Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

When I was a reporter in Philadelphia and Atlantic City, I often had to interview bosses in the Philadelphia Mob.  They were alway shappy to deny all of the things reportrers and cops accused them of.

The rules were different then; killing reporters was not permitted, and I was often surprised at how easy it was to talk to Mob bigshots; they were almost always kind and cooperative, at least up to a point. It was understood that they would lie. They weren’t dumb. Then we’d have a drink together.

Reporters could be friends with police officers then, and even in a different way, with organized crime leaders.

We were never close pals, but we respected each other, and if we had to nail them, then they understood that we were just doing our job, no hard feelings. This is not the age of good feelings; politicians and mob bosses have decided there is no point in being nice to journalists. But I never liked the look of the blue/dark glasses.  This morning, I stopped at an eyeglass store just outside our town – Olde Saratog Eye Care –  to make an appointment for new glasses this coming Tuesday.

I’m due. I don’t like the look of these glasses. I look like a mobster. trying to hide his face.

I looked in the mirror the other day and thought I saw one of those mob bosses starting back at me with their tinted glasses and sunglasses. Not the look for me; the tinted glasses I wear blind me in direct sunlight, and I can barely see through my camera viewfinder if the sun is directly across.

I saw some brownish/red glasses I like and will hopefully get to order them next Tuesday. I’ll get a photo when I buy them. Maria was with me, and I want to take advantage of having an artist help me choose the new glasses. She liked the two that I tried on, and I like them too. So did Sharon, my very nice and helpful sales person.   No heavy tint. My eyes should be seen.

Sharon was a pleasure to work with, and on the way out, we heard her turn to another salesperson, and say “those two were fun.” That made me happy. It was fun.

She likes the ones we picked out also. Maria gets to decide. I trust her taste more than mine. I’m dumping the mob look, my eyes will just have to deal with the sun. I got tinted lenses because the new LED car lights can be blinding at night. New glasses are like new lenses, they always signal the beginning of a new chapter.

And they even take my insurance.