Geek Glasses:Sir, please don't spit on me.

Darline's vision: 

   It's cold,dark,and very late in fact, it's one o'clock in the morning and I'm struggling to keep my eyes open long enough to unlock my front door. I've just gotten home from working my first 48 hour shift working as an EMT for a private ambulance company. I stumble to my room and manage to flop on to my neglected bed.I smell like the stomach contents of a drunk college student, which apparently consists of pizza, hot pockets, beer, and some mystery red stuff. As I'm moaning and rolling over on to my side, I can't help but think "Holy heart failure, Batman! What the hell did I get myself into". I need sleep. Now.  I begrudgedly start taking my uniform off and set aside my big geeky glasses.
  
I pause for a bit, and look at my huge fake nerd glasses. I can't help but be flooded with suppressed memories of middle school and High school. Those hellish years where specimens who were not up to par with the current standard of beauty and cool were thrown into trash cans, or some how managed to sit on a extremely well placed cartons of cold milk.
      I dealt with my share of teasing and the occasional piece of gum in my hair, but, for the most part, I kept my self off the radar. It was those fellow geeks who wore those thick and unattractive glasses, that I felt pity for. It was like having your own personal Bat signal attached to your face. Instead of Batman showing up, Jerky Johnny and his minions swooped in and dispensed the dreaded swirly. There was no escape when you had your own geek signal.

    In the blink of a eye, It's become suddenly cool and hip to wear the one accessory ( ok,maybe not the only one) that has caused some trips to the therapist. I don't really understand it, just like I don't under stand leggings or christmas in july specials. With this sudden wave of cool geek fashion, apparently one has to now prove them selfs that they are indeed a geek and not just a scene kid wearing fake glasses. With all this geek card flashing, People ask me all the time why I wear the one thing I was happy I did not have to wear as a pre-teen.
        Simple, I'm poor, they are cheap, and huge enough to protect my eyes from unpleasant fluids. You meet some some characters along the way in this line of work. Sometimes, crack head bob gets mad and gets the bright idea to spit at you, or you have to suction out all kinds of good stuff out someone's mouth.  You get anything in your eyes, your screwed. It's long months of tests and constant medication and a special page in the obituary " Girl dies from mysterious disease after being spit on by a hobo: Found dead among comic book collection". That's not exactly how I picture going out. I've grown to like my glasses and I find myself wearing them outside of work.
    
         Even when I do replace them i'll continue wearing them. They have become part of my wardrobe and I don't intend to give them up, kinda like a lucky shirt. So, to all those who scoff or turn their noses at all the hip geek wear, think of it this way. We have won, we rule the world and now the new generation of geeks can stay out of the therapist office and bask in all of their geek glory. Because, frankly it's either this or home schooling for my geeklets.

-Darline Nazario