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8.9.08

On The Face

The cheap online glasses made it to Oak Park a couple days ago, but we had to sign a delivery receipt for postman to leave them at our house — so I didn’t get them until today.  Like the last pair, I’m pleased with the result.  

I’ve never had rimless glasses before.  These are surprisingly lightweight, though their hingeless nature must add to that effect.  I’m pleased with the look of them, but I’ll leave the final word on that to Sally (who is on the road back from Ohio as I type).  Even if she doesn’t like them, they were cheap.
I’m definitely a convert and evangelist for buying glasses online.  Go to Ira’s blog to learn more about the process and try it yourself. 
Filed in: glasses

by Sally

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August 9, 2008 - 2:49 am

Jacki - Nice glasses Matt. I hope you like them and can't wait until you guys come to Amarillo. ILY!!!!!

8.6.08

More Cheap Glasses on the Way

Although my co-workers keep telling me that I got exactly what I paid for, I consider my last experiment in purchasing cheap eyeware online a complete success. At $36 (including coated, prescription lenses), I really don’t have to worry much about George punching me in the face and breaking my glasses. Or at least, the monetary cost of the glasses will be the least of my concerns in that scenario.

Because it is inevitable that I will break or lose my glasses, I ordered another pair, again online, this time through Optical4Less. As you can see, these are hingeless glasses, which I hope are resistant to the impact of a two-year old’s fists.

My new glasses were made in China, and arrived in New York last Wednesday. Just like last time, I will post the results here for your praise and/or ridicule.

Filed in: glasses | matt

by Sally

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August 7, 2008 - 3:36 pm

chacha - I got my cheapie glasses in Shanghai at an underground eyeglass mall. And yet, even after spending the airfare and doing some respectable haggling, the glasses set me back $40. What gives?

August 7, 2008 - 8:17 pm

Matt - To be fair, these glasses were more expensive than my last pair: $50 with prescription lenses.

8.4.08

Weekend Parenting

Having the kids around the house hasn’t really helped our home-sale preparation effort, so one of us will take the kids out for a few hours while the other gets things done at home. Today was my turn to babysit, although my secretary strenuously objects to the use of the word “babysitting.” “It’s called parenting, Matt,” she says with disgust. Anyway, I had the kids, and we went to George’s Pancake House for breakfast. Then we visited the playground at Taylor Park while browsing the local movie selection on the phone. We decided on the 12:40 showing of Space Chimps, the only G-rated movie that we hadn’t seen.

A word on Space Chimps. I didn’t expect much, and got pretty much what I expected in terms of movie quality. It had the feel of a story written, filmed (or animated, as was the case), and edited without pause for reflection. Things that “seemed like a good idea at the time” made it into the movie. But the quality of the film did not trouble me. The problem was that despite the G-rating, characters in this cartoon film made four or five penis jokes.

I am aware of two general categories of penis jokes. The first, in which some male is kicked or struck in the crotch and falls down, is acceptable in children’s films. The other relies on some knowledge of or reference to sexuality, and does not belong in a kids’ movie — at least not in a film supposedly approved for General Audiences without Parental Guidance. I’m really not sure what the MPAA reviewers were thinking on this one.

On that note, for a very interesting documentary on the MPAA reviewing and rating system, check out This Film Is Not Yet Rated. It focuses mainly on the weird border between the NC-17 and R ratings, and the odd prejudices seemingly held by the rating committee. Don’t watch this movie if you think you might be offended by candid reference to scenes on the NC-17 side of the boundary.

Filed in: matt | movie
8.1.08

George turned two yesterday.  No gifts or cake yet; we just hugged him and sang to him.  On Saturday, we’ll be having a joint party for him and Francis (if you’re reading this and didn’t get your invitation, you should come anyway – 10 to 1).

As the second child, George’s milestones sometimes arrive with little fanfare.  Let’s review some of his exploits here.
George is a climbing fiend.  Not only can he get into a high chair by himself, but he started climbing out of the crib a couple weeks ago.
George also loves books.  The other day, he crawled out of his crib, grabbed two books, put them into his crib, then climbed back in and examined them.
George is very loving, and also very physical.  He gives hugs and kisses freely, but just this evening, he followed up a hug to Sally with (1) a vicious head-butt and (2) gloating laughter.
George’s favorite food is probably either waffles or pancakes.  He will eat two very large pancakes, pausing only to demand, “need more butter” several times per cake.
George loves the color green, so much so that he sometimes identifies other colors as green.
If you ask George if he loves his daddy, he will usually reply, “no.  Mommy.”
George hates changing clothes.  It’s not just the action of changing; he actually prefers the clothes he’s been wearing.  He fights to prevent their removal and then tries to put them back on.  This applies to both pajamas and day clothes.  Yesterday, he wore his pajama top all day — the result of a deal in which he consented to changing his pants.
We love you, George.  Keep up the good work.
Filed in: george | holidays

by Sally

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August 5, 2008 - 3:14 am

America - I love it! What is with boys, I mean they are totally little men, I love you but…. head but, hahaha. Thomas typically wears his PJ top to most occasions. Also, so you are really doing the joint party thing? I am really debating on this since Scott will be home on leave for 18 days the day after Thomas' birthday and three days after Lib's, what is a mom to do?