The changing face of Bone

I have an appointment with an optometrist today. Looks like there'll be no black market contact lenses for me. For at least a year anyway.

My main reason for wanting to go is so that I can get a new pair of glasses. As I've mentioned before, the ones I have now are too big for my small face. And have come to be affectionately called my Harry Potter glasses. I only wear them around the house.

I got my first pair of glasses in ninth grade. A horrid pair of yellow-gold colored frames. This was also the year I earned the Elvis nickname, due to my haircut and curled lip smile. At least I think that's why they called me Elvis. It was a tough year.

I stopped wearing them after a year or so. They laid in my car and eventually got broken. After that, I gradually forgot about my bad vision. Except when I was driving at night.

I was in my early twenties before I went back to the eye doctor. This time I got glasses and contacts. And have worn them ever since.

It's amazing how great peer pressure can be when you're young. Seemed like no one wanted to have glasses in high school. I'd like to say I didn't give in to peer pressure. And on many things, I didn't. But I never wanted to stand out too much.

In seventh grade, which was the last year of our middle school, I won the highest average award. Which was the seventh grade equivalent of valedictorian. My parents were so proud, but I was so embarrassed.

By the time I graduated high school, I had slipped to sixth in the class. Still in the top ten, but not showing out. Yet somehow, good grades had suddenly become the in thing, and everyone was bragging about their ranking.

We'd have an awards ceremony at the end of every year. And one of the awards given out was for perfect attendance for the year. I specifically remember asking a teacher one spring if I'd missed any days. She said I hadn't, so I checked out for half a day just so I wouldn't be recognized for perfect attendance.

There was also the Scholars Bowl team, which was the school quiz bowl team that competed against other schools in the area. I quit in tenth or eleventh grade because I thought it was too nerdy.

Then came college. I tanked freshman year, skipping classes, and ended up with a 2.7. But after that, something changed. I began to excel. I tried. And began to stand out. Except now, I enjoyed it.

I've never been comfortable in the spotlight, and never will be. But I was no longer intentionally trying to avoid it. And in things I was passionate about, I even became a bit of a perfectionist.

I'm not sure how this turned into a post about the evolution of Bone. Oh yes, the glasses. It's just funny how at 15, I thought wearing glasses was the worst thing in the world. And now, I'd almost prefer to wear them.

I've been wanting to get a stylish pair for sometime now, so that I don't have to wear contacts all the time. I've just been putting it off. Tuesday, I finally called and made an appointment. I will have a girl along to help me pick out my frames.

No more black market contacts. And no more Harry Potter. Besides, that look really wasn't working with the facial hair.

In other news, I also got my first-ever laser pointer yesterday. Companies send us pens all the time to try and get us to order them with our business name on them. The one they sent yesterday has a laser pointer in the end. People around the office love me more than ever now. Oh yeah. I think I might win Employee of the Month. If we had such an award.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

"Leave the sad guitar in its hardshell case. Leave the worried look on your lover's face. Let the orange embers in the fireplace remain..."