Hey! Four eyes!

Late this afternoon I was able to get out of the apartment and get downtown to pick up our new glasses. B couldn't go with me so if his end up needing adjustment we'll have to go back next week.

Until recently buying glasses for me has gone like this.

• Pick out new glasses.
• Be convinced that I've made a good style choice.
• Wait in anticipation for them to be made.
• Pick up new glasses.
• Wear glasses one day.
• Begin to have doubts about how I appear in new glasses.
• Begin to hate glasses.
• Wear glasses only when desperate.
• Wait two years and begin process again.

I've been wearing glasses since I was ten-years-old and most of that time I've hated whatever glasses I had. They were too nerdy. Too heavy. Too thick frames. Too big lenses. Too old lady-ish. Too whatever. I spent the first six or seven glasses wearing years only putting them on when I absolutely had too and as soon as I was able to talk my chicken shit self into it I began to wear contact lenses. I was convinced that I simply didn't have the sort of face that looked good in glasses and I'd never find any that were truly comfortable.

I don't know if my ability to choose decent glasses changed or maybe styles changed so that they accomodated my face but as of the last pair of glasses I bought I've finally started to like wearing them. I was able to find a style that was flattering to my face and didn't touch my cheeks (I go insane if the bottoms of my glasses touch my cheeks) and for the first time I started wearing glasses as often as I wore my contact lenses. No more was I making sure my lenses were in before making a quick trip to the store or freaking out because my eyes were too tired to tolerate contact lenses. I began to wear my glasses so often that I switched to wearing one-use contacts because it ended up being more economical. I still like the freedom that contacts give but when I'm at home - and that's pretty much 90% of the time - I'm just as happy to wear my glasses.

I was worried this time around that I wouldn't find glasses I liked as well as my old pair. They suited me well but the finish was coming off the frames and it wasn't worth having new lenses put in them. But I was lucky and found a pair that's rather similar to my old ones. The new ones are better quality - lighter, better made frames - and the lenses are oh so slightly larger this time around but I have a big melon of a head so it's appropraite.

As soon as I put them on in the shop they felt great. No touching of my cheeks, no pinching of my nose, no digging behind my ears. They're my first pair of bifocals so there was that sort of I'm-being-sucked-into- The Outer Limits swirling feel for a moment but I believe that since my farsightedness isn't so bad (so far!) it's not a huge change for me.

So far I'm feeing good about my new glasses and believe that for the second time in a row I've been able to break the buy-glasses-end-up-hating-the-glasses cycle.

What did I do to celebrate? What else? Ordered new contact lenses.

You know. Just in case.