specsy, everything about me is specsy

Nerdiepops
Originally uploaded by lunarsea

After well over a year of searching high and low, today I got a new pair of glasses. Woo hoo! No pictures yet (I won't actually get them for about a week) so you can have a photo of a doll in glasses for now. This doll's glasses are not like mine at all, but this is kind of how I want my hair cut. Maybe. I think I would be too embarrassed to take a photo of a doll to the hairdresser's, but I am sorely tempted... Could I, do you think?

Anyway, my exciting (to me) glasses story... After reading a recommendation and seeing some promising photos over at Precious East (a very handy blog to check in with now and again if you live in Glasgow) I took a trip to Niche Optical Tailor in the Merchant City. My plan was just to browse and I wasn't very hopeful as I must have tried on about 1000 pairs of glasses in the last year with not a single pair scoring more than about 4 out of 10. As soon as we entered the shop, the owner pounced on me and started quizzing me about what I might want. I was a bit taken aback (I'm not very good with helpful people in shops) but resisted the urge to say I was just in for a browse and didn't need help or to run away. I am so glad I did resist those urges because this woman turned out to be the ultimate glasses genius. I gave her the vaguest description of glasses ever (I didn't really know what I wanted) and she started whipping out pair after pair from her very stylish drawers. Within about 30 seconds, I had tried on about 30 pairs and she had whittled out which ones didn't suit my face and had got to know what I might like/dislike. I really think I must have tried on about 100 pairs (the pristine shop looked like a whirlwind had hit it by the time I left) and these were only the ones that she thought stood a chance. The selection was truly vast and there were hundreds more pairs I could have tried. In the midst of this focussed (no pun intended!) search, she also had me trying on some glasses from their vintage range "just for a laugh," including leopard print ones and some with bright pink lightning zigzags. I ended up with a longlist of about 20 pairs that I might have bought (so much better than anything I've seen in the last year) plus a shortlist of three top contenders. After much deliberation, I ordered one pair and almost cried at leaving behind the completely different pair that were my second choice because they were so nice too. Prior to visiting this shop - over 12 months of miserable searching with no contenders whatsoever. 20 minutes in this shop - potential glasses galore, fun had and the perfect pair of spectacles ordered. Wow. Their glasses are not cheap (though all the ones I liked were not really too expensive) but I think anyone would find at least one perfect pair of specs in there. And if you do visit, do not turn down the offer of help from the genius who runs the shop!

In other eyesight-related news (is it just me or is my blog becoming totally boring and middle-aged right now - glasses, contact lenses, printers, scanners, swimming...?) I have been wearing my contact lenses in the swimming pool this week (my optician said it was OK to wear them in the pool since I swim like a big girl's blouse and never put my face underwater) and it is so much fun. Not only can I see the clock (very handy) but I can also identify the various floaters so know which ones I must avoid (dead flies, old plasters and floating hairballs) and which ones I can swim right through (bits of float bitten off by children). I have also been enjoying the people-watching. The sociable swimmers (a.k.a. old folks) have such cheery faces and really make me smile :)