I recently got hit on the head with one of those reminders of “you’re getting old.” I needed glasses. (I know, how tragic!) After getting my prescription, I was eager to ask my four-eyed friends for recommendations on where to get some frames. “WARBY PARKER!” they all said. And so it began.

I was expecting to try on some glasses, pick a pair and be done with it. I wasn’t expecting to drink the Warby Parker Kool-Aid. But alas, I did.

Before I get into anything that’s creating an association between MTV’s Jersey Shore, and myself, I feel the need to brief you on a few things: 1) I am from New Jersey—a lovely part of Essex County, which is hardly the area where Snooki and Vinny like to fist-pump. 2) When the show first came out, I refused to watch it. I thought it was giving my state a bad name and didn’t want have anything to do with all that hair gel. 3) Once Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi was featured in the New York Times Style section, the show reached “cultural phenomenon” status. Then I had to tune in. How could I miss a cultural phenomenon! Now that you’ve been briefed, let’s get on with it.