This lens is a symbol of new vision for patients of young and old…of the near blind who have been almost miraculously helped…of old psychological barriers removed…

Psychological barriers? I guess some people just don’t like glasses, but I’m a little bit surprised that the phrase made its way on a billboard.

I believe that the concept of contact lenses dated back to Rene Descartes, who wrote about how he touched the bottom of glass vials to his eye and noticed an improvement in vision. I’m sure a dozen other psycho philosopher/mathematician/scholars had done similar deeds in his time.

The breakthrough in contact lenses came around 1959 when soft hydrogel lenses were invented. Prior to that, rigid gas permeable lenses were the only option. Silicone lenses didn’t come around until the late 90′s up until now.

This is amazing technology. Of course, I didn’t go to medical school so that I could fit contact lenses in my practice…

Loaded shopping cart at Trader Joe's

Sure, today is Superbowl Sunday and people have a right to load up on groceries for the big game…but shopping rage? That’s excessive.

This weekend was my only free weekend in 7 weeks, and I decided to drop by Trader Joe’s to pick up some tasty snax. Business is always booming at the local TJ’s–they actually expanded twofold despite the recent economic slump. The store was so crowded, that I decided to just pick up a container of calimyrna figs for the week; while their prices are generally reasonable, my budget is more suited for shopping at the local Hispanic supermercado, where I get most of my groceries.

As I approached the checkout counter, a middle-aged woman (dressed to downplay her age) with a loaded shopping cart shoved in front of me. I glared at her, and prominently displayed my sole container of $3.69 figs as a means to politely hint that she should let me check out first. Naturally, she glanced at me and my figs, and turned to unload her groceries on the counter. B-I-T-C-H.

The further add insult, she decided to switch out a packaged of fresh chicken legs for a frozen bag–the employee had to return to the refrigerator section to bring her a new one. When her final bill rang up $131.XX, she fumbled through her wallet while stating, “Oh, I think I have a giftcard somewhere. I know it doesn’t have much on it, but might as well use it…”

Sadly enough, she’s not the only jerk out there.

typical Skymall cover

Ah yes, Skymall magazine.

I certainly have no financial interest in Skymall, but for some unexplained reason, I’m familiar with a disturbing number of its eclectic  offerings, especially since I’ve never bought anything from them.  For the last year or so, the back cover prominently displays a bright, yellow ad for The Rosetta Stone, an expensive language learning software. The ad portrays a midwestern farm boy prominently displaying the Italian edition the  software box and a phrase that goes something like this: He was a farm boy. She was an Italian supermodel. He knew there was only one chance… Hold it right there buddy.  If it were that easy, we’d all be dating Italian supermodels.

Then there’s the pet staircase, for those pets with arthritis to hop onto your bed more easily (the one I saw in the magazine actually had foam-cushioned steps). Who’s actually going to buy that? Well, if Fluffy deserves a set of steps, he’d better be on NSAIDs or DMARDS as well.

The donut maker is particularly fascinating. All you need to do is throw in some dough, and it fries a delicious dozen of greasy donuts in under 6 minutes.  Donuts are some of my favorite foods, but you’d be hard pressed to find one of these appliances in my kitchen.

Donut maker

The list is endless. The hidden litterbox and utility box rock cover are winners as well. Regardless of what you find in Skymall magazine, it’s full of hidden gems.

Let me know what you’ve purchased on Skymall!