getting carded

In a little while, I'm going to the eyecare place to pick up my new glasses.  They ask that customers either wear a mask or bring their vaccination cards.  I don't actually have a vaccination "card", I have a vaccination "cheesy slip of paper".  I don't know if the shooters ran out of cards and just made paper photocopies to then fill in, but that's what I have.  

We were vaccinated at work, and one of my coworkers left her vaccination cheesy slip of paper in her work scrubs and put them in the laundry.  So much for that "proof of vaccination".  But she requested and received an actual card from the pharmacy that supplied our vaccines.  

At first, I was all, "Oh NO, you WASHED it??".  But when she got her card, I was all, "Aw, I want one".

I never got one.  Maybe I should?  Last time I went to the eye docs, I took a picture of the cheesy slip of paper and showed that when I checked in and was allowed in without a mask, but they'd prefer the card for some reason.  Maybe I should put in the effort.

I'm thinking the COVID vaccine should've been the heftier gun version - like the smallpox.  Your proof of vaccination is the tell-tale scar.  My scar is still obvious, I think I was in the last class of kindergartners to get that badge of courage.  Anyone else have a smallpox vaccine scar?

Meanwhile, watching any of the Olympics?  I haven't watched any yet, just catch a few of the headlines each day whether I want to or not.  Thinking of my vision shortcomings, I could totally relate to this capture:

I may never win Olympic gold, but yes, I can relate.  Scoreboards and everything else are so far away.

Here's the full reaction:

Yeah, she's one of us.

out of the clear blur

In other news of getting-caught-up-on-the-health-checks, I went in for my eye exam this morning.  Remember I was whining about dealing with my transition lenses while using computer screens at work?  Thought I might get separate prescriptions for work and "play"?

Well, bottom line, I'm going with the one-size-fits-all once more.  But first, here's the cute bike rack at the eyecare place:

See it?  Eyeglass frames? *snort*.  It's actually not the greatest design for a bike rack, but it gets cutesy points.  Plus, since I was the only one needing to use it at the time, no worries.  

I really didn't want to pay for have  two different pairs of glasses, and the eye doc did note that my distance vision has actually improved since last time, so my current glasses are too strong, hence my woes.  My new glasses will have adjusted "lines of transition" to give me more area for screen viewing.  So they say.

While the optometrist was calculating my inflated eyeglass costs, he asked if I had to go to work after my appointment today.  I told him I had today off and my exciting plans included taking my car in for some maintenance.

"Oh, you're adulting!", he congratulated me.  

Yeah, okay, adulting it was.  After dropping the car off at the shop, I snapped a few pics of my adulting:

I took a ride with the lovely Violet and stopped for some much needed shade time at the University trial gardens.  

As always, a few people were also enjoying an afternoon among the flowers.  Less than a mile away, police were investigating a fatal shooting at a McDonalds, but I strove to push that to the back of my brain for the time being.

There was a small group of kids, I'd say they were 10 or 11 years old, playing off to the side of the flower pots.  From their matching t-shirts, I deduced they were part of a day camp of some sort.  They had water wands and began spraying each other.  But soon, the boys broke off and began using the wands like swords or light sabers while the girls ignored them and sat in the shade chatting with the older 20-something girls who seemed to be in charge.  

When I was that age, I hung out mostly with boys as that was all my neighborhood consisted of - other than myself.  I'm sure I would've stayed in the water fight.

Now I'm just the geeky "kid" off by herself doodlin'.

E F P T O Z

Most of us have heard the saying, "Be careful what you wish for", right? 

Well, I remember being around middle school age and having friends who wore glasses and thinking, "that would be fun to have glasses". 

Sheesh, what a dweeb.

But alas, I was blessed with wonderful vision.  20/15 when I was in high school.  That's better than 20/20, for those keeping score.  I figured things would stay that way to the grave, but it was college that I started squinting.

One day, it occurred strange to me that I had a hard time seeing the board in class - this was back in the day when professors used CHALK on CHALKBOARDS and overhead projectors used mirrors and TRANSPARENCIES.  I was only sitting a few rows up, and there were people way in the back row that seemed to see everything just fine.  

And so ended the 20/15... and the 20/20 for that matter.  Over the years, I've followed the spectacle fashion trends.  

Big plastic frames to go with my big 80's hair.

The round tortoise shells of the 90's.  Who of the glass wearers DIDN'T have the round tortoise shells?!

What followed in the early 2000's were a series of lenses that seemed to get tinier and tinier.  Why was that a trend?  Sacrifice peripheral vision for fash-on!?

A few years ago, I became a member of Team Bifocal, and this week I got my third pair of glasses of that genre.  I'm looking at them, and they kinda resemble that original pair from the 80's.  

What's old is new, it seems...except for the Old Lady lenses.

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Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:
4. Write a blog post inspired by the word: new

I can see clearly... now

"I need an adventure..." - the last text I sent.

I was out today and happened to be riding Bella the bike when I got a text from Wolfgang.  He told me about a trip he and a couple of friends are planning for a couple of months from now.  Sounds like fun.  For those guys.

And it reminded me how much I would just LURV to get away.

Remember how the family took a trip to sunny California while I stayed here to freeze and keep the geriatric dog company?  I'm not complaining, it was my choice, I'm glad they went and saw and did the things they did.  They said they missed having me along.  They brought me back a t-shirt...

But it doesn't delete the fact that I feel overripe for a getaway.  When was my last one?  I don't even know!

In the meantime, I took advantage of a relatively nice day today.  I haven't gotten in much bike riding lately.  Mostly because of the weather. We haven't had a whole lot of snow, but it's just been a really windy blustery few months, and windy blustery takes the fun out of bicycling.

Today looked good, though.  Relative calm.  A bit on the chilly side, but that's what outerwear is for.  Plus, I had no tuting assignments today and felt deserving.  So after doing a bit of morning housewifery, I got Bella and me all ready for a joyride "just because". No deadlines or need-to-be's.  Just ride around for the fun of it, like when we were kids.

And it was wonderful and invigorating and fresh and crisp and just what I needed...  For about 90% of it.

At one point, I remember looking to the north sky and thinking, "Those are some really dark clouds, glad I'm not under them".

Well, they must've heard me and came over to make fun of me.

Suddenly, the bright crisp day turned dark and sloppy.  Huge, wet snowflakes began hitting me.  At the beginning, it was actually still quite fun.

I snapped this selfie just before I crossed over into probable legal blindness.

The big sloppy snowflakes smacked into and clung onto my geeky bicycling glasses.  As soon as I'd swipe them somewhat clean, they'd get re-smacked upon.

At one point, as I took them off to give them a (totally ineffective) better cleaning, I realized I could see fifty times better without the glasses.  Anyone who knows how bad my eyesight is will know that's not a good sign.

But I wore the glasses anyway to keep the big sloppy snowflakes from smacking into my eyeballs.

Eventually, it tapered off some.  The big sloppy snowflakes turned into just little wet ones.  The storm moved on through, and the sun reappeared about 5 minutes after I got home.

Figures.

I still need a getaway adventure.  I'm not counting that one.

and then there was one

 So it's summertime -  not all vacation and sloth around here.  It's the time of year when I get the kids all caught up on their various checkups. 

A couple of weeks ago, I was with Meego at the dr.'s.  Everything checked out fine... except when it came to the vision check.

Nurse:  Read this line for me?
Meego:  *silence*
Nurse:  Let's go a little higher, this one?
Meego:  Uuuhhhhmmm....
Nurse:  How 'bout this one?
Meego:  F (it was a P)... O (it was a C)... etc...

HOKAY, make another appointment with the eye doc.

No big surprise I suppose.  Both Magnum and I are nearsighted.  Wolfgang joined the club when he was 9 years old, and now Meego is also in the fold.

So what's up with Chaco?!?  The kid who spends most of his waking hours with his nose just a few inches away from computer screen?!?  We are all wondering where the justice is in that! 

He happened to be in the next room at the doctor's office having HIS checkup on the day we discovered Meego's optical failure.  I poked my head in and told him, "Looks like Meego needs glasses, did you pass your vision test?"

Without a blink, he replied, "Yes, my eyes are awesome". 

okay, I had to touch up the photo

a little...

I guess what he lacks in modesty, he makes up for in 20/20 vision.

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