Optical Calculations

I managed to screw up my glasses over the weekend. I'm not sure how or when it happened, but considering the overall amount of alcohol I drank, I'm not surprised. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if I had implants and a tattoo of the name "Bubba" on my ass after this weekend. I decided to pick an eyeglasses "shop" out of the yellow pages. I called them, made an appointment, and went on with my day. Actually, I proceeded to go online and check out the places that my insurance company covers for optical just to make sure I didn't get screwed... Needless to say, a few phone calls later, I had an appointment at some other place. Funny how Wal-Mart seems to be the blessed optical care company by my insurance plan. I had to look long and hard to find the place that I did, knowing that their service and quality had to be better than Wal-Mart's. Ha!

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Fast forward to my drive home after my eye appointment. I had a lot less money than I had when I left for the appointment, a firm belief that my insurance plan's suggested "discount" on eye care products was more of a tease than a reality, and that all is lost when it comes to basic math skills in this country. Is $139.00 + $ 39.00 really that hard to calculate? Must be, because my little eye-glass-selling friend, whom I'll refer to as Pythagoras, was thoroughly confused by this trying mathematical proof. I watched him jack up the calculation, with the help of a calculator and computer mind you, three times, insisting each time that I wasn't understanding their pricing model. Obviously it is beyond me. Who am I when compared to Pythagoras, the guy who sells eyeglasses?