Thoughts from the Road

Tonight I write from the front seat, passenger not driver, of a rented Ford Expedition as I do my good friend Bryant a large favor that I will most certainly hold over his head for years to come. Why am I on the road at 3:00 am? We are transporting a World Changers summer staff team on one of the worst back-to-back projects in the history of back-to-back projects (Columbia, SC to Tupelo, MS). They get their much needed rest to begin their next project in a few hours, Bryant drives and I try to stay awake, hence the blog.

With all the time in the world to ponder stuff and a quiet automobile to ponder them, thoughts race through my head, but the heaviness of yesterday dominates my mind. It was a sadly historic day and a sobering reminder how fragile and uncertain our days are. Pursue that which is eternal. Live with devotion and purpose Ephesians 5:15-16:

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Life is but a vapor, make the most of it. Many more miles lay ahead of us tonight and my purpose for now is to help keep my driver awake, so I must get back to it.

The Cost of Sight Pt. 2

So yesterday I posted my problem with the eyewear chains. Today I got a little more validation to reassure me that the revolution is possible.

When ordering glasses online along with your prescription you will need to know your pupillary distance (PD) so I got my wife to check it for me yesterday (there are different ways of checking it, go here to see a few). You can also get your doctor to check it at your next exam. My membership to Costco ended last month and today I finally got around to renewing it. I hadn't been there in a while so after taking care of the membership thing I decided to peruse the store. Coming across the eyewear counter I thought I would ask if they would check my PD to ensure that the measurement we took at home was accurate.

Now I can't speak for all Costcos, but the lady I spoke with at mine was very helpful. When I inquired if she would check my PD she did so gladly, which was off by only .5mm (well done, Honey). She then asked me if I was buying frames online, I told her I was and we discussed different sites. She also told me that when mine arrived I could bring them to her and she'd take a look at them, check the craftsmanship and adjust them for me. That bit of helpful customer service took out the remaining guesswork of ordering my glasses.

I'll post again once all is said and done to give insight into the whole experience. In the meantime you can go to http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com/ for more information. We can make a change here people, let's do it. New subject matter next time, I promise.

The Cost of Sight/My Latest Indignation

I know you can't tell it from my photo, but I wear glasses as does my wife (though unlike me she has the choice of contacts). Recently we went shopping for her a new pair of specs. The more we looked the more I began to wonder why frames made of plastic and wire could cost anywhere from $100 to "How much is in your 401k?" Then on top of that you've got to get lenses, which I didn't give too much thought to cost because of the expertise that goes into cutting and installing them. And I'm sure there's some kind of FBI security grid behind that door in the back of the show room where the lab coats hang out.

Thanks to a thread on www.slickdeals.net I picked up a pair of designer name glasses that with upgraded lenses and S/H I paid just over $30 for. Surely this was too good to be true, an internet scam that made me it's latest victim. No way any reputable company would make a profit from this.

That's what I thought until I went here. What an outrage! My purchase may be a mistake, but for 30 bucks as opposed to $400+ I'm willing to risk it. And buying glasses online might have to be a trial and error process, but I'm telling you now that I vow to never buy from traditional stores as long as they continue their selling practices.

I hope my fellow four-eyed friends find this post helpful in knowing more about how much markup goes into your new pair of frames and what you can do to combat it.

Lessons from Fireflies

Last night as my wife and I returned from dinner with friends we pulled into the driveway to notice a large number of fireflies in our yard. We began to talk about how long it had been since we had seen any and for some reason it was like seeing them again for the first time as I began to wonder why and how they light up with such fervor (I'm sure this was something that was taught to me somewhere in my childhood, but was either forgotten or ignored). Thanks to the amazing internet I found out that a mixture of chemicals in the abdomen (enzymes luciferase and luciferin) answers the how and simple mating answers the why. Males are usually the ones you see flying around lighting up the sky while females, though at times may fly to meet them, typically signal from the ground to the male that she is willing to mate.

Here's where it gets interesting. Apparently there is a species of females that will send flashing signals to the males and once they get to her she eats them. That has to be the most heinous of let downs. Unsuspecting firefly thinks he's getting lucky but instead he's getting dead, an untimely death from a false beacon.

Of course that got me to thinking of obvious parallels in life and how I fall for false beacons that entice and steal from me, maybe not for the same reason as them, but ones that distract nonetheless. Luckily, the difference between us and the firefly is the ability to recognize danger when we see it (living out Romans 12:1-2 will be a good way to aid in this). Oswald Chambers once said "Beware of anything that competes for the loyalty of Jesus Christ." A great piece of advice to avoid the pitfall of the male firefly.