I now own my first new pair of glasses in 7 years. Nothing fancy, just some thick frames branded by Converse (a bargain at $60 @ costco btw) that are just a bit trendy in a year 2003 sort of way.
The old pair were whispery metal frames, sleek like thread that spoke to my imagined greater intelligence if not a little snobbishness, these new ones are obnoxious in comparison. Despite the 7 year lapse between examinations my prescription is still so minor these glasses are merely helpful but not necessary for driving an automobile or listening to poetry or making flan for dessert or even writing a blog post. No, because my eyes wear down quickly in this visual affair with all things web I wear them all day and more importantly they make my pumpkin head look, well better.
Yes, on some level I do care about how people view me.
So I started the past work week with the new glasses on, walking straight into the department I share with five other people as if nothing was different. The response was pretty much what I expected:
1) "What up hipster!" said immediately by one co-worker.
2) The standard "Wow, those are different, but I like them."
and my favorite....
3) Long stare, "Oh...That's" short pause, "Interesting." Then followed by another long stare.
She clearly did not like them.
And with this remark it was all downhill from there: self image shattered, lack of hellos left me feeling slighted and invisible. I started looking for the detached connections I must have severed somewhere, because I caused this mistake - whatever it was, I did them wrong. This is how insecure I am sometimes. I hate it, but there it is.**
Really, all I am is just some guy with glasses. no more, no less.
**there's more to this as I was soon to find out...
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