rolling cube. I love it.

Thanks for visiting my site.

Marilynne (seventywhatnow?)

Rosaria Williams said...

Bogey: Oh good! I have an answer to my problem. Thanks.

Janine: Sounds like a great idea.

Elizabeth: I too believe in keeping things forever, or until there are no parts available to fix the machine.

Helen: I too am paranoid about opening links.

La Belette: On a billboard, if nobody could read my word, I might be starting a new fad.

Pyzahn: Exactly, the busy sites get a quick nod from me.

Marylynne: Welcome. We fall prey to the more is better aesthetics. I even got rid of my rolling blog because I couldn't keep up with the many blogs that needed recognition. Now, I will refer when due.

Kat said...

Haha! I have one of those slow old computers too, so fancy smancy blogs always take FOREVER to open. Arg!
I always try to space out my posts but blogger can be a real pain.
Good luck! ;)

Anonymous said...

I love to wind around blogland too. Your list will keep me busy for awhile.

My laptop hinges have sprung, so I'm holding screen up with my leg (true!) while I type. Your problem is the print; I've come unhinged.

Good luck with the eyes. I've never known anyone that regretted cataract surgery. Go for it.

Anonymous said...

I have regular prescription reading glasses and also use magnifying glasses that I got at Walmart for under $20.00. They work.

You might like to read the story about us almost moving to Alaska...

Homesteading in Alaska

Siobhán said...

To borrow a phrase from my 10 year old daughter...

You go girl!

potsoc said...

Rosaria, I had cataract surgery, both eyes, several years ago. Never regretted it. What a change, everything was so much cleare...and no need for magnifiers. I still have some astigmatism though but not much can be done about that save corrective eyeglasses...not covered here either.

potsoc said...

I took your hint and I have just made my print larger.

Amy said...

Ooohhh, Rosaria. A surgery. Many, many thoughts will be with you, I'm sure. I know mine will.

I've often considered trying to make my blog fancier, but always end up thinking that simple is better and more readable. Too much clutter makes me cringe, so it probably makes plenty of others cringe too.

Your spaces always come across to me as an opportunity to ponder and contemplate.

Eddie Bluelights said...

Hi Rosaria (if I may)
Would a magnifying glass assist you I wonder?
I am back in dribs and drabs - cannot keep away ~ Eddie

Delwyn said...

Hi Rosaria,

how are you this lovely Saturday just fine for planting my tomatoes!

Like you I have a resistance to some blog pages.

I do not EVER read white print on black - it is a strain on my eyes and I immediately pass it over...which may be a great loss...

I also find music very interfering, while trying to focus on a thought chain, so I turn that off too...

Ads and gadgets that take an age to load up lose me too. I haven't the patience to wait...

Too much writing without any breaks loses me too... The screen is a very different medium to a page of print and I think many of us find obstacles in layout and style.

Happy reading Days

LisaNewton said...

I used to be able to see the computer screen without my glasses, but no more. I just keep increasing the strength of my readers...............:)

If you visit my site, please let me know how it looks through your eyes................:)

Mary said...

I


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...... I am just about over my blog hump and am hoping to make a post real soon - hope to see ya around.

xxx said...

Yes I agree totally. I have often skipped a blog just for those reasons. Too many flashing lights and difficult to read type.
I too have an old computer... I just have a new screen and keyboard.
I too had the laptop unhinge.

We really do go to a lot of effort to communicate around the world!

best wishes for getting your eyes back on track.
Every one says that the surgery is for the better. Members of my family have had it too.

xRibbon

Hit 40 said...

I totally understand. When the younger folks write everything as one paragraph, it is too hard to read.

Then... they layer colors/patterns, tons of pictures that flash!!! The rolling pictures are the worse. Just stop moving!!

Even at 40 - I have issues!! Thank you for visiting my site. A little crude this weekend with my health final. I have some adorable cat stories on the sidebar that are pg rated :-) that we make you laugh.

Woman in a Window said...

OK, I admit, I've got the is-it-me complex, no matter what. So, really, is it me?

(I liked very much what you said about my poetry. Well, to have a perfectly enormous head, I always like what you say. But you said accessible. Oh Rosaria, that is it. Absolutely. That is what I am. I am any (wo)man's words. Perhaps the University Prof when he has a headache and has to pinch his nose so, or the drunkard in the alley. Thank you. Oddly, accessible is a huge compliment. Thank you. Now, go git yer glasses!)

Feisty Crone said...

I need new glasses, and my medical doctor says I have the start of a cataract in one eye.

Sigh.

I hope the garden goes well.

ceecee said...

All of the things you've mentioned are things I'm trying to take into consideration. That Twitter thing is a real menace on blogs. I will never Twitter - not on a blog or anywhere. Never ever.
Hope you get to play in the garden this weekend.
Catherine

Renee said...

Okay now I am going to portry Mother Mary and put in my two cents.

Do you have cataracts and do you need them taken out.

If you do, then get them out the operation is a piece of cake.

Love Renee xoxox

♥ Braja said...

I find a lot of trouble with the gadgets and widgets and fancy stuff people paste all over their blog.... and I've got a whiz-bang new MacBook, so it's not the problem of an ancient computer. It's just tiresome having to load that stuff, and I also find black backgrounds and white text impossible....shall I go on??!! :))

♥ Braja said...

I find a lot of trouble with the gadgets and widgets and fancy stuff people paste all over their blog.... and I've got a whiz-bang new MacBook, so it's not the problem of an ancient computer. It's just tiresome having to load that stuff, and I also find black backgrounds and white text impossible....shall I go on??!! :))

Rob-bear said...

Three things which might be helpful.

1. Enlarging font sizes. That as good one.

2. Using a serif font like "Georgia" or "Palatino, or even old-fashioned "Courier.""

3. Leaving more white space -- shorter paragraphs and sentences.

Michel said...

I have some extra glasses that I never wear b/c I leave them laying around everywhere and finally just gave up.

You want those??

F medicare. I'm probably an offender, but I can barely figure out how to post stuff! You're going to have to work on fixing the health care problem. My computer skills are unfixable.

Jinksy said...

Long stretches of print with no breaks really irks eyes and design aesthetics for me!

And don't even get me started on the videos, whizz-bang frills and furbelows and HUGE photos from other people's cameras which take hours to load or scroll through.

Simplicity wins...

Shadow said...

computers and eyes... i think they're a lot to blame for these little problems... and little they're not, actually. but i agree with you too. some blogs are beautiful, creative, so much to see and read and stuff, but damn, loading takes forever, and by that time, i've run out of patience and clicked on the X...

Reya Mellicker said...

I have the same problems with the seriously decorated blogs. I can't read them - and my glasses work just fine.

The music players bog down sites the most for my ancient computer. I tend to skip those blogs unless I can get to the music player and turn it off pretty quickly.

This was an excellent public service announcement! Thank you!

Lori ann said...

Haha Rosaria, you really have gotten to the heart of the matter.
I agree with what Rob-bear has said, and then the magifier glasses should help.
I had to laugh too at the spacing issue, it took me so long to figure out how to stop doing that! and still sometimes blogger will redistribute my sentences and add gaps where there were none (by me) aggg! i have to laugh and move on.
good luck with all the suggestions.
xoxo

Renee said...

Rosaria I am so excited and happy for Nathan. I really have never seen him so excited as I have in the last few years.

He comes home and then he starts to tell a story and laughs so hard. Or when he went to some parent teacher meetings he came home and felt very sad for some of the kids.

It is a job that I learned from Angelique that they never leave at the end of the day and I don't just mean all the prep they do.

I have had my first cataract surgery at 45 and my second at 51. A rare form of cataracts. And now the rarest form of breast cancer. Go figure.

I just thought if you ever need the surgery it is very simple simon.

xoxox

Man of Roma said...

Rosaria, pls tell me if my print is too small whenever you pop in at my blog or here. I have problems with eyes too because I am into IT since a long time and I especially have problems with computer screen light. For example a white backgrounds tires my eyes. I might have problems of cataracts in the future as well, who knows.
Tanti auguri per tutto e stai bene!

Debbie said...

How about the blogs where the post is on a patterned background? I squint, I tilt the screen, I pray...still, I often can't read the post at all!

karen said...

this was a fascinating topic, and I've enjoyed all the comments too, as it's a subject that does interest me! Hope you were able to get back down to the garden work?

♥ Braja said...

Lakeviewer, I don't know if you revisit blogs to follow up on comments, so I'm answering your comment here:

You've misunderstood what "material processes" means. What you've mentioned are daily needs, not material processes. What the quote refers to is one's misled tendency to seek material solutions for life's problems, not spiritual solutions.

Tess Kincaid said...

Oh, I hear ya! I wear contacts for distance and readers for everything else. I have a separate pair for books and computer. And a stronger pair of readers for evening, when my eyes are tired. Aging is tedious, isn't it?

Beth said...

That doesn't seem fair! If you need new glasses, Medicare should pay for them.

I have the same issue with hearing aids. They cost around $2000 - 3000 each. And insurance won't pay for anything. Nada. Nothing. Zilch.

When I bought the last pair, they said they'd last for about 5 to 7 years. So far, they are hanging on into their 8th year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

And I will for you, too.

Polly said...

I know what you mean about spaces, it takes me much longer to read a lenghty post with no spacing.

But I'm guilty of overloading my sidebar with pictures. I love them though.

Natalie said...

From what I have read, I must annoy the living daylights out of you! Sorry about that. I love my blog because it is so unique and mysterious.
I am very glad you come to visit me, Rosaria. Love to you,my friend.xx♥

♥ Braja said...

more discussions...you've started something good Lakeviewer :)

Rinkly Rimes said...

Just browsing and found you. Your life sounds interesting. But you have so many comments I'm sure yu'll never get to mine!

Sujatha Bagal said...

Rosaria, just caught up on all your posts. I cannot believe you had to wait half a day at the emergency room! I hope you are feeling better now.

Your kitchen garden plans sound so exciting! I'm dreaming of a garden of my own in my backyard, but the task is so daunting. I have clay for soil. :( But I'm going to take the first steps this season and see what happens. I so look forward to following you on your journey.

Cheers!

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Rosaria, Thank you so much for your kind, thoughtful and empathetic comment...It means a great deal to me! You are a wonderful friend! ~Janine XO

Anonymous said...

I get it! I actually have my font enlarged, but it shows larger in Mozilla browser than Explorer...Hmmm, who know why.

I have a hard time sticking to blogs with small font, or backgrounds that make the font hard to see.

Great post and I have tried to think of a polite way to ask people to up the font size :)!

david mcmahon said...

I always knew you were like Neil Armstrong.

A ``space'' explorer!

sujata sengupta said...

I am so illiterate when it comes to technology, I am at my wits end with what to press in which remote to just get my program running, and as of now don't even have the option of blaming the eyesight..Bit no worries I like being at my wits end!!

Sujatha Bagal said...

Sorry to write an off-topic comment here, but I wanted to tell you that the NY Times essay on happiness has removed the sentence comparing the Japanese Constitution with the American one, merely noting that the reference was 'incorrect'. Interesting, eh?

Eleonora Baldwin said...

I'm like Erin, I have the Oh God It's Me complex. Is it my blog that you have trouble with? I have small/medium print and lots of gadgets...

I hope you still can come around to my little kitchen and enjoy the flavors of your roots.

Ciao (sniffle)
Lola xx

Jennifer said...

I completely understand. I am still often surprised that bringing things closer to my face does NOT make them clearer, or when I pick up an container at the store, I can't make out what it says!

Alex the Girl said...

I've decided to wait until I can no longer stretch my arm out long enough to read...here's to easy to read blogs...No black on white print, and music in the background that's easy to listen to.

Kat Mortensen said...

Hello and thank you for visiting my blog, Poetikat's Blasts From the Past.
I have a friend who writes a weekly article for a newspaper in British Columbia. It's entitled: Through Bifocals. She would be on your side with this for sure.

Whenever I send an e-mail to my mother (who is 80 and would be cross with me for telling you so) I always enlarge the font for her. Sometimes I think I should be doing it for myself.

I have bifocals, but honestly, I still look underneath them to really see!

Kat

P.S. You might enjoy my main blog of poetry, Poetikat's Invisible Keepsakes.

Willow said...

I just had to pop over when I saw that you live in Port Orford. I actually know where it is, been through there many times, my father being a native Oregonian, Coos County. If I mentioned my maiden name you'd recognize it...

I remember that my optometrist smiled at me at a recent visit when I was adamant that I could tell the difference between A and B (this or that?) and said, "Oh, you miopics. It matter so much for you!" How am I going to deal with progressive eye issues when I'm already a fuss budget?

I will be following your garden progress. I'm an OR native myself, but transplanted to mediterranean coastal SoCal and I love my garden too!

Reasons said...

Oh gosh please tell me what I can do to my blog to help. Is the font OK, colour, too much noise on screen - just let me know.

Rosaria Williams said...

Hi everyone,

You all know what this problem is, or you know someone who has these issues. I thank you for commenting and offering me sympathies. I do not expect you to do anything new, actually. I was just getting something off my chest, a bad habit of mine.

Please, it's not your doing. It is age, a good sign that I'm progressing in my decay.

I will be visiting you all as usual. I have enjoyed my visits and have admired the talent you display. Carry on.

Regarding my gardening efforts, stay tuned to future updates.

Unknown said...

Ha, I actually realised I'm very much due to a trip to the opthalmologist - everyone's blogs are starting to look remarkably furry... I'm sure that's not how they're meant to look. I'm just glad it's only fur and not fangs... :-)

Rose Marie Raccioppi said...

Well you certainly have hit a viable note - many have tuned in for sure... When I decided upon my blog, I wanted simplicity. A blog that did not add to the clutter of the day but simply would offer a moment or so of reflection. I have resisted all suggestion to add the many "bells and whistles" offered. I most certainly appreciate your sentiments and your refreshing garden posts.

Thank you ever so much for your visits and your comments.

angela recada said...

Hello Rosaria!

I miss reading your blog! Is your eyesight still bothering you?

Our old computer, which we just replaced after 11 years, couldn't load websites and blogs with lots of content, either. Very frustrating.

Renee said...

Rosaria thank you for saying that to me. It means a whole lot coming from you. A woman that I greatly respect and admire.

A woman whose spirit shines for all of us.

Thank you.

Love Renee xoxo

Mervat said...

I wish you a speedy recovery. I have trouble with accomodation in my eyes so I wear glasses only when necessary so I fortunate. However, i am always attracted to plain blogs with a white background. Less clutter and we all have enough of that in our life, don;t you agree?