Money for All: Accessible Currency Petition

Well, this one’s definitely cause to update one’s blog!

Please read and sign this petition. If you’re like me, and you think the government spends far too much money on stuff Americans neither need nor care a wit about, you can pat yourself on the back for recommending a good federal investment for once: the Money for All: Accessible Currency Petition. Ummm … No. It’s not what it sounds like (an ultra-Socialist proposal to put government money into the hands of everyone). It’s a petition to Congress to make paper money identifiable to blind citizens. Think about it: When you close your eyes and put your hand into your wallet, can you tell the difference between the fiver you just put in and the $20 you keep on hand for emergencies? No. You cannot. Not without peeking. Well, neither can us blind people … only we can’t peek. We have to either run our paper bills through a finicky little scanning device that costs hundreds and needs constant updating to correctly identify a one from a $50, or we need to take the word of someone else. Someone like … a cashier, say, or a cab driver we didn’t like in the first place, who takes that $20 for emergencies and hands us a wad of identical-feeling bills that may or may not be the correct change for our fair.

Well, it doesn’t have to be that way, does it? This is America! We have the means and the money to change the feel or size of paper bills to be more readily identifiable to the blind! 180 other, less-prosperous countries have had blind-accessible money for years! Please sign this petition and let ours know it’s about time!

Weekend to end all weekends

The weekend to end all weekends is behind me. Not only was it Father’s Day weekend, but also, it was both the weekend of the 37th triennial WSVH Alumni reunion, and the weekend of Kristin’s high school graduation party! I was all over the place this weekend!

You can read the basics of the alumni bash at Caroline’s, so I won’t get too deeply into it. I will add, however, that by some strange turn of the wind, I was elected with two other people to represent WSVH Alumni on the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired. As well, they voted me to serve on the board of alumni directors for the next 9 years. This was quite a surprise. I can’t say what it is that people know of me that would make them choose me over the Braille Note guy with the pages-long bio, for instance (who came in dead last in both races). I hope it’s not just my mom’s name (she’s been active in the blind community for years), but if it is, I’m looking forward to finding some sort of unique contributional outlet. And thanks to those of you who voted for me. Please expect to be asked lots and lots of questions about how this all works!

I had loads of fun this weekend! I thought I’d only be depressed meeting up with people who are either doing nothing with their post-grad lives or are so super-accomplished and fulfilled that I’d feel like a beggar in comparison. Well, there wasn’t time for either of those feelings. I was too busy practicing for the concert on Sunday or running errands for people, or practicing for the concert on Sunday, or sitting worshipfully outside the radio station while Dennis and Chris did their thing, or practicing for the memorial service when I finally found out the concert wasn’t my only gig on Sunday.

I stank in the concert on Sunday, btw.

Kristin’s grad party went well. We rented out Mocha Moment for the occasion. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I only know there was a lot of inter-mingling of people among each varied circle of Kristin’s acquaintances. It wasn’t quite as crowded as expected, which might have had something to do with the fact that it was pouring and the tornado sirens were going off for a while there. LOL [favorite line of the day: Laurie {as we get more comfortable on the leather couches} - "Hmmmmm. The radio just said 'Take shelter immediately.' That might indicate a serious situation."]

As for Father’s Day, I think we’re celebrating that later. We must be, because nothing was done for Dad!! And he’s the one who made this weekend (and many many others) so successful for the Heesen clan and all their undertakings. THE SHAME! THE INDECENCY! I have an idea about salvaging Father’s Day, but Dad reads this, so …

Busy Intersection Receives Bad-for-You Rating

The WAFTPSOBP (Wisconsin Activists for the Physical Safety of Blind Pedestrians) earlier today declared the intersection of Greenfield and Highway 100 to rate a “really really bad for you” on an as-yet undefined and highly subjective sliding scale. In today’s random test conducted at 4:09 CST by WAFTPSOBP, the West Allis conflux of Greenfield and 100 (affectionately dubbed ‘Hell’s Driving School’ by the group) scored a big fat ‘0 in 15 out of all 7 determining criteria.

“We crossed it today for the very first time,” said Sarah Hees*n, the little-publicized group’s President and Interim Sergeant at Arms. “We took the bus home from work, and we had to cross Greenfield in order to catch the 28. Well, I felt safer asking the nice bus driver to help me across, meaning the intersection fails accessibility testing hands-down.”

The intersection’s failing comes as no surprise to other disability groups around the state.

“I’m glad it failed,” said Sarah Hees*n, 25 of West Allis, member at large of the city’s first and only League of People Who Hate Hwy 100 and Greenfield. “This announcement gives our club a reason to exist.”

“Oh, it’s a crazy place,” said Sarah Hees*n, 3rd Executive Vice Regent of the Wisconsin chapter of the National Advisory on Issues Related to the Emotional and Mental Wellness of Poor Sheltered Blind Girls With No Social Life Despite Living in Large Metropolitan Areas. “There’s … like … cars everywhere, and they’re moving and stuff. There’s islands and right-turn lanes by the dozen at that one intersection. It’s pretty much like it’s a potentially fatally busy place or something. So, you have to pay attention to what the traffic’s doing probably. And maybe try to take cues from your dog guide. Add that plus the fact that you’re blind, so you don’t know if there’s even a mall at the other side to make it worth the hassle. That’s a lot on your psyche right there. A whole lot to deal with.”

Hees*n, (single white female, 25, 5 foot 9, glorious long auburn hair and barely-blind-looking clear blue eyes), admits she’ll be crossing Greenfield 5 days a week now that she has a job. “It really is a job for the professionals, and now that I’m a professional with a life and such … well, I have no choice. But, I only want them to know that I do it for them — only out of wanting to make the world a better place. Because I willingly suffer on the median at 100 and tell the world about it, they, the poor, mobility-challenged blind people of Milwaukee and of the world, can maybe one day learn how to cross the more rewarding streets by the malls on their own.”

Life Begins in West Allis

Yesterday was terrible. it took me half the day just to wake up, and the other half to realize I wasn’t gonna get a nap anytime soon. Luckily, after a quick word with the anti-Christ, I was able to convince him to alter his schedule so that 06-06-06 could go by uneventfully so I could at least sleep last night instead of reading/blogging endlessly on the mind-numbing fall-out of a potential apocalyptic development. So it’s more superfluity on the blog today … and tomorrow … and for as long as I can not feel guilty about it.

I really shouldn’t though. My life is actually getting more interesting. We’ll call those stories more fodder for my next podcast, though, because I’d rather talk about them and do a few sound-scenes than try to cover all the bases in letters. Besides, I’ve got a lot of good stuff on my Eddy that’s due to get published sometime. All I need to do is figure out with Steve where to set up my computer. That’s where Studio Recorder is, along with all my pod-safe music and such. So, there will be a 2nd podcast. I want to get it done before work starts on the 19th. As always, I do appreciate the continued saintly forbearance on your part.

These days running up to my job have been relaxing. I’ve been slowly unpacking my stuff and putting it all in place. I’ve been chillin’ with Steve while Laurie was in Utah learning the ropes in her new position as head of states and states full of deaf-people phone stuff. We went for Chinese with Laurie’s parents. I did lots of laundry. Today, I finally did some dishes. I also spent the better part of an hour reconfiguring the cord tangle draped tackily around the entertainment center. Thank you, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, for not bothering to feed the wires through the back of the cabinet when you hooked up my TV. It was great fun disconnecting, feeding through, and reconnecting each individual four-foot cord in and out amongst the digital box, the television, the DVD player and so on so they weren’t all hanging out the front.

Now you know who my real friends are, don’t you? I’ve referenced both the Anti-Christ himself, and You-Know-Who, and I’m not even done with this post.

The most enjoyable aspect of life here so far has been Risen Savior Bible Church. They began as a Bible study out of a local Evangelical-Free church. Not happy with the recent trend toward a Purpose-Driven Church mentality and a growing deemphasis of the Bible taking place in the congregation, — and unable to affect change after months of trying — this group began a Bible study on Sunday nights which is now in the process of becoming a new congregation of its own. I’ve never had the privilege of observing the birth of a new body of believers. It’s a little like walking into an elevator with a bunch of long-lost family members and finding out that you’re all getting off on the same floor, but you don’t know where you’re going after that. So you pray, you read Scripture, you have some refreshments, and you take a vote.

Steve was elected as a deacon, btw, as well as head of the committee to find us a permanent building. Some of the people in the elevator must really have a lot of faith.

I think we’re still technically a Bible study for the next few weeks, although we did get our first piece of church mail this last Sunday. We meet Sunday and Tuesday nights either in someone’s home or in a Baptist church that’s been loaned to us for $50 a month. Right now, it’s quite informal: there’s no written order of service, people speak right out during the message, and there’s plenty of eating and drinking through-out.

The people I’ve met in this baby church have been some of the most gracious, truly genuine Christians I’ve ever met. I knew this right off the first night, when I realized I’d been talking happily with 20 people, and I hadn’t felt one … not even one slight instance of blind burden syndrome or the all-too-common complete invisibility phenomenon. More on the people later, though. I’m still getting to know and love them all.

I guess that’s it for this post. I could write much more, but I’d rather try to fix the TV just now. I kind of sat on the remote and got into a menu or something that’s got it muted. It’s not the mute button though. Could be that it’s just not on speaking terms today. Hmmmmm.

Into the Light

I’ve never had full sight myself — only enough to read very large print and to distinguish faces. I could tell hot from cool colors: I could see detail if a thing was close enough: I could follow the action on TV if I sat close enough to lick the screen. I could describe the houses across the street though, and I had depth perception, so to my thinking, I had all I needed visually.

But after losing the last of my sight at 14, I often find myself wondering … What if I could have it all back? And what if I could have all of it — 20-20 vision?

I’m happy how I am now, but if the chance ever comes, would I take it? Would I be able to deal with it? Would it overwhelm me? See — never having full sight, I know there’d be so much to learn! It would take courage.

Julia posted this article about someone with that kind of courage and more.