For [what seems like] the first time since I moved in to my apartment in Atlanta, I browned some ground hamburger a couple of days ago. Normally I don’t cook because I think food is dumb and not worth fussing over nor cleaning up after. But I was pretty hungry when I was picking up some Zest, so things sort of got out of hand. Anyway, about halfway through the browning I realized that I didn’t have a colander to drain the meat. I could have sworn that I owned one at some time in the past. Maybe it was too far gone, or maybe I left it to Chris. Who knows these things? I got it drained ok, only to realize that I also needed a pan lid for my iron skillet to finish cooking my Hamburger Helper^TM Beef Stroganoff. I managed to slip by using a plate as a cover, but you can imagine how hot the plate got. Speaking of hot, I think my leftovers burned my tongue more in the 3 days I had them than in the past 2 years (or maybe it just feels like it…). I also think I would have preferred to use a wooden spoon to stir, but the turner did the job, albeit a little too bachelor-y for my tastes.

While I was in Canyon, I managed to hit up several doctors including a dermatologist, a barber, and an optometrist. Ok, a barber’s not really a doctor, but I had to duck out of my dentist appointment to see the dermatologist. I’ve been needing a new pair of glasses for longer than I’d like to admit, as they had become pretty scratched up and the coating had become worn a bunch. And so I was going to the optometrist without expecting my eyes to have changed, nor to actually buy any new glasses. Honestly I wondered more than once why I had gotten my Mother to make the appointment at all. But, after the runaround the several eye care centers had given her while trying to make my appointment, I figured the least I could do would be to show up. So, I had my eye exam at like noon (which was like after “the doctor’s last appointment of the day” — seriously how much more could he have been slacking?). So I guess I effectively made him push back his lunch, and if I messed up his lunch plans for that day, he definitely didn’t mention it and was in fact exceedingly nice. The result of the exam was that my eyesight actually got better, not worse, if you can imagine that. I gained some astigmatism, though. So, he advised that since I did sit in front of a computer all day that it would behoove me to keep my spectacles up to date.

My old pair of glasses has to be, I’d say 4–5 years old. I got them in College Station when an old pair broke one day. My current/old pair had a pretty good run, and I was just waiting for them to get sat on or break in two or some other random happenstance which would force my hand. So it was nice that I now have a really decent backup pair that fits me well and is a very close prescription. So, he said I should get some new ones, which obviously had been on my mind, but that day I wasn’t too terribly in the mood to shop for new glasses. Plus I didn’t have a vision insurance card thingy, so I wasn’t quite sure how much it would cost me out of pocket. Which wound up being moot as I made a phone call and got the info and it saved me a bunch of money and hassle. So, I’m looking at frames, thinking about all of the times that Max counseled me to get contacts or new glasses. I sort of gravitate toward the smaller frames and start trying on frames. I do this for a little while before one of the frame-fitter-ladies comes around to help me, so by this time I have a couple already picked out and in mind of what I would prefer. She starts to help me pick something out and I try on those that she thinks might look good. I shoot down the really trendy/throwback ones. I’m trying my best to cling to a not completely tiny frame. Like I said, I wasn’t particularly in a shopping mood, so I somehow manage to whittle it down to two pairs. The one that I like best, which are definitely smaller than my old pair and have some round at the corners. And the other pair that I think my mother and the young lady helping us prefer better, which are even smaller being more square in the corners. I honestly couldn’t tell you the frame colors of either. I think neither was black. They had this nifty little camera booth thing where you could take pictures of yourself so you could directly compare. I was pretty firm that I personally like my choice better, but wasn’t sure which one I should go with. The girl working with us mentioned that she could probably get one of the other young ladies working to get a second opinion. So, just then there happened to be a gaggle of the female techs walking by. So, she asked them for their opinion, starting with the pair I liked best, then to the other pair. The response was immediate and unanimous. Immediately when I put on the second pair, they all in chorus said “yes, definitely that one”. I was definitely taken aback by their response, being so quick and definitive. I figured that all these women knew better than I how best I looked, so I caved. I’m sure the fact that the young lady tech who did the first part of my eye exam was rather cute and happened to be in this group made no difference whatsoever. :)

Since it was through my insurance, it’s taken a couple of weeks for the insurance provider to make them, ship them to Amarillo, get them inspected, then finally shipped out to me, which I got today when I got home. I think the frames will take more getting used to than the actual prescription (which I can hardly tell a difference). [Warning run on sentence ahead!] But the frames are small enough that without moving my head too much, the frame is just where my hands are on the keyboard when I need to readjust or double check hand position, so that will definitely take some getting used to to have to move my head down a little further when I want to look in that particular direction or just get used to the line and blurriness. Only time will tell whether I like them or not. And somehow I doubt that they will somehow magically conjure up a wife for me. :(