The Last Word On Nothing | My Two-Decade Sunglasses

This post originally ran in June 2018. (I still have the sunglasses.)

I’ve been telling myself for a couple of years now that, when my sunglasses turned 20, they were getting their own blog post. Well, that’s sometime around now–my records aren’t too good, but it was definitely 1998 and almost definitely June–so here you go, cheap sunglasses. Thank you for your service. Let’s make it 20 more.

I used to think of myself as the kind of person who loses things. I still feel guilty about a windbreaker I lost in 10th grade or so.

That's why getting prescription sunglasses always seemed like a bad idea. Sunglasses exist to get lost.

I got by without them when I was doing field work during the summers in college. Botanist is in focus. Rocky mountains are fuzzy.

If I wanted the mountains not to be fuzzy, I went for the double glasses. So uncool. I did this for years.

In June 1998 I saw an ad in the newspaper for cheap prescription sunglasses. I went to the store, tried on the frames - there were only two options - and took the plunge. The saleswoman says "Skikkelig Hollywood!" That means "Totally Hollywood!" I was in Norway.

The glasses stuck with me. 1998, Sightseeing in Turkey. 2002, finally learning how to drive. 2009, Bering Sea ice. 2018, walking to CVS.

I get compliments on them all the time, including this past weekend. My friend says "Nice sunglasses, Helen!" I say "Thanks!" This time it was in English.

So here we are. June of 2018. I've had the lenses swapped a few times but the frames keep going. I guess I was wrong about what kind of person I am.

Art: It’s me. All me.