The Squinting Guy on Campus

That would be me. I had a meeting today with the Dean to discuss my thesis, and I managed to get all the way down to campus in record time. I found a parking space (which is much more difficult now that classes are back in fall term) and gathered my belongings. Laptop, check. Notebook, check. Sunglasses, I can put them back in the case. Glasses... glasses... glasses.

No glasses.

I remained calm. No time to return back home to fetch them. I searched the car, my bag, under the seat, in my running shoes... nothing. 'Oh great' I thought, here's the photography guy, who can't read his own writing because he doesn't have his eyeglasses. Better yet, here's the new guy, wearing sunglasses into a meeting with the Dean. Neither good scenarios.

So what do I do? I realize that I don't have much of a choice. I'm just going to have to deal with it. I do one more search, no luck. So, then I decide to leave the car, with sunglasses on and plans to just squint my way through the meeting. Maybe she won't notice.

As I am walking down the long parking lot, I think to myself "did I put my parking permit on the visor?" Anyone who knows me well knows that it takes several minutes for me to get out the door in the morning, because I'm checking to see if I left on the toaster oven, the coffee maker, the iron, the blender, etc. This paranoia has never served me well in the past, since I have yet to leave any of those objects on in my kitchen.

Nonetheless, I make my way back to the car, this time opening the passenger side door (don't ask me why, fate I guess). And, what do you think I see?

The parking permit was on the rear view mirror. And my eyeglasses were tucked between the seat and the door. Crisis averted.