We All Look Alike

Jun 042013
 

Van with a liftI guess life must be pretty calm (read: boring), because all I have these days are gym stories.

Toward the end of my workout the other day, a woman who sees me there most every week comes up to me, smiling. “I just saw you in the parking lot,” she says. Since I’ve been in the gym for an hour and a half, I’m a little confused by this. “Oh, yeah?” I say. “Yes, getting out of your van,” and she lowers her hand, like a wheelchair lift.

“Must have been some other woman in a wheelchair,” I say. “I don’t have a van. And I don’t have a lift.” She looks puzzled. “Don’t worry,” I say. “We all look alike.”

Katja

Wouldn’t Want to be Passed by a Wheelchair

Apr 102013
 
Wouldn't Want to be Passed by a Wheelchair

I go to the gym to lift weights twice a week. My gym is not a fancy expensive health club with espresso machines and Jacuzzis and lots of Spandex; it’s also not a black iron gym filled with big men, lots of weights, and chalk dust. It’s a city recreation center, so it caters to [...]

Disability Blogs—My Feed List

Mar 302013
 
Disability Blogs—My Feed List

Once upon a time, blogs had blogrolls. If you had a blog, you would include a list of blogs you thought would be interesting to your readers in a sidebar on her page. After a while, if you had a lot of blogs to keep track of, you learned about feed readers. Back then, there [...]

My New Favorite Airline: Southwest

Mar 082013
 
My New Favorite Airline: Southwest

In the frequent travel game, one of the things you hear all the time is that you need to pick an airline and stick with it. Only by consistently traveling with the same carrier will you be able to achieve wonderful things like 4 extra inches of legroom and the occasional upgrade to Business Class. [...]

Overpacking and Repentance

Feb 262013
 
Overpacking and Repentance

Last summer and fall I was traveling regularly to Phoenix for a week at time. Phoenix had its special packing challenges, most notably outside temperatures well into the 100s, and inside temps as low as 65, but I eventually figured out what to pack (layers, thick wool socks and riding boots). Now I am traveling [...]

Progress?

Jan 032013
 
Progress?

The elevator at our rec center, where I lift weights, has been out of order for the past week. Of course the weights are upstairs. Last week I contemplated the problem for a few minutes (assisted by a sign that said “Out of Order. Estimated Repair Date: _________”), then flagged down a young woman coming [...]

Sometimes You Have to Check a Bag

Dec 102012
 
Sometimes You Have to Check a Bag

You all know I’m pretty obsessive about traveling with only a carry on bag. But there are exceptions… This weekend, along with other family members, I attended my step-father’s memorial service. He was a veteran, and the American Legion turned out to provide military honors, which included a flag detail, the playing of Taps and [...]

Shouldering the Load

Nov 262012
 
Shouldering the Load

My shoulders are killing me. There, I’ve admitted it. Shoulder injuries are the bane of manual wheelchair users. Two-thirds of wheelchair users report suffering shoulder pain. According to Gellman H, Sie I, Waters RL. Late complications of the weight-bearing upper extremity in the paraplegic patient, by “20 years postinjury, all patients had complaints of shoulder [...]

Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix

Nov 042012
 
Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix

I had a lovely time Friday at the Musical Instrument Museum (“the MIM”) in Phoenix. I had a free evening, and stumbled on a piano concert that was being given at the MIM. I’m not sure what I was expecting from a musical instrument museum, but it certainly wasn’t what I found. The MIM was [...]

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