Assorted disabilities

I begin with something that bugs me--why is it that the audio reader for Blogspot's verification codes is represented with a *wheelchair*? If you need it, the problem isn't that you can't *walk*. The problem is that you can't see or you're dyslexic. So shouldn't the icon be a pair of glasses or a white cane with a red tip or something? Just sayin'!

Cats said:

you don't have to justify any of your time to me.

Which is sweet of her, but really, I think I was justifying my time to myself!

The guys at Ex-Gay Watch responded, for which I am grateful. Amazing how things like that will increase one's enjoyment of a website.

I really don't have much going on here. L'Ailee's working more nights--we really only talk on weekends at this point. I stay up and make sure she's got something to eat. She told me I made the best salads in the world on Tuesday night. But she doesn't feel communicative, having given everything to her clients, and she's tired. Weekends are our time to get re-acquainted. I'll be having more to do at night, too, soon. My interior decorating classes start in January. (I know, odd timing.) In a couple of weeks, I will be tutoring my TutorBoy again. Technically he's no longer with the program that put us together, but his mother liked the results and has asked me to stick with him, so I am. I'm really grateful for that. I'd say his progress amazed me, but really, it's just that he's a bright kid who wasn't being reached.

Dyscalculia screwed with me in a lot of ways. I literally cannot read a digital display, the traditional kind with the squared-off numbers. I had a reputation for being "smart" growing up, but felt stupid, so I couldn't enjoy it. It's hard to feel smart when you're way behind your classmates in math and you can't even read numbers sometimes. At the same time, it's given me a lot of empathy for others that I may not otherwise have developed. It led me to tutoring people with alpha-dyslexia. A guidance counselor suggested I try that when I was in eighth grade, to make me feel better about myself while helping others, and it worked. I did adult literacy work in Florida, often for guys who were twice my age. Up here, it's been all about kids for me. It's weird how at these different stages of life, the same look of amazement crosses my students' faces when they finally read an entire book all by themselves!

My students have affected my attitudes on forums. So has L'Ailee, who knows several languages and is a horrible speller in all of them. I never want to be the "grammar police" in other forums, even though my own spelling and grammar are pretty decent. I'm a secretary, after all; they have to be. The point of language is to communicate a concept, not to look perfectly perfect. If I can understand the concept, that's the most important thing. I address the concept, always. I admit that sometimes, if I think the concept just outright sucks, I'll add a dig about grammar or spelling, too, but that's my way of twisting the knife a little bit. I try not to do that, out of respect for the many intelligent people I know who can't do any better.

And now I've said a lot for not having a lot to say, again. :-)

There are lots of interesting links to link to today!

Christian stations nationwide will be showing a "documentary" that attempts to link Darwin and the Holocaust t his weekend.

Conservative and progressive Christians agree--the Left Behind video game is tasteless and its distributor should be boycotted.

Village Voice article on the stresses firefighters and police officers who served on 9/11 still face. Very graphic, and a reminder to appreciate them. This is why I get angry when people who don't know anyone in NYC, or even like NYC, lecture about "not forgetting". There are people who would love to forget for just 12 hours at a stretch...

George Allen apologized for the "macaca" comment. I still think he's a racist and divisive waste of space, among other names that are easier to interpret.

Survivor plays the race card. In theory, it doesn't seem much different from dividing tribes by gender. In fact, it gives me twinges, and I don't quite know why.

This is why L'Ailee and I do not allow screens of any kind in our bedroom.

The World Wildlife Fund has some amazing videos on YouTube.

And here is some handy travel advice--How to pack your toys and lube!

Finally, check out this gorgeous panda font!