20.IV.07 - MoM

After writing Suzy's letter stuff, I am having my own problems with my eyes. So, will just send this and do a better blog, tomorrow.

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Hey! A letter from Suzy, dated 11 Nov 1985

Dear MoM & Dad,

Just a quick note to let you know we made it home okay. Now that I've rested up and gotten more or less caught up, I can reflect on the trip and think about how much I enjoyed it. The pace was hectic, but I really learned a lot, and now have pictures in my mind of places I'd like to revisit and a general sense of how train travel works. The highpoints for me were Giverny, Barcelona, the car trip in the Arles area, walking around Saalfelden, and of course, Roma. It's especially nice to know what your place looks like and how you live.

I've been buying souvenirs retrospectively: Michelin green guides, maps, picture books of Paris and the food of Italy. Found that after a month, I missed espresso so much I had to buy cheap espresso/cappuccino machine. I even bought a beginning tape course Italian -- I'd vowed to learn Italian the last time I was there, but this time I'm determined to actually DO it.

I must admit, though, the most life-altering aspect of the trip was discovering these glasses! I hadn't realized how bad my sight had gotten and how it was crippling me in a number of ways. Especially at work -- it is astonishing the difference it makes; I'd been feeling stupid and unconfident because I couldn't see to understand things. It was that I couldn't read things well enough or fast enough to understand them! It seems so EASY to read things now I just breeze through memos, procedures, newsletters, etc. Makes a difference at home too things like cooking -- not only can I easily read the recipes, I can measure things better and see how done things are getting. I can put polish on my nails. See how dusty things are getting. And I can read what I write … I've also discovered that these glasses correct my long distance vision in my bad eye -- that's kind of a revelation. Really, I do plan to go get my own prescription soon (these are so good, I'm convinced dime store ones will not do) and I will send these back to Dad as soon as I replace them. Thanks so much for letting me use them and bring them home.