it's like the eye of a duck

Had a big day out with dotheranon, for the much anticipated (by us, anyway) "Iron Man", followed by a late lunch.

The movie was THAT good :) Disclaimer: I've never read the comics, but D. assures me that Robert Downey Jr.'s "witty bastard" portrayl of Tony Stark was true to character - I found him wonderfully snarky throughout but he pulled off the change of heart without doing a total about-face of the character. Actually, the acting was pretty good all around - I even found Jeff "Lebowski" Bridges to be a pretty good villain, considering I've only ever seen him play good guys.

I loved the Iron Man armor - I especially like that they actually made the costumes and didn't rely on CGI throughout - made everything looked lived in and shot up, etc.

Some promo material seemed to really push the forging / sleeveless top scenes as something "for the ladies" and they aren't half bad, but I am alas spoiled by Hugh Jackman and cannot in good faith give Mr. Downey Jr. higher than a, say, 6.5 on the arm porn scale :P

Yes, we stayed for the end-of-credits spoiler. D. had to explain the significance to me :P

Late lunch/early dinner was at an outdoor cafe - it was really nice as I can't remember the last time I'd eaten outdoors or had Greek food (tzatziki sauce!!) The weather was in that perfect place between cold and clammy end of winter and humid and hellish high summer, which lasts only ~3 weeks around here so it was nice to catch (yay Claritin!) So yes, a fine day out :)

Complete nonsequitir: the same folks who do the "I like big books" shirt also do gothicy Christmas gear; Terry Pratchett fans will surely appreciate this one.

Took another day off work in attempt to wipe the ick once and for all, to some avail. Nose firmly back to grindstone tomorrow, but not without some sticker shock:

I went to my annual eye doctor's appointment today and was disappointed both that my eyes have gotten worse and that the price of glasses is so staggering. It's been a couple of years since my last pair and even though D. wasn't working then I still don't remember my current frames costing that much!*

I took a quick cruise of the glasses shops at the local mall and tried on a few pair, and for the past hour or so I've been snooping around online to see if I can't find a bargain (or hell, just cheaper than what my doc's office is charging) and I'm already tired of looking at frames: I took the measurements off my current set and it rather limits my options as they're made for kids!

I think I've found one option that's well over the $40 promised at the site above but still substantially less than the ~$450(!) I was offered today. Any suggestions of small, local frames shops not eager to pick my pocket are most welcome!

*Don't even start me about the allergy eye drops I coughed up for. Tiniest bottle in the world. They'd better work, and I'd better always get them in right the first time :P