the last time i wore contacts was probably also the last time i went running, most likely around august 2009, almost 4 years ago. i don't miss them at all, but i also like having that option. and say if i ever want to get back into running, it'd be nice to have contacts (glasses bounce too much and have a tendency to fog up).
going through a contact lens examination is kind of a waste of time, especially for someone like me who's worn contacts before. after a quick look at my eyes using that chin strap machine with the shiny light, the optometrist picked out 2 lenses for me. she didn't change my prescription, using the same prescription of my old contacts from 2009. they didn't have the type i had - biomedics 38 - but had some biomedics 55 (the number refers to water content).
i felt a wave of nostalgia as i slipped on the new contacts. for anyone who's never worn contacts before, it can be a bit unnerving touching your eyeballs with a bare finger. as soon as i put them on though, they felt wrong. was it because i hadn't worn them in so long? i was getting a lot of after images, and i couldn't focus through my left eye (the one with a smidgen of astigmatism). it felt like looking underwater. the optometrist said this was all normal, checked me over one last time with the chin strap machine, then sent me on my way.
for this service i paid $89. i thought my insurance would cover it, but turns out the insurance only covers material, and in this case that means the contact lenses if i order through HSE (i was hoping to get them online since it's cheaper). there seems to be a lot of this going around this week, paying for non-services.
i stumbled across harvard yard, my right eye trying to compensate for my left eye which was still blurry. i held my glasses in my hand (i forgot to bring a case) but later wore them on top of my head. i retrieved my bike and rode home.
the left contact was so uncomfortable that i took it out and replaced it with one of my old ones. unopened packages of contact lenses can last a long time. i thought the boxes i had were long expired, but was surprised to find a 2015 expiration date. anyway, the biomedics 38 was thicker, and once i put it on, the difference was immediate, i could now see fine out of my left eye. HSE gave me a sample solution that came with its own contact lens case, but i used my old bausch & lomb ones instead, the ones i've had since i started wearing contacts in middle school.
i rode my motorcycle wearing sunglasses because i had my contacts on. i can't even remember the last time i wore sunglasses. being a glasses wearer, it's impossible for me to wear sunglasses unless they're prescription. therefore, i'm very envious of anyone who wears sunglasses and by extension i hate them all.
my father and i continue to share our experiences using the hisense sero tablet. we tested the live video chat feature of wechat. last night i figured out you can download language packs for offline usage. for instance, voice recognition in different languages. this not only applies for the various input methods, but works for the google translate app as well. unfortunately the language pack for reading back chinese text can't be downloaded (yet). i've also discovered the game bejeweled blitz, i can't stop playing it! it's like digital crack.
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i returned home after dinner. i chatted with ed and my neighbors across the street asked if they could borrow my patch kit again (especially my jar of rubber cement). i watched game 4 between the redhawks and the bruins, with chicago winning it in overtime.