i can see clearly now

A couple of weeks ago, Jeff posted about our optometrist appointments and his settling on a pair of geekcool Gucci frames. I left that evening without having chosen new frames, and feeling really frustrated from the overall lack of personalized attention and the insistence from the clerk–despite my having told her that I specifically was looking for something different–that I looked good in nothing except a pair pretty much identical to the ones I was wearing.

After that we had our trips to Suffolk and San Francisco, so I hadn’t gotten around to looking anywhere else. On Monday, though, when I picked Jeff up at the Metro we decided to go to Baja Fresh for dinner. Right next door is an optometrist we had almost gone to for our examinations–with more of a boutique than a chainstore feel–but while they accepted Jeff’s insurance they didn’t take mine, so we had gone to Hour Eyes instead. After dinner Monday, though, we stopped in, and the personal attention was light years ahead of what I’d received at Hour Eyes. The assistant really seemed to want to help me find something new, attractive and suited to my features and coloration. And despite our arriving just before closing, they let us stay even after they’d locked the front door–yes, to close the deal and make the sale, but even knowing their motivation I was pleased.

So I left having ordered a pair of Emporio Armanis. Not as geeky as I wanted–I just have to face that none of the heavy plastic web-designer-geeky frames I want look particularly good on me no matter how much I wish they did–but simultaneously different yet similar enough to my current frames to give me a subtly but indubitably fresher look. They were more expensive than most of the frames at Hour Eyes, but the store did offer me a second pair free–though from a significantly reduced selection of plastic frames–from which I selected a pair from prodesign:denmark to have fitted with dark tinted prescription lenses for use as sunglasses.

I was told the glasses would be ready in about seven days, though perhaps less. So I was quite surprised today when I checked my voicemail on the way home from work and heard a message that my glasses were ready for pickup. I’m wearing them now, and I’m very happy with them. I’ll take some pictures–ooh, maybe with my new camera, which I’m hopeful will arrive tomorrow–when I’m not hanging around in my lounge pants and undershirt, and post them later.