This computer is really starting to scare me. Today I was typing up a book review. I got it all done and when I tried to save it, all kinds of error messages popped up. The general gist of the messages was that there was a disk error and the document couldn’t be saved. We’ve had lots of little problems with the computer but never a disk error, that's scary.
I wasn’t worried about my document because I have gotten in the habit of saving very frequently when I am typing. Microsoft Word and my screen reader do not get along with each other very well and Word is always crashing. So I knew I hadn’t lost much, except that when I tried to pull up the document again, it was completely gone. Well, whenMicrosoft Word crashes, it usually creates a temporary backup file of whatever you were working on. I found the temp file and it had almost everything I had typed. My document was saved, but I believe the computer is on its last legs. So I am really scrambling to get all of our personal files uploaded to Windows Skydrive. I’m making pretty good progress with that.
In other news, my new cane came on Saturday. Not bad, I ordered it Tuesday night and got it Saturday afternoon. Last time, I ordered the longest cane they had, 63 inches, and I ordered the same this time, but my new one is about an inch longer. Go figure. I took it for a test drive to church yesterday and it runs like a champ.
I mentioned a while back that one of the links in the band of my talking watch broke and I was holding it together with tape. A couple of weeks ago, another one broke so I put more tape on it. This evening, I finally decided to try replacing the band. I took the band from an old watch I had. Try doing that with your eyes closed sometime and see how easy it is. I got the first pin in pretty easy, but I think I just got lucky. I was having a lot of trouble with the second pin so Joni did that one for me. Now my watch is as good as new again.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Showing posts with label cane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cane. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Journal - Projects
My Audio Book Heaven project is finished. I’ve gone over every book review and added the affiliate links as well as more relevant keywords. I think I have about sixty-three book reviews now. All that’s left to do now is write more book reviews. I’m not going to do as many this month, I've decided to only post on Wednesday's and Saturdays now, like I used to.
That means it’s time for a new project. Actually I already have a couple of things going. Earlier this year, I had begun reworking the labels on my posts here at Drums In TheDeep. I put that project aside when I started working on Audio Book Heaven, so now I can pick that up again. I don’t have any particular reason for doing that, it’s just something to do.
I’m also working on backing up all of our personal files on this computer. It’s an old computer and its behavior scares me a little sometimes, I’m afraid it’s just going to crash and all our stuff will be lost. We have a lot on this computer that would be pretty hard to replace; original blog post documents, Joni’s poems and writings, photos, Adam’s writings, and all of my genealogy files that I spent almost ten years gathering and organizing. It would be pretty devastating to lose all that.
The obvious solution to me, was to get some storage space on the internet. There are lots of different places that offer storage space for your files, some for free, some for a small price. The only problem is choosing one.
I decided to go with Google since it is a name I am familiar with and have come to trust. Everyone is familiar with the Google search engine, but I also use Google Mail for my email, plus Blogger and Feedburner which are also Google products. With Google, I found that you can get 50 gigabytes of space for only $5.00 per year. That's more than enough storage space for us and even I can afford $5.00 a year.
Well, I was disappointed with that right from the start. I had a really hard time figuring out how to upload files to the space I had purchased. I finally discovered that the “upload” button was not visible to my screen reader. I have no idea why, I’ve never had that problem before anywhere on the internet. This turned out to be a problem only with System Access To Go. With Jaws the button worked properly. It took me several days to figure all that out. During that time, I also discovered that it is impossible to contact Google for customer support. All they have is user forums. You can ask a question there and maybe another user will be able to help you. No one ever responded to my questions, though.
Anyway, I could upload using Jaws. Then I found out that Google only allows you to upload one file at a time. Not good, I have several thousand files to back up. I decided to give up on that and I couldn’t even ask for my money back. I called my bank since I had used my bank card to make the purchase. They couldn’t do anything either. The lady at the bank recommended using a credit card for online purchases instead of my debit card. Okay, lesson learned. I’m glad that lesson only cost me $5.00.
So I looked around some more and found that Windows offers online storage as well. With Windows Skydrive, you can get 25 gigabytes absolutely free. Can’t beat that. I signed up and started uploading files right away.
Anytime I try something new on the computer, it takes me a little time to familiarize myself with it, but I found that I was able to navigate the site without too much trouble. With Skydrive, I can upload all of the files in one folder all at once, although the upload is very slow. Luckily, I can start it uploading and then just let it run while I do other things. It’s running right now, in fact. Yesterday I let it run for twelve hours non-stop and it got through about 500 files so it will take several days to get everything uploaded.
One last thing. Tuesday at Bobbi's house I broke my cane. I was just standing there bending it like I always do, they're very flexible. But this time it broke. It didn't break off completely, though, only cracked so I can still use it. Also, I still have my old one but that one is a lot shorter. When I got home Tuesday, I ordered a new one from the NFB so I’m just waiting for it to get here.
Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
That means it’s time for a new project. Actually I already have a couple of things going. Earlier this year, I had begun reworking the labels on my posts here at Drums In TheDeep. I put that project aside when I started working on Audio Book Heaven, so now I can pick that up again. I don’t have any particular reason for doing that, it’s just something to do.
I’m also working on backing up all of our personal files on this computer. It’s an old computer and its behavior scares me a little sometimes, I’m afraid it’s just going to crash and all our stuff will be lost. We have a lot on this computer that would be pretty hard to replace; original blog post documents, Joni’s poems and writings, photos, Adam’s writings, and all of my genealogy files that I spent almost ten years gathering and organizing. It would be pretty devastating to lose all that.
The obvious solution to me, was to get some storage space on the internet. There are lots of different places that offer storage space for your files, some for free, some for a small price. The only problem is choosing one.
I decided to go with Google since it is a name I am familiar with and have come to trust. Everyone is familiar with the Google search engine, but I also use Google Mail for my email, plus Blogger and Feedburner which are also Google products. With Google, I found that you can get 50 gigabytes of space for only $5.00 per year. That's more than enough storage space for us and even I can afford $5.00 a year.
Well, I was disappointed with that right from the start. I had a really hard time figuring out how to upload files to the space I had purchased. I finally discovered that the “upload” button was not visible to my screen reader. I have no idea why, I’ve never had that problem before anywhere on the internet. This turned out to be a problem only with System Access To Go. With Jaws the button worked properly. It took me several days to figure all that out. During that time, I also discovered that it is impossible to contact Google for customer support. All they have is user forums. You can ask a question there and maybe another user will be able to help you. No one ever responded to my questions, though.
Anyway, I could upload using Jaws. Then I found out that Google only allows you to upload one file at a time. Not good, I have several thousand files to back up. I decided to give up on that and I couldn’t even ask for my money back. I called my bank since I had used my bank card to make the purchase. They couldn’t do anything either. The lady at the bank recommended using a credit card for online purchases instead of my debit card. Okay, lesson learned. I’m glad that lesson only cost me $5.00.
So I looked around some more and found that Windows offers online storage as well. With Windows Skydrive, you can get 25 gigabytes absolutely free. Can’t beat that. I signed up and started uploading files right away.
Anytime I try something new on the computer, it takes me a little time to familiarize myself with it, but I found that I was able to navigate the site without too much trouble. With Skydrive, I can upload all of the files in one folder all at once, although the upload is very slow. Luckily, I can start it uploading and then just let it run while I do other things. It’s running right now, in fact. Yesterday I let it run for twelve hours non-stop and it got through about 500 files so it will take several days to get everything uploaded.
One last thing. Tuesday at Bobbi's house I broke my cane. I was just standing there bending it like I always do, they're very flexible. But this time it broke. It didn't break off completely, though, only cracked so I can still use it. Also, I still have my old one but that one is a lot shorter. When I got home Tuesday, I ordered a new one from the NFB so I’m just waiting for it to get here.
Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Blind Observations - Daily Life
Okay, ever since I did that “blind observations” post a while back I’ve been thinking about some other ways that my daily life has changed since I went blind. I tried to think of little ordinary things to kind of put things in perspective a little bit. Over the last week or so I've been jotting down ideas and I think I have enough to do a post now. Humm, I just thought of another one. Of course, I can’t really “jot things down.” Pen and paper are completely useless to me now. If I want to make notes to myself, I have to do it here, on the computer. I guess that’s another thing that makes screen readers so great.
Last time, I talked a little bit about walking through the house, how I have to use my hands to guide me, feeling for furniture or trailing a hand along a wall. Now that I’ve gotten used to that it’s no problem, but it does make it pretty hard to carry things. If I’m carrying something, like a glass of water, that only leaves me one hand to guide myself with, which is a little more difficult. I may need to switch the glass from one hand to the other depending on which hand I need to feel with. Walking through the living room, I need my right hand to trail along the wall, but once I get to the kitchen, I need my left hand to feel for the table. And, of course, carrying two things at the same time is out of the question. I just have to make two trips.
While I’m carrying or holding something, I try to be especially careful not to drop it. Well, I guess everybody tries not to drop things, right? For a blind person, however, it presents an even bigger problem because it can be hard to find something after you drop it. If it falls straight down and stays there, it’s no problem, but if it rolls or bounces away it can be very hard to find it again. Just a few days ago, I dropped something while I was in the basement. That was kind of gross because I ran into some cobwebs while I was looking for it. I’ve noticed that when I do drop something, my ears really perk up, listening to which way the item goes when it hits the floor. I suppose we’ve all heard about someone losing their eyesight, and their hearing becoming extra sensitive. My hearing hasn’t changed, but I do pay more attention to sounds, naturally. I suspect that’s the case with most blind people, it probably makes them feel like their hearing suddenly improved a lot, when in reality, they’re just paying more attention.
Also on the subject of walking, I’ve discovered that it can be a little tricky walking on uneven ground. It’s a little harder to get your footing when you can’t see the shape of the ground. I live on a farm so there’s very little pavement to walk on, just a short little stretch of sidewalk. This became even more evident to me recently with all the snow we’ve had. I've considered that maybe I would have been better off in town where there’s more concrete to walk on, but I suppose even then you can have cracked or uneven sidewalks and streets. Or kids leaving toys lying around. Canes are a great tool for the blind, but they can only tell you so much about the terrain. They’re designed more for getting you around major obstacles.
Okay, enough about walking, let’s talk about talking. Hahaha! Did you ever notice how much you pay attention to a person's facial expressions or body language when you're talking to them? If you did notice, then you’re a step ahead of me, because I never did. Now that I’m blind, I notice it a great deal. I was never very good at talking to people anyway, but now that I can't see their reactions to what I’m saying, it’s a little harder. Maybe that will work to my advantage over the long run. Not seeing their reactions might make me less self-concious when I’m talking. I’ll have to give that some thought.
Well, there’s a few more ideas about what it’s like to be blind, in case you were wondering. It’s not that I’m looking for sympathy or anything, this is just for anyone who might be curious. It’s like I said before, I can still do most of the things I did before, I just have to find new ways to do them. I haven’t yet discovered the best way to drive a car, but I’ll keep you posted on that.
Luke 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Psalms 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
Last time, I talked a little bit about walking through the house, how I have to use my hands to guide me, feeling for furniture or trailing a hand along a wall. Now that I’ve gotten used to that it’s no problem, but it does make it pretty hard to carry things. If I’m carrying something, like a glass of water, that only leaves me one hand to guide myself with, which is a little more difficult. I may need to switch the glass from one hand to the other depending on which hand I need to feel with. Walking through the living room, I need my right hand to trail along the wall, but once I get to the kitchen, I need my left hand to feel for the table. And, of course, carrying two things at the same time is out of the question. I just have to make two trips.
While I’m carrying or holding something, I try to be especially careful not to drop it. Well, I guess everybody tries not to drop things, right? For a blind person, however, it presents an even bigger problem because it can be hard to find something after you drop it. If it falls straight down and stays there, it’s no problem, but if it rolls or bounces away it can be very hard to find it again. Just a few days ago, I dropped something while I was in the basement. That was kind of gross because I ran into some cobwebs while I was looking for it. I’ve noticed that when I do drop something, my ears really perk up, listening to which way the item goes when it hits the floor. I suppose we’ve all heard about someone losing their eyesight, and their hearing becoming extra sensitive. My hearing hasn’t changed, but I do pay more attention to sounds, naturally. I suspect that’s the case with most blind people, it probably makes them feel like their hearing suddenly improved a lot, when in reality, they’re just paying more attention.
Also on the subject of walking, I’ve discovered that it can be a little tricky walking on uneven ground. It’s a little harder to get your footing when you can’t see the shape of the ground. I live on a farm so there’s very little pavement to walk on, just a short little stretch of sidewalk. This became even more evident to me recently with all the snow we’ve had. I've considered that maybe I would have been better off in town where there’s more concrete to walk on, but I suppose even then you can have cracked or uneven sidewalks and streets. Or kids leaving toys lying around. Canes are a great tool for the blind, but they can only tell you so much about the terrain. They’re designed more for getting you around major obstacles.
Okay, enough about walking, let’s talk about talking. Hahaha! Did you ever notice how much you pay attention to a person's facial expressions or body language when you're talking to them? If you did notice, then you’re a step ahead of me, because I never did. Now that I’m blind, I notice it a great deal. I was never very good at talking to people anyway, but now that I can't see their reactions to what I’m saying, it’s a little harder. Maybe that will work to my advantage over the long run. Not seeing their reactions might make me less self-concious when I’m talking. I’ll have to give that some thought.
Well, there’s a few more ideas about what it’s like to be blind, in case you were wondering. It’s not that I’m looking for sympathy or anything, this is just for anyone who might be curious. It’s like I said before, I can still do most of the things I did before, I just have to find new ways to do them. I haven’t yet discovered the best way to drive a car, but I’ll keep you posted on that.
Luke 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Psalms 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
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