No idea why I’ve never noticed them before, but this year I couldn’t help but take note of the Klomps Home & Garden commercials during our local news. I’m not much of a gardener so I’m sure that’s part of it, but I do tend to pick up on ad jingles and such fairly quickly …
Category Archives: blind guy user’s manual
Being Blind In The Pandemic. Could Be Better, Could Be Worse
This column, written by our friend Shermeen Khan (look at me name dropping) for the Waterloo Record gets into a lot of the things that Carin and I have been saying throughout the pandemic. Like us, she and her husband are blind, which in itself adds an extra layer of complexity to dealing with this …
Continue reading “Being Blind In The Pandemic. Could Be Better, Could Be Worse”
Your Outlook Is Like A Prison That You’re In
A friend sent me this song and encouraged me to tear it to pieces. Don’t mind if I do. Here are the lyrics, so we can rip this thing apart in new and creative ways. Maybe I don’t speak too well but I’m coming outta my shell And I like playing by myself if you …
Continue reading “Your Outlook Is Like A Prison That You’re In”
Touchy About Touch
I read an article about how this new physically distant life kind of sucks for blind people, and although I don’t agree with all of it, he definitely has some good points. He very clearly explains the constant anxiety I feel when I’m out and about and might bump someone, have to touch elevator buttons, …
Death Stair
The other day, I came across this old post about not calling guide dogs down a flight of stairs, which is still good advice. But I want to add something to that advice. Don’t ask to pet a guide dog at the top of a flight of stairs either. Seriously. Don’t. Would you ask to …
There Are No Rules About Mental Distancing. Stop That!
I have been feeling anxious when out walking because I never feel like I can keep the six feet of distance. This is not helped by Shmans’s tendency to kind of buzz people as they go by. Sometimes she just scoots past them, and sometimes she has sniffed people in a moment of weakness. Either …
Continue reading “There Are No Rules About Mental Distancing. Stop That!”
Corona Coraziness!
Wow, what a week. It has gone from “gee this virus is moving fast, maybe we should watch stuff” to “CANCEL EVERYTHING NOW!” The transition, although necessary, is a bit jarring. I am really really really happy I didn’t go to Anaheim. If I had, I’d be being asked to self-isolate now. All the shifting …
Somebody Help Me Figure Out The Ramble Tag
I need somebody to please tell me if there’s something I’m missing here, because I’m not understanding how harnessing yourself to your sighted guide rather than simply taking an elbow makes the experience of being guided any more independent or any less awkward than it is currently. Is it awkward? I’ve never had a problem …
Continue reading “Somebody Help Me Figure Out The Ramble Tag”
#JustAskDontGrab
Carin and I talk about this a lot. For the life of me I have no idea why you wouldn’t want to be handled the way you seem to be ok with handling us so please stop doing it is such a difficult concept for people to…uh…grasp, but that’s the world we live in. Hopefully …
Let’s Be Smart About This SmartCane
I appear to be on a smart cane jag today. I saw this one on the news, and good lord, getting the video clip to replay was a giant pain in the neck. If you want to get it to play, maximize your screen, I think, then go down to the h1 that says video …
