What a Headache!

8 02 2010

Among the goings on during my lack of posting, the most notable is probably the ordeal with me losing my cell phone. If you know me even a little you’ll understand how utterly devasting this is for me to be cut off from having a phone. Of course I have gone without a cell a fair number of times, like when I accidentally sent one through the rinse cycle. The fact of the matter is that I’m decidedly dependent on having one readily available. But if my prior experiences have taught me anything, it’s that getting a replacement phone isn’t all that difficult given a moderate amount of patience.

The problem in this particular instance — aside from my near complete lack of patience — is that Sprint wasn’t all that cooperative given the fact that I just had a phone replaced. And while my contract allows for up to two free replacements, truth be told the last replacement shouldn’t have been covered since it was due to (excessive) water damage. So, I wasn’t surprised when the CSR I spoke with was rather noncommittal about how much this new cell phone might cost me. (“You may be liable for anywhere from $150-$400 depending on the phone, ma’am.”) She was also not so very specific regarding when the phone would arrive. “It may get there as early as tomorrow [Tuesday], but you should have it by Friday.”) If all that weren’t enough to make things all manner of complicated, Thursday evening I noted that UPS tracking had rescheduled the shipment for Tuesday — as in tomorrow. Stupid me, however, didn’t bother checking the tracking again until Saturday — where it said clearly that the shipment had in fact been delivered bright and early Friday morning and so I bolted downstairs to the mail room to locate my phone . . . and didn’t find anything.

I’ll spare you the boring details of my HOUR ON HOLD with Sprint nor will I bore you with detailing all the transferring around that happened that allowed me to be hung up on twice and reitterate the entire sequence of events to ten separate people in various levels and departments. Basically I was told tough noogies because they’d replaced the phone and it was UPS that made the error this time. Oh, and if I wanted yet another replacement I should expect to have $300 tacked onto my bill, which already had a charge of $300 for the phone I didn’t get! By the end of it all my right ear was throbbing and I’d gotten so mad at the complete lack of assistance and cooperation that I up and canceled my service. Thus terminating a contract with more than a year remaining and ending nearly a decade of service with Sprint.

Suffice it to say I am still without a phone. I just set up service with Verizon, which I’m not entirely thrilled about — especially since the same plan I had through Sprint is almost $30 more through Verizon, but I believe I get a bit of that discounted as my Internet service is also through them. I’m due a new phone tomorrow, delivered to me by 3 PM to my office. In fact, the biggest disappointment is that I may loose my phone number since strictly speaking I have an outrageously large and outstanding bill with Sprint and as such they can demand that the phone number is theirs.

Still, I’m not sorry about canceling the service.


Comments : 2 Comments »

Categories : This and That

“A Girl and Five Brave Horses”

7 02 2010

If you’re expecting a thrilling recap of my three weeks of blogging absence, I’m sorry to disappoint. Instead, I give you some pontificating on Sonora Carver’s memoir A Girl and Five Brave Horses which I finished reading for the first time this very afternoon.

Book cover

Like many little girls, I was absolutely obsessed with horses. To an extent, I guess I still am. But as a child my life basically revolved around anything related to horses. In this, Carver and I are much alike. If you’re unfamiliar with the name, Carver was an entertainer who was made famous by being one of the first female horse divers. Moreover, she was blind for more than half of the two decades she performed. Her memoir inspired the Disney film Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken. I was quite enamored with the film when I saw it as a child, but now realize that it is sadly a huge departure from the real story to the point that it’s nearly unrecognizable from the material from which it is based. I find this particularly disappointing because the true story is in fact a remarkable one that is far more interesting, entertaining and inspiring than the film’s product.

Carver’s memoir is peppered with anecdotes of her life, citing interesting tidbits about all of the horses in the show and the intricacies of the training and physicality involved in horse diving. In fact, the entire book is written more like a lengthy conversation being told, wavering from point to point and focusing on what is of most interest to the author at that particular moment. While a bit jarring in terms of narrative flow I still found the story is easy to follow and as a horse enthusiast I found it desperately interesting. She recounts the specifics of how the horses were cared for, their particular personalities and, possibly most interesting of all, their individual diving routines and preferences. The majority of the book focuses on the first eight years or so Carver spent diving before being blinded. She chronicles in great detail the process by which she joined and trained with the touring exhibition, her first dive, and many of her experiences with all those involved in the circus type entertainment world to which she was involved. She makes it clear that she dearly enjoyed her chosen profession and it’s hard to not feel likewise reading her words.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the book for me was Carver’s reminiscing on her struggles to retain normalcy after going blind. Absent is the wallowing in self pity that many would expect, but rather Carver is almost immediately aware of her need to do things on her own. Nearly an entire chapter is devoted to explaining how she went about regaining — or more accurately maintaining — her own independence and she is emphatic when explaining her reasons, noting that they might seem rather unorthodox. As a blind person, though, I share her conviction and completely agree with her reasoning.

However, true to her own life her blindness is relegated to a position of near non-importance. And while she details much of the adjustment she experienced after loosing her sight, she does not allow it to be the focus of this book anymore than she allowed it to overshadow her accomplishments as a performer. Perhaps it is because of this that no one was truly surprised when she made the decision to continue diving regardless of her lost vision. While the movie is focused on her battling to have the chance, Carver’s only fight was a small internal debate that could probably be considered nothing more than nervous stage fright. And while many would say this in itself was a courageous decision, Carver herself is reluctant to label the idea of diving blind as especially inspiring. She does make casual mention of her realization and acceptance as a role mode it towards the end of the book, I personally found her story infused with a dynamic strength of character. Truly, it wasn’t just the horses that were brave.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags:
Categories : Books 'n Comics, Disability Related

January 13, 2010

13 01 2010

In an effort to organize my blog — and possibly force me to get some of these posts sifting around in draft mode finished — I am trying to catalog a few specific topics of importance to me and many people who happen to come across this website over here. Not much there right now. But I’m way too tired to go through three years of rambling me at the moment. (Plus several more years previous of posts stored on my computer!) I do plan to put my old guide dog FAQ since it used to get quite a few hits and lately I’ve been getting a repetitive number of similar questions that I would like to add to it. Um, I just have to find the page amongst the mess that is the backend of this site. So, yeah, don’t hold your breath. Oh, and yes, I’ll also eventually be putting up my writing and graphics portfolios again.

Anyway, today Eric came up from Fidelco for the obligatory post-complaint check up. As expected, it was basically a nothing kind of event. He was just as satisfied as anyone else that Yara’s just dandy and I’m not some psycho canine mutilator or something. I think my favorite part of his visit was when he took some reference photos of us and Yara started to roll around on the floor to get her belly rubbed. I asked Eric if perhaps we could email that particular picture to the lady when she complains again. Based on his laugh, I do believe he thought I was joking.

It was also nice that he came into my office to conduct our little visit because several of my coworkers gathered around to pitch their two cents. And by this I mean there was a resounding amount of praising with regards to my relationship with Yara and a lot of threats to collectively do bodily harm to the lady who filed the complaint. If I were a less mean and angry person, I’d be warm and tingly from it all.

Also, tomorrow is Yara’s last day on antibiotics and her one remaining hot spot is almost completely healed. I made an appointment for Monday to have her vet check her out. She’s due for her annual physical anyway and I’m eager to see how her weight is now that she’s been solidly back on Viokase for a month.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , ,
Categories : This and That, Website Tinkering

Days Like This

12 01 2010

Today is definitely an example of how sometimes people make it hard to not hate other people.

Example the first: One of my coworkers in my unit called in this morning that she had overslept and would be in late. When she’s out, I am responsible for covering her workload. At 11:30 she still hadn’t come in and I inquired to my supervisor if she had called to say she wouldn’t be in at all. My supervisor hadn’t heard anything, but five minutes later the coworker in question called me directly. The connection was very poor and I guessed it was from her cell and so most of what she was saying I couldn’t quite make out. A second phone call a few minutes later, though, confirmed my suspicion of what she’d wanted. Basically, she wanted me to lie to our supervisor and say she had told me yesterday she wouldn’t be in at all and it had slipped my mind. I told her flatly I wouldn’t. (Especially since it was a stupid lie!) If that weren’t enough, within the hour she came into work and proceeded to spin quite a yarn about her reasons for coming in late.

Example the second: The super sweeps and mops the hallway floors here every so often. Generally he does a rather fantastically half-assed job of it, but today he swept a large amount of the hall’s debris in front of the apartment across the hall from me. I was made aware of this by their LOUD swearing about the fact. Come to find out when I just went to take Yara out, their solution was to deposit all of that debris in front of MY door because, I guess, leaving all that in front of the blind lady’s door was way less lazy than the super’s piss poor job.

In short, now and again, people just suck.


Comments : Leave a Comment »

Categories : This and That

Lies and Complaints

11 01 2010

I wasn’t going to post about this until everything was said and done, but the more I think about it the more upset I get and the more I realize I shouldn’t have to stay quiet about it. A small handful of people are aware of all of this already and those who follow me on Twitter know a goodly amount as well, but here’s the scoop: I had a complaint reported to Fidelco about me.

Now many of you may note that this isn’t the first complaint I’ve received. Interesting fact, the person who sent this complaint begins by stating that she is the same person who originally reported me for having a dog in such an “emaciated condition.” And while she did give her name this time, she remains a complete stranger to me. The complainer goes on to question “why is this dog still serving this person if it is sick and if she is treating it like this?” The complaint outlines this questioned treatment by alleging that I have been observed to be mean and angry towards Yara on several occassions. She states that she has repeatedly seen me hit the dog. And on the particular date of the complaint — last Friday — she witnessed me being especially short with the dog for “crying” in the elevator and then not allowing her to relieve.

My own opinions on this are all over the map, but first I want to say that I reigned in my feelings about the initial complaint because I convinced myself they came from a good place, a place of concern for my dog. But that fact that she has the gaul to question whether Yara is healthy enough to work just infuriates me to no end. Granted I don’t know her, but even if she’s the most skilled vet in existance I’m positive that casual observation is not enough to confirm whether a dog is too sick to work in harness! I find it hard to not find the rest of the complaint hard to swallow because of this.

The response by those who have learned of this complaint, Fidelco included, has been unanimously on my side. Everyone believes it’s a bunch of lies. And for this I am thankful. Though, for arguement’s sake I will admit that so far as the events of last Friday, she is not entirely inventing facts. Yara did whine on the elevator and I did reprimand her verbally to quiet. In the lobby, Yara started to drag me to the door and I gave her a leash correction to come to heel. As I was doing this, the complainer who was on the elevator with me came around from behind and sharply commented that I was “very rude to [my] dog.” I gaped at her for a beat, thinking how much I detest hearing from total strangers how to treat my dog, and then before I said something nasty, I went outside. Immediately upon exiting the front door I realized I’d forgotten my gloves and by the time I got to the corner with Yara I knew I wouldn’t be able to go the day without them. So I turned around and went back in, with a bit of protest from Yara who expected us to turn at the corner and not go back the way we came. When I came back out, with gloved hands, I just let Yara take her pee on a snowbank rather than our usual routine of walking around and/or through the park. And she did certainly have to pee quite a bit, even though she’d been out not even an hour and a half before, because she’s on steroids!

I’m beside myself about the whole thing. As I said, Fidelco was very firm in explaining that they had no worries about Yara’s health and well being. But in that same breath also stated that they will have to come out to investigate the matter. Rationally, I understand this. Especially given that the complainer also states that she expects action to be taken or she will contact other animal authorities about the issue. She goes so far as to throw Buster’s Law into the mix, which is absolutely not applicable to this situation. But still, I’m personally insulted. I can’t help but feel that I’m constantly defending my own skills as a handler. Throughout the working life of our dogs, handlers are constantly faced with the need to defend our competence with our guides. It’s a rare day that goes by that someone doesn’t make a passing remark that you are too harsh with your dog or that your dog should/shouldn’t be doing something or other. Many times these same people are those that catch you five seconds after your dog has walked you face first into a telephone pole; they see you hauling your dog’s front feet off the ground but they didn’t notice you nearly getting a concussion. I’m certainly used to that. In fact, before Fidelco had called me that evening, I thought last Friday’s encounter was just that: some stranger commenting on the correction of my dog. But as time has gone on I feel more and more personally attacked. Between certain members of my family to work and now some tenant in my building I couldn’t pick out of a crowd if I were paid to; when does it end?

Everyone keeps telling me it’s really nothing — and I don’t deny that it is basically superficial — yet the more I think about it the more I feel that I’m drowning in a sea of faults that I can’t attempt to correct. I can’t help but feel that if so many people keep seeing things that are wrong how there can’t possibly be something I could be doing better or at least differently. Maybe it’s just my own shaky confidence after last week’s debacle at breakfast, I don’t know. I just keep reminding myself that I can’t be all that horrible if Yara is this happy and confident both in and out of harness.

I really just want to cry.


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , ,
Categories : This and That

« Previous Entries