Connie’s Adventures with (yet another set of) Contact Lenses

During the past week, friends, family and co-workers, seem to continually pose the question, “Why don’t you just wear contact lenses?”  The tone of the question ranges from sympathy, pity, non-comprehension, and blatant exasperation as each person watches me maneuver my heavy tri-focal eyeglass lenses to match-up with the computer screen, Excel print-out, or focus on a person face.

Why?  Ah, the question seems simple; the answer obvious-to innocent bystanders, and those blessed with 20/20 vision.  Little do they know my past history: the unexpected tumble down steps because I couldn’t distinguish the steps from the solid brick surface, a toddler playfully patting my face and sending a contact to the floor of supermarket, allergic reaction to the lenses (leaving a suction cup ring on the scalar, and then there was the time a dear friend said, “just try the blue contacts.”  That little episode with the blue contact lenses creeped me out for six months.  Why?  Since I have med-brown eyes with a lovely touch of hazel, I am used to seeing expression in my eyes.  Blue eyes are great—my husband has light blue eyes, so this isn’t an anti-blue eyes thing.  However, when I looked in the mirror to see blue eyes staring back at me. . ..but then I’d forget and jump when I walked past a mirror or spent time wondering if I looked like a little like a seal-point Siamese cat.

Okay, it’s almost a decade later, everyone says with the disposable type of lenses, I will be just fine.

Since I’ve been extremely myopic since birth, my biggest challenge seems to be dealing with using ‘readers’.  For those either nearing or over the age of forty, the terminology is familiar and an expected change.  While I, who has always removed my glasses and held the document, menu, etc. the distance of six-inches from my nose to read, this is decidedly odd and challenging.
Last week I carried a purse, inside were the usual items plus one set of prescription sunglasses and my eye glass case.  Tomorrow I will carry said purse with the above items, plus a tote with contact lens solution, eye drops, a small case, and two sets of ‘readers’ because Foster Grant, apparently doesn't manufacture, or Rite Aide doesn't stock -2.25 ‘readers’.

Whereas before when I took my glasses off, I would braille the furniture or squint until I located the needed item.  Now I wander around the house searching for my ‘readers’.  Oh, and my husband says I look younger, and I should have headaches from eyestrain.  He also says, “Do you know you that bite of pasta fell off your fork, again. Better check your lap.”  Apparently, I am required to wear ‘readers’ while dining too.

Rhobin Rambles/Halloween Blog Post

Thank you Rhobin for inviting me to participate in another Round Rhobin Rambles Blog (Halloween) Fest!

Topic: My scariest Halloween moment.

Upon looking back, the reason I was so frightened was because I soo did not expect to be frightened at all. 

Three of my friends wanted to catch an old black-and-white movie on Halloween night.  Black-and-white  movie?  Sure, I would go along.  I am a fan of the old Universal Studio Monster Classic movies.  "The Mummy" with the wonderful special effects and amazing storyline (remember 'talkies' were high tech in the mid-1930s), and of course "Dracula" (who can forget Bela Lugosi's wonderful Slavic accent and mesmerizing stage presence?)

However, this was a Zombie movie.  Ummm. . . zombies?  I wasn't a huge fan of ghouls.  Was a zombie anything like a ghoul?  Suddenly, I realized I wasn't very well versed on Monster Culture.  Still, the synopsis seemed a little campy and very low-budget.  While Amy and Joyce were edging out of the ticket line, Connie (yes, there were two of us) verbalized my thoughts "How frightening could it be? This isn't the Exorcist!  And the storyline is. . .uninspired!"

Synopsis:
Barbra and her brother Johnny travel by car from Pittsburgh to the countryside to visit the gravestone of their father in the cemetery. Out of the blue, they are attacked by a strange man and Johnny is murdered. Barbra runs and releases the brake of Johnny's car since the keys are in his pocket, and flees to an isolated farmhouse, where she locks herself inside. Barbra is in shock and soon she finds a man, Ben, who is also escaping from the inhuman creatures, and he reinforces the doors, windows and openings in the house. He also finds a shotgun and a radio, and they learn that the radiation from a satellite that was returning from Venus has somehow reactivated the brain of the dead. Then they find five humans hidden in the basement: Harry Cooper, his wife Helen and their daughter Karen that is sick; and Tom and his girlfriend Judy. Harry has an argument with Ben, since he believes that the basement is the safest place for them, and Harry goes not to agree. . . .

Yes, we were going to be bored into a coma!

I do not wish to disclose spoilers for the 1968 version of: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.  I will divulge:  I have never been so ready-to-bolt from my seat, and have never experienced that I-may-never-fall-asleep-again feeling which the same intensity as I did in that San Diego theater with my friends on Halloween night.

To quote Sheriff McClelland, "Yeah, they're dead. They're all messed up."

So take that, "Walking Dead" fans!  This movie started the Zombie craze.



Please visit our next blogger: Fiona McGeir!