Friday Five

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From RevGalBlogpals - This week's Friday Five.

1. What color are your beautiful eyes? Did you inherit them from or pass them on to anyone in your family?
My eyes are brown - cinnamon brown. Mom's were brown and Dad's were very dark. One sis has hazel, everyone else has brown eyes. It's interesting, when you look at the eyes of the next generation - you can see the resemblance. The cousins still look related, even though some have Greek heritage, some Irish, etc. Even the adopted kids - sort of. My son is one of the adopted ones - his eyes are a changeable sort of green brown.

2. What color eyes would you choose if you could change them?
I wouldn't change them. Not the color. They are impressive, I guess - they were described in college as 'flashing'- by a professor! He did not want my 'flashing eyes' snapping at him! I would change them to be healthy. I have extreme myopia, floaters, some vitreal damage and keratoconus (a condition which results in thinning, 'cone-shaped' corneas and oddly disturbed vision. http://www.nkcf.org/

3. Do you wear glasses or contacts? What kind? Like 'em or hate 'em?
I wear two contacts in each eye - one soft, for comfort, and one custom made hard lens for accurate vision. And I wear reading glasses over those. I also have a pair of regular glasses for times when I can't wear the contacts - they are quite thick, even though they are made with the 'lighter' lens material. My next pair will be outside of the parameters for thinner lenses - they will be true coke-bottle glasses.

I have to love them - I have no choice if I want good vision. And because of that I am grateful for the technology that allows for this clarity of vision.

4. Ever had, or contemplated, laser surgery? Happy with the results?
The only possible surgery would be corneal transplant, which make me philosophical, and extremely grateful to those who consider organ donation. My condition has stabilized, and transplant is not likely, unless I have an episode of edema or a lesion develops, both of which are possible. Years of handling contacts has resulted in infection with ocular herpes. My eye doctor has remarked that I have the best results with the worst collection of problems! I am fairly close to my eye doctor, since we see each other 4 times a year.

5. Do you like to look people in the eye, or are you more eye-shy?
This is an interesting question, because ever since my internship year, I have been told I do not look people in the eye, and this habit has been identified as a negative, a strong problem for many people. My response was surprisingly emotional - it was like a fist in the stomach. I've worked on this pattern - trying to be conscious of my eye-contact being appropriate. (These types of comments have been used as manipulation as well - but I am speaking now of the sincere comments)

Just a few years ago my nephew was identified as autistic. I now wonder if a little bit of that heritage - along with the geekiness, and social awkwardness that is seen in me and my siblings - is part of the eye-contact complaint. I know that I tend to look away when I'm thinking of something - and when I'm not trusting of the person I'm speaking to. It has been a problem when preaching.

Still working on it - in my fifties!
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