Lemur Eyes HNT

THEME ALERT! - On May 19/20, we'll celebrate the 5th Anniversary of this thing we call HNT! I solicited ideas for what we could do, and a number of people came up with the same idea. For that week, post your very first HNT photo. May take some research on your part to find out what that one was! ALSO, post a second picture re-creating the same shot to the best of your ability! No fair using an outtake from that photoshoot! Post them both for your HNT of that week. Even if you're a newbie! Got a question? Shoot me an email.

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A virtual plethora of possibilities for HNT pics this week! I thought about going with a Kentucky Derby thing, but after watching it, the only thing I could think of was getting covered in mud and holding a rose in my teeth. Ummm...no.

Tuesday brought a couple of ideas. Of course, it was Star Wars Day, but for as much as I love Star Wars, I'm not an ubergeek about it (with apologies to Summer, Shumpy and others who might take offense...). I thought about taking a picture playing with my light sabre, or wearing only my Jar Jar Binks mask, but I certainly don't need people laughing at me. Tuesday was also Election Day. Primary elections for many states. We had school elections here. Just not a big enough deal to use. Besides, they didn't even have the "I VOTED" stickers for this.

Wednesday is Cinco de Mayo. It celebrates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Of course, it's only really celebrated in the United States and the Mexican state of Puebla. Since José and I parted ways decades ago, I don't celebrate it. Though I do have a sombrero and used to eat a lot of food at Taco John's. Besides, I've done the half-nekkid sombrero thing every other year.

Mother's Day came to mind, but that's sorta sacrilegious, don't ya think? I'll do some sort of Mom tribute this weekend.

So I ended up with something that has no significance to anyone other than me. I had my first eye exam since leaving the hospital on Tuesday. With the same doctor who asked me the last time I saw him (about 6-7 years ago) if S3 was my sister, and how she was blind as a bat before Lasik. But I digress. I have, for over 50 years, had the best eyesight in the family. No glasses or contacts in all that time. I used reading glasses in front of a computer, simply because that just makes good sense. After leaving the hospital in October, you may remember that I had severe vision problems for a couple of weeks. Diabetes can actually blind a person if not treated and controlled. It cleared up considerably by the new year, but I'm to the point now where I can't read without using glasses. Distance is fine. Anything within six feet is generally fuzzy, to some point.

So I go to my appointment. And they run their tests. And the verdict? My eyesight is quite on par with "someone my age". Ugh. The good news--there appears to be no damage due to the diabetes. But I now have to schedule yearly exams, just to keep tabs. Not sure which part of the exam I hated more--the glaucoma test (that damned puff of air to the eye...ugh!) or the pupil dilation thing. I had to work the rest of the day with the lights out.

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"Twenty-nine pearls in your kiss, a singing smile,
Coffee smell and lilac skin, your flame in me.
Twenty-nine pearls in your kiss, a singing smile,
Coffee smell and lilac skin, your flame in me.
I'm only here for this moment.
I know everybody here wants you.
I know everybody here thinks he needs you
I'll be waiting right here just to show you
How our love will blow it all away."

"Everybody Here Wants You"--Jeff Buckley

An historic first for this week's MG. Come back Thursday afternoon to find out the details!
So what's the historic first? We have our first 'couples' MG (I do hope you clicked...)! Brought to you by those crazy kids at "29 Pearls In Your Kiss...", Frances and Daniel. Stop by and see their companion pictures to these!

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Be sure to check out your fellow HNTers over at "...the Other HNT"! You won't be terribly disappointed! Be sure to leave some comment lovin' too! And yes, it's NSFW.

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Most of you don't know her, but Lindsey, over at Spinster War Diaries recently got married. Which no longer makes her a spinster, but anywhoo... Her wedding photographer has posted a 'Sneak Peek' of their wedding pictures on her blog this week. The catch...she said that for every 10 comments that get posted to their pictures, they'll get a free picture. The pictures are some of the best wedding pictures I've ever seen, so do Lindsey and Jess a favor and go take a look and leave a comment! If it helps at all, here's a link to one of Lindsey's OHNTs from awhile back...

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I was surprised by the number of comments that my last post got. Perhaps I should vent and cleanse more often! And many thanks to those who came out of the woodwork, too! Feel free to comment more often!

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I was going to post some links to the devastation in Nashville, but instead I urge you to Google for Nashville flood pics. I find it so sad that the places that I just visited at the first of the year are underwater. The Big River Grille, where we drank ourselves silly? Underwater. The riverfront park area where I took pictures of downtown? Underwater. The field of the freakin' football stadium where the Tennessee Titans play? Underwater. Opryland--home of the Grand Ole Opry? Underwater. The US media has pretty much ignored this story in favor of the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico, yet this flood is going to be the costliest non-hurricane flood in American history. Our HNT/blogger friends from the area seem to be safe and relatively dry, but I'm sure they've all got friends who are in a world of hurt. I don't know what Red Cross or other relief efforts are taking donations, but I urge you to give. Even if it's just $10. Your half-nekkid Tennesseans will appreciate it!