Last night was the night. I did the panel discussion for my friend whom used to be my boss here at this office, making yesterday a super long day for me. Not only was yesterday a long day but it was also a busy day. Chapman and I got steady calls all day long, even after Chapman left the area the calls kept methodically coming in. And I apologize for not updating the blog sooner but this has been another one of those weeks. I have to admit I have been critical of blogs which post once or twice a week but now I better understand why there are delays.
I had heard rumblings there was going to be some sort of food products served at the event last night. I mean the event was not to start until 7:00 and shut the office down at 6:00—so conceivably, I could have attacked a fast food place or even something Squaters or a new Chinese place I passed on the way over to the theater. I could not get hold of the boss so I figured I would just get over to the Rose Wagner Theater and hope for the best.
Dianne and I have been to the “Rose” once a couple of years ago and it really is a nice facility but I found a bench of disabled guys in the hallway and decided I would hand with them after I cased the joint, hit the john and basically got ready to go on. Which means at five minutes to seven I have myself locked away in a bathroom trying to squeeze what little urine I can out of my microscopic bladder in a desperate attempt to be urge free while sitting in font a hundred or some people trying to make sense every time I open my mouth. Born Freak’s running is fifty minutes and sitting through the documentary about disability and the American freak, a second time was a good foundation for the rest of the night.
I don’t know if it was the wound on my butt which was acting up after sitting in my power chair since 0545 yesterday morning; or maybe that fact I had not had any dinner or the fact that it was turning into an awfully long day and I needed a lot more water in the old radiator then I had, but I was beginning to feel just a little snarky, And over all I was on pretty good behavior. But when this blind women on the third row started a five minute ramble about while people who are blind need special considerations like the school for the blind, specialized tax breaks and transportation my snarkiness started showing. I excused myself by blaming my remarks on my Independent Living history and my belief in full inclusion and death to any type of segragationistic education or life styles of any kind. I was tired and I was sore and I did not want to beat up this misguided, middle aged blindee ; luckily Cathy sensed the drama beginning to unfold and basically brought the duke out to a close by asking another question and another distancing the panel further and further from the misguided blind consumer.
Following about twenty minutes of health question interaction Cathy ended the evening, which was kinda of bad sense the quality of the questions were good and the panel was getting a second wind but the hour was late and I still had miles to go, on public transit before I slept. After the brief encounter with Miss Blindee she sat on her bleacher, arms folded across her chest and glared at me like a character from a Stephen King novel. I even thought about going up to her and trying to difuse her but after panel finger food were served, raw veggies, Quesada’s, potstickers, dainty cucumber sandwiches and two bunches of grapes, green and red . The panel was expected to mingle which we did I got button holed byna couple of long talkers and the last I saw Miss blindee was being escorted to her very private (para-transit) blind bus. What a Blind American Princess.
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