The Life and Times of Me

Hi everyone and welcome to all. I hope this finds everyone well and behaving themselves. Well...I'm guessing most of us know who is *not* behaving himself? That's absolutely correct, our dear asshole-in-chief! The one who has returned to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for his second--and hopefully final--term. I'm hoping and praying he actually gets impeached and literally thrown out on his not-sorry ass, but perhaps that's just me. After all, I'm a nice guy who cares and I think people know that by now.





It's been a few weeks, so I think some updates are in order. First off, I've been using my free eReader a bit more. Ya know, the one from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. I've not used it yet to read any material from BARD, BookShare or NFB Newsline but those accounts are configured on there. I have however, used the device as a Braille display alongside my trusty MacBook Air and I'm starting to use them together. I'm happy to report that the device works well, and apparently I got lucky because the other brand of eReaders which were sent out by the National Library Service have a lot of problems. At least this is what I've read. This other company is one which I'd never even heard of before, so I therefore cannot comment further. But the HumanWare devices seem to be doing the trick for me and the other patrons who received them. The other thing about my eReader is that I can have it work in English Braille American Edition as well as the new Braille code. This is a big plus, since I grew up on EBAE and have yet to learn the new code. But there appears to be information online concerning the new code, so that's going to come in handy.





I started attending a Friday-morning Bible study with a neighbor at his church. It's a lot of fun. This is my first Bible study in years. I'm currently not able to follow along with them unless this neighbor reads me the passages, but I found an online resource that appears to be very usable and accessible. I'd like to thank Richard Turner for including a link to this resource on his website. Those who want to can check him out at http://www.turner42.com , and the Bible resource is at http://www.optasiaministry.org . It seems to be a lending library with a ton of Bibles as well as various Biblical reference material. I've tried out Blue Letter Bible and YouVersion, but the Optasia Ministry seems to better fit the bill for me.





Finally, I'd like to inform readers that I'm having a medical procedure done next month, so you might not hear from me again until after that is complete and I've healed up. It is an out-patient procedure though, and the surgeon who is performing it did a hernia repair on me several years ago. He was trained by none other than my father, and is very good. So in the meantime take care all, and stay out of trouble.

Yes indeed, it was 34 years ago today that the Americans with Disabilities Act became law. I don't have too much time to devote to this, but we've sure come a long way and still have a long way to go. By now you've all no doubt gained somewhat of an understanding of personal experiences on the matter. But what I will say is that now is most certainly a good time to be visually impaired. I suppose that now is also a good time to be hearing impaired, but I don't yet have enough experience to make a definitive statement like that. I am very impressed though with my hearing aids. My father brought by some cleaning supplies for the hearing aids, which seems to help out. I more or less have yet to find an accessible user guide for them, although Apple seems to have an entire page or 3 on their website which is dedicated to made-for-iPhone hearing aids. I don't know whether others are discussed or if other types even exist.

I know I said I wasn't going to post here regularly anymore, but my wi-fi's been having an emotional roller coaster all week and it seems better today. No comments please.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all! I'd like to take this time to honor our former President--not Biden--for being a total dumbass. Here's hoping he'll remain an ex-President! Not Obama either, but the one and only dumb-ass President there is.

Hi everyone. Yes indeed, not much time again this week. But it's been yet another good one here. Last night I went out to dinner with a neighbor and it was very tasty. We went to a local place just down the road a bit, and then came back here for a Bible study via Zoom.





So with that in mind, May the 4th/4ce be with y'all!

Hi everybody and welcome back to Friday. I hope y'all are doing well, and have had a good week. Good, me too.







I got to watch Monday's eclipse, and it was very cool. I'd like to sincerely thank everybody involved with the Eclipse Soundscapes Project for doing an outstanding job. I did in fact use their app, and was able to gain a lot of information. But I later found out via the good folks over at AppleVis, that Microsoft Seeing AI is also good for viewing--or in my case hearing--these eclipses. I thought this might be the case, so when the next eclipse comes to the United States I'm utilizing Seeing AI's light channel.





Well everyone, I'm afraid that's going to have to do it for another week. I will of course right again next week. Until then, please wear those seat belts!

Hi again everybody and welcome to the last Friday in March. This will have to be another quick one. I'd like to wish those who celebrate it, a most happy and safe Easter weekend. I am traveling this weekend, but will be back next week so until then you know the deal.

Hi everyone and welcome back to Friday. To the Irish among the crowd, happy and blessed Saint Patrick's Day/month! I'm not Irish, but I have friends/neighbors who are and they've been celebrating. I do very much like Irish music though, and just this week a neighbor gave me a liter of Green River to drink in celebration. Additionally, at the end of last week's fundraiser an Irish drinking song was performed. I don't know how much money was raised, but I'm happy to report that the evening was a lot of fun.





Aside from that, my week has been very good. Yesterday I got to meet the brand-new program director at Center for Independent Futures. I think we have another keeper.





Well...I think that is all for right now. As always though, do take care and don't drink while driving!

Hello everyone and welcome back to Friday. I hope y'all are well and staying out of trouble. Good, me too. At least I'm trying to do that. Another standard week here at the pad.





March is upon us, and ya know what that means? For one thing, it means hopefully *permanent* warming temps. Chicago is--as always--just a bit wonky in the weather department. But that's okay.





March Madness is also coming around the bend though. I tried to participate once, courtesy of the accessible bracket at https://www.terrillthompson.com . But I apparently screwed up a bit, lol. The bracket is still up there, but is no longer going to be active because he has stopped doing it. There is a blog post on his site though explaining everything. I might try my hand at the Yahoo Fantasy tournament, but not sure on that one. Additionally, I'm going to try and keep tabs on the tournament via Apple's new sports app. Sports is admittedly not exactly my thing, but we shall see what happens.





Well...it looks like that'll have to do it for another week. I'm off to have breakfast and then do a bit in the psychology course which I just started, or perhaps the other way 'round. So until next week, you know what to do!

Hi all and welcome back to Friday. Yes indeed, I've some technology news to share with y'all. But before doing that, I want to wish y'all who celebrate it, a happy belated Valentine's Day. Perhaps one of these years I'll get one of my own, but for now I'm still living the bachelor life and to be honest that's most probably how it'll remain. But who knows? I'm expecting a package today from my mother.





And now onto the technology news I promised I'd share. Drumroll please! On Monday I got a new iPhone. But I'm not saying goodbye to my iPhone 7 just yet. My dad and I went up the street earlier this week to an AT&T store to see about getting me a new phone. The representative with whom we chatted was wonderful, and I walked out of there with a shiny new iPhone 14 after a bit of friendly banter. The data transfer was done in the store, as well as all necessary updates and what not. Then my dad dropped me off back here and we went our separate ways.





I'm liking this phone thus far. Life without a home button is taking a bit of adjustment, but it's not bad at all and Apple isn't going to hell in a handbasket. The whole world might be going to hell in a handbasket, but that's another story.. As a matter of fact, I just listened to a good demonstration of this courtesy of AppleVis. The demonstration is from a few years ago, but it still seems to be relevant. I will of course continue to explore this and all other features of my new phone.





Well people...that's gonna have to do it for now. I will of course write again next week so as they say, don't touch that dial! Cheers for now.