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ch-ch-ch-changes
January 24th, 2011
Went to Sam's on Friday to price new glasses in their optical center, thinking they might have a big enough price difference to make it worth my while to go out of network. Umm, they sure did. How much worth my while?
Well, my last pair (nearly three years old now) were purchased in-network from a small local eye doctor, and cost me $418.00 after the in-network insurance benefit was applied.
The pair I ordered on Friday came out to $125.00, after the OUT-of-network
insurance benefit was applied. That was including the comprehensive eye exam, incidentally. And anti-glare, high-index, no-line, progressive bifocal lenses. Even includes a roll-and-polish around the edges of the lenses!
And as an added bonus, I was able to pick out some frames that weren't A)something a great-grandma would wear, or B) Men's. Got a darling pair of
Elizabeth Ardens with metal frame and plastic sidepieces, in black and clear. I tried on about 10 pairs, and kept coming back to these, so I'm pretty sure they suit me.
I'm actually pretty excited to be getting them; I can't wait till they come in! Unfortunately, it is a two-week wait--my prescription and the high-index lenses usually seem to take forever. I think they have to get them from some secret government installation deep in the Nevada desert or something.
Something else I got at Sam's on Friday--I popped for a box of nicotine gum. I've been thinking about it for a while, and really want to give quitting another go. I joined QuitNet as a support tool, and plan to use the gum to wean me off. I'm thinking that this diary may be an asset as well. I am down to my last few smokes, and will go on the gum once I run out. Fingers crossed!
My biggest problem is that damned perversity in my nature that shies away from any kind of group support, cheerleading, and finger-waggy, "for your own good" preachifying. Pisses me off, and makes me crave a smoke so bad I could scream. (Or, in the case of weight-loss, makes me crave a cigarette AND a hot-fudge sundae.) I can read stats from now until the cows come home about how much more successful people are when they do the support thing, but other people and their attention to my business ADDS to my stress. Given my personality type, interaction with others is a fundamental stressor for me. My knee-jerk reaction is as follows:
Well-meaning friend or relative: "Oh, honey, we're so proud of you, and we just know you have it in you to succeed at this!"
Me: "F@#* off, and butt the hell out of my business! Just leave me alone, dammit!"
Now, I probably won't say this out loud to anyone. I'm not THAT much of a nasty evil person. But I simply want to be honest here and say that it my immediate, gut-level reaction to the kindest thoughts and wishes of others.
Which brings me to Spouse. It is none of his business, and he tells people that it is none of his business--but then he sticks his nose in and tells those same people that I am planning to quit. HELLO! Also none of your business! Or theirs! It is truly a tribute to my self-control that I didn't kill him as he cheerfully announced to my mother and my aunt that I was planning to quit, and had bought the gum. I didn't even show any anger.
I need to, though. I need to let him know that this is not acceptable. He does this a lot, and as usual, I can't tell if it is just general oblivion when it comes to my personal boundaries, or his subtle way of exerting control. And I also need to speak to him about the way he has been responding to me when I ask a question or say something that is (or that he perceives as) incorrect. He just snarls at me! BOOM! I say something, and he attacks! Now, number one: WTF?! You could just tell me I'm wrong, dude. And number two: STOP IT. You are NOT ALLOWED TO ACT LIKE MY DAD. But I didn't feel sufficiently in control of myself to broach the subject this weekend. I know I need to, but I need to make sure I'm not just as bad as what I'm objecting to.
l was trying really hard to keep it a peaceful weekend, since I got my period Thursday night and was worried about emotional overload.
It is a pretty quiet period, for that matter, though. Lots of bloating, but otherwise not too extreme. It was funny--the eye doctor was pushing and prodding around my under-eye area, trying to figure out why I had these huge bags of fluid under my eyes. I told her that was just a "monthly thing", but she didn't get the subtlety, so I had to make it more plain. "Retaining water. My period." She finally got it.
So we took it easy over Saturday and Sunday; didn't really go anywhere except the store. Didn't go anywhere at all on Sunday. Since he's only a little into football, and I am not at all into football, we paid minimal attention to the playoffs and the attendant hoopla on all our local stations (We get Chicago and Milwaukee, so there was a LOT of hoopla.) I did a little laundry, but otherwise just stayed lazy, reading, watching TV, playing on the PC, snuggling the B, and napping. Doing the little necessary stuff to get ready for Monday.
Here's a rant for ya:
I really don't know what I'm going to do about this stupid car of mine. It was incredibly sloppy driving in to work this morning, and the damned washers weren't working right! They are spitting a feeble stream that barely reaches the bottom of thewindshield, and does absolutely nothing to clean the glass. I was lucky to be able to get enough visibility to make it to work--it isn't like there is anywhere to stop on the tollway and clean it by hand. When I got to work, I grabbed a handful of clean snow and used it to clear my view, but once I started home, it was the same shit. Spouse needs to see if he can figure it out. I simply can't drive in the winter without good washers.
Oh, and finally: In the freaky things category--my dad called me this weekend to congratulate me on my work anniversary, and tell me he was very proud of me. I don't know what prompted such atypical behavior (actually, the pride is normal, picking up the phone and telling me isn't) , but it made me feel nice. He also said how proud he is of Spouse, going to school and working hard and getting good grades.
I don't know--maybe my mom threatened him or something.
Reading:Hobby--"My Mother's Rival", by Charlotte M. Brame (Date unknown; somewhere between 1863 and 1884). "Polly in New York" (1922) by Lillian Elizabeth Roy. I'm confused by something--In the books I've read so far in this series (I'm on number 3), Polly's last name is given as Spencer--but there is a lot of reference on the internet to this series as the "Polly Brewster" series. Not sure why--maybe we are in for a sudden surname change down the road?
General--I'm in between at the moment, and likely to remain so. I have such a heap of downloads for the hobby books right now that I will probably be concentrating on them for a while. I found a bunch more in the Penny Parker series, as well as having more to go in the Polly Spencer series, plus four Penny Nichols books, four Jane Abbott books, and a bunch of Hildegarde stories. For starters!
Surfing:
Listening: Warren Zevon (he would have been 64 today), Blind Melon, Prince.
At Random:
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