Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Addendum: It's easiest if I preface this entry with an excerpt from my May 14th entry:
Suffice to say, it's time for me to buy another pair of black contacts for Nar'eth, and Spooky has to get a pair as well. Yesterday, we tried to order two pairs from LensQuest, the company I've always ordered from before, and we were informed that they are now required by the FDA to obtain a verifiable prescription for every pair sold, even for non-prescription SFX lenses. This because some idiot somewhere whined about an eye infection, or some mother got up in arms because her Manson baby slept with his one white contact in and his stinking eye rotted out, or some such foolishness. So, now we both have to go to the added expense and bother of having our eyes measured for contacts. I think we're just going to go ahead and spring for prescription black contacts. At least it means we won't be blind at Dragon*Con this year. But I'm still pissed about the whole FDA thing. It's my goddamn, traitorous body. If I want to risk ruining what's left of it, in ways that ruins no one else's body, that's my business.
So, today Spooky went to Pearle to be fitted for contacts. We'd decided to go the non-prescription route, to save the money, and she'd talked to two different women at the Pearle on Ponce, both of whom assured her that yes, they would give her a measurement for SFX lenses for $30. She goes to her appointment at 3:45 this afternoon and they sit her down in front of an eye chart and blow air in her eyes, etc.. When she says whoa, I just need a simple measurement, not an eye exam, she's told they can't do that, that there must be a full eye exam ($90). And there's a bunch of other stuff about not releasing the presription without a second exam, and, by the way, Pearle will be happy to sell you the lenses. And no, they don't know who told her otherwise. I was waiting over at Borders (again, ugh). She shows up much sooner than I'd thought. I ask if it went well, and she says no, and tells me what I've just told you. So. We're both pretty pissed about this and looking for any way around the new FDA laws, any trick or loophole (if anyone has any ideas, please write). At this point, I'm about ready to gouge out my one good eye in a fit of vindictive self-mutilation, just to spite the goddamn eyeball Nazis. This goes a bit beyond complicating costuming and touches on issues of self-determination that are a sore spot with me. My eyes. My decisions. And the thing is (and I say this having spent a lot of time the past couple of years wearing SFX lenses), going through all this hassle is not going to decrease the likelihood of an infection or whatever the hell it is they're telling us to worry about. The risks will be the same. The only difference is, this way the medical establishment gets its greedy fingers in the pie.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Last night, very, very hot chicken stir fry with asparagus, basil, green beans, red bell pepper, Thai chilis, lemongrass, sesame, baby porta bellas, red curry paste, lime, and jasmine rice. Then Spooky and I watched two episodes of Farscape on DVD (she gave me Season Four for my birthday), parts one and two of "What Was Lost." There was much-needed rain, and Sophie insisted on being outside in it. I should have joined her.
5:09 PM
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