It’s been 40 days since my surgery; can you believe that? I haven’t been very good about documenting things during this time so I shall try to remedy that right now.
I had a complication just a few days after surgery where the pressure in my eye dropped radically, but we got that sorted out and it’s been full speed ahead ever since. I have noticed my vision improving little by little, and the doctor has confirmed that, as I’ve gotten a little further down the eye chart on each visit. Over the last 40 days, I have gradually switched from my screen reader to my magnifying glass, and am now gradually switching up to no aid at all. That’s right, there are many things I can do on the computer now without even the magnifying glass. I still use it sometimes for print that is especially small, or fonts that are a little too fancy. Right now I am typing in 12 point Times New Roman, and can follow along on the screen without the glass. I’ve picked up this trick of squinting a little and looking through my eyelashes. The lashes sort of act like the pinholes in that thing the doctor uses. I will go over it with the glass probably when I’m done to check for errors.
So what are some things that have changed for me? Well, I can name a few. I find myself looking out the windows a lot, especially the kitchen window. That one looks east and is the only window in the house that you can really walk up to and stand comfortably. Other windows have plants or sinks in front of them. I’m seeing things out that window more and more clearly and am noticing things that are further away. Just a couple of days ago I watched a snow flurry out that window for a few minutes.
I’ve also had one change to my routine that was unexpected. I’ve been getting up earlier in the morning. I used to get up anywhere between 9 and 10, but for the last couple of weeks I’ve been getting up at 8. I just have more to do now, or rather, more that I CAN do. I started with the filing cabinet, as I have already mentioned, then I moved on to the recyclables in the basement, sorting them and getting them ready for a trip to Kearney. Yesterday I worked on the junk drawer in the kitchen. Just little projects around the house that I’ve been waiting a very long time to do, and am taking a great deal of pleasure in now. I’ve also been playing quite a bit of Star Wars: Battlefront II on Adam’s PS2 and that’s been fun too and I think I have too many 2’s and II’s and too’s in this sentence but I’m too lazy to fix them so too bad. I guess you could say that I’m enjoying having my sight back. Was there ever any doubt?
My audiobook listening time has been drastically reduced from 3 or 4 hours a day to 1 or 2. I’m not sure what that will mean for the future of Audiobook Heaven. I would sure like to continue that as I’ve put an awful lot of time and effort into it, but right now I’m finding more interesting things to do and later on, when I finally go back to work, there will be even less time for it. Well, things are kind of mixed up right now as I try to settle into new routines and so forth. Probably after a while things will begin to balance out again.
And that brings me to my latest doctor visit, which was yesterday. I was looking forward to the visit so I could take a crack at the eye chart and see how much I’ve improved since October 26. I was a little surprised, and I admit a little disappointed, that I only tested 20/50 on the pinhole test. Last time I was 20/60 and I thought it would be a lot better this time. I am making good progress though, so that’s okay. The doctor is very pleased with how well things are going. He almost sounds a little surprised when he tells me that everything looks great. Needless to say, it was a very good report. He took me off two of the eye drops I was using, and reduced the third to four times a day. Yes, only four drops a day, when I’ve been putting in 14 every day since surgery. I’m very pleased about that. But sadly, he’s not ready to let me play the sax yet. He’s being extra cautious after that problem with my pressure, and that’s okay. He also said that he wouldn’t take out the sutures until at least 6 months, much longer than normal. I miss my sax, but he can be as cautious as he wants as far as I’m concerned.
I asked him how much longer it would be before I could be fitted with glasses, and he said anytime. That surprised me because I know my eye is still healing and changing. He said it might not be completely stable for 6 months to a year, so this would be as good a time as any to get some glasses, even though I would probably need a new prescription after 6 months or so. My next visit with Dr. Feilmeier is on December 8, so they went ahead and made me an appointment with the glasses person that same day. Glasses at 10am, Feilmeier at 11:15. I’ll have normal vision in time for Christmas and bowl games; pretty good deal. I sure am looking forward to seeing some Christmas lights this year.
So that’s about it. God is doing a perfect job of keeping my eye healthy and infection free. Was there every any doubt? Well, of course there was; I’m only human after all. But God has shown me once again that my fears and worries were all for nothing. Amen!
Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. ESV
Psalms 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. ESV
"I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord." ESV
Showing posts with label screen reader. Show all posts
Showing posts with label screen reader. Show all posts
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Journal - Scary Computer
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Journal - Almost There
Sooo, what’s been going on over at “Audio Book Heaven?” I’m glad you asked!
Ro confirmed for me that the counter is working. That was pretty exciting because I didn’t think I'd ever get it. At StatCounter.com they provide you with some raw html code and you have to copy it and paste it into your website to create the counter. I was having a lot of trouble figuring out exactly where the code started and ended and that’s why I had so much trouble getting the counter to work. At Amazon's affiliate website, when they provide html code for you, there's a button right below it. When you click the button, it automatically highlights the code and copies it to the clipboard. That is so much easier! I sent a message to Stat Counter and told them they should consider adding a feature like that.
Speaking of Amazon, I’ve got their affiliate program figured out and I’ve started putting the links in my book reviews. They have a system where you can look up a specific product on Amazon and they will generate the code that will link directly to that item. So on each of my book reviews, there will be a link directly to that book at Amazon if anyone wants to click over and buy it. I originally envisioned a generic link so that I could just copy the same link on each book review. That would have been a lot easier, but those links only come in banner form. I’m not really sure if screen readers can manage banner ads or not so I decided against that. The individual product links come in plain text form that screen readers will have no problem with.
I’m still having a little trouble with Audible. I actually have a generic link set up, but I want to do product links just like with Amazon. For some reason it's not working, though. I've been emailing back and forth with their help desk to see if we can figure out why. I’m using the generic links for now, but I hope to get the product links working soon.
I looked around at the ABE Books affiliate page, but I had a really hard time navigating their pages so I decided to drop that one. They're just not set up very well for screen readers.
So that’s about it. Everything is up and running, I just have a few little details to iron out. I’ve set myself a goal of publishing a new book review on every odd-numbered day throughout the month of May. I'll have to scramble a little, but I think I can do it. Stay tuned!
Psalms 42:11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Ro confirmed for me that the counter is working. That was pretty exciting because I didn’t think I'd ever get it. At StatCounter.com they provide you with some raw html code and you have to copy it and paste it into your website to create the counter. I was having a lot of trouble figuring out exactly where the code started and ended and that’s why I had so much trouble getting the counter to work. At Amazon's affiliate website, when they provide html code for you, there's a button right below it. When you click the button, it automatically highlights the code and copies it to the clipboard. That is so much easier! I sent a message to Stat Counter and told them they should consider adding a feature like that.
Speaking of Amazon, I’ve got their affiliate program figured out and I’ve started putting the links in my book reviews. They have a system where you can look up a specific product on Amazon and they will generate the code that will link directly to that item. So on each of my book reviews, there will be a link directly to that book at Amazon if anyone wants to click over and buy it. I originally envisioned a generic link so that I could just copy the same link on each book review. That would have been a lot easier, but those links only come in banner form. I’m not really sure if screen readers can manage banner ads or not so I decided against that. The individual product links come in plain text form that screen readers will have no problem with.
I’m still having a little trouble with Audible. I actually have a generic link set up, but I want to do product links just like with Amazon. For some reason it's not working, though. I've been emailing back and forth with their help desk to see if we can figure out why. I’m using the generic links for now, but I hope to get the product links working soon.
I looked around at the ABE Books affiliate page, but I had a really hard time navigating their pages so I decided to drop that one. They're just not set up very well for screen readers.
So that’s about it. Everything is up and running, I just have a few little details to iron out. I’ve set myself a goal of publishing a new book review on every odd-numbered day throughout the month of May. I'll have to scramble a little, but I think I can do it. Stay tuned!
Psalms 42:11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Journal - March Madness
If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll know that I have recently become very interested in basketball. This is all because of what the women's team at UNL has done this year. As I have mentioned before, they are the first basketball team from Nebraska, men or women, to advance to the sweet sixteen round of the playoffs.
I decided it would be interesting to create a bracket of the sixteen teams and track their progress through the rest of the playoff schedule. Of course, there are plenty of brackets available online, for download and printing, but those don’t do me much good. The brackets just don't make any sense if you can't see the lines. What I decided to do was create my own bracket in a spreadsheet.
I actually had a hard time finding out who the sixteen teams were, however, and which ones were playing each other. The brackets that are available online would, of course, have all that information, but like I said, my screen reader doesn’t interpret them very well. I was finally able to piece my bracket together by reading various news articles about the basketball playoffs. I have learned more about basketball in the last two days than in my previous 39 years. Here are the sixteen teams:
In the Kansas City Region:
Oklahoma versus Notre Dame.
Nebraska versus Kentucky.
In the Dayton Region:
Connecticut versus Iowa State.
Florida State versus Mississippi State.
In the Memphis Region:
Tennessee versus Baylor.
Duke versus San Diego State.
In the Sacramento Region:
Xavier versus Gonzaga.
Stanford versus Georgia.
You may be asking yourself, “Who or what in the heck is Gonzaga?” I asked myself that very same question so I looked it up. Gonzaga is a private Catholic University in Spokane, Washington. So there, you learned something today.
The last time I talked basketball I said that all sixteen teams were coming together in Kansas City for the final tournament, but I found out that was wrong. As shown above, there are four different cities, each hosting four teams. I guess they do that so they can get through the games more quickly, or maybe so more fans have a chance to watch a game. Each region will end up with one winner, and I’m assuming those Final Four teams will come together somewhere. Actually, I think I read that the finals will be in San Antonio.
At the time I am posting this, the Memphis Region and the Sacramento Region have already played their first round of games, but I’m not telling you who won yet. The Lady Huskers play Kentucky tonight. Incidentally, I read that this is also Kentucky’s first trip to the Sweet Sixteen. Too bad one of them has to go home after this. Hope it’s Kentucky, though. Connecticut, or Uconn as they are called, are the big favorite in the playoffs. They are the returning champions and have won their last 74 games, which is basically every game for the last two years. I don’t like the thought of the Huskers playing against them, but I don’t think the two will meet unless they both make it to the championship game. Okay, that’s not entirely true. I would kind of like to see that matchup. But we can't look too far ahead, first they have to get past Kentucky.
I know most of my readers are not basketball fans, I'm not either come to think of it, but this is what’s going on in my life right now, so I wanted to make a complete record of it.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
I decided it would be interesting to create a bracket of the sixteen teams and track their progress through the rest of the playoff schedule. Of course, there are plenty of brackets available online, for download and printing, but those don’t do me much good. The brackets just don't make any sense if you can't see the lines. What I decided to do was create my own bracket in a spreadsheet.
I actually had a hard time finding out who the sixteen teams were, however, and which ones were playing each other. The brackets that are available online would, of course, have all that information, but like I said, my screen reader doesn’t interpret them very well. I was finally able to piece my bracket together by reading various news articles about the basketball playoffs. I have learned more about basketball in the last two days than in my previous 39 years. Here are the sixteen teams:
In the Kansas City Region:
Oklahoma versus Notre Dame.
Nebraska versus Kentucky.
In the Dayton Region:
Connecticut versus Iowa State.
Florida State versus Mississippi State.
In the Memphis Region:
Tennessee versus Baylor.
Duke versus San Diego State.
In the Sacramento Region:
Xavier versus Gonzaga.
Stanford versus Georgia.
You may be asking yourself, “Who or what in the heck is Gonzaga?” I asked myself that very same question so I looked it up. Gonzaga is a private Catholic University in Spokane, Washington. So there, you learned something today.
The last time I talked basketball I said that all sixteen teams were coming together in Kansas City for the final tournament, but I found out that was wrong. As shown above, there are four different cities, each hosting four teams. I guess they do that so they can get through the games more quickly, or maybe so more fans have a chance to watch a game. Each region will end up with one winner, and I’m assuming those Final Four teams will come together somewhere. Actually, I think I read that the finals will be in San Antonio.
At the time I am posting this, the Memphis Region and the Sacramento Region have already played their first round of games, but I’m not telling you who won yet. The Lady Huskers play Kentucky tonight. Incidentally, I read that this is also Kentucky’s first trip to the Sweet Sixteen. Too bad one of them has to go home after this. Hope it’s Kentucky, though. Connecticut, or Uconn as they are called, are the big favorite in the playoffs. They are the returning champions and have won their last 74 games, which is basically every game for the last two years. I don’t like the thought of the Huskers playing against them, but I don’t think the two will meet unless they both make it to the championship game. Okay, that’s not entirely true. I would kind of like to see that matchup. But we can't look too far ahead, first they have to get past Kentucky.
I know most of my readers are not basketball fans, I'm not either come to think of it, but this is what’s going on in my life right now, so I wanted to make a complete record of it.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Journal - Basketball, Blogs, and Birthdays
First off, I need to make an addendum. I talked about Grandma Gladys the other day and totally forgot one of my favorite things. For longer than I can remember, there was a sun catcher hanging in Grandma’s big kitchen window. It was kind of a basic flower shape, a round center with evenly spaced petals around it, all in red and orange. The frame of the design is very heavy, maybe pewter or something similar. I have that sun catcher now and it is one of my most favorite possessions. Unfortunately I can never get it to stay in a window, it’s always falling because it is so heavy. Don't know how Grandma kept it hanging all those years.
Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. I noticed something about my screen reader, System Access To Go, the other day. It used to be that when I typed hmm, it just said the letters instead of actually pronouncing it. Now he actually says hmm the way a person would. Evidently they are making little improvements in the program. If I spell that with three m’s instead of only two he still just says the letters, though.
Sunday was Nebraska’s first game of the NCAA tournament for the women’s basketball team. Nebraska controlled the game pretty much from the start. They had a 13 point lead at halftime, and ended up beating Northern Iowa 83 to 44. They hit ten 3 pointers, which is good. Someone said they were having trouble with that earlier. Kelsay Griffin scored the 2,000th point of her 5 year career. I don’t know much about basketball, but I know it takes a lot of baskets to make 2,000 points. The next game for Nebraska is tonight at 8:30 versus either North Carolina State or UCLA. I don’t know how good those teams are but I can assume that each game will get more difficult as the weaker teams are weeded out.
The song I can’t get out of my head this week is “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum. My favorite food of the moment is breaded chicken patties with swiss cheese on a hamburger bun with green olives and potato chips on the side.
I’ve really been enjoying writing book reviews for my blog “Reviews From The Deep”, and I'm really pleased that some other people have been enjoying it too. I already mentioned last week that Joni's friend Benning talked about it on his blog, “Benning’s War”, and on Saturday my Friend Ensign Ro also mentioned it on her blog, “In The Center Of The Roof.” She gave me some good feedback too that I think will help me write more interesting book reviews. Incidentally, Ro is, like me, blind, and if you want to see the world from the perspective of a blind person, you should definitely read her blog. She’s much better at describing the “blind experience” than I am. In fact, you should go do that right now. I’ll wait for you here.
All done? Good! Also I should mention Joni’s blog, "One Voice - Write Right." Joni mentions both of my blogs all the time and suckers, I mean “gets” people to read what I write. Thanks honey! If you’re interested in becoming a writer, Joni’s blog is for you, she always has lots of hints and tips for budding writers. Also, she posts her own, original poetry every Sunday, so check it out.
Speaking of Joni, today, March 23rd, is my sweetie’s birthday! Now, let me think, how old is Joni this year? 28? No, too young. 47? No, way too old! Oh, I remember! Joni is 39 this year. Happy 39th birthday, honey! I hope you have a really great day!
Numbers 6:24-26 The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
Psalms 4:6-8 Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. I noticed something about my screen reader, System Access To Go, the other day. It used to be that when I typed hmm, it just said the letters instead of actually pronouncing it. Now he actually says hmm the way a person would. Evidently they are making little improvements in the program. If I spell that with three m’s instead of only two he still just says the letters, though.
Sunday was Nebraska’s first game of the NCAA tournament for the women’s basketball team. Nebraska controlled the game pretty much from the start. They had a 13 point lead at halftime, and ended up beating Northern Iowa 83 to 44. They hit ten 3 pointers, which is good. Someone said they were having trouble with that earlier. Kelsay Griffin scored the 2,000th point of her 5 year career. I don’t know much about basketball, but I know it takes a lot of baskets to make 2,000 points. The next game for Nebraska is tonight at 8:30 versus either North Carolina State or UCLA. I don’t know how good those teams are but I can assume that each game will get more difficult as the weaker teams are weeded out.
The song I can’t get out of my head this week is “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum. My favorite food of the moment is breaded chicken patties with swiss cheese on a hamburger bun with green olives and potato chips on the side.
I’ve really been enjoying writing book reviews for my blog “Reviews From The Deep”, and I'm really pleased that some other people have been enjoying it too. I already mentioned last week that Joni's friend Benning talked about it on his blog, “Benning’s War”, and on Saturday my Friend Ensign Ro also mentioned it on her blog, “In The Center Of The Roof.” She gave me some good feedback too that I think will help me write more interesting book reviews. Incidentally, Ro is, like me, blind, and if you want to see the world from the perspective of a blind person, you should definitely read her blog. She’s much better at describing the “blind experience” than I am. In fact, you should go do that right now. I’ll wait for you here.
All done? Good! Also I should mention Joni’s blog, "One Voice - Write Right." Joni mentions both of my blogs all the time and suckers, I mean “gets” people to read what I write. Thanks honey! If you’re interested in becoming a writer, Joni’s blog is for you, she always has lots of hints and tips for budding writers. Also, she posts her own, original poetry every Sunday, so check it out.
Speaking of Joni, today, March 23rd, is my sweetie’s birthday! Now, let me think, how old is Joni this year? 28? No, too young. 47? No, way too old! Oh, I remember! Joni is 39 this year. Happy 39th birthday, honey! I hope you have a really great day!
Numbers 6:24-26 The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
Psalms 4:6-8 Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Journal - Perfect Season
Saturday’s basketball game, Nebraska vs Kansas State, was another exciting one. I turned the game on a little late. There was just a few minutes left in the first half and Nebraska was down by eleven points. Uh oh! By the end of the first half, Nebraska had narrowed the gap to seven points. This was the final game of the regular season, and Nebraska was playing for a perfect, undefeated season. It looked like they had their work cut out for them.
When the second half began, Nebraska took over. Within just a few minutes they had an eleven point lead and never looked back. Kansas State came within six points at one point, but that was as close as they got. Nebraska won the game 82 to 72 and finished the season with a perfect record of 29 wins and 0 losses, the first Big 12 team to do so.
My computer speakers came on Friday, several days earlier than I expected. It’s always nice when something happens sooner than you expect it to. I also got a headphone extension cord so Adam and I can plug into the cord instead of directly into the speaker. I think that will help the jack in the speaker not wear out so quickly. Joni rarely uses the speakers for anything, so the cord can just stay plugged into the speaker all the time, and Adam and I can plug into the cord.
I’ve been noticing something odd about my screen reader, System Access To Go, lately. I had noticed some time ago that when I delete things from the computer, they don’t go into the recycle bin. Later on, I discovered that the deleted files are going into the bin, but when I look in there, SA To Go tells me the bin is empty, even though it’s not. On Saturday I emailed Serotek, the company that makes SA To Go, to ask them about that.
It looks like spring is finally on its way! Most of the snow is melted and the temperatures are gradually climbing into the forties and fifties. When we went to church on Sunday, I only wore a light jacket instead of my winter coat and it felt wonderful. Also, the geese and cranes are arriving by the hundreds. My hometown of Gibbon sits about 3 miles north of the Platte River, and our house here on the turkey ranch is about 5 miles south of the river. The area in between is a major stopping point for migrating geese and cranes. I think mostly they go for the river, but quite a few of them are landing in the harvested corn fields around here to pick up scraps of corn too.
We had a very thought provoking message at church this week. It was about following Christ as a nation. It was Pastor Tim this time, instead of Pastor Mike, but he does a nice job too. He talked a little bit about September 11, quoting from an interview that someone had with Billy Graham’s daughter, Ann. The interviewer asked her how God could let such a thing happen. Her response was that God is deeply grieved over it, but we have spent so many years now asking God to get out of our schools and out of our government, that God, being the gentleman that He is, has calmly backed off. That's a pretty scary thought, but it makes a lot of sense.
Psalms 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
Psalms 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, and the people he chose for his inheritance.
When the second half began, Nebraska took over. Within just a few minutes they had an eleven point lead and never looked back. Kansas State came within six points at one point, but that was as close as they got. Nebraska won the game 82 to 72 and finished the season with a perfect record of 29 wins and 0 losses, the first Big 12 team to do so.
My computer speakers came on Friday, several days earlier than I expected. It’s always nice when something happens sooner than you expect it to. I also got a headphone extension cord so Adam and I can plug into the cord instead of directly into the speaker. I think that will help the jack in the speaker not wear out so quickly. Joni rarely uses the speakers for anything, so the cord can just stay plugged into the speaker all the time, and Adam and I can plug into the cord.
I’ve been noticing something odd about my screen reader, System Access To Go, lately. I had noticed some time ago that when I delete things from the computer, they don’t go into the recycle bin. Later on, I discovered that the deleted files are going into the bin, but when I look in there, SA To Go tells me the bin is empty, even though it’s not. On Saturday I emailed Serotek, the company that makes SA To Go, to ask them about that.
It looks like spring is finally on its way! Most of the snow is melted and the temperatures are gradually climbing into the forties and fifties. When we went to church on Sunday, I only wore a light jacket instead of my winter coat and it felt wonderful. Also, the geese and cranes are arriving by the hundreds. My hometown of Gibbon sits about 3 miles north of the Platte River, and our house here on the turkey ranch is about 5 miles south of the river. The area in between is a major stopping point for migrating geese and cranes. I think mostly they go for the river, but quite a few of them are landing in the harvested corn fields around here to pick up scraps of corn too.
We had a very thought provoking message at church this week. It was about following Christ as a nation. It was Pastor Tim this time, instead of Pastor Mike, but he does a nice job too. He talked a little bit about September 11, quoting from an interview that someone had with Billy Graham’s daughter, Ann. The interviewer asked her how God could let such a thing happen. Her response was that God is deeply grieved over it, but we have spent so many years now asking God to get out of our schools and out of our government, that God, being the gentleman that He is, has calmly backed off. That's a pretty scary thought, but it makes a lot of sense.
Psalms 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
Psalms 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, and the people he chose for his inheritance.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Journal - Number 50
Okay, just a few quick notes to catch up on what I’ve been doing.
I’ve been experimenting with my screen reader a little bit, lately. I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with surfing the internet and typing documents, so I decided to challenge myself a little and try some spreadsheets. I’ve always really enjoyed usihng spreadsheets, as any tru obsessive/compulsive would, and used them a lot in my work. Over the years I got pretty good with them and I was kind of missing that. So that’s what I’ve been experimenting with. I made a large database to catalog my audio books. So far, so good. I enjoyed the work, plus now I can find any audio book I want, instead of just listening to whatever is on top.
I called Serotek on Monday of last week, that’s the company that developed my screen reader, System Access To Go. I told them how I had purchased the voice package for my account but it didn't work. After looking up my account and confirming that I had, indeed, paid the forty dollars, the guy told me their system had screwed something up and they would have it fixed by the end of the day. I tried to log in again less than an hour later and they had already fixed it. . I was a little peeved at them over the whole thing, but felt a little better after getting such good customer service. I wish all companies were like that. Don’t they understand that it’s those little touches that will keep their customers happy and loyal?
Last Tuesday we had a little excitement. It seems that the local television station in Kearney recently fired one of its employees. Tuesday, the young man walked into the Wells Fargo bank in Kearney with a gun. I don’t know if anyone really knows what his intentions were, but he ended up holding some hostages for about three hours before finally giving himself up. No one was hurt, praise God. This was a twenty two year old, just a kid. I can only imagine what must have gone wrong in his life to make him do something like that. We used to see stories like that on the news all the time in Dallas, but it’s something of a rarity here. The kid is from Minden which is where we live, although we are several miles outside of town.
Well, this is my 50th post. When I started this blog back in September, I really didn’t know if I would be able to keep it going. I never would have guessed that I had so much to say. Fifty isn’t really a lot, in the grand scheme of things, but I’m pleased. I think it's a great start. So, to celebrate my 50th post, I decided to have a little fun with the number fifty.
In America: There ar fifty states in our union. The fifty dollar bill features the face of Ulysses S Grant, and the fifty cent piece shows the silhouette of John F Kennedy.
In popular culture: There is a song by Paul Simon called “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.” There is a movie called “50 First Dates” starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, one of my favorites. The television show “Hawaii 5 oh” was thus named because Hawaii was the fiftieth state admitted to the union.
In the year 1950: a new house cost about $8,450, a gallon of gas cost eighteen cents, and a loaf of bread cost twelve cents. Popular movies included “Sunset Blvd" and "Cinderella”, and popular musical acts were Fats Domino and Nat King Cole.
Okay, that wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be, haha. Seriously, if you’ve read all fifty of my posts, thank you and get a life. If you’ve joined me more recently, I hope you’ll stick around for the next fifty, and get a life.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I’ve been experimenting with my screen reader a little bit, lately. I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with surfing the internet and typing documents, so I decided to challenge myself a little and try some spreadsheets. I’ve always really enjoyed usihng spreadsheets, as any tru obsessive/compulsive would, and used them a lot in my work. Over the years I got pretty good with them and I was kind of missing that. So that’s what I’ve been experimenting with. I made a large database to catalog my audio books. So far, so good. I enjoyed the work, plus now I can find any audio book I want, instead of just listening to whatever is on top.
I called Serotek on Monday of last week, that’s the company that developed my screen reader, System Access To Go. I told them how I had purchased the voice package for my account but it didn't work. After looking up my account and confirming that I had, indeed, paid the forty dollars, the guy told me their system had screwed something up and they would have it fixed by the end of the day. I tried to log in again less than an hour later and they had already fixed it. . I was a little peeved at them over the whole thing, but felt a little better after getting such good customer service. I wish all companies were like that. Don’t they understand that it’s those little touches that will keep their customers happy and loyal?
Last Tuesday we had a little excitement. It seems that the local television station in Kearney recently fired one of its employees. Tuesday, the young man walked into the Wells Fargo bank in Kearney with a gun. I don’t know if anyone really knows what his intentions were, but he ended up holding some hostages for about three hours before finally giving himself up. No one was hurt, praise God. This was a twenty two year old, just a kid. I can only imagine what must have gone wrong in his life to make him do something like that. We used to see stories like that on the news all the time in Dallas, but it’s something of a rarity here. The kid is from Minden which is where we live, although we are several miles outside of town.
Well, this is my 50th post. When I started this blog back in September, I really didn’t know if I would be able to keep it going. I never would have guessed that I had so much to say. Fifty isn’t really a lot, in the grand scheme of things, but I’m pleased. I think it's a great start. So, to celebrate my 50th post, I decided to have a little fun with the number fifty.
In America: There ar fifty states in our union. The fifty dollar bill features the face of Ulysses S Grant, and the fifty cent piece shows the silhouette of John F Kennedy.
In popular culture: There is a song by Paul Simon called “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.” There is a movie called “50 First Dates” starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, one of my favorites. The television show “Hawaii 5 oh” was thus named because Hawaii was the fiftieth state admitted to the union.
In the year 1950: a new house cost about $8,450, a gallon of gas cost eighteen cents, and a loaf of bread cost twelve cents. Popular movies included “Sunset Blvd" and "Cinderella”, and popular musical acts were Fats Domino and Nat King Cole.
Okay, that wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be, haha. Seriously, if you’ve read all fifty of my posts, thank you and get a life. If you’ve joined me more recently, I hope you’ll stick around for the next fifty, and get a life.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Journal - Superbowl Sunday
Well, here it is superbowl Sunday already! I’m looking forward to a really good game tonight, but let’s take care of some business first, okay? Business before pleasure as they say.
I called my BCBS agent Monday about those two letters I got. He laughed it off as a mistake, and I believed him. His name is Steve Kielbasa, by the way. I asked him if he’d eaten any good sausages lately, but he didn’t think that was very funny. Anyway, he took the information that was missing from my application and said he would send it along to the underwriters. I asked if I would have to wait another four weeks to hear something from them, and he said probably not. Back to the waiting game, though, for now.
Something else really perturbed me this week. The screen reader I’ve been using, System Access To Go, is going through some changes. I started using SA To Go because it was free, and once I got used to it I really began to like it. In my own opinion, it’s marginally better than Jaws. Friday, however, when I logged in to my SA To Go account, I discovered a really yucky synthesized voice that was difficult to understand. To get the nice sounding voice back, you now have to pay forty dollars. I thought that was kind of a low blow, but it’s still about 1,160 dollars cheaper than Jaws, so I decided to pay. I still didn’t get the good voice, though. Every time I log in it still asks me if I want to upgrade. I did get an email receipt and an invoice number for my payment and there’s a phone number on the receipt to call if you have problems. I have to wait until Monday to call, however, because they don’t keep hours on the weekend. Hopefully I can get that straightened out without any problem. What really worries me is what other features they might decide to start charging for.
Humm, I guess that’s about all the business I have to discuss. It’s been a slow week. I haven’t really been playing my sax lately. I’ve been spending most of my time browsing through the library’s audio book collection and writing book reviews like mad. I’ve been getting on the exercise bike pretty regularly for the last three weeks, so I’m feeling good about that. It always feels good to know you’re doing something that’s good for you, doesn’t it? Now if I could just start eating better.
Since Christmas, the weather has straightened out a little bit with temps in the 30’s and 40’s, but this week we have had another cold snap and more snow. Just a couple inches of snow, though, and no high winds to make it drift. I don’t mind that kind of snow as much. Sure can’t wait for spring, though.
Okay, football! Colts versus Saints. I picked the Colts to go to the superbowl, but I really thought the Vikings would beat the Saints. Or maybe I was just hoping. I like Brett Favre a lot and I know he doesn’t have too many years left in him, so I was kind of hoping he could go to the superbowl this year and cap off his career on a high note. Colts versus Saints will be a good game, though. Since Favre is out, I’d like to see Peyton Manning and the Colts win this one. Should be a good game either way as they are both great teams.
Naturally, I always look forward to the superbowl, but it’s also kind of sad because it will be eight months before there’s another football game. I never developed an interest in baseball or basketball, so I just wait for football to start again. Wait, Wait, Wait, it seems like that’s all I do.
Okay, I don’t normally do this, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and make a superbowl prediction. Colts 27, Saints 24. See you next year, Brett.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
I called my BCBS agent Monday about those two letters I got. He laughed it off as a mistake, and I believed him. His name is Steve Kielbasa, by the way. I asked him if he’d eaten any good sausages lately, but he didn’t think that was very funny. Anyway, he took the information that was missing from my application and said he would send it along to the underwriters. I asked if I would have to wait another four weeks to hear something from them, and he said probably not. Back to the waiting game, though, for now.
Something else really perturbed me this week. The screen reader I’ve been using, System Access To Go, is going through some changes. I started using SA To Go because it was free, and once I got used to it I really began to like it. In my own opinion, it’s marginally better than Jaws. Friday, however, when I logged in to my SA To Go account, I discovered a really yucky synthesized voice that was difficult to understand. To get the nice sounding voice back, you now have to pay forty dollars. I thought that was kind of a low blow, but it’s still about 1,160 dollars cheaper than Jaws, so I decided to pay. I still didn’t get the good voice, though. Every time I log in it still asks me if I want to upgrade. I did get an email receipt and an invoice number for my payment and there’s a phone number on the receipt to call if you have problems. I have to wait until Monday to call, however, because they don’t keep hours on the weekend. Hopefully I can get that straightened out without any problem. What really worries me is what other features they might decide to start charging for.
Humm, I guess that’s about all the business I have to discuss. It’s been a slow week. I haven’t really been playing my sax lately. I’ve been spending most of my time browsing through the library’s audio book collection and writing book reviews like mad. I’ve been getting on the exercise bike pretty regularly for the last three weeks, so I’m feeling good about that. It always feels good to know you’re doing something that’s good for you, doesn’t it? Now if I could just start eating better.
Since Christmas, the weather has straightened out a little bit with temps in the 30’s and 40’s, but this week we have had another cold snap and more snow. Just a couple inches of snow, though, and no high winds to make it drift. I don’t mind that kind of snow as much. Sure can’t wait for spring, though.
Okay, football! Colts versus Saints. I picked the Colts to go to the superbowl, but I really thought the Vikings would beat the Saints. Or maybe I was just hoping. I like Brett Favre a lot and I know he doesn’t have too many years left in him, so I was kind of hoping he could go to the superbowl this year and cap off his career on a high note. Colts versus Saints will be a good game, though. Since Favre is out, I’d like to see Peyton Manning and the Colts win this one. Should be a good game either way as they are both great teams.
Naturally, I always look forward to the superbowl, but it’s also kind of sad because it will be eight months before there’s another football game. I never developed an interest in baseball or basketball, so I just wait for football to start again. Wait, Wait, Wait, it seems like that’s all I do.
Okay, I don’t normally do this, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and make a superbowl prediction. Colts 27, Saints 24. See you next year, Brett.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
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.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Blind Observations - Screen Reader
Burr it’s cold! Yes, I know I spelled that like the name Burr, but if I put brrr, my screen reader can’t pronounce it, he just says the letters. He can be such an idiot sometimes! Screen readers are awesome though, obviously I wouldn't be able to use the computer at all without one. But sometimes I have to get a little creative in order to get my screen reader to say or pronounce something the way I want him to.
An interesting example of this came up a few weeks ago. My cousin, Howie, left a comment on one of my blogs. My screen reader pronounced the name like hoe-ee and I was like “who is this hoe-ee person?” Luckily, he said something in his comment that clued me in to who it was. If I want my screen reader to pronounce the name correctly, I have to type it like how-ee.
Okay, call me a liar. I just read that last paragraph, and my screen reader pronounced Howie correctly. I used to use a reader called JAWS and evidently that was the one that pronounced it wrong. I use a different reader now, called System Access To Go. I’ve learned that not all screen readers use the same pronunciations.
If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you may have noticed that I use a lot of commas. I do that because it creates natural breaks in the sentences. When my reader comes to a comma, he takes a short pause, and it makes the reading sound more natural and not quite so mechanical.
Hmmm, now I’m getting frustrated. After that last paragraph, I stopped for a while, and just came back. Now SA To Go is not announcing the punctuation. It was working fine a little while ago. I need to try restarting the system to see if it comes back. Don’t go away.
Well, that didn’t work. I guess I’ll have to play with the settings.
Anyway, screen readers allow you to type by announcing each key as you press it. I was a pretty good typist before I went blind, so that makes it a lot easier for me. To proofread what I have typed, I just let the program read it back to me. Typos or misspellings will be evident by the way it pronounces the words, but I have to listen very closely because some errors don’t stand out as much. Errors in punctuation can be tricky to find. Sometimes I miss the space bar in between words so the two words run together. Those can be hard to find as well
Browsing the internet is a whole other thing. Now that I’ve had some practice, I can navigate most web pages without too much trouble, but of course it’s a lot different than reading a page with your own eyes. For instance, if I want to read some news articles, I can’t just scan through them, I have to read them straight through. That’s not so bad, but if I want to go bak to that article to find an important fact, I have to read through the whole thing again until I come across it. And once in a while I come across web pages that just don’t work well with a screen reader. Pages that have a lot of clutter, or fancy features, are difficult to navigate. NFL.com is a tough one, and so is Facebook. They just have so much junk on them that it’s hard to find what I want.
When you think about it, a screen reader is to a blind person what a weelchair is to a person that can’t walk. The wheelchair gives the handicapped person a lot more mobility and independence than he or she had before, but they still have to rely on people to make their homes or businesses wheelchair accessible.
So, that’s a little bit about screen readers. I could probably go on and on about it, but that’s the general idea. Sometimes I’m tempted to complain about the things my screen reader can’t do, but I have to stop and remind myself how lucky I am to have it at all. I guess that pretty much sums it up for all of us, doesn’t it? It’s so easy to take things for granted, until we lose them. So remember to be thankful for everything you have!
Deuteronomy 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
An interesting example of this came up a few weeks ago. My cousin, Howie, left a comment on one of my blogs. My screen reader pronounced the name like hoe-ee and I was like “who is this hoe-ee person?” Luckily, he said something in his comment that clued me in to who it was. If I want my screen reader to pronounce the name correctly, I have to type it like how-ee.
Okay, call me a liar. I just read that last paragraph, and my screen reader pronounced Howie correctly. I used to use a reader called JAWS and evidently that was the one that pronounced it wrong. I use a different reader now, called System Access To Go. I’ve learned that not all screen readers use the same pronunciations.
If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you may have noticed that I use a lot of commas. I do that because it creates natural breaks in the sentences. When my reader comes to a comma, he takes a short pause, and it makes the reading sound more natural and not quite so mechanical.
Hmmm, now I’m getting frustrated. After that last paragraph, I stopped for a while, and just came back. Now SA To Go is not announcing the punctuation. It was working fine a little while ago. I need to try restarting the system to see if it comes back. Don’t go away.
Well, that didn’t work. I guess I’ll have to play with the settings.
Anyway, screen readers allow you to type by announcing each key as you press it. I was a pretty good typist before I went blind, so that makes it a lot easier for me. To proofread what I have typed, I just let the program read it back to me. Typos or misspellings will be evident by the way it pronounces the words, but I have to listen very closely because some errors don’t stand out as much. Errors in punctuation can be tricky to find. Sometimes I miss the space bar in between words so the two words run together. Those can be hard to find as well
Browsing the internet is a whole other thing. Now that I’ve had some practice, I can navigate most web pages without too much trouble, but of course it’s a lot different than reading a page with your own eyes. For instance, if I want to read some news articles, I can’t just scan through them, I have to read them straight through. That’s not so bad, but if I want to go bak to that article to find an important fact, I have to read through the whole thing again until I come across it. And once in a while I come across web pages that just don’t work well with a screen reader. Pages that have a lot of clutter, or fancy features, are difficult to navigate. NFL.com is a tough one, and so is Facebook. They just have so much junk on them that it’s hard to find what I want.
When you think about it, a screen reader is to a blind person what a weelchair is to a person that can’t walk. The wheelchair gives the handicapped person a lot more mobility and independence than he or she had before, but they still have to rely on people to make their homes or businesses wheelchair accessible.
So, that’s a little bit about screen readers. I could probably go on and on about it, but that’s the general idea. Sometimes I’m tempted to complain about the things my screen reader can’t do, but I have to stop and remind myself how lucky I am to have it at all. I guess that pretty much sums it up for all of us, doesn’t it? It’s so easy to take things for granted, until we lose them. So remember to be thankful for everything you have!
Deuteronomy 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
About Brenna
I’ve been completely blind for about five months now, and mostly blind for a couple of years. For the most part, I think I’ve been okay with that. Sure, there are times when I start to feel sorry for myself; times when I feel depressed or angry, but I always remind myself that there are much worse things that can happen to a person than going blind. But last Thursday, being blind really sucked.
I haven’t talked much about Brenna. I guess that's because I'm ashamed of myself. This is a big part of my spiritual growth, though, so I guess it's time.
A while back, I mentioned that shortly after my dad died, I got a girl pregnant and then ran off to the city. Clever how I glossed that over wasn’t it? I ran away because I felt like I had made a pretty huge mistake. I was too selfish and immature to take responsibility for a child, so off I went.
Brenna was born in April of 1997 and I had absolutely nothing to do with her other than paying my child support. Don’t think too highly of me for that, the only reason I paid was because I had to. There was a brief period when Brenna was about 2 years old when I saw her a couple of times, but again, I only did that because I felt like I had to. I knew my family wasn’t very happy with me so I tried to fake it. It was only a couple of visits though, and I gave up on it.
That went on until about a year ago. By then I had finally started listening to God and things began to look a lot different. Notice how I said “I began listening to God.” He had been talking to me all along, urging me to do the right thing, I just wasn’t listening.
So, last year, Brenna and I started exchanging emails. Emails were a good first step for us. Brenna’s mom had told me that Brenna wasn’t ready for phone calls yet, and that was okay with me because personally, I hate talking on the phone. Also, Joni, Adam, and I were still living in Dallas so visits just weren't an option yet.
Do you think that was good enough for God? Nope! In April, we just couldn’t afford to live in the city anymore, so back home to Nebraska we came. Convenient huh? Well, I was still dragging my feet. I was too scared to call Brenna on the phone, and by then my eyesight was far enough gone that I couldn’t use the computer anymore.
So God gave up and threw in the towel. HA HA HA no way! Instead, he had the lady from the Commission for the Blind give me a screen-reader program called JAWS. So the emails started up again, although now it was mostly with Brenna’s mom because Brenna was starting to lose interest in emailing. Kids these days. Long story short, last week I got an email inviting me to a school concert that Brenna was performing in.
When I was in school, I played in the band. I wasn’t much of an athlete or anything, so the band was really all I had. Also, I was pretty good at it and was proud of my accomplishments. But my dad never came to see me play. And now that he's gone, this is what I remember. That was when it really struck home.
Joni and I talked it over. I really wanted to be there, but I knew it would be hard for Joni too, meeting my daughter and my ex-girlfriend all in the same day. She knew it was important to me though, and agreed to take me.
Well, the concert was great! It wasn’t a band concert, but some different choir groups. Granted, I couldn’t pick out Brenna’s voice from the others, and I couldn’t even see her, but it felt good to be there. Mind you, we still hadn’t met, but Joni was able to pick out Brenna because she was running around with a friend who was introducing Brenna to her parents before the concert began.
When the concert was over, we exited the auditorium to see if we could find Brenna. We didn't have to look far, she was right outside the door, waiting for us. I was so nervous and just didn't know what to do, so I tried to shake her hand. She ignored that and gave me a hug. She was much braver than me! And also much taller than I expected! She’s only 12 years old, and already 5’ 6”!
Brenna led us over to where her mom was waiting and we all talked for a few minutes. We didn't stay very long though because I didn't want to totally freak her out. Actually I think I was much more freaked out than she was. Before we left, she gave me another big hug and said that she loved me. I wouldn’t have blamed her for being angry with me and chewing me out, but she was so sweet that it almost broke my heart.
Well, anyway, I never wanted to see so badly as I did that night. I wonder what she looks like. Does she look like me at all? I’ll have to wait to find out. In the meantime all I can do is be there for her as much as I can. I said earlier that I ran away because I felt like I made a mistake. Of course, now I know that my only mistake was running away. I don’t really think I can “make up for it”, but I can try to make things better going forward. With God’s help, I can.
Isaiah 50:7 For the Lord God will help me: therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
I haven’t talked much about Brenna. I guess that's because I'm ashamed of myself. This is a big part of my spiritual growth, though, so I guess it's time.
A while back, I mentioned that shortly after my dad died, I got a girl pregnant and then ran off to the city. Clever how I glossed that over wasn’t it? I ran away because I felt like I had made a pretty huge mistake. I was too selfish and immature to take responsibility for a child, so off I went.
Brenna was born in April of 1997 and I had absolutely nothing to do with her other than paying my child support. Don’t think too highly of me for that, the only reason I paid was because I had to. There was a brief period when Brenna was about 2 years old when I saw her a couple of times, but again, I only did that because I felt like I had to. I knew my family wasn’t very happy with me so I tried to fake it. It was only a couple of visits though, and I gave up on it.
That went on until about a year ago. By then I had finally started listening to God and things began to look a lot different. Notice how I said “I began listening to God.” He had been talking to me all along, urging me to do the right thing, I just wasn’t listening.
So, last year, Brenna and I started exchanging emails. Emails were a good first step for us. Brenna’s mom had told me that Brenna wasn’t ready for phone calls yet, and that was okay with me because personally, I hate talking on the phone. Also, Joni, Adam, and I were still living in Dallas so visits just weren't an option yet.
Do you think that was good enough for God? Nope! In April, we just couldn’t afford to live in the city anymore, so back home to Nebraska we came. Convenient huh? Well, I was still dragging my feet. I was too scared to call Brenna on the phone, and by then my eyesight was far enough gone that I couldn’t use the computer anymore.
So God gave up and threw in the towel. HA HA HA no way! Instead, he had the lady from the Commission for the Blind give me a screen-reader program called JAWS. So the emails started up again, although now it was mostly with Brenna’s mom because Brenna was starting to lose interest in emailing. Kids these days. Long story short, last week I got an email inviting me to a school concert that Brenna was performing in.
When I was in school, I played in the band. I wasn’t much of an athlete or anything, so the band was really all I had. Also, I was pretty good at it and was proud of my accomplishments. But my dad never came to see me play. And now that he's gone, this is what I remember. That was when it really struck home.
Joni and I talked it over. I really wanted to be there, but I knew it would be hard for Joni too, meeting my daughter and my ex-girlfriend all in the same day. She knew it was important to me though, and agreed to take me.
Well, the concert was great! It wasn’t a band concert, but some different choir groups. Granted, I couldn’t pick out Brenna’s voice from the others, and I couldn’t even see her, but it felt good to be there. Mind you, we still hadn’t met, but Joni was able to pick out Brenna because she was running around with a friend who was introducing Brenna to her parents before the concert began.
When the concert was over, we exited the auditorium to see if we could find Brenna. We didn't have to look far, she was right outside the door, waiting for us. I was so nervous and just didn't know what to do, so I tried to shake her hand. She ignored that and gave me a hug. She was much braver than me! And also much taller than I expected! She’s only 12 years old, and already 5’ 6”!
Brenna led us over to where her mom was waiting and we all talked for a few minutes. We didn't stay very long though because I didn't want to totally freak her out. Actually I think I was much more freaked out than she was. Before we left, she gave me another big hug and said that she loved me. I wouldn’t have blamed her for being angry with me and chewing me out, but she was so sweet that it almost broke my heart.
Well, anyway, I never wanted to see so badly as I did that night. I wonder what she looks like. Does she look like me at all? I’ll have to wait to find out. In the meantime all I can do is be there for her as much as I can. I said earlier that I ran away because I felt like I made a mistake. Of course, now I know that my only mistake was running away. I don’t really think I can “make up for it”, but I can try to make things better going forward. With God’s help, I can.
Isaiah 50:7 For the Lord God will help me: therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Clarion Call
Hi friends. I’m glad you stopped by today, because I want to share something with you that I found a few years ago.
I’ve been an internet junkie since the mid 1990’s and I would guess that I’ve been to several thousand websites. Roughly 99% of those are garbage, but once in a while, you stumble across a real gem.
I’m talking about a place called Clarion Call.
As Christians, we know that it is important not only to read the bible, but to really study it. That’s what initially drew me to Clarion Call. I found it a couple of years after Astri was born, when I finally began to seek out God. Of course, I know now that I didn’t find it, it found me.
Kay Meyerett began posting her weekly bible studies on the internet more than ten years ago. I haven’t counted, but I would guess there are a couple hundred bible studies on her site now, covering just about any topic you could imagine. Also, the site is very organized and easy to navigate, even for those of us who use screen-readers. You can search the bible studies by topic, title, or scripture. Joni and I read one every night, just before bedtime.
From there, Clarion Call really began to grow and expand. Here’s what Kay says about it:
“At first it was just Bible studies. Then God wanted me to add my own experiences with Him. It didn't make sense to me and I didn't want to put my private life out for the world to see. Since then I've heard from lots of people that they were encouraged in their own spiritual growth by seeing what I went through. Lots of people could also see themselves in what I wrote. So, God knew what He was doing, didn't He?”
Kay has a real way with words. That’s what Joni and I like most about Clarion Call. Kay is witty and funny and has a way of talking to you without sounding preachy. She draws you in instead of pushing you away. I think most Christians would agree that it’s hard to reach out to people without scaring them off.
Along those same lines, she is always emphasizing how important it is to ask God if what you are learning about Him is the truth. There are people who will out-right lie to you, but there are also people who are just mis-informed. Or people who tell the truth, but tend to put their own spin on things based on their own personal experiences. It is up to us to make sure we are learning the truth, and the only way to do that is to ask God. I think that is the most important thing God has taught me through Kay’s bible studies.
I encourage you to take some time to explore Clarion Call. There is a lot of thought-provoking information to be had there. Be sure to look at the “Spiritual Things To Make You Smile” page. The Church Bulletin Bloopers are just too funny.
I asked Kay what she thought was the main purpose of Clarion Call and her response was “Simply put, the main goal behind the Clarion Call is edifying and encouraging the Body of Christ.”
I can’t put it any better than that. I think it’s really awesome that God is finding ways to use new technologies to serve His purposes.
Matthew 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
I’ve been an internet junkie since the mid 1990’s and I would guess that I’ve been to several thousand websites. Roughly 99% of those are garbage, but once in a while, you stumble across a real gem.
I’m talking about a place called Clarion Call.
As Christians, we know that it is important not only to read the bible, but to really study it. That’s what initially drew me to Clarion Call. I found it a couple of years after Astri was born, when I finally began to seek out God. Of course, I know now that I didn’t find it, it found me.
Kay Meyerett began posting her weekly bible studies on the internet more than ten years ago. I haven’t counted, but I would guess there are a couple hundred bible studies on her site now, covering just about any topic you could imagine. Also, the site is very organized and easy to navigate, even for those of us who use screen-readers. You can search the bible studies by topic, title, or scripture. Joni and I read one every night, just before bedtime.
From there, Clarion Call really began to grow and expand. Here’s what Kay says about it:
“At first it was just Bible studies. Then God wanted me to add my own experiences with Him. It didn't make sense to me and I didn't want to put my private life out for the world to see. Since then I've heard from lots of people that they were encouraged in their own spiritual growth by seeing what I went through. Lots of people could also see themselves in what I wrote. So, God knew what He was doing, didn't He?”
Kay has a real way with words. That’s what Joni and I like most about Clarion Call. Kay is witty and funny and has a way of talking to you without sounding preachy. She draws you in instead of pushing you away. I think most Christians would agree that it’s hard to reach out to people without scaring them off.
Along those same lines, she is always emphasizing how important it is to ask God if what you are learning about Him is the truth. There are people who will out-right lie to you, but there are also people who are just mis-informed. Or people who tell the truth, but tend to put their own spin on things based on their own personal experiences. It is up to us to make sure we are learning the truth, and the only way to do that is to ask God. I think that is the most important thing God has taught me through Kay’s bible studies.
I encourage you to take some time to explore Clarion Call. There is a lot of thought-provoking information to be had there. Be sure to look at the “Spiritual Things To Make You Smile” page. The Church Bulletin Bloopers are just too funny.
I asked Kay what she thought was the main purpose of Clarion Call and her response was “Simply put, the main goal behind the Clarion Call is edifying and encouraging the Body of Christ.”
I can’t put it any better than that. I think it’s really awesome that God is finding ways to use new technologies to serve His purposes.
Matthew 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Journal - Blind School
Well, I’ve been sitting here for about half an hour now, fiddling around, trying to think of what I want to write about today. I just have so many things going around in my head right now that I can’t seem to pin anything down. So I guess I’ll try to talk about that, okay? Okay.
Yesterday, I met with the technology person from the Nebraska Commission for the Blind. I don’t know if it would be appropriate to use her real name here, so I’ll call her Persephone. Persephone is the one who got me started on the JAWS software a few weeks ago. She installed the demo version for me and showed me some of the basic commands. I’ve always been a quick study on the computer so I’ve been able to pick up quite a bit on my own since then. Yesterday she showed me a couple of neat tricks though that will really help me navigate web pages.
She also brought a Victor Stream to show me. The Victor Stream is a device created especially for the blind. You can load audiobooks onto it and listen to them, but you can also put ebooks on it and it will read them to you using it’s own voice. AND it has a built in recorder so you can record notes for yourself, or if you’re a student you could record classes. The thing that makes it great for the blind is that it speaks whenever you press a button so you know what you did. Way cool device, but expensive.
Well, after showing me the VS, Persephone started pitching me on this blind school that they have in Lincoln. This wasn’t the first time they’ve mentioned it to me, but it’s the first time I’ve felt pressured to do it. I have so many different feelings about this that I can hardly see them individually.
If I knew I was going to be blind for the rest of my life I guessthis would be a no-brainer. I would definitely want to do this. But my blindness is temporary, so how much time do I want to spend learning to be blind? That’s a hard one. Maybe this would be a good experience for me even if I don’t use the skills I learn for very long.
I know the NCB only has so much money to spend, and they would much rather spend it on people who will try to further their education or get back into the workplace. This is perfectly logical, even if it’s a bit unfair. Frankly, I don’t really know where I’m headed right now. Since I went blind I have felt like I’m in limbo. Just waiting to see what’s going to happen next. Maybe it’s time to stop waiting around.
Then there’s my family to think of. Lincoln is about a two hour drive from where we live now. Persephone said the school can take as long as 9 months to complete. My family can visit anytime, but gas isn’t exactly cheap these days. And speaking of expenses, how much will I be responsible for? I know the commission will help with that, but do they cover everything?
And I would have to live there alone. Persephone said they have apartments for the students and you have to live there alone. I haven’t spent a single day alone since I went blind and frankly the idea scares the heck out of me. I know there would be people to call on if I needed something, but it takes time to build up trust in a complete stranger.
And on top of all that, what does God want me to do? Does He want me to learn how to be blind? Does He care one way or the other? Well, I know He cares, but is this something that would be important to Him? He is probably trying to give me an answer on this right now, but sometimes I have a hard time quieting my mind enough to hear Him.
Sigh. It seems I will never learn. God has shown me again and again that all my fears and worries are pointless because He will take care of everything. But I just keep right on worrying about things. Well, I’m only human after all.
On Thursday there’s another lady from the commission coming out to the house and I imagine we will talk about this some more. Maybe it will be a little clearer after that.
You know, I’m really starting to like this blogging thing. I’m finding that writing things down is a good way to sort things out when they get all jumbled up in my head. Was it a coincidence that I got JAWS and started doing this? Nope!
Thanks for reading, see you next time!
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.f
Yesterday, I met with the technology person from the Nebraska Commission for the Blind. I don’t know if it would be appropriate to use her real name here, so I’ll call her Persephone. Persephone is the one who got me started on the JAWS software a few weeks ago. She installed the demo version for me and showed me some of the basic commands. I’ve always been a quick study on the computer so I’ve been able to pick up quite a bit on my own since then. Yesterday she showed me a couple of neat tricks though that will really help me navigate web pages.
She also brought a Victor Stream to show me. The Victor Stream is a device created especially for the blind. You can load audiobooks onto it and listen to them, but you can also put ebooks on it and it will read them to you using it’s own voice. AND it has a built in recorder so you can record notes for yourself, or if you’re a student you could record classes. The thing that makes it great for the blind is that it speaks whenever you press a button so you know what you did. Way cool device, but expensive.
Well, after showing me the VS, Persephone started pitching me on this blind school that they have in Lincoln. This wasn’t the first time they’ve mentioned it to me, but it’s the first time I’ve felt pressured to do it. I have so many different feelings about this that I can hardly see them individually.
If I knew I was going to be blind for the rest of my life I guessthis would be a no-brainer. I would definitely want to do this. But my blindness is temporary, so how much time do I want to spend learning to be blind? That’s a hard one. Maybe this would be a good experience for me even if I don’t use the skills I learn for very long.
I know the NCB only has so much money to spend, and they would much rather spend it on people who will try to further their education or get back into the workplace. This is perfectly logical, even if it’s a bit unfair. Frankly, I don’t really know where I’m headed right now. Since I went blind I have felt like I’m in limbo. Just waiting to see what’s going to happen next. Maybe it’s time to stop waiting around.
Then there’s my family to think of. Lincoln is about a two hour drive from where we live now. Persephone said the school can take as long as 9 months to complete. My family can visit anytime, but gas isn’t exactly cheap these days. And speaking of expenses, how much will I be responsible for? I know the commission will help with that, but do they cover everything?
And I would have to live there alone. Persephone said they have apartments for the students and you have to live there alone. I haven’t spent a single day alone since I went blind and frankly the idea scares the heck out of me. I know there would be people to call on if I needed something, but it takes time to build up trust in a complete stranger.
And on top of all that, what does God want me to do? Does He want me to learn how to be blind? Does He care one way or the other? Well, I know He cares, but is this something that would be important to Him? He is probably trying to give me an answer on this right now, but sometimes I have a hard time quieting my mind enough to hear Him.
Sigh. It seems I will never learn. God has shown me again and again that all my fears and worries are pointless because He will take care of everything. But I just keep right on worrying about things. Well, I’m only human after all.
On Thursday there’s another lady from the commission coming out to the house and I imagine we will talk about this some more. Maybe it will be a little clearer after that.
You know, I’m really starting to like this blogging thing. I’m finding that writing things down is a good way to sort things out when they get all jumbled up in my head. Was it a coincidence that I got JAWS and started doing this? Nope!
Thanks for reading, see you next time!
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.f
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Welcome
Hello, and welcome to my blog. My name is Steven Brandt, I’m 38 years old, and I am blind. I wasn’t born blind, it’s kind of a recent thing.
The story of how I came to be blind is a long one and I plan to talk about that in future posts, but for now I just wanted to welcome you and explain a little bit about what this blog is all about.
I’ve been feeling the urge to do this for some time now, but I kept putting it off. I kept telling myself it would be too hard seeing as how I’m blind and all. And it is hard believe me. Since I went blind I haven’t been able to use the computer at all, which has been a serious blow to me because I have always loved doing things on the computer. But a few days ago the Commission for the Blind hooked me up with this screen reader software called JAWS which helps blind people use the computer.
So here I am learning how to use the computer again. Basically it’s memorizing a lot of keyboard shortcuts. It’s challenging and frustrating and exciting all at the same time. That’s a lot of emotion to feel all at once but hey, that’s life right? We often find ourselves in situations where we feel overwhelmed. What I’ve learned is that the world doesn’t stop and wait for us to get our heads on straight; it just keeps on a-rolling.
So why am I writing this blog? My goal is to chronicle some of the changes that I’ve been through over the last few years. My hope is that people will find this blog and draw some hope and encouragement from it because I’ll tell you something right now; if you think you’re in a bad situation, it could be a whole lot worse. Take a look around you, there are things to be thankful for everywhere you look. And if you look carefully you may even notice some people who are hurting more than you are.
Oops! I’m starting to get preachy already aren’t I? :-) Well, I think I’ll just leave it right here for now. I hope you’ll come back and read more about my story. Maybe we’ll both learn something. My plan is to post new messages on a weekly basis but we’ll just have to see how it goes huh?
Thanks again for stopping by, you are welcome anytime.
The story of how I came to be blind is a long one and I plan to talk about that in future posts, but for now I just wanted to welcome you and explain a little bit about what this blog is all about.
I’ve been feeling the urge to do this for some time now, but I kept putting it off. I kept telling myself it would be too hard seeing as how I’m blind and all. And it is hard believe me. Since I went blind I haven’t been able to use the computer at all, which has been a serious blow to me because I have always loved doing things on the computer. But a few days ago the Commission for the Blind hooked me up with this screen reader software called JAWS which helps blind people use the computer.
So here I am learning how to use the computer again. Basically it’s memorizing a lot of keyboard shortcuts. It’s challenging and frustrating and exciting all at the same time. That’s a lot of emotion to feel all at once but hey, that’s life right? We often find ourselves in situations where we feel overwhelmed. What I’ve learned is that the world doesn’t stop and wait for us to get our heads on straight; it just keeps on a-rolling.
So why am I writing this blog? My goal is to chronicle some of the changes that I’ve been through over the last few years. My hope is that people will find this blog and draw some hope and encouragement from it because I’ll tell you something right now; if you think you’re in a bad situation, it could be a whole lot worse. Take a look around you, there are things to be thankful for everywhere you look. And if you look carefully you may even notice some people who are hurting more than you are.
Oops! I’m starting to get preachy already aren’t I? :-) Well, I think I’ll just leave it right here for now. I hope you’ll come back and read more about my story. Maybe we’ll both learn something. My plan is to post new messages on a weekly basis but we’ll just have to see how it goes huh?
Thanks again for stopping by, you are welcome anytime.
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