altered vision

I got a new pair of glasses. They are of the dark, thick-framed variety that is popular with the kids these days. I haven't yet built up the courage or commitment to wear them outside the house (the prescription is the same as my old pair, which are functional if held together with electrical tape) because I bought them in such haste, with such concern for wasting the saleswoman's time, that I didn't allow second guessing to enter my mind until after I had already shelled out a *very* hefty fee for them. And now, in the privacy of my own home, I hem and haw about whether this was a wise consumer decision, and whether they are too small for my head, and whether it is a sign of fiscal irresponsibility on my part to have purchased such a potentially ill-fitting luxury item when my prior pair of specs were just fine, and whether this potential hastage and wastage means that I am a careless and contemptible person (the answer, of course, is that everyone is somehow contemptible, if you simply have enough contempt to go around, so i should start working on reducing my supply). I hope someday to resolve the issue.

Meanwhile, it is not only the wiseness of purchase that looks different seen through the lens of my new glasses. It's everything. Everything is crystal clear, of course, but what I mean is that everything is newly framed. I never realized before how prominent these thick-framed glasses are in your field of vision; everything I see is surrounded by the dark edge of my frames. I'm hoping I get used to it to the point that I don't even notice anymore, but for now, it's kind of fun. It's like that late '90s/early '00s art fad of hanging picture frames on everyday scenes so as to emphasize their inherent picturesqueness (literalizing the Duchamp quote CS always references: "In the future, artists will merely point.") A novelty act for now, but one can always hope that these not-quite-rose-colored glasses do focus my attention on the loveliness of the world around me. Perhaps this will aid in my contempt-alleviation efforts as well. Matter and anti-matter, and all.