EPBOT

My entire family for the last three generations have all worn glasses. Every single one of 'em.

Except me.

Naturally, with those kind of odds stacked against me, I make sure to get regular eye exams.

Ok, well, that may not be entirely accurate. That is, if by "regular" you assume I mean "more than once every 15 years."

(Which would be pretty disastrous for Activia, now that I think about it...)

Ahem. So, anyway, yesterday I strolled into an eyeglass place to get my regular once-every-15-years check up. Which is to say my second one.


The tech was very friendly, and like everyone, mildly surprised that I was there. Especially after I informed him (with all due modestly) that my last exam showed I had better than perfect vision. In fact, I was actually looking forward to impressing him with my letter-reading skills. Yessir, bring on the eye charts! I'll show that big 'E' who's boss!

He sat me down in the chair, and popped on the projection thingy.

The tech let out a sudden belly laugh, which I'm pretty sure was not a "Wow! You DO have better-than-perfect eyesight!" kind of laugh. He then flipped a few switches, and the white box suddenly had black squiggles in it.

"How about now?"

[a longer pause]
"Um. F?" (My voice actually cracked on the upswing of "F?" I think I nearly went supersonic with that squeak.)

More chuckles.

"I'm breaking my perfect record, aren't I?"
The tech might have been chagrined, but he was grinning so wide it was hard to tell. "I'm going to say yes."


So, I need glasses. I haven't ordered them yet, because the place where I had the exam was old-school this-is-a-stick-up expensive, and there's no way I'm paying $200 for a simple prescription on the cheapest possible frames.

Still, I'm actually kind of looking forward to this whole new accessory option. That, and seeing my monitor look all crisp like that little E. (Yeah, turns out it was an 'E.') The doctor - a gruff old-timer who stared at me incredulously and exclaimed, "Don't you squint?!?" - assures me that this will be the case. I just hope I can find some power geek glasses to give me adequate "cred" on the upcoming CW tour. :)

Today is our only day "off," (as much as any blogger takes a day off, anyway) and wouldn't you know it: John and I are sick! [insert boos and hisses here]

It could be worse. For now, the bug just has us achy and weak as wet pasta, so we've been sitting/laying/flopping around groaning for most of the day. We both had flu shots back during John's hospital ordeal, so I'm wondering if that's keeping us from being really sick sick. (Or maybe these will end up being my famous last words. Heh.)

At any rate, all the fun crafty things we were going to do today have been postponed, so instead, I'm going to sit here with my head propped on a pillow and do some online shopping.

Yep, I thought it was an oxymoron, but it turns out sparkly steampunk jewelry does exist! And I have proof!

Granted, the large sea horse bottle necklace was a bit pricey at $10, but I have a secret passion for seahorses, and immediately thought I might be able to jazz it up a bit.

Here it is out of the package:

First things first: that "cheers" dangle had to go. I enlisted John's help, and he used a Dremel to cut off the rings.

Next came the fun part:

So we're reaching that time again (a time which, for argument's sake, let's say occurs every 28 to 30 days) when John starts begging me to eat chocolate and play video games.

I'm not sure why.

John: [looking pained] "Please. Stop working."

Me: [stabbing angrily at keyboard] "I'm FINE. If this stupid filth-flarned flippin' WEBSITE would just work...!! WHY is it TAKING so LONG?!? Aauuughh!! [now sobbing] And I HATE my toenails!!"

John: "How about a brownie? Look! [waggling video game in front of me] I got you Ghostbusters!"

Like you, I read blogs. A lot of blogs. I'd never keep track if it weren't for the miracle of the RSS feed. (And by the way, if you're *not* using a RSS reader, what are you waiting for? Google and Yahoo both have great options.)

So, if you're looking for more great blogs to read - and really, who isn't? - here are a few of my time-tested favorites:


Super Punch - my favorite blog, period. I describe it to friends as "a blog for people with Internet ADD," because John (the writer) posts a little of *everything*. Amazing art, funny comics, geeky products, fascinating news stories, and yes, even the occasional cake - it's all here. In fact, much of the cool stuff I've discovered online has been thanks to this blog. Plus, John posts a LOT - a dozen posts a day is common - so I never have to wait long for my next fix.

Great White Snark - all forms of geekiness, served up with a heavy side of snark. I love it. Even if he *does* keep mocking Star Trek. (Grrr.)

Snark is also the only blogger I follow who I've actually met in person. He reminded me a lot of my older brother. Is that a good thing? I'll never tell.




Daddy Likey - In Winona's words, "Daddy Likey is a blog about fashion. But sometimes I write haiku about chlamydia." It's hysterical. I once lost an entire Monday reading the archives, and that remains one of my favorite Mondays ever. I *highly* recommend reading this blog in huge doses; one post at a time is simply not enough.




Hyperbole and a Half - Allie draw hilariously bad pictures in Paintbrush to illustrate her hilariously hilarious posts about random things like showering. It's hilarious.




LikeCool - claims to be the "coolest gadget magazine", but it also has amazing videos, pop culture art, geek toys, fun designs, etc, etc. For some reason they also randomly post pin-up girls, though, so this one isn't always appropriate/safe for work.



Ok, I think that's enough procrastination fodder for now. :)

I tried to pick blogs with a fairly broad appeal here, but I'd love to swap recommendations with you on more specific topics. So, what do you read? Geek blogs? Girly blogs? Humor? Disney? DIY? Art? I love them all, and have plenty of blogs to recommend, so tell me what you like in the comments and I'll plan my next "procrastination" post accordingly.