Review: SportRX

Earlier this year I came to a realization that I was putting in my contact lenses on most days only to run. I'm not sure why it took so long as I work from home and in most weeks, I tend not to leave the house except to run. So I was wearing my contacts for a few hours a day which has become old. I decided to look into prescription running glasses, glasses with a little bit of a wrap. I found SportRX online and realized that they were less than 5 minutes from my house.

I wandered into the storefront one day and a very helpful optician, Sarah, gave me 3 choices because of my prescription. My eyes aren't great and I can't see anything without glasses. I left to see if my optometrist could match the price as I'd be able to use my vision insurance there (VSP is strange and can only be used at optometrist owned shops from what I understand). A few days later, they got back to me and basically said that they could make the glasses, but couldn't guarantee that they'd work as the wrap requires a different way of making the lens. I wasn't willing to take the risk, so I went back to SportRX.

Again I walked into SportRX and went ahead and ordered Rudy Project Horus frames with prescription lenses. The whole package wasn't cheap, but I was super excited to get them. I received email about 2 weeks later that they had arrived and I went in to pick them up. I tried on the glasses and almost fell over because they made me disoriented. The optician, Tim, took a look and said he'd talk to the lab. I chatted with him a few days later after I checked my order online and the lab had made the lenses wrong and they were going to remake them.

A few more weeks went by and my new sunglasses arrived by UPS. I put on the sunglasses and felt a little dizzy. However, I thought my prescription was a bit different. I wore them a number of times and ran with them a few times, but couldn't get used to them. I'm not sure exactly what was the problem, but decided to return them. (SportRX has a very generous return policy which is one of the reasons I decided to give them a try.) When I went back, I was given the option of a refund or could try a different frame. A third optician, Rob, assisted me and just like the other two, was extremely helpful. I opted to try another frame; I was assured that if they didn't work, I could still get a full refund. While the frames I chose, Oakley Chainlink, weren't as sporty as the Rudy Project ones, my options seemed quite limited. This time when I went in, I took my son in to take a look around. The receptionist said Rob was on the phone and offered us something to drink as well as the opportunity to play tabletop shuffleboard which was very kind. I showed my son how to play and he was entertained. After Rob finished helping me, he brought out a pair of kids sunglasses and gave them to my son to keep. This extra special touch reinforced my decision to give SportRX a try.

I received my new sunglasses 2 weeks ago and have been wearing them running, driving, and all the usual activities where I normally would have worn contacts and non-prescription sunglasses. At first they seemed a little weird like the last pair, but now that I've gotten used to them, they're fine. They're a little different than my regular glasses, but not enough to return them. I feel a bit free in that I don't have to put in my contacts when I leave the house; just grab the sunglasses and go.

The major problem I experienced (and it has nothing to do with SportRX or the sunglasses) is that I was wearing my sunglasses driving and it started pouring rain; I had to pull over to the side of the road to swap glasses as I can't see a thing without them.

Now that I have a pair of prescription sunglasses and a pair of regular glasses, I need a murse to hold them both!

Pros

• Large selection of frames for people with not awful vision
• Extremely friendly and helpful staff

Cons

• Higher prescriptions may have problems getting good lenses made
• Choices are limited in high prescriptions
• Cost; prescription sunglasses that are sporty are not cheap

Summary

Despite the problems with my sunglasses, I had a good experience with SportRX and would recommend them. The money back guarantee and their willingness to work with me made the experience pleasant. My only disappointment is that my eyes are bad enough that my choices on frames were limited and the lenses didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped (in order to reduce the wrap, the lenses stick out a bit on the sides).

Going on a fad diet

OK, my title is a bit misleading, however it caught your attention! Luckily I've never really had to watch what I eat and I try to run about 4 times a week. (About 4 years ago I did put on a few pounds when I really hated my job; I didn't have the desire to run and just kept eating.) Earlier this year, I started having some stomach problems and after a my doctor performed a few procedures and determined that there was nothing wrong with me, I was kind of on my own to solve my issues.

My wife suggested I try a gluten free diet. I was quite reluctant to give up gluten (I love cookies and cake), but was willing to try anything. The first few weeks I gave up gluten were tough because it seemed like everything contained gluten. The reality was that I just had to look harder at packages and make better choices. I started eating a lot of apples and more fruit. Also, when we went to birthday parties, it was a bit difficult to turn down cupcakes and cake. However, it started getting easier after awhile.

I've been on a gluten free diet for about 5 months now and have been feeling great! Since I don't have a gluten allergy or celiac disease, I don't have to worry about things made in a gluten free facility, I just have to read ingredients. I also ask more questions when we go out so that I get exactly what I want.

I consider myself the "problem child" when it comes to eating because I no longer eat gluten, red meat, nor dairy. I was at a company offsite meeting last week and had to request a special meal to meet my dietary restrictions.

While I can't exactly say if the gluten free diet has helped me, it surely hasn't hurt me. This leads me to some questions about diets; are people becoming having more dietary problems possibly because or more processed foods, are people becoming more picky, or is something else causing the dietary trends to be more commonplace?

A lesson in 3D printing

I've read a bit about 3D printing over the last few years and have been intrigued, but not enough to get a printer or design anything to be printed. After Comic-Con, I saw some mention of Shapeways and decided to check it out. I looked through some of the pieces and saw some pieces for my quad copter, specifically a quick release for my GoPro camera and a monitor mount that attached to my transmitter.

I took a risk and ordered these pieces that some random people designed and uploaded. When I received the pieces, I was extremely impressed with the monitor mount as it was quite solid and fits well. I was a little apprehensive of the quick release as the material seemed a bit flimsy. However, comparing the bracket to the bracket that I already had, I realized it wasn't that much thinner. I've used both pieces a number of times and am happy with what I ordered.

3D printing is still in its infancy and the future is quite bright. If parts can be made that are as solid as molded pieces at a fraction of the cost, there could be huge markets for it. While I don't need any trinkets (many of the 3D pieces seem to be trinkets), I could see myself buying speciality pieces that people couldn't afford to make any other way.

Review: JayBirds BlueBuds X Headphones

For years I've been running with my iPhone and up until a bit over 2 years ago used wired headphones. The main problem with the wired headphones (besides the wire) is that the sweat that got into the controls would kill them requiring me to replace them every few months. This was a bit annoying and I finally did research and settled on a pair of Motorola S10 HD Bluetooth behind the ear headphones. After the first pair died within a few months and got replaced under warranty, the headphones continued to function well for almost another 2 years. This summer, the controls on headphones stopped working. So I was back to the drawing board to find headphones.

The headphones that attracted my attention were the JayBird BlueBuds X Headphones mostly because they had a "lifetime" warranty against sweat. (Lifetime being what they consider lifetime, so who knows how long that is.) The cost really put me off, so I set an alert on SlickDeals for them. When they came down in price a little bit, I jumped on them.

The headphones were easy to setup and I liked the audible feedback when they were connected. I had a little trouble getting the headphones to stay in, but using the over the ear method of setup (they call it an advanced setup), I managed to get them to work a lot better. The first pair I had died within a week and Amazon was great about replacing them quickly.

I've been running with them for a few months now and I like how they sound, but still check them all the time to make sure they didn't fall out. I really liked the way the Motorola headphones hugged my head, but I also found that I had marks on my head after every run where they squeezed my head. I'm still not convinced that these headphones are the perfect headphones for working out, but they are working OK for me.

Pros

• Audible feedback
• Very light
• Lifetime warranty against sweat killing them

Cons

• Fall out too easily
• Very expensive
• Long term reliability is unknown

Summary

There are a bunch of options for workout headphones these days and the BlueBuds X are not the be all, end all headphones for me. They are acceptable for me and I'm not going to look for another pair of headphones. However, I can't recommend these headphones due to the cost and the fact that I can't keep them in my ears all the time. I wish there was a perfect pair of headphones, but so far, I haven't found them.