New Glasses

Done: 45 (ongoing), 32

Worked on: 55

Done better: 79 

I have now achieved number 32: get new glasses. I already mentioned that I had them coming and they were on back order. I picked them up on Saturday and got a few compliments already this week. As I picked up the glasses, one of the opticians kept telling me how "European" they were and that they were very "fashion forward." I'm feeling very special right now.

I got glasses when I was in fifth grade. I honestly don't remember if I was unhappy or not about it. The first two pairs or so were made of glass. I do remember that much. Eventually, I was talked into plastic, but I continue to think of having real glass glasses, although the weight of them would make them impractical. My vision isn't horrible, but they can't minimize glass the way they can plastic.

Ever since I got glasses, I have had glasses. People frequently ask me if I ever wanted contact lenses. The truth is that the idea of sticking myself in the eye daily really creeps me out. I've never wanted them. Happily, when the opthalmologist tested my eye moisture to see if I was a candidate for contact lenses (even though I didn't ask), my eyes were too dry. Please note that this test involved him sticking some piece of paper in my eye. That was enough for me not to want contact lenses if I had known what the test was before he did it.

My first nephew was born when I was 10 and had glasses. One day, he kept grabbing for my glasses and I kept telling him to stop and fixing the glasses on my face. My mother (not a glasses wearer until her 50's I think- and not a glasses wearer at that time) told me to just give the kid my glasses if he wanted to play with them. I don't think I need to tell anyone how that turned out, but I will. Immediately upon receiving them, he broke one of the arms right off. Well, in my pre-teen bitterness, I thought, that should show my mom, right? Now I need new glasses. Unfortunately for me, though, my mother and father went to Sears on their own and chose three pairs of glasses for me to choose from as a replacement. None of these were what I wanted. I am certain that my dislike of them all was apparent to the salesperson who offered to try to make them look a little more stylish. Perhaps it was around this time that I became a little less concerned with my appearance, at least the parts that I can't see readily myself. Bad haircut? It will grow out- besides I don't see it most of the day anyway. Oh wait, no- that wasn't until after Junior High at least.

I think I kept plastic frames all the way through college and then switched to metal. The health plan/eye plan at grad school was not that bad. Of course, my eyes got 20% worse the year I studied for my qualifying exams, but at least they've been stable ever since. In the wild, I may have been one of the first eaten, but then again, I wouldn't have spent hours every day trying to read all of German literature in a year. seriously. Just ask me about Barock- then again, please don't.

Hooray for new glasses! Now I am old enough and make my own money so that I don't have to pick from glasses someone else picks for me. I can also be fashion forward if I like. The only time I wish I didn't have glasses is when I exercise. On the whole, they don't end up being a problem, but still, it'd be nice. And then I have a weird geek desire to have prescription goggles. Mind you, I don't swim with any regularity, but I'm sure I could come up with a reason or two to wear them- perhaps while mixing hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, or something. I don't think that will ever officially go on a to-do list, though, the goggles- I don't know if the need to mix hydrogen peroxide and baking soda will arise and so don't want to count it out. I just hope I haven't been so fashion forward that I overshot the mark and will have to buy new glasses in a year.