Well, bad news first… I failed my Spanish test today. It was sad. I need to attack this whole “learning a language” thing from a different angle. This is not making me happy. Or, this is not making me VERY happy. However, with Erin and some concerted effort, I know I can still pull this pig out.
Yeah, pig.
Anyway, I now have my new glasses. It’s interesting to look at the computer screen slash world from behind pieces of carbon-something-or-other. Yes, carbon based, not plastic, not glass, carbon. The cost of the lenses cost more than the cost of the frames… and we still came in at just over $100.00. Could’ve spent more, but given the distortion I see at the edges, the fact that these things are giving me a headache, and because I know I should (probably) use them for reading and working on computers… I am not exactly ecstatic about wearing them all the time.
On top of that, we discovered my eyes don’t produce tears… so, off and on, I’ve been using Systane eye drops in my eyes. They promise “long lasting relief” and “dry eye therapy” which is interesting, though not sure how much I believe it. I mean, I have a perpetual issue with dry eyes and as a result know (in advance) that this is going to take some training to get me in the process of using eye drops.
One of the things that keeps coming back to mind is the fact that eye drops can actually cause the eyes to stop the production of tears. This is the reason (knowing my eyes get dry and start to strain) I’ve not used them a lot over the years. This is also probably the reason that I suffer from severe allergies in my eyes… no tears to wash out pollen and etc.
So, I have to train myself to use eye drops when I start to feel them being dry and working harder than they need to be.
AND I need to train myself to use the glasses when I am working on various things and when I am reading.
Two things I am averse too.
I am not getting younger.
I can do this.
Anyway, the really frustrating thing about the glasses (even though they might be helping) is the distortion around the edges of my vision and the fact that I can “see” the frame of the glasses. Sure, they look good… but isn’t there more to wearing glasses and being able to read comfortably than wearing glasses.
And, no, lasik surgery isn’t an option for my condition as my eyesight is just slightly tweaked.
On the flipside of all that, and not at all related, I did get some Latino music from Erin last night to add to my iTunes and iPod. That was cool. She started telling me about different musicians and music that fell within certain pre-defined categories. When I asked Chris, a la profesor, about specific kinds of music I would enjoy (and no I am not going to share the KINDS of music I enjoy) he rattled off a similar list to what Erin shared with me last night… and said he didn’t really know a lot about what is out there in the genres but that he thought what Erin had said was a good start.
Too bad I don’t know any…
Hah! You thought I was going to give it away.
Anyway, I did go through classes today. When I got to school the weather was almost down-right balmy. According to our neighbor, the temperature had gotten up into the lower 40’s which felt good. Especially since Weather.com (last night) was saying we would get rain (overnight) turning into snow and then 3 – 5 inches of accumulation. Erin and I live on a bench and as a result, if there is accumulation we feel it… big time.
There was no accumulation over night.
However, after the Spanish test, and as I walked over to the bookstore, walked in, spent two minutes, and then walked back out the weather had gone from palatable to freezing with strong winds and little ice spheres (people kept yelling, “hail,” though it was not hail) that caused me to have to zip up and then scrunch down into my jacket and keep my head down as I walked around the library and back to the humanities building.
Talk about fun.
After classes, and with the snow still coming down, the sidewalks very slick with ice, I made my way to the administration building to tell a couple of the secretaries over there (that I had worked with my first year at BYU) that Erin is pregnant and then chatted with both of them for a while (trying to avoid going home).
Then I had to go to the mall to pick up my glasses. I know I’ve complained about drivers doing stupid things, but I have to tell you, some people are just too stupid to be allowed to drive. For example, I watched a pick-up truck wait to turn right at a light (he had a red light) and then turned right just in front of a car that was traveling at approximately 45 mph on icy roads only to drive halfway in the lane and halfway on the medium throwing up tons of slush and snow into the window of the car in front of me.
It does not matter if your vehicle is 4WD. You do not have the right to be that stupid.
At the mall, however, I got to see that they were still filming The American Mall, an MTV production. Got to see some of the actors just lounging around. They decided to stare at me as I walked out of the mall. It was interesting. Didn’t really care for who or what I was seeing… so… you know… the production was setting up a shot in a feux toy shop on the other side of where they have been shooting. Makes for good times.
On a similar (but still unrelated) note, I kind of want to do a play. Don’t know what play, though I did see a casting call for a WWII play about a bunch of people helping a dying soldier learn about friendship. Rehearsals are Tuesday/Thursday nights and Saturday mornings. Not sure I am up for this… not sure that Erin would be up for me to do something like that; but the bug is kind of there.
Oh, I did get two emails asking me for interviews this week. One for a web-developer position and the other for a project management position (both on campus). I know the former is tomorrow at 2:30 and the latter will probably be on Thursday at 11:00 a.m.-ish.
Since we are not worried about Erin (at the moment) and her job status, I am thinking we can move forward with finding me something that is more “study with Erin” friendly.
John Hattaway | smokingpen | Alicia Grey | Clockwork Princess | Cassandra West
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