MOTD

This week I pulled the snow shovel and grit from my car. The city has also swapped the decorative evergreens for hyancinths and has started to repair the plough damage. This can mean only one thing - we are taunting Mother Nature and so must be subject to a pride-defeating snow storm. No, hang on... Apparently a critical number of midwesterners have invested in snow-capable gas guzzling SUVs just as the oil companies have decided to royally screw the entire country. We are saved! The irony gods are satisfied.

One weekend trip I made while house-sitting at Scott's was for my eye test at the place recommended by my colleagues. I was initially put off by the crowd in the barn of a building but later found that they were all one big happy family. Despite my earlier information I did have to undergo the mydriatic treatment. Naturally, as before, the sun decided to shine and thus afterwards left me wandering in traffic until I could drive again (yes, I have seen Gattacca). I also have to say that no two opticians (U.S. = optometrists) have used the same kind of eye exam procedure. At heart these are some strange kind of ritualised psychological torture where deranged people can make you do unnatural things while hinting that it will improve your eyesight - "When do these two line up?" "Which of these is fuzzier?" "Which is best, number 2 or number 2?" "You are wrong! You have failed so I am going to give you these opaque eye covers and everyone will laugh at you!". The most interesting part of the visit was meeting the Spectacles geek. In many ways he reminded me of the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. When examing my old glasses (the noocleer scientist version) he was able to give me their entire history and, in so doing, mock their utilitarian nature. I should be receiving my new specs in a few days. These are probably not as leet as my old ones but they are made of titanium.