Friday, February 25, 2011

Seeing Things

The last five years of my life have been a blur. I know I should have done things differently, but stubborness and pride got the best of me. So I finally manned up, drove to the store, dropped six bucks, and got some glasses. My eyes are not only brown, they're failing. They have been for 10 years. I went to the eye doctor 7 years earlier, had an exam, and got some prescription frames. Those lasted a while, then I got stupid, didn;t wear them for a while because I thought I didn't need to, and my eyesight got worse, making those glasses obsolete. In the meantime, driving, reading, living all worsened. It was time to drop the "holy crap, I'm old if I wear glasses" neuroses and see clearly, literally and figuratively.



I am the owner and wearer of 1.50 rectangular blue framed reading glasses. They also help me write this blog, and see when I drive. I can actually read a street sign, tell you what my daughter's high school sign and wife's work sign says, and not guess as to whether the road lines are dotted or full.

I posted a couple of pictures on the twitter and got comparisons to one of the greatest singer/songwriters of the past two generations, the great Elvis Costello


and Ted Allen, formerly of Queer Eye for the Straight guy, and now the Food Network guru on wine, food, and style.




I'm unfamiliar with Ted Allen's work, but he wears nice suits, knows a lot about stuff I'm clueless on and seems to be a well respected fellow. The Elvis Costello comparison has gone completely to my head. I'm running with it. The Prince of Sardonic Wit and composer literate pop, rock, and jazz music is one of my artistic heroes.

This is me. I can write well, sometimes; I've  maintained gamefull employment with good company for over 7 years, I'm a killer on a charcoal grill, my kids think I'm not half bad, and my wife lets my key work at our house. Take that Ted and Elvis.


This is actually a bigger deal than the surface would indicate. I don't go to doctor unless something's broken in three places, I only apologize when sleeping on the couch is proposed or kids are openly weeping, and I don't take to aging, at all. Six dollars coming off the hip of the robot-human hybrid who thinks he's ok no matter how blurry life looks might as well been six million to the rest of you. Now I just have to keep these glasses out of the hands of my kids. These things break or get lost and I'll drive off a cliff seeing triple rather than get more. You read that right.


Today's song is from one of my hometown bands, Atlanta, Georgia's very own Black Crowes. I saw them perform this song almost twenty years ago, March, 1991. Lead singer Chris Robinson poured so much blood, sweat, tears, heart, and soul into the vocal. It's about heartbreak and realizing what you need to do to solve a problem. It serves, not only, as a song title companion to this post, but also as a metaphor for my intentional neglect of my sight. Turn up the sound, let Rich Robinson's guitar take you away, and may the southern fried rock and roll lead your Friday. I give you my glasses, and The Black Crowes' Seeing Things For The First Time;


13 comments:

  1. I'm the same way. I feel like if I just keep trudging through life, avoid the doctor, eye doctor, etc., then what I don't know can't hurt me. The specs look great!

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  2. I wouldn't recognize my own children if I wasn't wearing my glasses, but I've had them since 5th grade. 1.5 Readers? Amateur. Even when I was still wearing contacts, I had to use 3+ for close work.

    I can see the resemblance with Elvis and Ted, and any comparison would be a compliment.

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  3. Glad you are seeing things better with your eyes, and really seeing things clearly from a life perspective. Both are valuable beyond measure. And just my opinion, the glasses are a good look for you. Rock them with pride friend!
    As a side note, I saw the Black Crowes in a small venue last fall and they blew me away, the soul that radiates from that man when he sings..wow!

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  4. I love the Crowes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  5. C Lo & Random Girl...who doesn't like the Crowes?

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  6. YES. F*&king YES. LOVE this song. Love this band, LOOOOOOVE this song.

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  7. Small question buddy... Did you decide on Elvis Costello 'Before' or 'After' you got the new glasses? :-)

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  8. OH.... And yes... Any pick of the Crowes is a good pick...

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  9. before Mitch...before...I'm a hack

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  10. You paid $6 for glasses? I need your insurance plan.

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  11. Welcome to the club, my friend. I've been wearing glasses since before I started kindergarten. There was an eight year period where I refused to wear them because I thought they made me look like a nerd, so I relate.

    There's nothing nerdy about seeing. Or looking smart. And, here's a little secret, you can look totally contemplative and authoritative by, in meetings, taking them off and putting the earpiece of one arm in your mouth.

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  12. Good pics, fun post!

    I am the same way -- for me to go willingly to a doctor, a limb would have to fall off. So aside from the occasional trip to the emerfency room,

    That being said, I have to wear glasses most of the time, and have given up contacts as they make my eyes itch. And me whine.

    Ooh, and take it from the gay dude - Ted Allan is totally hot, that is a huge compliment!!

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  13. I did the same exact thing (I don't need no stinkin' glasses). You got good frames, hip frames. I hate my glasse --but without them I can't read your blog--which I enjoyed.

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