Chng in travel plans

Looks like I've been having a hard enough time with travel and my hearing loss that things are going to be done differently with me. I've had so many close calls! I have never had to contend with something that I absolutely could not do somehow and now I am looking at this beast straight in the face and wondering how on Earth I am going to function normally. All I can say is I better be one of those lucky few that don't lose absolutely all of my vision or else I'm screwed. Well perhaps that a strong way to put it...but I definitely have more challenges than the average blind person faces b/c of the hearing (or lack thereof). I was really hoping that the hearing thing would be a learned process that I would figure out how to get around...but almost getting creamed by moving vehicles in an attempt to figure that out isn't really working out.

It's so frustrating for me to be capable of studying doctoral level physics and teaching calculus and yet be unable to cross a frigging street. Well I suppose I could think about Stephen Hawkins in this case. He had it worse. Way more brains and much less mobility than I. Hummm somehow that is supposed to make me feel better....well how about a bowl of ice cream!!! With lots of chocolate!!!

Rock Climbing

Today was amazing. I absolutely loved it. A group of us went rock climbing (all blind) in the mountains near Golden CO. It's been years since I did a little bit of it in a rock climbing gym and never in the real outdoors. Certainly not without sight. I went second on the medium difficult rock and had so much fun. I couldn't see the rock and yet I was able to develop a way of feeling the rock and becoming "intimate" ith it if you will. It was challenging and hard but I totally soaked up all the praise from everyone and loved hearing "she's a natural", "look at those moves ...she's so flexible", "wow I am amazed", "girl you're a beast", etc. The rock climbing guides absolutely loved me and wanted to see what I was capable of beyond that and took me onto a very difficult rock b/c it has such a smooth surface with hardly any hand holds or foot holds. It was hard to climb and there were several times I had to literally pull my whole body weight up by my arms to grab at a ledge or small crack I couldn't even see. I did it and I am ecstatic.

It felt like I could do anything with or without vision. I had a number of scraps, bruises, gashes and such but to me they are like a badge of honor.

We also went on a nature trail hike afterwards under blindfold. I was walking pretty fast and feeling all confident but kept gravitating to the river b/c it sounds like water is running all around me with my hearing loss. Brenda would stand between me and the river so I wouldn't end up swimming. It was enjoyable and I could smell the trees, feel the ground, and didn't feel all that blind even though I couldn't See.

On the way back to the van me and Brenda were trying to help each other up a hill and were stumbling all over each other. Such blind grace. HAHA ...I thought it was hilarious...except perhaps the part where as soon as I got up off the hill I smacked into a pole and gashed my nose. Now I'll look like Rudolf. Small price to pay for such an awesome day.

I needed a day like today...it's been a rough few weeks for me and this was like medicine for the soul. Boy I am such a sap!!!

Today was a weir day. I had some very strong migraine medicine in my system and boy I was messed up. My equilibrium was messed up and I fell down the stairs. No injuries. Then I fell over on the train. Gosh you would think I was drunk. Slurred speech, smacking in to walls, not remembering how to sign my name...geesh!! But at least I didn't have a migraine.

Tonight after the effects wore mostly off I decided that I needed more intersection practice and went to Platte Canyon and Mineral ave. Fairly sizable and a predictable traffic pattern. Well the first section I did fine...yeah. The second I did ok also. The third was bad though. I thought I was lined up and then crossed. When I checked with my sight I saw that I had crossed diagonally across both busy roads. Holly cow. Guess it wasn't too busy when I crossed. Everyone must have stopped. They each have four lanes...so the hypotenuse would be about 5.6 lanes. Ok once I got over the stupidity of that crossing I proceeded to go back the other way and get to a turn island. I crossed when I thought it was time to go and hit something in the middle of the road...a median. I must have veered so much that I hit it. Then some pedestrian came running and told me I just about got creamed by a car. HUH??? How close? Well he had to put on the breaks hard and stop. Nice to know people stop for us with walking sticks. And we don't get honked at either for it. Then I crossed the three sides to get back to where I was originally. Walked into two cars twice and had to bump around them and continue to walk across the intersection. But I made it alive...but not much better than that. I need way more practice.

Off roading

Travel was a lot of fun on Friday. We went off roading. Took a trail off a road and hugged a giant tree that three of us didn't fit around. We went through a grassy field and followed a trail that would disappear in the tall grass every so often. Eventually we came to a hill that dropped off in front of us. At first we weren't sure what to do. But we decided to stick our canes down the hill and follow them sideways. I had a blast being all daring and sliding down a hill without sight. We found our way back to the center on another trail. Did take a while to find though in that grassy hilly field area. It made for a nice adventurous detour from regular travel.

overconfidence

So here I am all confident and strutting along with my cane (actually it's more like a blind person walking strut) and "smack" right into a wall. So much for confidence. It was a wall I go by like 8 times a day too. I have to laugh...I pictured myself looking like a fly splatted onto the wall. So, I may have come a long way with cane skills but I still get myself into trouble when I don't use it correctly. Guess I was swinging it out of step so it didn't catch the wall before I got to it. LESSON FOR THE DAY!!!

This week has been slower b/c more people have been graduating from the program. So we have ceremonies each time and miss our afternoon classes. We have a lot of new students that have been coming in so things have been switching around and such. Since I'm no longer new I need to help acclimate the new ones to the place and help them figure things out. Can get kind of stressful trying to keep track of everything and being a mentor. Plus I'm still dealing with my own insecurities and lack of travelling abilities.

Today

Today went pretty well. For travel we were sent on an independent (me and Mark, another student). We had to go around the neighborhood a certain number of blocks and find our way back a different direction. We got lost at an alley, but it was warm outside and I kinda had fun trying to figure it out and making jokes to pass time. Made it back. Of course I was walking in the middle of the road again like I always do...but at least it was a residential road and no cars were around. I did eventually run into a curb and figure out where I was.

I am enjoying wood shop. Got to work on some more of my project and used the table saw. I'm actually not really all that afraid of the thing. Still cautious and safe but no longer afraid of it. Have used the miter saw and router table without assistance now. I like being all independent with the power tools. Kinda makes me feel like "Go Woman...or Go blind Woman." :-) I don't think I'll use the table saw without Merle spotting at the end b/c it's really easy to have the board spit back at you. It can really hurt being hit with a piece of wood at that kind of speed. Not really worried about my fingers since I know the techniques that even sighted people should use.

Firealarm

What a crazy day. It has been pouring down rain and now is snowing a lot. Well what would you know but we had the fire alarm go off. This is no surprise except that the day it had to happen was a lousy one. We were all soaking wet with hardly anything warm on b/c we were all in classes. The fire department came and let us back into the building as soon as they could. We were soaked to the bone...like we all went swimming in the Platte River or something crazy like that. Dry clothes were being handed out for folks, people had the laundry running (no shoes allowed), and we were all mopping up hair. Soooo wet.

Nice that we got out early....I really like sitting in a warm apartment with my clothes being washed and not having to be so soaked anymore. Ahhh such pleasures of life!!!