The Cost of Sight Pt. 3

Looking over my blog I noticed I never gave my final update on how my glasses turned out. Here's a hint, I'll never buy from a brick and mortar store ever again, with the exception of Costco (I actually bought a pair of Rx shades from them only because their customer service was that good through my process of ordering from someone else. More retail stores no matter what the product need to take note).

I bought mine from Costal Contacts and had a great experience even though I sent the first pair back. The first pair did not match my Rx and to make things worse my Rx had changed so I could not even wear them. I called CC and with no hassle whatsoever I sent back the glasses and got the new ones within a week (they are a west coast company and I live on the east). The new ones, though perfect, took a little getting used to only because of my new Rx, no fault of CC. Having had them for almost a year now I see great and I've had no issues with the glasses. So for about $30 shipped I got a name brand pair of frames and upgraded lighter lenses with all the coatings (anti-glare, scratch-resistant, UV blocking) at no extra charge. As a matter of fact I was in the mall the other day with my wife in a lens chain place where she bought her glasses and they asked if I wanted mine adjusted. The guy told me they were some of the lightest lenses he had ever seen and was impressed with them.

I need to disclaim that I got a smoking deal at the time I bought mine (frames were on clearance for less than $10), but you should be able to find most pairs on several trusted sites from $40 to $100 depending on brand of frames (the more chic the name the higher the price, usually). This is better than the $300+ I usually paid in B&M stores

Again, head over to http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com/ for a list of good sites, how to order online (there are some essential things you'll need, see The Cost of Sight Pt. 2) and why you should never pay more than $100 for frames and lenses ever again.

I would love to hear back from any of you if you give this a shot for the first time or have any questions about the process. So let me hear from you and enjoy sticking it to the man.

Change I Don't Believe In

Change. I have a weird relationship with her. I both embrace and run from her. When it comes to suggestions of doing things differently I don't balk too often, but put me in a restaurant I frequent and I am the most stubborn of mules. Case in point,

Three Dollar Cafe - chicken and cheese sandwich (is it still considered a sandwich if you order it without the bun?)

Mama's Pizza - greek salad, slice of cheese.

Pappasito's - aside from the fajitas I can't tell you what anything else on the menu tastes like.

It's not that I fear change, I fear disappointment. If I get something different and it's not as good I'm going to regret that decisions for days and will probably never get something different there ever again. So when a place I go to changes things I'm usually not happy. This was the case a few weeks ago, but it had nothing to do with food.

My wife and I enjoy going to a place near us called The Firkin & Crown. It's an "English pub" type restaurant. They have English fare (bangers & mash, fish and chips, etc.) along with your typical American bar and grill food. A few weeks ago we invited some friends to join us there for dinner since they had never been. After being seated we were completely embarrassed to realize that F&K had changed the uniforms of their servers from black pants/tees to some kind of school girl/Scottish prostitute outfits. I think we apologized to the couple with us a half a dozen times.

Anthony Bourdain once said that when a place changes its menu that it's a sign that things are not going well. I can only assume this applies to changes in dress, too. The disappointing part of all this is that their food is good and this gimmick is completely unnecessary. Whatever the reason F&K is now a scratch on our dining list.