Kathie and I walked one route in the morning yesterday and had a visitor in the afternoon. My uncle took a video of us while he was here so that our friends could see her doing a tiny bit of work. Mostly they will see her hamming it up for the camera when he tries […]
a little good ribbing
Our route today is four blocks long, then we turn left, repeat the four blocks, turn left, come back around the one block, turn left again, and go about halfway down the first block to the training center. It is not a hard route, but I developed some strategies to remember the names of the […]
day 5
Kathie and I are now in the phase of training in which we walk routes in a downtown area with various kinds of intersections. Some are controlled by lights, some by stop signs at one corner, and some by four-way stop. I make traffic judgments at all these intersections, and Kathie negotiates the traffic so […]
day 4: walks and Kathie’s picture
I was tired last night and more interested in posting details than figuring out how to post a pic, so I guess you all got to experience meeting a dog the way that I do: finding out that she has lots of personality and is very fluffy. Now I will post a picture and put […]
day 3: She’s here!
I’m rather tired today… This morning I stood around in the hallway with some other residents, eavesdropping while instructors called people to the lounge to present dogs. We had to skittle back into our rooms when our friends brought their dogs down the hall to their rooms; but I felt so mischievous and “bad” sitting […]
day 2, evening
First things first: the food… Breakfast was waffles with blueberry sauce and bacon and coffee. I’ll just say right now that copious amounts of coffee were consumed today along with much water for keeping cool and hydrated. Lunch was a delicious black bean burrito and vegetarian tortilla soup. I hit on a great idea of […]
day 2, morning
I’ll be on the lookout for naptimes today. I did not sleep enough last night! For most people, traveling with dog is a choice–a choice that we guard very jealously because it offers very important advantages, but it is still a choice. For me, the choice comes at a price–I am rather strongly allertic to […]
dog number 5: first day
Let the adventure begin… The airport trip was uneventful. I was hoping to get a nice, chatty seatmate on my flight. I’m sorry to report that I never even learned my seatmate’s name. The person was silent as could possibly be. I, consequently, fell asleep. I didn’t even apologize for snoring. It was not a […]
where joy and sorrow meet
There is a stone in my purse–a round, smooth stone. I received it on June 10, 2007, when I attended the last service in the old North Anderson Church of God building with my new dog guide, Loretta. Every once in a while, I take the stone out and hold it and remember the truth […]
a note from the chair in the back room
My Facebook posts often say something to the effect of, “Editing Hebrew with some coffee and a purring cat in the chair in the back room…” I thought it might be about time that I gave my readers a glimpse into my Hebrew editing life. I hope that my Hebrew colleagues will indulge me a […]
Does it have a name?
I am very blessed to have friends in my life who have been puppy raisers. One of them attends my church; and many of her puppies have been golden retrievers. When I began attending church at Park Place, several people asked me if my dog was one of Mary’s dogs. This post began as a […]
IPhone Schmiphone?
Last week, Kevin and I helped a friend set up her account on ITunes. I needed his help because while our friend and I are both users of Voiceover )the feature that makes the IPhone speak), we don’t use it in the same way. He uses it in much the same way that she does. […]
Why did we choose marriage?
Kevin and I have a cute little table for two in our kitchen. It was a housewarming gift from my parents; and it has become our primary eating place when we do not have company. We also enjoy our morning coffee and our evening snack there. Sometimes during our table time, we listen to a […]
the dark cloud of limitations
Several years ago, I participated in a guided dialogue via email with a group of people with disabilities. One of our earliest assignments was to describe ourselves in terms of our limitations. Our facilitator said that typically people have difficulty with this assignment; and throughout the time that I knew him, he maintained that he […]
honor your vows with words
As I was passing by my husband’s desk this morning, he commented that a Facebook friend of his had posted something entitled “ten ways your husband is like a child”. We glanced over it together, and I had some thoughts in response. I thought I would post them since I often hear general comments of […]
We couldn’t quite wait for Valentine’s Day… What is M&Ms doing to us?
One agreement Kevin and I made was that we would not make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day. It would be a fun day that we shared with each other with a dinner that we both enjoyed. We would perhaps get each other something, but there were no requirements about flowers or big gifts. […]
thoughts on the spoon theory
A few years ago, a friend introduced me to a brilliant piece of writing, The Spoon Theory. At the time, I was a seminary student and had been recently diagnosed with an undifferentiated condition related to rheumatoid arthritis. I read the article and breathed a nice, deep sigh of relief. Somebody had figured out how […]
Amazon shopathon
Recently I had a conversation with a friend about the fact that Kevin and I buy a lot of our basic household cleaners and toiletries from Amazon.com. My friend said, “I thought Amazon was just for books!”‘ Indeed, it started out that way; but it would not have succeeded if it had stayed that way. […]
review of Black and Decker EHC650 two-speed food chopper
Kevin and I make almost all of our food from fresh ingredients. That means we spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen, chopping and mixing. We have been on the hunt for tools to make our cooking process a bit easier and faster. This month we bought ourselves a gift with some gift […]
No more egg nog lattes?
Kevin loves egg nog lattes; but we only made it to Starbucks twice during the holiday drink season. Since we have coffee together in the kitchen every morning, I thought I would pick up some egg nog flavored creamer at the store; but we missed the shopping window there as well. As the holiday season […]
marriage tip for rough days
I am writing this afternoon while sitting in the kitchen, where I am watching two pots of food on the stove, Isn’t it interesting to note how life is full of paradoxes? A watched pot never boils, but you should never leave food unattended on the stove. Think on that for a while–but not too […]
new adventures
/I join a number of people this weekend in bidding a very fond farewell to 2012. Fortunately, we did not experience the end of the world, and I look ahead to new adventures! I began my adventures a little early by upgrading from my five-year-old smart phone to an IPhone. I was a bit frightened […]
a unique and truly memorable wedding
A note from Sarah: Kevin and I had several meetings with the pastor in preparation for our wedding, which was scheduled on June 9. We planned initially for the ceremony ot be open to members of our church as well as a number of invited guests from the local community and out of town. We […]
update on move progress
I have not kept good progress notes on the wedding/move process. I guess some things take a bit of a back seat when your life goes to boxing, etc. So here is a quite long overdue update for our family and friends. Kevin and I cleaned and boxed, boxed and cleaned. There were some things […]
taking pictures
Kevin and I spent much of Sunday evening and Monday learning to take pictures. This might seem like a silly project; but he is hoping to sell a couple of pieces of furniture and has not had much luck in getting the pictures taken. So we got very creative and decided to see how well […]
fun on a Sunday afternoon
Today we have finished prepping the space in the main part of the house for use as a staging area for packing. We also went to lunch with my mom’s cousin from Portland. I last saw her in 2009; so it was good to see her again! Believe it or not, I feel like I […]
day 2 in Olympia
Day 2 in Olympia… It is a rather quiet day today. Yesterday we cleaned like crazy people, stirring up all kinds of things and making all things new! It is amazing what two people can do when they put hearts and hands to the task! We are not quite done yet, but it is happening. […]
live from Washington State
I arrived in Olympia yesterday and will spend ten days here. Kevin and I have plans to spend some time with his friends and family, meet one of my cousins from Oregon, and (of course) clean his house and pack up his belongings for shipping and transport to Anderson. We have come up with some […]
Can’t you sing that?
Throughout the Voyager series, the doctor struggles to define his identity and to understand his place within the fabric of social structure. Despite superior knowledge of medicine and skill that rivals any human doctor, he is not considered desirable as a physician or as a friend because of his status as a hologram. The dilemma […]
six month eye follow up
It has been six months since I had a procedure to peel back part of a scar tissue membrane behind the artificial cornea on my right eye. The membrane was blocking all light from getting into the eye, and the hope has been that by peeling part of it back I might be able to […]
“since” vs. “because”
Greek words often have multiple meanings in English. So a clause may be translated either “If [blah blah blah]” or “since [blah blah blah]”. Of course, this distinction is very important when doing biblical translation. But I’m not translating right now. I’m just thinking about life… Think of the difference between saying, “if I am […]
Kevin’s and my thoughts on social relationships
Kevin and I have talked at length about our concerns with regard to getting married. It is very important to both of us that we develop a good social network, both as a couple and individually. We need to balance out the time we spend on our own relationship, time we spend on other relationships, […]
wedding announcement
I have been in a very quiet long-distance relationship for the last three years or so. Kevin and I first knew each other for several years as friends who shared common interest in blindness and advocacy. Over the years, our friendship blossomed and our shared interests grew to include many other things, including our shared […]
Star Trek tear jerkers
I ran across an article this morning by Jordan Hoffman listing his top ten Star Trek tear-jerker moments. They are pretty good, and he invited comments at the end. I decided, instead, to do a series about my own favorite tear-jerkers. It is not So, to get us started…Belle’s death (Voyager, season 3, episode 22In […]
disability awareness in the hospital
I have been in the hospital, getting video EEG monitoring to check for seizure activity. I sprained my ankle on Wednesday, actually as I was leaving my house to come to the hospital. For some people, being in the hospital is a good time to rest and be taken care of. For me, it often […]
narrative preaching about the hemorrhaging woman
When I preached about the woman with the twelve-year hemorrhage, I dramatized… I talked about her going to doctor after doctor, dealing with pain, etc. I said, “I got used to the pain… But I never got used to the aloneness. People stopped coming around because they didn’t want to hear it… I never got […]
disability studies, touch, and theology
I recently read an article in which the author relates an experience in which a male priest makes the sign of the cross on her forehead as he passes her while leaving her niece’s confirmation service. She is offended in part because a man touched her without her permission and in part because she is […]
installing Fine Reader Pro 11
I have been using FineReader Pro for several years. The install interface for FineReader 11 is different from what I recall, so I thought I would write this out in case it might help other people who use it with screen readers. I don’t know how this would compare using Window Eyes.It runs the self-extract […]
SBL/AAR conference experience
The SBL/AAR conference was an extremely positive experience for me. I found some links online to articles for students about how to get the most out of conferences, but I didn’t get much chance to read them ahead of time. So I just threw myself in with abandon and treated it the way I do […]
Loretta’s work in San Francisco
Loretta has outdone herself again! There are six steps leading up out of this gigantic hotel as well as a ramp which is usable but accessible only if you make a detour to the other side of the lobby. The hotel has three towers—we are in tower 3. Well, we went out to meet Lauren, […]
a quote seen on Facebook
The following was posted on Facebook and spoke to me deeply: Go back to the place where, for the time being, the Lord has put you, where He has called you to live your life and do your work in all the trial and difficulty and suffering of it, and do not strain to get […]
nine weeks post-surgery and Loretta’s work in California
I am spending the week in California, first having a little time with friends and then at the annual conference for the Society of Biblical Literature/American Academy of Religion. Being in an area that is not familiar to me is giving me and Loretta a good workout and opportunity to evaluate how we work together […]
nine weeks post-surgery and Loretta’s work in California
I am spending the week in California, first having a little time with friends and then at the annual conference for the Society of Biblical Literature/American Academy of Religion. Being in an area that is not familiar to me is giving me and Loretta a good workout and opportunity to evaluate how we work together […]
recovery day 41
Life is back to some semblance of normal for the most part. I still have pain when my house lights are on all the time. I prefer lamp lighting–it is far, far less intrusive and, surprisingly, gives me enough illumination to locate things I need in my own environment. Interestingly, I am not having the […]
recovery day 28
I am anticipating the next milestone: next week I get to start sleeping on my right side again. It is hard to sleep on one side all night. Truthfully, I have awakened and found myself “on the wrong side” a couple of times. It is amazing what you can program yourself to sense in your […]
recovery day 21
At this point after the 2007 procedure in which a doctor removed this same scar tissue from behind my cornea, I was already noticing decreases in my vision and was very discouraged. Things are definitely better this time. We still wait and see whether it remains stable; but for now I really couldn’t be more […]
recovery day 15
When one goes without sensory stimulation for a long period of time and then the deprived sense is stimulated, it is very overwhelming–I have talked about this in previous notes a bit. When I have read things that doctors and psychologists have written about people who have had their sight restored, some of them indicate […]
recovery day 7
Day 7… I skipped updating yesterday, in which I went to lunch and saw cool whip on top of my capuccino. It overflowed the drink, and I had to avoid the temptation to play while spooning it off. Then there was the ice in my water glass… Oh, the things that amuse me are so […]
recovery day 3
A brief note again–I’m falling asleep at the drop of a hat, whatever that means. I am supposed to sleep sitting up for at least two weeks. Now, I must confess that my favorite sleeping position is on my left side with a gray cat in my arms; and in the middle of the night […]
thoughts on theology and the uncured body
I live in tension with many aspects of theology, but perhaps none more than prayer and healing. There is something in me that clings to health and will take advantage of every mechanism to obtain it. I have learned to temper this, to make reasonable decisions and not reach for just anything that promises health […]