Journal of a Plague Year, Monday, August 17

I finally got a new pair of glasses. Instead, of the usual place, I went to one of the cheap chains in Santa Fé.

It served my purpose. I wanted something that required as little human contact as possible, and that meant no measurements and no fittings.

Instead of paying a couple hundred dollars and waiting a week, I got a pair the same day for $40. I could actually have gotten two pairs for that price, but I didn’t want to spend more time looking for a second frame.

I know I’m getting what I paid for. There’s probably a quarter of the amount of plastic in the frames than there are in the more expensive ones. That means one really can’t have the ear pieces bent to fit.

There’s no scratch protection or light reduction coating. Those are luxuries.

The plastic lenses may not even be absolutely correct. They have a stock of standard lenses, and take them out of inventory.

But, when you’ve needed something for nine months, close is an improvement on inadequate.

I noticed while I was there the usual pattern of following rules without understanding. I asked if the woman who let me in the door if she would be taking my temperature. No, that’s only done at the optometrist’s office next door. They erected a low barrier between the two sections to maintain the safety of the one area.

Other than the mask and limited number of people allowed inside at a time, no other precautions were being taken. The set up was the usual one, a desk about 18" wide and three feet long with the technician on one side at one end and the customer on the other side at the other end. Not six feet apart, and no plexiglass barrier.

I think our local places have done a better job of implementing safe procedures. About three weeks back, all the restaurants put out picnic tables and installed canopy tops to make it easier to serve people outside. One even built a fence around its perimeter to give customers’ some privacy.

I don’t know how well they enforce small groups and distancing. I suspect much depends on peer pressure.

That doesn’t exist in Santa Fé. A friend told me he had a customer who works in one of the better restaurants. It constantly get parties from Texas who refuse to wear masks or respect the rules. All the waiter can do is wear a mask and hope.

I can only hope that waiter didn’t buy a pair of glasses this morning.