Optometrist found of all things, the reason for one eye being constantly irritated in the inner corner: two microscopic eyelashes growing inversely curved toward the eye. He nipped them with tweezers–instant relief. The opthamologist missed those—different area of concern, I suppose.

Healing nicely. Optometrist’s recommendation for dry eyes? Apparently there are microscopic oil glands inside the lid, at the base of the eyelashes. Moist heat indicated to increase natural oil flow. Went to Wallyworld—I know, I know, not my favorite, but they do have a broad selection of eye stuff. And they had, beside the Systane gel for dry eyes, this moist heat compress by Bruder, exactly made for such an application. 20 seconds in the microwave, 3 minutes on the eyes. Not too inconvenient and it feels good. As a cure for dry eyes, let’s see, but I’m willing to give it a run.

We never get out of there cheap—Jane got some pants for shoveling snow (brilliant red snow suit pants) which beats camo, when you have to work at the edge of the street: screaming orange would have been the choice if we could. And Nutrisystem is now selling a Jumpstart packet of diet stuff. Hey, it’s two weeks worth of food for 44.00 and if it actually makes us lose weight, good.

And we found some house slippers for our new floor: we’re instituting the Japanese custom of house slippers, street shoes not welcome. So finding some cheap, soft, washable house slippers for guests, at 2.50 apiece, we pounced on them. We have a problem with shiny-finish laminate and tennies picking up basalt chunks from our garden. Men are a separate problem: these are small with a flashy little jewel and a top strap. We’re going to need to find some tatami slippers guys won’t feel silly in. Jane found some stretchy patterned jogging pants that are great for working on the floor.

So a day’s foray into the dens of commerce nets us an odd assortment of stuff, but kind of useful. We’ll start the Nutrisystem stuff when I’ve run out of hamburger. Right now I’ve dropped five of my holiday pounds simply using Atkins shakes for breakfast and lunch and any snacks I feel I must, must, must have or die—while having whatever we want within reason for supper. We’ll continue that until I run out of salad, chicken, and thawed hamburger and bread. Then we’ll open up the Nutrisystem packets.

Did I mention we both got called for jury duty? Lovely. It’s not that I mind it in principle—in fact I support it, but I am a critic of the American legal system as it has grown up from the Revolution—I think that we should have founded it on the system of ‘equity’ and gone by that, and that judges’ instructions are flatly unconstitutional, since they interfere with the ‘common knowledge and local knowledge’ aspect of a citizen jury: no way to impart a law degree in a judicial instruction, nor should they even try. And I don’t know how I’ll sit through a trial. I can’t go to a movie or concert without extreme pain by the end of the session. Either they have better chairs than that or I’m in trouble. Jane’s a little better, but not much.