* * * * *
                                        
                       The Nile is nice this time of year
                                        
On Friday, February 3^rd, I broke my glasses [1]. I was out and someone
complemented me on my shades. I pointed out that they were just clip on
shades, but I went further to show that my glasses were flexible. That's when
I snapped off the left arm of my glasses at the hinge. In retrospect, I
should not have done that.

But they were nineteen years old. And it was clear to Bunny that I needed new
glasses anyway. As she keeps pointing out, my glasses would slowly creep down
my face, but that was only to keep things in focus. It had nothing to do with
my eye sight changing.

Nope.

But now I had no excuse. The next day I picked out new frames (Flexon [2],
same manufactorer as my old ones). One of the store employees tried to fix my
existing pair of glasses with tape, and all I can say about that—it was an
attempt. The employee also managed to knock off the nose pad on the left side
of my glasses (sigh) so now the glasses were even less stable on my face than
before. I did manage to get an appointment for an eye exam on Monday the
6^th.

Monday, and I go for the exam. Things were going well until the end, when the
doctor pointed out that it was time for me to get progressive lenses. Or, you
know, bifocals.

No! I am not that old! I don't need bifocals! I'm still only … um … oh …
mumblety-mum years old.

Man, the Nile is a nice place, isn't it?

I could expect the new glasses to be ready in seven to ten days.

Eight days of my old glasses falling off my face (and constantly adjusting
them when they don't), and my new glasses are ready. With “progressive”
lenses. I have up to 30 days to decide if I like them, and if I don't, I can
get … sigh … bifocals.

[Picture of me with my new glasses] Pay no attention to all the white hair—
we're here for the glasses [3]
 

The progressive lenses are weird. Parts of my peripheral vision are blurry.
If I move my head back and forth, surfaces along the bottom of my glasses
undulate in an unnerving manner. Sometimes when I tilt my head, it feels like
(to borrow a movie term) a zoom-in but with improper focusing. It's trippy,
but without the side effects of a bad drug trip.

We'll see if I can get used to them.

Oh, and one more amusing fact about my new glasses—the lenses are so think at
the edges, that the arms don't fold down all the way.

[1] gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:2004/05/10.1
[2] https://www.flexon.com/
[3] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2023/02/13/glasses.jpg

Email author at sean@conman.org

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