$1000 For Eyeglasses?!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Zenni Optical for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ouch. And I thought that *I* paid a lot of money.

In a recent Time magazine issue (July 4, 2011), editor Bill Saporito mentioned that he paid a slick $1,000 for his pair of eyeglasses. I wonder if this was before or after insurance? ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. That’s insane. I paid a quarter of that less than a year ago (with insurance!) and I thought that was nutso. I have a high prescription, though. But $1,000?!

One of Saporito’s readers wrote a quick letter to the editor:

Please tell me editor Bill Saporito is receiving mental-health treatment, because he is insane for spending $1,000 on a single pair of glasses. I buy glasses from Zenni Optical, an online site. It’s $20 for a complete set at my doorstep, shipping included.

-Peter Minton, Winsted, Conn.

BWAHAHAHA!!!

Mr. Minton appears to have chosen well. I’ve been hearing more and more about Zenni Optical. I must say, they are really making headlines! They’ve been mentioned by that frugal extraordinare, Clark Howard, mentioned on FOX News (if my memory serves me correctly), by a slew of bloggers and writers, and of course, my own husband tried them out a few years ago (and is STILL wearing the pair he bought from Zenni!). I’m going to get some once I get my prescription updated. I have already chosen the pair I want. I love the red color!

In the slim chance that you haven’t heard, Zenni Optical offers extremely discounted but high-quality eyeglasses. They have a low adverttising budget and cut the middle man, so Zenni passes the savings down to the consumer. I love them for being such great entrepreneurs, and I wish their business great success.

Zenni has VERY low prices frames, as low as $6.95! Of course, the specialty frames (strong prescriptions, bifocals, etc) cost a little more, but even then the Zenni products are still much, much lower than retail eyeglasses. The cost includes the frame, the lenses, and extra goodies like anti-scratch coating, full UV protection, a case, and 1.50 thin or 1.57 index single vision lens! At my optician’s, they charged me over $100 for the index! Unbelievable.

Mr. Saporito, maybe YOU can afford to throw away $1000 on new eyeglasses, but I’d rather get my glasses at Zenni Optical and, heck, maybe buy a new computer or a used car with the money I saved! LOL

Check on New York Properties

Here’s a nice real estate website! Ask Agents. It’s a great way to keep tabs on property values. I also like to see if certain historic homes are up for sale. I’m seeing this occur very frequently lately. It’s become too expensive in Upstate New York to maintain those 200 year-old mansions. A few months ago, the historic William Floyd house was up for sale. William Floyd, for whom the Adirondack town of Floyd was named, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence from New York. Floyd was also of Welsh descent; many Welsh settled in northern Oneida County at the foothills of the Adirondacks.

Anyway, it’s websites like this that help me know what’s going on in the historic neighborhood, not to mention the area as a whole. The website covers the entire United States, and it’s more comprehensive than some of the others I have seen.

State Parks Open This Memorial Day Weekend

Great news for New Yorkers! All state parks will be open for Memorial Day weekend.

New York lawmakers have voted to keep all state parks, historic sites and campgrounds open this year. The Senate’s 32-27 vote Friday afternoon came after earlier Assembly approval and cleared the legislation for Gov. David Paterson’s signature.

It provides $11 million for the parks and campgrounds while reducing the Environmental Protection Fund by $78 million to help close this year’s $9.2 billion deficit.

The parks closures, allegedly due to fiscal mismanagement and a shrinking taxpayer base here in New York State,was devastating news. Politicians may be able to afford to fly to Venice for their vacations, but we New Yorkers love our local state parks (not to mention that I have built an entire blog genre around “backyard tourism”!). So hear the collective sigh of relief from Buffalo to Ticonderoga.

Still, it’s only for ONE day; other parks may remain open for a few weeks more…. I understand how money is tight and the state needs to buckle down the budget… but the major consensus is that the politicians could look to bloated state coffers, fraud, and the outrageous pension system in this state before killing off the bloodline of New York.

Anyway, we’re glad to hear the parks are open!!! Have fun!

Name the Syracuse Zoo Baby Penguin

This is so cute. The Rosamund Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, NY, has nine new baby penguins. The Zoo is asking for community input on naming the first penguin chick of 2010.

Syracuse, NY (May 25, 2010) – The Rosamond Gifford Zoo is pleased to announce the finalists in the penguin chick naming contest. On March 27, the first penguin chick of 2010, a male, hatched at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. The public was invited to submit name suggestions for the young chick and 607 entries were received. In addition to the Humboldt penguins’ native countries, Chile and Peru, entries were sent in from as far away as Connecticut, New Jersey, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

In an effort to provide a name for the chick which reflects his heritage, the judges carefully and thoughtfully selected a list of choices from all the entries received. Entries were judged on their creativity, as well as for their overall appeal; names with a Latin American influence were given a preference. Though they intended to choose five finalists, the judges decided to present six names to the community for voting.

The six names to choose from are:

Claudio (KLAHD-ee-o)
Submitted by Anonymous
“After Claudio Arrau (1903-1991) who was Chile’s greatest classical pianist. If ‘Claudio’ wins, could you please attribute this entry to ‘anonymous’ and then choose a needy kid or a teenager to be the penguin’s honorary parent for the year and to receive the private guided tour of the zoo? Thank you very much, and highest regards!”

Esteban (ess-TAY-bahn)
Submitted by Hannah Caccamo of Kirkville, NY
“I think the name Esteban would be a great name for the new baby penguin because it is Spanish for Steven and that’s my dad’s name. Since the daddy penguins take care of the penguin egg/babies, I think it would be cool to have a penguin named after my dad because he takes care of me. Especially since my dad’s dad (my grandfather) is named Fred and the baby penguin’s father’s name is Frederico. Plus, how cool would it be to tell my dad that a penguin at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo was named after him in June, which is when he is turning 40?”

Juntos (HOON-tos)
Submitted by Ashliegh Kinder’s kindergarten class at the International School in Antofagasta, Chile
“The same Humboldt penguins swim in the ocean-waters just outside our classroom. I explained to my Kindergarten students the exciting news of my hometown zoo and they have become obsessed with this pingüino and finding a suitable and worthy name. As you may know, several months ago Chile suffered a tremendous blow in the form of a devastating earthquake and tsunami south of us in the Concepcion region. In addition to contributing to the relief effort by fundraising and sending toys, we have also had discussions about patriotic unity and helping each other. So when I asked for suggestions of the baby’s name, I thought it was really special that they settled on the Spanish word meaning ‘together’ since Chile has come together after the earthquake. In the minds of my students, Chile and Syracuse are strongly linked already. We correspond with my nephew’s second grade class in the West Genesee school district and both groups are very excited about the possibility of our name being selected. They are hoping to visit the newest baby Humboldt soon and bring greetings from our Chilean classroom, too!”

Santiago (sahn-tee-AH-go)
Submitted by Bobbi Vergara of Clay, NY
“In Spanish, Santiago means ‘St. James’ and Santiago is also the capital of Chile.”

Sinchi (SIN-chee)
Submitted by Batja Bell of South Orange, NJ
“This comes not from Spanish. but from Quechua, the indigenous language group of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, etc. The word means strong, vigorous and valiant, as you would like all your young penguins to be.”

Talcahuano (tahl-kah-WAH-no)
Submitted by Mariah Dillon of Syracuse, NY
“Talcahuano is a city in Chile that was devastated by the 8.8 magnitude 2010 Chile earthquake and its subsequent tsunami. The city of Talcahuano is named after an Araucanian chief, Talcahueñu, who inhabited the region during the time when the Spanish arrived. In Mapudungun, the language of the indigenous Mapuches, Talcahuano means ‘Thundering Sky.’ I thought that was a good fit with the baby’s thundering sky coloring. While this is a BIG name for a baby penguin, I believe our little guy would grow into it, honoring both his native country and in remembrance of the people who have been affected by the devastating earthquake. Perhaps a shorter version might be Talca, another Chilean city not far from Talcahuano.”

Those interested in voting can do so by e-mailing contest@rosamondgiffordzoo.org. The preferred name should be placed in the subject line of the e-mail. Limit one vote per e-mail address. Facebook fans can place an additional vote on the Zoo’s Facebook page. All votes must be received by 4:00 p.m. on June 1.

The winning name will be announced at the zoo at 10:00 a.m. on June 3. The winner will receive a VIP tour of the penguin exhibit and will become a penguin adopt parent for a period of one year.

Humboldt penguins are an endangered species. There are 40 penguins living at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, nine of which hatched this year.

I am rather fond of the name Esteban, because I like the reasons given. It’s always fun to name little animals, so here’s your chance!

We visited the Rosamun-Gifford Zoo a few years ago. Unfortunately, we never got to see the penguins. A thunderstorm and power outage forced us all to evacuate. Someday we hope to go back, because I love watching penguins.

National Geographic Wants You

Thanks to my participation in the Photo Hunters meme, I have seen the most spectacular photos (and photography). When I read that National Geographic is having a contest, I immediately thought of the Photo Hunters group. Here’s the information from the National Geographic site:

Take your best shot and send it to us. Submit a favorite photo of your own for possible publication in National Geographic. Come back daily to see the editors’ selection of photographs in the Daily Dozen. Solve a puzzle, download wallpaper, and vote for your favorite.

>>Submit a favorite photo you’ve taken and see if we select it for publication

>>Check back weekdays to see photo editor Susan Welchman’s daily selections. Photos will be published monthly in National Geographic.

>>It’s your turn. Vote for your favorite. The top voted photograph will be published in National Geographic.

I think some of you Photo Hunters participants should try! Your photos are National Geographic-quality. If you do submit a photo, let me know by leaving a comment here, and I’ll be sure to vote for you.

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