I Should Have Been Blogging About Freedom Fridays

You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free. ~Clarence Darrow

Please consider donating to the 6th Annual Fun*Run for Disability Rights. It's May 1st at Upper Senate Park in Washington DC, the first day of the spring action. Even if it is just $2, all of Maryland ADAPT will be forever grateful. Your money is tax deductible and is split 50/50 between Maryland and National ADAPT.

What does National ADAPT use the money for? Legal fees, hotel rooms, lunch during national actions, copying, bull horns etc. What does Maryland ADAPT use the money for? Pizza and soda, hotel rooms, lots and lots of stamps (surprisingly in 2011 we do a lot of snail mail). If we get enough $ we can apply for federal 501c3 status. The fee is STEEP!

Thanks in advance.

A Quick Wordless Wednesday

Still EXHAUSTED from work, so here's a quick photo post. For some reason my brother wanted me to have a birthday cake at his wedding, so here's the 3elove cake my mom and I designed, complete with handcuffs!

WHAT A WEEK!

My brother got married on Sun, I had a 3 days worth of work trainings the last week in March, I started my work training program Mon, my 26th birthday was Tues & I practically slept through it, I started horseback riding Thurs, and I am EXHAUSTED! So for lack of the ability to write anything, here's a video from the wedding:

My brother's wife is Japanese, her parents don't speak english, and all of a sudden he walks up to the balcony during the last song and takes over! Jason & Megumi unfortunately only caught the last few seconds as they were taking pictures on the moon bounce...

I Should Have Been Blogging About Freedom Fridays

Freedom is, first of all, the chance to formulate the available choices, to argue over them -- and the opportunity to choose. ~C. Wright Mills

Please consider donating to the 6th Annual Fun*Run for Disability Rights. It's May 1st at Upper Senate Park in Washington DC, the first day of the spring action. Even if it is just $2, all of Maryland ADAPT will be forever grateful. Your money is tax deductible and is split 50/50 between Maryland and National ADAPT.

What does National ADAPT use the money for? Legal fees, hotel rooms, lunch during national actions, copying, bull horns etc. What does Maryland ADAPT use the money for? Pizza and soda, hotel rooms, lots and lots of stamps (surprisingly in 2011 we do a lot of snail mail). If we get enough $ we can apply for federal 501c3 status. The fee is STEEP!

Thanks in advance!

I Should Have Been Blogging a True Story Tuesday

Click on the picture to see the others

In honor of the fact that I have my 1st horseback riding lesson in 2 days, a horsey story:

When I was 5, almost 6, I had my 1st major surgery. I was in a camouflage body cast, as it was 1991, 1st gulf war era, and I can't remember if I ever mentioned that my brother and I were into playing army with our grandpa, who was a WWII vet. But that's neither here nor there.

This story comes after my surgery, when I did a crazy amount of rehab. 12hrs of PT per week, plus my regular hrs of OT & ST. My adductors (inner thigh muscles) have always been and will always be a major area of concern (I'm trying SO HARD not to cross my legs while I am writing this), so I think it was my main PT, but who knows at this point (I was working with 5) who decided to leave this foamish bolster thing (shown right, but without the chain on the end) that she just wanted me to sit on while I was watching TV. Just so I'd get some kind of passive stretch.

But I would have none of it. They wanted me to do more?!?! If I was a little older at the time I would have said,

"HELL NO! LEAVE ME ALONE AND GET THAT DAMN THING AWAY FROM ME!"

Or something like that. Nevermind my parents pleaded with me and tried to reason with me, telling me that she just wanted me to practice so that when my trainer was back in town and my Dr said I could go riding again, I could go riding again. They tried to convince me that if I didn't sit on the thing I wouldn't be able to get on a pony at all. I was just too smart to fall for that.

In desperation my parents tracked my trainer down and called her at her winter house in Florida. They asked if they could drive over to the barn and borrow my saddle until lessons started up again in the spring. Would she let someone know they were coming by? My grandpa, who became an engineer after his stint in the army and loved to build things, came down from New Jersey and built me a sawhorse. If you don't know what a sawhorse is, they look pretty much like the picture to the left. My saddle was perched on top, and somewhere in my parents' basement there are pictures of me sitting on it in the living room watching TV with a big smile on my face.

While I only vaguely remember this, I do remember the excitement of having my saddle in my house! *Squeal of joy* My parents had decided to surprise me! I also remember the first time I got back to the barn that spring, and before I was allowed to get near a pony my trainer made me prove to her that I would in fact be able to get on, and then made a huge deal out of it!

[OK, just noticed all of my TST posts have to do with surgery. There's something wrong with that]

I Should Have Been Blogging About Freedom Fridays

There is no such thing as a little freedom. Either you are all free, or you are not free. ~Walter Cronkite

Please consider donating to the 6th Annual Fun*Run for Disability Rights. It's May 1st at Upper Senate Park in Washington DC, the first day of the spring action. Even if it is just $2, all of Maryland ADAPT will be forever grateful. Your money is tax deductible and is split 50/50 between Maryland and National ADAPT.

What does National ADAPT use the money for? Legal fees, hotel rooms, lunch during national actions, copying, bull horns etc. What does Maryland ADAPT use the money for? Pizza and soda, hotel rooms, lots and lots of stamps (surprisingly in 2011 we do a lot of snail mail). If we get enough $ we can apply for federal 501c3 status. The fee is STEEP!

Thanks in advance!

[photo credit Tom Olin]

I Should Have Been Blogging About Child Life Month

Did you ever think you could cook while you were hooked up to dialysis? And why don't they do this with adults too? Everyone needs help it seems, learning a "kidney diet."

Click on the CL Month tag below to see all the videos from this and last year.

I Should Have Been Blogging About Freedom Fridays

Here's some food for thought

Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fires, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part to us do they? ~George Carlin

Please consider donating to the 6th Annual Fun*Run for Disability Rights. It's May 1st at Upper Senate Park in Washington DC, the first day of the spring action. Even if it is just $2, all of Maryland ADAPT will be forever grateful. Your money is tax deductible and is split 50/50 between Maryland and National ADAPT.

What does National ADAPT use the money for? Legal fees, hotel rooms, lunch during national actions, copying, bull horns etc. What does Maryland ADAPT use the money for? Pizza and soda, hotel rooms, lots and lots of stamps (surprisingly in 2011 we do a lot of snail mail). If we get enough $ we can apply for federal 501c3 status. The fee is STEEP!

Thanks in advance. You can donate til June!

Next White House Disability Call

The next call will be held on Thursday, March 31 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. It will feature remarks from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and include introductions to other Obama Administration personnel.

Details for the call are as follows:

Dial in for listeners: United States: (800) 230-1059

Title: White House Disability Call (use instead of code)

For live captioning during the call, go to

http://www.fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=1734047&CustomerID=321.

Those interested in participating in the call are encouraged to call in at least five minutes prior to its start. This call is off the record and not for press purposes.

If you would like to be added to the White House Disability Group email distribution list, please email sfeuerstein@who.eop.gov and provide your name, email address, city, state and organization (if applicable).

Please let others know about this call so that they may participate.

I Should Have Been Blogging About Child Life Month

Child Life Specialists discuss CaringBridge. Click on the CL Month tag below to see all the videos from this and last year.

I Should Have Been Posting An Update on Finding a PA

It has been 3 weeks since there has been an update, and in that time, NOTHING has happened. I still don't have anyone. When I discussed the idea of classified ads with my mom, she thought it was a good idea, but when I told her how much they'd cost (you run them more then once of course) she kind of blew me off, told me she'd get back to me later, and I'm still waiting. I could just do it, I'm 26 years old (practically, 2.5 weeks away!), I don't need mommy's permission to decide if I think it's safe or not, but it's a $$$ thing.

In other news, a guy from my support group has offered to drive me for free. So I guess I can't say nothing happened. I'm inclined to take him up on it, but on the other hand I don't really know him all that well. He's just started coming. Yes, I know if I hire someone from an ad I place I won't know them at all, but that is clearly a business relationship. This, I am not so sure. He says he's not in school at the moment (he's college age), and not working, and bored, but I think he has a thing for me. When I discussed this with one of the group facilitators, whom I have known almost 2 years, he said that he thought he was just being nice, and is bored, and he doesn't think he has a thing for me. I should do what I feel comfortable doing.

It'll certainly save me the classifieds fees, although I won't allow him to drive me for free. It's aprox 40mi round trip and I assume 2.5-3hrs of his time and gas is well over $3/gal

[this picture of me and Cadance the horse is 3 years old, not new]

I Should Have Been Posting This Video

Yes, that's ME! Why do my eyes keep darting around? And where can I get that photo of me at 3:07? Self-centered tangent, I know, but what a GREAT profile pic that would be...

This video was recorded outside the Baltimore City Public Schools headquarters at a pro-Wisconsin MoveOn rally. I went because I told a friend I didn't want to schlep down there, but I'd go if she went. She said she'd only schlep down there if I went. She canceled on me at the last minute, when it was too late to change my paratransit ride. A frustrating day, but worth it I guess, now that I've seen this.

There was a guy off to the side interviewing people after it was over, and since I've joined ADAPT I can't pass by a camera and pass up a chance to spread our message (sounds like I'm a missionary, doesn't it? That's not how I mean it). So I rolled over and this guy asked me one simple question. "Why are you here?" It turned into this.

Two things that bug me: 1) I call ADAPT a "cross disability rights coalition." I meant to say organization, but I used to belong to a Maryland statewide group, the Cross Disability Rights Coalition, so I say "cross disability rights" and my brain goes straight to coalition automatically. Oh well.

2) I keep talking about "taking money away from vulnerable individuals." Really? PWDs are vulnerable? Don't call ME vulnerable. I can't believe I spread such ableism. Please forgive me. I was thinking on my feet (so to speak, I was sitting, haha), but there had to have been a better way to explain the urgency of getting the bill passed.

Overall though, I think I did a great job.

I Should Have Been Blogging About Child Life Month

Here's one about yoga. Click on the CL Month tag below to see all the videos from this and last year.

This Has Nothing to do With This Blog

I got it in a chain email, and I thought it was important, especially since I'm going to be traveling more as part of ADAPT

You arrive at your hotel and check in at the front desk. When checking in, you give the front desk your credit card (for all the charges for your room). You get to your room and settle in.

Someone calls the front desk and asked for (example) Room 620 (which happens to be your room). Your phone rings in your room. You answer and the person on the other end says the following, 'This is the front desk. When checking in, we came cross a problem with your charge card information. Please re-read me your credit card number and verify the last 3 digits numbers at the reverse side of your charge card.'

Not thinking anything you might give this person your information, since the call seems to come from the front desk. But actually, it is a scam of someone calling from outside the hotel/front desk.They ask for a random room number. Then, ask you for credit card information and address information. Sounding so professional that you do think you are talking to the front desk.

If you ever encounter this problem on your vacation, tell the caller that you will be down at the front desk to clear up any problems... Then, go to the front desk and ask if there was a problem. If there was none, inform the manager of the hotel that someone called to scam you of your credit card information acting like a front desk employee.

This was sent by someone who has been duped........and is still clearing up the mess....

P.S. Please everyone, help spread the word by forwarding this email to everyone you know.. Who knows, you might just help someone avoid a nasty experience.

ANYONE travelling should be aware of this one!

What NOT to Blog About

If I was writing the blog post I've been dying to write, it'd be titled "The Benefits of Masturbation." And it'd be a very candid post, because there are several IMHO. But I won't ever be writing that post. I can't ever write that post, however much I'm dying to do so. Potential employers might read this blog and that's just too personal. As hard as I've tried not to mention my last name (ever), if you google me, you'll find it. You might say "but you write about sex a decent amount of time." Which is true, but I don't write about my sex life (because it's non-existent), but rather if you notice my posts are more about relationship dynamics as a person with a physical disability. I'm kissing the "appropriate" line (pun intended), but masturbation is crossing it.

However, I'm hoping this post might generate many comments and we can start an honest conversation without me revealing too much. Or someone might let me guest post on their blog completely anonymously. I can't wait to see what comes up, and I can't wait to see what google search terms lead people to this post.