sorry, Jan.
Mary Chambers, I understand you so well. I don't think it is childish not to want to spend money on pipes etc. I feel the same way. Practical things irritate me. We may well have pipe problems any time too (probably in winter time because it is hardes to fix them in winter and it is colder). Our house is old and is not well built. It cost a fortune now anyway with prices going up the last few years.

I have another thing to complain about. I don't know if people have problems like that. I have a pianist friend from St Petersburg. She is a little older than I. She was critical of my playing and I took lessons with her when we both lived in California. I don't know what I learn from her lessons, but they did not make me play better. As far as school (Moscow verses Leningrad) there were some differences (could be personal teacher differences). However, for my personality to throw free weight on my fingers and than play was better.
May be she was about my level and one needs a teacher with superior understanding to make a big improvement (on the lever of concert pianist). My friend has a big opinion about herself. She doesnot like Schiff and this and that.

Now she only plays baroque music, and poliphony is enough for her. I understand her, but my life is going in direction of more wide interests and playing. Now I want to listen to Schostakovich symphonies (nor baroque and not piano repertoire).
My problem is that I can not stand up to her. She will always have the last word. I am trying to put her out of my mind, but I have doubts etc. I can see that many thngs can be done many different ways.

We know each other well and I don't have that many friends and she has many good points too. I just can not handle many aspects and I am perhaps weaker phycologicaly os the two.
We don't live close now, but there are letters. Also she is going to London soon. I could go to and meet her.

I don't know if my post makes any sense, but I just want to get it out. In terms of school, she likes her elbows to be more to the side, while I would allow mine to droop or hang. In any case it is not important after a while because it depends what one wants musically. (what kind of sound). She is so domineering. Can anyone tell me how to deal with this kind of thing.

That's very well put, Ron. You are a sage indeed.

Isn't that just astigmatism like Ron mentions, Jan? I have it too, and like Ron I was originally told I couldn't get daily disposable lenses for it. I did try monthly ones, but they didn't work for me somehow. Now things are more flexible, and there are more options, but it seems my eyes don't like having lenses in them every day, so I tend to alternate between glasses and contacts.

When I do wear contacts I still don't get the toric ones. For the amount of time I wear them it seems to be OK if I just get a slightly too-strong myopia prescription to compensate for the lack of astigmatic correction. Ron, you might find that's good enough for you too, but I'd try it for a few days at least before you go on a trip with them. I can see well enough with my contacts, but not perfectly, and I'd probably change to my glasses if I was driving or something.

t_i_n

With my standard rigid gas permeables, my sight is better than with specs; literally twenty-twenty. I can wear them day in, day out for up to seventeen hours. Since I'm no spring chicken, increasing the strength would entail the use of reading glasses, because eyes lose close focus with advancing years. It's all a delicate balancing act...

Well, I'm 27 and my problems started 3 or 4 years ago.

I obviously have old eyes.

Afraid not. Neither is this.

A well-known musical spectacles-wearer:

And here he is with contacts: