A Baseball Post
Being stuck at home most of the time now, I watch a lot more TV than I used to. Thanks to my parents I have this nice big screen TV to watch and one thing that provides me a little sanity is the Atlanta Braves. I haven’t missed many games this year. If you aren’t a baseball fan you may want to skip this post because it is a baseball rant.
Everyone gets frustrated at umpires from time to time but they mostly do a good job. But sometimes they screw up so badly you just want to scream.
Such was the case the other night in game two of the Braves – Brewers series.
In game one of that series Tommy Hanson hit Prince Fielder with a pitch and Fielder was obviously angry as he headed to first base. He glared at Hanson all the way down the line.
Now Hanson has hit more batters this year than just about anyone because he likes to come in on hitters. And Fielder is just the type of hitter a pitcher needs to come inside on. This is just part of the game. It was not an intentional hit batsman.
Now to game two. Late in the game Jonny Venters came on in relief and Fielder was the first batter he faced. His first pitch sailed over Fielder’s head, which isn’t too unusual for Venters. He can be a little wild the first few pitches. Here’s where the problem comes in.
The umpire immediately issued a warning to the Braves, which was totally unnecessary and uncalled for. Then, on the very next pitch, Venters attempted to go inside and managed to hit Fielder. The result, in addition to Fielder going to first base, was the immediate ejection from the game of both Bobby Cox and Jonny Venters.
Now I admit that it didn’t look good but the question is, was there any reason for Venters to be intentionally throwing at Fielder in the first place and the and the answer is no. I think everyone would agree that we don’t need teams retaliating against each other for perceived offenses and I understand why this warning rule is in place. But the problem is, umpires have to try and determine intent and they simply can’t.
But this story gets even worse. That night a Brewers pitcher was also warned, then a Braves batter hit and no ejection resulted! And finally, Bobby Cox was suspended for one game, which he served last night, and Jonny Venters was suspended for four games, which he is appealing.
Thankfully none of this has hurt the Braves in terms of win-loss record, at least so far. The Braves won last night without Bobby Cox in the dugout. Venters did contribute to the win last night since his suspension is on hold pending the appeal.
But the fact is, this was nothing like a just action and clearly it was applied unequally between the Braves and the Brewers. I personally believe the warning against the Brewers was also unwarranted but it was issued and no ejection resulted when Braves batter was hit. Something is just fundamentally wrong with this whole situation specifically and with the rule as written in general. Umpires cannot be expected to decide what a pitcher is thinking in the absence of clear evidence of that thinking and the simple fact that a batter was hit is NOT evidence of anything except that the ball got away from the pitcher. It is not, in and of itself, evidence or intent.
I have no idea whether Venters suspension will be lessened or overturned but four games is just way to much. I hope Major League Baseball will correct this injustice.
Print This Post
Tags: Atlanta Braves, baseball, Bobby Cox, Jonny Venters, suspension, umpiresA Little More Boredom Please
For the past month or so I’ve had off again, on again pain in my right hip. At times it’s been pretty severe and I wasn’t sure whether I actually had a hip problem or a sciatic nerve problem. I wasn’t too worried about it because it had pretty much gone away when it came back with a vengeance early last week, leaving me almost immobile at one point. So I made an appointment with the doctor for last Tuesday afternoon.
On Tuesday morning I was out with the IT company I’m turning my clients over to, showing them around one of my client locations. The pain in my hip was bearable so long as I walked slowly and didn’t make any sudden mover. I took them down a dark hallway to where a couple of computers were located, then turned right, through a door and up a short set of steps. At the top of the steps the world fell away.
There was a removable floor panel for access to subfloor wiring that someone left open and I went right through it. The first thing I can remember was an inability breathe which caused me to believe I had cracked ribs. The guys kept asking if I was okay but I couldn’t answer them because I couldn’t take a breath. After a few moments I managed to get a breath and tell them I was feeling better, then I passed out.
Apparently I was only out for maybe 30 seconds and when I came to, I was able to breathe and I wasn’t really in much pain at all. The guys helped me out of the hole and I sat down to gather my wits. At that point I thought I was okay except for sweating profusely because there was no air conditioning on in the room and it was very hot.
I ended up going back to the offices to cool off, where I ended up discovering I had indeed cracked ribs under my right arm. It took me probably half an hour to really recover but it seemed I was not seriously injured and I had a doctor’s appointment that afternoon anyway. What was really interesting was that within an hour of the accident my right hip was feeling much better. I’m about half convinced that the fall caused the sciatic nerve problem to be relieved.
At the doctor’s office I confirmed that the hip problem was indeed a sciatic nerve problem. I also confirmed that I had cracked ribs, which has been a lot of fun to deal with since.
All in all I did not have a particularly good week last week but I think the fall may have been worth it if it really did resolve the sciatic nerve issue.
For the most part I’m not in a lot of pain. Sitting is virtually painless but getting up and down is a slow process to minimize the pain involved. Of course, coughing, sneezing or laughing is a problem because each causes excruciating pain for a minute or two. So I really try to avoid any of those things so far as possible.
Perhaps I’m the victim of the Chinese curse, “may you live in interesting times.”Over all I’m just about ready to stop having things happen to me. While I’ve had some problems with boredom since the vision problems began, I think a little boredom may be just what I need for a while.
Print This Post
Tags: accidents, cracked ribs, fallNew Ideas
I wrote, a few posts back, about my experience with the lady from the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and how she basically accused me of being in denial. As time passes and I’m forced to face my limitations I find that she may have been right.
I’ve been convinced that I could still make a living on the computer doing things like WordPress design. I expected I’d have to learn some new skills but I saw that as just another hurdle. I’m finally beginning to realize that my vision simply isn’t going to allow me to do that. But I can’t see myself as a couch potato for the rest of my life so what to do?
One of my frustrations has been the cost of so much assistive technology for people with low vision or blindness. I’m convinced that the reason for some of the exorbitant prices is that in so many cased the end user isn’t paying for it, the government is. While that is a blessing for those who qualify, it removes the marketplace from the price equation, resulting in much higher prices. It’s the same problem we face with medicine as a while.
An example of what I’m talking about is a little program called ZoomText. ZoomText is a very nice little program that makes it much easier for the vision impaired to read on a computer. The problem is this little program costs as much as Microsoft Office or an iPad. It’s $500! If the actual market was dictating the price of this program it would likely be closer to $50 but the market is not setting the price.
ZoomText is just one example among many. For those who are not legally blind and therefore do not qualify for assistance, technology like ZoomText is simply out of reach.
So I’ve been thinking about what could be done.
I’m considering starting a non-profit to deal with this problem. The initial goal would be to raise enough money to hire a contract programmer or two to write a program to compete with ZoomText. As that grew we’d branch out into other areas of need. For example, smart phones are notoriously difficult for the vision impaired or those with low vision to use. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some apps to deal with that problem?
I see a real need here and no one is filling that need. Every agency or group I’ve found that deals with this stuff seems unable to provide any assistance unless you are legally blind. But a whole host of people are not legally blind, yet find it extremely difficult to read. And those without vision problems simply do not grasp just how basic to everyday life reading is. I’m learning that first hand and I want to do something about it.
So if you’re reading this and have ideas, suggestions, know anything about starting a non-profit or in any way want to help out, just leave a comment here. I think this is doable and very much worth doing. What are your thoughts?
Print This Post
Tags: low vision, non-profit, vision impairedA Blind Man’s Car
One of the hardest adjustments I’ve had to make is the loss of my independence because I can no longer drive. I haven’t given up my license yet because of my hope that something might change but that’s a pretty slim hope at best. Then there’s my car.
I have an SUV that I used in my business. My wife drives a car. I’ve argued that we need to keep the SUV for when we travel. We have a dog that usually goes with us and she’s not a small dog either at 50 pounds. Traveling is much easier with the SUV.
Then there’s the MUCH nicer stereo in the SUV that I don’t want to give up on trips. But my wife is reasonably arguing that we need the money we’d get from selling the SUV, not to mention the savings on insurance. So I guess I’m going to be saying goodbye to the car I’ve driven since 2004. Just one more casualty of vision loss I guess.
I don’t mean to sound whiny but this is all very hard!
Print This Post
Tags: blindness, car, Disability, drivingAssumptions and Conclusions
While I’ve had a few down days. I think I’ve generally handled this whole blindness thing pretty well. Others seem to think so too, if their reactions to my reaction are any indication.
I seem to get one of two responses. The more prevalent response is amazement at how well I’m dealing with it. Some folks act as if I’m some kind of spiritual giant because I’ve chosen to trust that God knows what He’s doing rather than collapse into a useless heap. My response to that is pretty simple. The route I’ve chosen appears to me to be far superior to any other option available to me. Sitting in the corner in the fetal position just isn’t very appealing. And the fact that God has carried us through many crises in the pas and always been faithful to provide for us makes it almost easy for me, along with my wife, to trust Him. That doesn’t make me any kind of giant.
The second, less common response seems to be a belief that it’s not really all that bad to begin with. After all, if it was I’d be a basket case. This response mystifies me. I’m legally blind and I had relatively normal vision just a few months ago. I’ve lost my business, my ability to drive and my general independence. From my perspective that’s pretty bad.
With the right perspective, of course, it isn’t nearly as bad as it could be and it certainly isn’t as bad as many others have it. And from that perspective I actually feel blessed! After all, while I’m legally blind, I’m not completely blind. I can see well enough to walk around, cook a meal or work in the garden. I need some help sometimes but I’m not helpless.
Just a few days ago I was doing the intake interview with the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. The lady doing the interview seemedalmost incredulous that I wasn’t acting blind. She was talking about me having to learn to use the white cane! I can assure you that I don’t need the white cane. Maybe I will one day but not today. She acted as if I was somehow in denial about my disability! That was the last response I would have expected from someone whose job it is to assist someone like me.
So this new journey continues to provide me with one surprise after another. Some of them are more welcome than others but all have to be faced and dealt with and with my wonderful wife at my side, I will do just that.
Print This Post
Tags: blindmessBlogging Blind
Blogging while legally blind presents some interesting challenges. Generally speaking it is relatively easy to control the size of things in a browser. In WordPress, however, when you make things too big on the post editing page, the text area goes under the sidebar controls, making it impossible to see some of what you’re writing. If I make the text small enough so that doesn’t happen, it is too small for me to easily see. This, to say the least, a problem.
I’m experimenting again with Windows Live Writer in the hope that it will solve my problem. I’m writing this post with it but so far I have not found a way to make the text bigger and I can just barely read it on this 47″ screen.
If anyone is aware of a blog writing/editing tool that helps the visually impaired, by all means, please let me know about it.
Print This Post
Tags: Blogging, text editing, vision impairedTypos and Other Vision Related Issues
Typos are an ever present reality for anyone who writes. But when your ability to proofread is compromised by a visual disability the problem can become unmanageable. For example, the squiggly lines under misspelled words are virtually invisible to me so I don’t have the visual clue others have. My best resource is to have my wonderful wife do my proofreading. Of course, I tend to want to post when I’m through writing and that doesn’t work if I have to wait for someone to proofread my copy. And if I save as a draft I have to remember to ask her to proofread when she’s available. There are just so many things that change when you can’t see.
Another example of the changing reality is trying to follow package directions on food. I keep a large magnifier in the kitchen for reading package directions. The problem is, so many food labels are printrf with very poor contrast. Like whitr trxt on an orange background. I can’t make that our no matter how much I magnify it. So I end up calling my wife to the kitchen to read it to me. It’s really very frustrating. I know that food companies aren’t just messing with the vision impaired but they aren’t exactly thinking about us either.
I remember reading several years ago about standards for web design that make reading web pages much easier for the visually impaired. The problem is, no one thinks about it unless they or someone they are close to is actually visually impaired. There have been moves to address the problem but so far as I can tell, none have met with much success.
So if you’re reading this and you have a web site or you are in any way involved in producing any kind of copy intended for wide consumption, please give so thought to those of us who struggle to read what you write.
Note: Please excuse any typos you may find in this post.
Print This Post
Tags: blindmess, food packaging, visually impaired, web design, writingTaking Care of Business
One of my big concerns brought on my the fact that I can no longer provide IT services to my clients is, who will take care of my clients? Most all of them have become my friends. They are like family to me.
I’m trying to work out something with another local IT company. They are small, only two guys, and they seem to have the same philosophy I do when it comes to taking care of their clients. They also charge the same rate I do, which helps.
I’m having lunch with these guys today to work out some details but it looks like this may be a good fit to ensure my clients aren’t just left to figure things out on their own. If it works out it will lift a burden from my shoulders.
Print This Post
Tags: business, Disability, ITUpdate
It seems like I can’t manage to be consistent with this blog no matter what I do. But here’s another update.
We’ve filed the Social Security Disability applicaiton and need to submit the documentation but we’re stuck because our accountant still has not got our taxes completed and he’s on vacation now. On top of that, Social Security show me not making ANY income for the last two years, which is clearly wrong! This is a real problem because the amount they pay is based on my income.
I have an appointment with someone from the South Carolina Commission for the blind today at 2:00. It’s just for the intake interview so nothing will happen today but the hope is I’ll get some assistance with some assistive technology to make me more able to work and earn an income. Since I’ve become legally blind I am no longer able to run my business which has drastically cut our income.
Print This Post
Tags: blind, Disability, social securityMore Struggles
This has not been a good month. Readers of this blog are aware of the vision problems I’ve had. Now I’ve had a second stroke of the left optic nerve that has left me legally blind. I am not completely blind. I can walk around the house, work in the garden or cook a meal. What I cannot do is drive or continue my IT business. Working on the computer is quite difficult.
I’m hoping that I can find appropriate assistive technology that will allow me to at least continue using my computer without too much difficulty. Writing this post, for example, is taking considerable effort and proofreading it is near impossible at present.
I don’t mind admitting that I’ve had some pretty down moments so far and I anticipate more of those. This is a daunting challenge. But I remain convinced that God has something good for me, though it may not look good to me. I trust that He is in control and He knows what He is doing.
Print This Post
Next Page »
