HAVE U SEEN ALL OF MY LAST 4-5 POSTS (2 ON MY CAMERA/MANNERS & 2 ON PARKING)? IT HAS BEEN A PIC. WEEK W/JESS MAKING AN APPLE PIE FROM SCRATCH, /MARK’S B-DAY, THANKSGIVING, MAKING GINGERBREAD HOUSES, & DEECORATING R X-MAS TREEE. LUCKILY MY CHAIR RAISES, LOWERS, & TILTS & MY REMOTE ZOOMS & TURNS ON/OFF MY CAMERA AS WELL AS TAKE A PIC. WHAT’S FRUSTRATING IS WINDOWS (THE BACKLIGHT IS MY ENEMY, BUT, LUCKILY, I CAN FIX THAT ON DIGITAL PICS), NOT ROOM 4 ME 2 GO WHERE I WANT 2 MANUVER (I HAVE 2 BE FAR BACK), NO WAY 2 GET ATTENTION-THOUGH I TRIED, & MY 3 YR. OLD NEICE WAS IRONICALLY THE BEST BY POSING & HOLDING A POSE 4 ME (SO CUTE), VERTICAL PICS (I ANTICIPATE CROPPING PICS MORE), & PEOPLE STANDING. OR MOVING (I MISS A LOT, BUT ALSO TAKE A TON, ANTICIPATING 2 DELETE A TON). I KNOW THAT AFTER MAKING GINGERBREAD HOUSES, I CLEANED OUT & ENDED UP W/OVER 30 DECENT PICS COMPARED 2 THE 10 OR SO I USUALLY GET-SURE, I COULDN’T GET SOME PICS I USUALLY GET, BUT SOMETHING HAS 2 BE SAID 4 JUST SITTING THERE!

WHAT I TOLD MY STROKE SUPPORT GROUP:

most the time what we do is pull along side the space at the curb that we want to unload at and unload John, then the driver goes and parks the van.

THAT SEEMS LOGICAL, BUT I CAN’T DRIVE MY POWER CHAIR AT NIGHT. I HAVE DOUBLE-VISION & SEE WORSE AT NIGHT, SO I’D HAVE 2 SIT IN THE COLD, WAITING 4 MY HUSBAND, MARK. & LAST NIGHT THEY PARKED IN THE CROSS-HATCHES–EXTREMELY RUDE–SO I’D HAVE 2 WAIT IN THE STREET.

I HAVE ALSO NOTICED THAT HANDICAPPED PARKING CAN BE NARROW. FORTUNATELY, MARK CAN SQUEEZE OUT MY CHAIR W/O ME ON IT-I SIT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT (I’M TRANSFERED THERE BECAUSE I GET MORE SUPPORT BY NOT BEING BOUNCED IN BACK & CAN’T SPEAK IF I NEED HELP, & MY 9, 6, & 4 YR. OLD DON’T MESS W/MY SEAT BELT).

WE WERE AT R KIDS’ SCHOOL 2NIGHT BECAUSE WE WERE INVITED 2 A MUSIC PROGRAM. WE TRIED TO GO, BUT SOMEONE WHO’S NOT HANDICAPPED, PARKED IN HANDICAPPED, & ANOTHER PERSON, I’LL CALL HIM/HER “IDIOT,” PARKED ON THE CROSS-HATCHES WHERE MY RAMP & CHAIR GOES. I DOUBT ALL THE HANDICAPPED PEOPLE NEEDED IT-IT’S COMMON FOR THEM TO FORGET THAT I CAN’T GO ON SIDEWALKS W/O RAMPS, SO THAT LEAVES ME IN A DARK STREET. I DIDN’T CARE 2 RISK MY LIFE!
THIS IS A COMMON FRUSTRATION, BUT USUALLY ONLY AFFECTS MARK & I. THIS TIME IT AFFECTED MY FAMILY. MY KIDS WERE DISAPPOINTED. I HATED THAT I KEPT THEM FROM GOING. NO, IDIOTS WHO DON’T REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THOSE SPOTS KEPT A FAM. FROM GOING.

SAT. I GOT MY NEW 7 MEGAPIXEL CAMERA–MY EARLY X-MAS GIFT. I’M EXCITED! IT HAS A BIGGER SCREEN & I’M GETTING A REMOTE–THEN MARK IS MAKING A STAND 4 IT. THE ONLY THING I’M WORRIED ABOUT IS NOW THAT I HAVE THIS, I WILL BE ASSUMED 2 NOT NEED HELP W/PICS ANYMORE-WHICH’S VERY MISLEADING BECAUSE I’M SLOW, CAN’T STAND & GET CERTAIN ANGLES, ETC.
HOWEVER, I THINK PEOLE THINK I DON’T DO MUCH. SO, I WILL SHARE A LIST I ASSEMBLED OF MY STROKE SUPPORT GROUPS IDEAS (SOME IDEAS R MINE, SOME OTHERS SUGGESTED IT) ABOUT 1-HANDED HOBBIES. U’D BE SURPRISED WHAT U CAN DO–I CAN BARELY MOVE EXCEPT MY HEAD & RT. ARM, SO I’M IN A WHEELCHAIR, & CAN’T TALK–BUT IT’S A FAR CRY FROM THE DOCTOR’S PREDICTION 2 ONLY BLINK & I’M BUSIER THAN B4-I THINK BECAUSE I’M SLOWER, SO A REGULAR TASK TAKES TWICE AS LONG, & BECAUSE I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL MONTHS WHERE TV-A MIND-WASTER 2 ME-WAS MY SOLE ENTERTAINMENT; SO I’M MAKING UP LOST GROUND!!

• CONVERSE W/ANY1, LIKE A PEN-PAL/LETTER, THROUGH EMAIL
• DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING- U CAN MAKE WAY SIMPLER PGS. THAN I DO,, & I TEACH IT, SO I WILL POST HOW! U CAN DO TRADITIONAL SCRAPBOOKING IF U CAN WRITE & MOVE YOUR OTHER HAND AS A PAPER WEIGHT.
• AUDIO BOOKS ON A CD PLAYER W/REMOTE
• PLAY PIANO -ALL U NEED IS A RT. HAND! I USE A SYNTHESIZER BECAUSE MY WHEELCHAIR’S 2 TALL 4 A PIANO.
• JOURNAL THROUGH TYPE
• TYPE A BOOK
• SELL ON EBAY
• COMPUTER GAMES-I LIKE SOLITAIRE, SPIDER FREECELL, YAHOO’S SUPER TEXT TWIST, HEARTS, & SODUKO ( http://www.websudoku.com/?level=1 )
• EUCHER, BESPELLED
• MUSIC & MOVIES & BOOKS IN A DATA BASE
• TV SHOW
• READ/TYPE ON WEBSITES/BLOGS
• GAMES W/FRIENDS–I DO SIGNO (ASL BINGO), CARD GAMES & SKIP-BO & PHASE 10 (USE A CARD HOLDER), MANCALA, RUMMIKUB, APPLES 2 APPLES, DISNEY SCENE IT!, IMAGINIFF, MOUNTAIN CLIMBER, TRAVEL BLOKUS, & A FEW OTHERS OCCASIONALLY
• PAINT-I WATERCOLORED
• MOVIE W/FRIENDS
• SHOP ONLINE
• BIG PUZZLES (II WONDER IF MY EYES COULD DO IT)
• CHAT ROOMS
• MY CALLING 4 CHURCH IS HUGE (DOING ACTIVITIES 2X/MONTH FOR ABOUUT 10 GIRLS, 8-9 YRS. OLD)-PLANNING-COMPLETE W/LESSONS, EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS, ETC.

SO U KNOW, CAPS ISN’T NEEDED UNLESS U TYPE IN SMALL PRINT 2 ME–I TYPE IN CAPS BECAUSE IT’S EASIER W/1 HAND THAN HOLDING SHIFT. (I USE AN ACCESSIBILITY OPTION CALLED ‘STICKY KEYS’ 2 HOLD DOWN SHIFT 4 ME & USE A KEYGUARD ON MY KEYBOARD- WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY A PIECE OF PLASTIC SO MY HAND CAN REST WHILE I TYPE & NOT PUSH KEYS. IT HAS HOLES DRILLED FOR KEYS & I USE JUST MY INDEX FINGER TO SLOWLY TYPE EACH WORD!) I TYPE FASTER THIS WAY. ENLARGING FONT SIZE TO 24 OR MORE IS ALL THAT’S NEEDED & NECESSARY.