And what a week this hast been! In many respects, it reminds me of why I dislike Winter. Truly though, it enhances my good feeling toward humanity in general. I wouldn’t have survived without the intervention of many kind people. I thought it might be fun to take a look at how it unfolded. Stay warm and dry, and join me on the crazy ride.

THURSDAY, 1/21: Ah, I gotta admit to the sense of initial giddiness I get whenever a weather system rolls in that promises more sleep! I arrive home that night and quickly run through my checklist. A reasonable stock of groceries? Check. Fully charged external batter? Check. Phone loaded with books and podcasts? Check. Hot cocoa (because I wouldn’t be able to fill my coffee addiction for a few days)? Check. I’m ready to ride this thing out.

FRIDAY, 1/22: Work is reporting before I drop off to sleep on Thursday that they will open at 10 AM, but I know this is highly unlikely as that’s when the brunt of the storm is due to strike. Winter Storm Jonas, as they call it. When did they start nameing winter storms, and we’ve already had nine of them? Anyway, I roll over to confirm that the status has indeed changed to “Closed”, listen to the news about people attempting to slide around out there anyway, and greatfully submerge myself in dreamland till nearly 1 PM. What else is there to do but conk out, eat, and read anyway?

I finally force myself to be remotely productive, getting a bit of classwork done. Because of this, I allowed myself the reward of an Amazon Prime movie. I choose The Da Vinci Code, since I like Tom Hanks and figure the story will be easy enough to follow. In so doing, I make an interesting discovery. I somehow reveal a tab in the app with four options: Scene, In Scene, Character, and More (I Think). When I tap In Scene, I get a screen that tells me the gist of every scene, all of the actors who will be present therein, and interesting facts about its making. While not exactly description, it brings me to a point where I easily know what’s going on. It was also fascinating to learn how many errors were made while creating the movie.

THE WEEKEND: Not much happens during this time, obviously. I am starting to become bored of myself though, and after a day of pacing around on Saturday, I finally step outside to take in the glorious sunshine and nearly 50 degree temperatures of Sunday. And promptly get lost! Ugh, snow/ice still cover practically youngthing, including the sidewalk and grass. I have to stand and wait for one of my neighbors to deliver me back to my apartment. Escape attempt foiled, for now.

Then the one thing that could cheer me up on this day, the NFC Championship. By now, I suppose you know the Carolina Panthers took a weed wacker to the Arizona Cardinals, winning 49-15. They will face the Denver Broncos, who won a much more dramatic tilt against the New England Patriots, in the Super Bowl! Wordrobe malfunction, anyone? Still trying to figure out if I can do anything to enjoy that game, but too bad it’s on a worknight.

MONDAY, 1/25: Or maybe we’ll get another quick storm? I certainly stayed up to revel in our success, knowing that even if the job did open today there was no way I’d be trying to brave that mess just yet. It does delay till 9, but I opt to stay home and drive myself crazy for one more day.

It does demonstrate why I need to not have to work while I attend grad school, though. I manage to plow through a massive chapter on seven types of theoretical framework within communication, and to formulate my initial Discussion Board response. Because I must also record a YouTube video with synchronized PowerPoint slides (um, how do I do that?) complete a lengthy library tutorial, and decide which movie I will write about for a research project; this extra jump is a good thing indeed.

Tuesday, 1/26: On calling into work and hearing no status update, I know this means I must return as normal unless I wanna use one of my valuable offdays. I know that conditions are still not that great out, as our local school system remains closed, so I take the offer Sunday’s helpful neighbor had extended to me of a ride to work. I get there 10 minutes late, but saz to myself “better safe than sorry!”

As is so often the case when I return from such a break, LC Industries seems deafening. I turn my aids down to a whisper, hunker down, and try mainly to stay awake.

After work, I make my way to Chapel Hill. Thank God I have finally been able to get out, as I am running low both on hearing aid batteries and blood pressure meds. After picking up replacements, and encountering a “nice person, but must be taken in small doses” person in Starbucks, I summon the car sharing service Lyft for a ride home.

Wednesday, 1/bg: As it turns out, I would need Lyft to get into work today too. I finally attempt to negotiate the path to the bus stop, but am encumbered by a giant ice hill whose end I cannot find. A Good Samaritan then walks me to a stop, only it is on the wrong side from what I need. So I capitulate and call a ride. The neat thing about these apps too is that they can help find me. Not that I was lost, but if I had been it would’ve been nice to have the GPS component.

I opt to come home with another woman whom I’d met on the bus. We rarely get to chat anymore, so any opportunity to catch up is welcome.

And after Thursday’s attempt, which then caused me to get an Uber ride to downtown where I connected with the bus, the packs have finally receeded enough that I can again navigate. What a relief! I could do with no more of that for a while, but am certain we’ve got at least one more storm in the cards.

So I realized that I very nearly forgot a fairly important milestone. at about this time in 2006, I was finally cajoled, kicking and screaming really, into obtaining these bits of plastic and wire. on which I have become probably more dependent than I am the bodily organs into which they snuggly fit.

Hearing aids. A great invention, but not one I accepted happily at first. I can still recall the oddness of being in the return vehicle home, and listening to the rat-ta-tat of the tires as they met road. And the waterfall that was using the bathroom. The confusing maelstrom of voices as they surged in and out, making demands of me and others that my newly taxed brain simply could not process.

After all of that craziness, can you really blame me for mostly shoving the things into their box and continuing along without them? My audiologist at the Charlotte Speech and Hearing, a wonderful United Way agency that I hope still exists, told me that it would be a slow adjustment process, and so it was.

As with many things in my life, I finally saw the wisdom in fully embracing these new bits of technloogy after one too many an encounter with a neighbor, a soft-talking woman who was trying to get to know me. And once I accepted the need to wear them full-time, the rest as they say was history.

I am still quite appreciative of the good folks at Starkey, the company who had supplied me with the free aids, in conjunction with the state of North Carolina. They hung in there for 5 years, but it soon became clear that the quality was just not good enough for my use anymore, especially as I had started grad school.

So thanks to the good folks at a University of North Carolina clinic, I was upgraded to Phonak Exelia Art aids (in Tar Heel colors naturally). Even these took some getting used to. Initially, they were so loud that I found it hard to function in nearly all social situations.

Paradoxically perhaps, as my hearing deteriorated, I could suddenly make comfortable use of them such that my overall life has and continues to improve. The down side, of course, is that when I remove them at night I am pretty much profoundly deaf. This is also a concern because sometimes these fickle things do fail. I a so thankful, when that occurs, that I can just ask my audiologist usually on the same day for an emergency appointment.

The upside is that, for the most part, I am functional. Of course technology has just changed tremendously in the past 5 years as well. My online grad school attempt means that I can control volume levels, as well as easily participate in discussions on the forums. It remains to be seen, but I’m hoping that this will ultimately lead to much better outcomes.

Hearing aids themselves have gotten better, and more connected, as well. I’m guessing it’s about time for another upgrade, and this time I’ll likely get some kind of bluetooth component. I’ve heard all kinds of good and maybe not-so-good things about how well that works, but it does hold a lot of promise going forward not only for me, but for all of us with similar conditions. So here’s to 10 more years?

Doh! As memories of sunny boat rides and historic walking tours become ever more distant, I am forced to slip fully into the grasp of reality. For the next two years, that’s gonna mean grad school. I’m looking forward to this now, having seen the first course and its rigorous but useful requirements. But, I hadn’t thought it would be so hard to get the one text book I needed.

I went to the first site that had been recommended to me by Disability Services, textbooks.com. They wanted $50 for an electronic copy. Ok, not too bad for a college book I thought.

The issue at first was that I couldn’t get the book to show up on my phone’s screen, where I’d initially chosen to log in. It seemed that an image, I guess the cover, was obscuring everything else, and I had no idea how to remove it. So I tried to go back PC-SIDE, only it said my account didn’t exist! Created another one, and no access to the book. Sigh.

Next, I tried Google Play Books. If it’s Google, I reasoned, then surely it should be at least moderately accessible. Hey, they’ve done a lot better meeting this basic standard lately. Well it would’ve been, except the text-to-speech functionality was disabled both on the PC and phone. I’ve heard of this, but it was the first time I’ve encountered it. More frustration, this time for a $33 rental fee. Great.

Finally, it occurred to me to go and check in with my old friends at CourseSmart.com. Only they’ve merged? and become VitalSource, the same provider for the textbooks.com site. Even so, once I again paid a $33 rental fee and obtained it through the VitalSource platform I could finally! get it to work. They even have an IOS app that has a great layout, showing me where each paragraph and page clearly begin and end. This will come in handy when referencing.

All of those shananigans cost me $113 in total. I don’t know how much of a refund I can get, but am just glad to be able to read the chapter in time. As you can see, yes access has come a long way, but it is still too much of a crapshoot when one is attempting to make purchasing decisions. On Google especially, I tried to ascertain if the thing would work but didn’t see the “helpful” message to screen readers that they wouldn’t be able to interact with the material until I’d already wasted my dough. I wish it had said so more upfront!

In the hopes of avoiding more craziness, ah who am I kidding, there will always be more craziness, I’m referring to the graduate checklist I wrote a couple years ago when reflecting on what happened last time. I want to make sure I’ve done everything to the best of my ability, or at least know how I will do so soon. Here she blows.

1. Know your goals. As I’ve spoken of before, this is the one thing of which I am most certain.
2. Know the writing style. APA, ah the nightmare continues! We do have a really structured way of learning it in the first class, though, and will also do a podcast. On APA. Right.
3. Know the technology. Oh, book craziness aside I am far better at that than I had been in 2011. Now, I have most of my stuff in the phone, and will mainly only need the PC to do discussions.
4. Talk to professors and Disability Services staff about needs. Well? I’ve started that. The director of that office at Queens is excellent, and has gotten most things in line. Still must set virtual office hours to chat with prof.
5. Be financially able to survive first semester. This is the reason I’m staying on at the job, though it would benefit me tremendously if I didn’t have to work. Maybe I can win that $900,000,000 power ball lottery?

So come and join me as I begin this wild ride again. I anticipate that some classmates will be reading soon, so hello. I hope I entertain, educate, and inform. Off to what else? read.

Ok, I must begin with a sheepish confession: I didn’t officially win the challenge. Sad, right? But, well it can be argued that I did actually read 50 books! My mistake was being sucked into This New Ocean: The story of the first Space Age, by William E. Burrows. It’s a good one, which you’ll see later, but it’s like a thousand pages! Anyway I’m reading it and the one on Charleston, so those make 49 and 50 respectively. And I’ve read half of it, making probably near 2 regular books. Can that be accepted as finishing? Weigh in.

So without further delay, I give you the second 25 books I read in 2015. There may be diamonds, and there may be duds. Only you can decide that.

RELATED: First 25

Observations

Whew! That record-shattering challenge took a lot to pull off, at least to the extent that I did. No question, I won’t be able to try it again for the next couple of years at least. Let’s take a look at the trends.

Most of the books I read this time were via BARD, not surprising as I don’t have to pay for that ha ha. Eight were audio, and 5 in Braille. I did also enjoy the Joe Hill book that came free from Audible around Halloween.

< p>I also didn’t stick as closely to half and half men and women as I had last time, with only 10 being by women during this 25. I suppose that’s still a fairly decent number. The most important thing was to hear from a number of voices and backgrounds. Probably my favorite thing was taking in work from authors whom I’ve known, at least online, for a long time: Faith Cummings and Joanne Hall.

I don’t know what kind of challenge I could come up with for 2016, but think it’ll mostly be trying to survive grad school! Stay tuned, and thanks for your support.

I’m writing this in 2015 but scheduling it to show up in 2016. Technology is amazing, isn’t it? At the moment you see this go live, I’m probably about to get my New Year’s eat on! Gotta have the black-eyed peas, right? MMM.

Anyway, let’s take a look at the second half of the year. This is where the travel began, and travel I did. I’ll just choose not to look at my bank account, but the memories make it worthwhile.

JULY: On Independence and Travel

I so often feel fortunate to live in the era that I do. I’m reading a fictionalized account of the esteemed Laura Bridgman, called What is Visible, by Kimberly Elkins. Bridgman attended Perkins School for the Blind (then it was known as Institute) in the mid 1800’s. As you probably know, she was both deaf and blind, as well as lacking a sense of smell and taste…

That was a pretty good book, and contributed to my knowledge of the school’s history when I went to tour a month later.

Summer does something to the soul. It uncaps that need, that primal desire to get oneself out there and into nature! Full-time workers who must stay on for 12 months (Yes, I’m envious of you school teachers who only work 10) thus find it hard not to use all of their tiny allotment of days off.

This entry was clearly a precursor of the next 5 months, which featured three trips, two to the water. Well I suppose it could be argued that Boston is also a waterside destination, but officially that didn’t happen.

AUGUST: Off to the NDA Conference

Probably more happened this month, but the only thing I can really remember, and the only entry I posted, was my fun trip to the third International Conference of the Norrie Disease Association (NDA). To the extent that I had to do with it, things went fairly well. I was especially relieved about how the Perkins tour went. Here’s a snippet of us on the plane.

The most interesting thing I learn is that the feeling of near motionlessness we get is mirrored in the visual sense as well. “It looks like we could get out and walk faster than this,” she tells me as the buildings shrink to sticks, then only land and fairly large bodies of water can be made out. Well that, folks, is an experiment I don’t think I’ll be trying, at least not without the right equipment, whatever that is. I suppose that perception of slowness is a trick of the brain, so that it doesn’t drive us, and by extension itself, crazy.

SEPTEMBER: My Birthday At The Beach, and Medical Concerns

And finally, I break my 13+year drought and visit the Atlantic Ocean at Wrightsville Beach. Mostly a lukewarm, gloomy weekend, but I enjoyed the water and toe-tickling sand, and of course the food!

We had a fifth-floor oceanfront, from which you could hear everything down there as if you were close to it. We spent a good stretch of time on Saturday, during which time we had gotten rained out of the water, on that balcony listening to a rousing game of volleyball as the waves ramped up. They even put up a yellow flag at the lifeguard station, which we guessed meant that the current was getting to be a bit dangerous so folks should use caution.

On returning from that great experience, reality invaded with the knowledge that my blood pressure was too high and needed to be regulated. Only a month later, I started medication, which I am still on, but first here’s a bit about what I found to be the importance of a good doctor-patient relationship.

Then a new person came in this April, one who really takes the time to sit down, talk through things with me, and take extensive notes. She even picked up on unspoken subtleties that led to more questions, uncovering further information that I might not have otherwise inquired about. That shows how truly effective medicine uses components of counseling such as empathy and the ability to propel a previously stalled conversation forward.

OCTOBER: Re-Thinking Grad School, and the Four E’s

And what have I been up to? Well, pondering how to begin seriously laying the course for my next moves in life. It is looking increasingly like I will make a real attempt to enter graduate school, this time in Communications as I probably should have last time. I did a search for Master’s programs, and found one administered entirely online by Queens University of Charlotte, in my hometown. Of course given that it is in fact online, it would hardly matter if the program were on the other side of the country.

Hello, and welcome to Blindness Awareness Month! What exactly this means I confess to not entirely knowing. But I suppose the main idea is to continue to make society aware of the fact that we’re here, we function, and despite little or no use of our eyes, we are still quite capable of accomplishing great things. So in my clunky way, I will try to highlight how I and some of my peers have done this over the years. Of course, some things will be very much related to other posts I’ve already created, but well that’s part of the point right?

I’d say I did a so-so job with that series, but it was fun to try at least. I also caught a yucky cold at the same time we were to go to the North Carolina State Fair, which would’ve been more enjoyable if I’d felt better. The weather was great, though.

November: Thanksgiving, and Acceptance to Grad School

Ok it’s official, I have been accepted to the James L Knight School of Communication Master of Arts program at Queens University of Charlotte. Classes begin on January 11, 2016. So after a three-year hiatus, I am back to give this grad school thing another shot!

And as that day approaches, I think more and more that I might just be out of my mind. But well, there’s no turning back now. I think I should be ok, though.

I didn’t actually write the Thanksgiving post till December, but it was a great day spent with the girlfriend’s family before trundling off to Charlotte.

This year, we went to Fayetteville and ate with her folks instead. I was a bit nervous about this, mainly because of my hearing issues. But, I found it surprisingly easy to just slip right into conversation and never really felt left out of anything. It probably helped that only immediate family was there, but I was prepared to cope with a larger gathering if it had been so.
Mostly all I have to do anyway is get my eat on! Sometimes I choose not to have turkey, as I so did this year. Instead, I sucked down some delicious ham, mac and cheese, dressing (as we call it in the South, an NPR story said most everyone else calls it stuffing but so what), green beans, a roll, and some cranberry sauce. Outside of her father, I’m the only one who eats that last. I grew up enjoying it at our feasts, though. One thing I’ve learned is that it is very important that I not overeat, as doing so can make me feel faint and awful for the rest of the day. So I give myself just enough.

DECEMBER

And that brings us to now, and the entries I’ve just posted. I tell you, if I have more trips like Charleston to look forward to, I’m definitely excited. Here’s to a new year! I wish you, me, and us all a fantastic one. and I hope for less craziness than occurred in our world in 2015, but know that’s unlikely. We’ll see where we are at this time next year.

Hmmm, where do I start in looking back at this year. Well, perhaps I’ll take a paragraph or two from an entry that means a lot to me in each month. Needless to say, I’ve never experienced anything quite like this year, and it leaves me looking forward to the next. Join me as I step into my time machine?

January: NDA President and 50Book50Author Launch

First, excitedly, I have been named President of the Norrie Disease Association. This was necessitated by our previous president having to step down due to some unfortunate circumstances that have made it difficult for him to continue in that role. While the reasons make me sad, I am still appreciative of having this opportunity and hope I can make the most of it. I got a strong vote of confidence from my fellow board members, though I honestly am not entirely certain why. Me? One who is sometimes too shy to make a simple phone call? Who definitely has a ways to go before he is as assertive as he would like to be? But, I hope I have made and am making progress in this area, and it will help to have such knowledgeable people to assist me as I do so. We’ll see if this August’s conference goes off fairly well…

I have it as a goal this year to reach fifty (5-0!) books. That’s a lot for me, as I normally don’t have a whole lot of time to sit and read. I’m doing them two at a time though, and already about a third of the way through both books three and four.

February: Winter Attacks!, and My New Girlfriend

NOTE: I only wrote the Winter entry in that month. The one on the start of my relationship was posted as March began, but we officially got together on February 28th.

And on blocks, Old Man Winter decided to show up and throw a bunch of ’em at us last week. Whatever that stuff was, snow? ice? I call it “snice” confined me to the inside of my beautiful, well insulation-missing, electrical heating can barely keep up, 500-sqft apartment from Monday when I got off of work at 1 PM till Friday when I was finally able to return to said work at 6:15 AM. And o man, that was some of the coldest cold I’ve ever known, as we hovered around 5 degrees F with sub-zero windchills. And slide slide slippedy slide! All the way to the building…

Anyway, we discovered that we had many things in common. Chief among these is our enjoyment of music, and particularly 90’s R&B. In one conversation, she clicked on different songs in her little collection and we reminisced on the things we were doing and experiencing when that song was popular.

March: A Look At My Work life

The only thing I really talked about this month was what I thought about my current work experience in the post entitled Job Days 3.

First, I ask myself if my morning routine has altered any. It’s amusing to ponder how small changes here and there slowly turn into something quite different from what was, isn’t it?

APRIL: The iPhone App that Should Be

Only one post this month too, sadly. The April 1, Express App!

If you choose “Summary” the app will still take pictures of the person’s face, but instead of vibrating regularly it will generate a report of overall mood: how often did they fluctuate, were there sudden changes, and the like. This might be a good idea if you don’t want the person to wonder why you keep vibrating.

I recommend reading that entry in full, if you want a quick laugh. I wish I had posted more in this month, and really throughout the year, but aside from developing my relationship I’m not sure much else happened in that first third of the year anyway.

MAY: Trying To Re-Stimulate

Hi. In reality, I have absolutely no time to be writing this entry. There are about ten minutes till I need to skitter down the street and hop onto the bus that will convey me off to my eight hours of enforced confinement wherein I will madly stuff sticks into a box while singing, tapping, and otherwise engaging in activities to keep myself awake. So, apologies for spelling and other errors, as I have no ability to edit till I return. The problem is, of course, that I rarely have time to write anymore at all, but I need badly to get back on this horse!

Again a month with virtually nothing. But, it does mark our first trip to Charlotte to visit family as a couple, and also attendance of a church service at my mom’s adopted church in Southern Pines on Mother’s Day. I met her family over a delicious cookout in a comfortable Fayetteville backyard as well. Good stuff.

JUNE: Celebrating The Transit Revolution

The only real entry I wrote this month was about my use of Uber, as I had just crossed the one-year mark.

Anyway, today’s post is to be about my experiences with the car sharing service Uber, with which I have navigated Durham for almost a year now. Actually, according to the stats they emailed me when celebrating having been in the Triangle for an entire year, I’ve used these folks 62 times. Sixty-four now, as in my first trip with them, I went today to have my hearing aids repaired. (My trip to Charlotte was brought to a screeching halt by the right side’s clogging yesterday, not fun&) I was therefore forced to take a day off of work and schedule a last-minute appointment. Maybe someday I’ll master the skill of acting more preventatively, but in my defense this time I didn’t notice that I was losing hearing till too late.

And because this post is long enough already, I’ll review the second half in a subsequent post. I should have a lot of consecutive posts in fact, which I suppose is a good thing. More soon.

Tuesday starts a bit more slowly than had Monday, but it turned out to be a great day in its own right. I of course woke up early and posted while rocking out to local Charleston radio again. I also picked up and put down at least four different books and could settle on neither, so with that, I basically capitulate to coming up just short in my 50Book50Author challenge. Well I am now reading book 50, a fictionalized history of Charleston by John Jakes that promises to be interesting and bring the history to life. But it’s 19 hours of audio, so no way I finish by tomorrow night. It’s ok though, as I learned much just from the attempt.

Anyway, we decide to take advantage of the hotel’s free breakfast today, so she goes to grab a couple plates and bring them back to the room. I had a sausage patty, eggs, and pretty good grits. The orange juice was the last of the take, but it did its job fairly decently I suppose.

Out we head, I think around 11:20, for the trip to Folly Beach. I had been here before, but couldn’t remember much about it. As we did on this trip, I believe we’d probably visited the Edwin S. Taylor Fishing Pier that extends nearly a half mile out over the Atlantic. It goes so far out in fact that you can’t even hear the waves anymore. There is just a cold, brisk wind. We spend a little time on a bench at its far edge, then retreat to benches that are a bit more sheltered where you can in fact hear the breaking waves. A gaggle of teens with their chaperone comes bouncing by, stopping to take pictures before continuing on. She also sees people preparing for a volleyball game on the sand down below. Finally, there were some folks actually in the water. I’m sure I’d have been a popcicle if I’d done that.

There wasn’t a whole lot else to do here though, especially as it was a bit frisk for a picnic. So, we made our way back to the car to get into something else. We found a Sonic Drive-in, yes a chain, but not one we go to very often. The cheese coney I have is good, but the strawberry and banana milk shake hits the spot! She finds an old-school station, and turns it up for an hour-long sit in the car till about 2.

Back to downtown, but this time we park at the Mills House Hotel’s outside lot. Even with two days, there is so much history in Charleston that we’d barely scratched the surface. We pass a courtyard with fountain where you are permitted to wade, with the proviso that “No lifeguards are available. Wade at your own risk”. They also list a series of disgusting things, (spitting, blowing nose, releasing other bodily fluids) that you are not to do. If you do opt to wade in, you have to also be accompanied by someone else. I might be tempted to do something like that in the summer.

We find a pier that extends out over the river also, not as far as the Folly Beach one, but a good enough distance to take us to a more isolated spot where we listen to motorboats zip by. She notes that some have metal, as opposed to fiberglass bottoms, causing them to make a different sound as they slap the water. Someone else goes by on a jet ski.

Many things impressed me about Charleston, but one of the neatest was the plaques denoting history as it occurred in the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, located right outside of the Harborview Inn. These plaques had a Braille overlay, somewhat dusty but readable. They were also quite long! I’d have to stand there for about a half hour to complete them all. But I’m impressed that someone took the time to make that accessible to a wider audience, should blind folks want to read things for themselves. It reminds me of the Braille Trail I saw up at the waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains.

The final thing we did was cool. We entered the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, the place where ships came to pay taxes on imported products, and where persons who opposed the British had been imprisoned during the American Revolution. They’d shoved 60 people, men and women mixed, into a small hall; providing only four buckets of water and four buckets into which they should urinate. Yuck, I’m certain it got unimaginably nasty in there. The dungeon below had broken up floors and still smelled very old. The Great Hall, on the level above the museum, contained a scent of horses and perhaps sweaty men. It wasn’t hard to picture George Washington and the other 200 or so important folks who would cram into that room both for partying and to hold assemblies. If you think you’d be interested, visit their website. They provide an extensive and rather interesting history of the facility and of Charleston.

And that’s about it. The only other thing we did, after a brief respite in the hotel to try and get a bit of rest, was grab a couple sandwiches from Ye Ole Fashioned Café and Ice Cream Shop. Good stuff, but I kinda had to suck down the last of the gigantic burger. I wasn’t wasting it!

And so pretty much ends 2015. What a fantastic trip that hopefully puts my mind in a better place as I venture into the craziness that the New Year is likely to bring. Given the gallons of rain this area has gotten, we were really fortunate to avoid it down South. I’m just glad that I got to build such great memories with a special person, and am looking forward to more. Later.

So the second day and first full one arrives early, with me of course posting that first entry. I sat here on the couch, as I am now, and used the writing to help me survive the reading of that Dickens book. I guess it’s possible to listen to a story without having a clue what it was about. Maybe it broadened my horizons a bit?

We actually got going a bit earlier than we thought, leaving the room just after 10, and thus missing the hotel’s complimentary breakfast by just a few minutes. But it was ok, because sunning while eating was better anyway.

And that’s just what we did, at a nice downtown Starbucks as people hurried by. I think the location we chose was at 475 East Bay Street, but am not certain as of course there are locations across from locations. In any event, I got my usual sausage egg and cheese biscuit on an English muffin. She had a lemon pound cake.

At about 11:20, we head for the Maritime Center at 10 Wharfside Street, from which the Carolina Belle would depart. This 2-decker takes quite a few people on a historic tour of Charleston Harbor, leaving at 11:30 and 1:30 each day, and lasting an hour and a half.

Before hopping aboard though, we first stroll along then sit on a bench on the Wando River, one in a series of waterways that flow into each other to create an excellent harbor in this city. The Ashley and Cooper rivers are primary among these. There is of course the slightly damp smell that pervades all rivers. It was mostly quiet, other than the occasional gentle lapping that occurred when the wind picks up.

We trek to the boarding area shortly after 1, where a picture is taken of each group of people that can then be purchased for $20. We each held onto a giant foam ring that said Charleston Harbor Tours as the cameras snapped. Then we scrambled on and took our seats up top. I was worried about being a bit wobbly, but was ok in the end. The sun was spotty but great when it appeared, beating forecast rain!

As we begin to motor away from the docks, the captain narrates an amazing amount of history that I could not of course entirely remember. As he does, we make our way past the giant Carnival Fantasy Cruise Ship, also anchored at harbor and preparing to sail in mere hours. Ah, I wanted to go!

The only real thing i do recall is that the first shot of the Civil War wasn’t fired at Fort Sumter, as many think. The Wikipedia article makes no mention of this, but I guess that isn’t particularly surprising.

They of course have to mention the contributions of slaves both to building that area up and to the war effort itself, and in so doing their reluctance comes across. I think that’s always gonna be a sore point in the South.

We also pass Sullivan Island, the Morris Island Lighthouse, and a couple of young kids waving to us from a beach. Overall I would recommend this tour, as the ride feels good and you can learn a little. I suppose it’s easier for folks who can see to pick up more, but there’s stuff in it for blind folks as well.

Next, we hopped in the car to head downtown. We had to pull it into a parking deck and go up to the fourth level, as parking is quite limited in that area. If you can, I would recommend getting alternative transportation down there. As I mentioned, all we really have is that spotty hotel shuttle.

We got out and did some good walking, with the most interesting place being the City Market. This open market is a collection of covered stalls that definitely take you back to the 1800’s. The oddly evocative smell of horse manure (in the sense that it stirs long-dormant childhood memories of being astride those beasts) hangs in the air. I find it easy to imagine people, probably including slaves, coming there to purchase goods. The Sue Monk Kidd book I read earlier this year, The Invention of Wings, takes place here, and would give you a good sense of what those times were like. She gets a sort of headband, and we try a piece of dried okra chips. It is smaller due to the loss of moisture, but still tastes the same. I guess it was ok, but would I eat a whole bag? Probably not.

One thing I WOULD eat in abundance is the homemade ice cream we got next, from a place called Kilwin’s Chocolates. They have a copper kettle that is heated to near 700 degrees in order to melt the sugar. I opt for a fudge brownie that is chopped up in the ice cream, and she gets the peach. This place is a cash-and-carry, with no tables, so we head outside to eat our treats. I have to quickly lop out the top of my cup before the stuff oozes all over my hand, but hey, that means it’s good!

And that was just about it. Finding dinner was tricky, because we’d left the area, chose to go to Five Guys Burgers and Fries, then discovered going there would require re-entering the deck. No way. So, we settled for fast food from Wendy’s over in Mount Pleasant, just across the long Arthur Ravenel Bridge. Perhaps we should have gone with one of those ultra-high priced establishments we passed along the way. Most probably came to at least 34 dollars per person. One placed 4 wine glasses on each table. Maybe I’ll go to something like that one day, but not likely too often. If I’m parting with that kind of dough, I wanna be fed more!

And we arrive at the last full day of our trip. I’ll be back with its happenings later, but we’re hoping for a picnic at Folley Beach, a place I visited in 2002. We shall see, though.

Hello, from the nice SpringHill Suites in Charleston, South Carolina. Located close to the banks of the Ashley River, this hotel has unusually large, wel-equipped rooms with kitchenettes, comfortable beds, and even full living room furniture; including a couch on which I currently lie.

Arriving here yesterday at 5 was no easy task. We depart my apartment at a bit before 12. While I await her arrival, I am amused by the arguments of angry neighbors.

“Hey, open this f―in’ door! My name is on the (dang) lease too, don’t forget that!”

I know not about what she was so mad, but just shook my head.

A quick stop at McDonalds, where I wolf down the sausage, egg and cheese biscuit as if it might well be my last meal. We sail unencumbered through Cary, Raleigh, and onto the way leading to I-95. Where all just about stops.

Progress is slowly made, but even so, she says the level of driving required to keep both from plowing into and being plowed into is nearly too much. I am sadly of little use here, other than attempting to conduct pleasant conversation while watching my Carolina Panthers against the Atlanta Falcons through play-by-play via the Sports Alerts iPhone app. We lost our first game, y’all! How disappointing, but I knew it was likely. Hard to beat a team, and especially an arch rival, twice in three games.

Anyhow, we finally broke out of the traffic snarl once merging onto I-26 about 30 minutes outside of Charleston. Then it was hugging the speed limit before exiting and following the somewhat loopy GPS directions until we approached the hotel at 98 Ripley Pointe Drive.

That was the longest car ride I’ve taken in many years, so to stretch was grand. We hauled out our luggage and made our way to the second floor check-in area. As it turns out, our room would also be on this level. While on the elevators, some other travelers asked where we’d come from. I think maybe they were from Charlotte.

The hotel offers a shuttle to downtown starting at 5 PM. We’d contemplated using that, but it didn’t take long to decide that having the car would be better. This is primarily because the rides are provided only once an hour. So, we worked through the vast selection of restaurants on Google Maps to choose a quaint place called Crust Wood fired Pizza, located at 1956 Maybank Highway, #B. They have a greater selection than pizzas though, so we figured it would be a good option.

I really liked the atmosphere here. Even though all of the tables were taken, the volume of conversation was such that one didn’t have to pitch one’s voice way up in order to be heard. The staff were also accommodating, allowing us to move from a less back-friendly bar to a booth once it became available.

My only issue with this place is that they need to update their online menu. I’d settled on a meatball sandwich, supposedly made with balls in house, but they’re no longer there! So, i go for a giant Italian sandwich that comes cut in half, along with some deliciously crispy fries that more resembled hot potato chips. She opts for a shrimp gnocchi, (pronounced yokey). I think it is composed of potato-based noodles, but have never tried it.

And not much else. I finally purchase the tickets for the boat ride around Charleston Harbor we will take in a few hours. I’d discovered this through the Charleston SC iPhone app. It never ceases to amaze me the degree to which this technology allows me to assist in the planning of a trip like never before. I’ll probably post about how today unfolds sometime tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I’m suffering through a Charles Dickens book called The Chimes, available free on Audible, so I can quickly notch book 49 and hang onto a shred of hope that I’ll finish this challenge before 2015 finishes me! More later.

This is mostly a test post to see if, could it be, I can now write on my iPhone with the Braille display? For so many reasons, this would make it a lot easier for me to write more regularly.

I’d been hoping for this before. The problem was that the Brailliant BI 40 from Humanware, even for all its greatness, had a tendency to lock up way too frequently. It seems that may have been fixed, yay!

Continuing my randomness now just to see how long I indeed can, I am beyond ecstatic that the holidays have begun. As is usual when they come, I need this break in the worst way. I don’t have a whole lot planned, other than chillin’ in the cut (whatever that means) till the 27th, when I’m to hit the road with my girlfriend for what will hopefully be a fun trip to Charleston, South Carolina. The biggest threat to it is the endless rain that, on the other hand, is keeping the temperatures abnormally elevated.

Speaking of elevation, what about my Carolina Panthers! 14-0! I really don’t know how many more times we can play with fire, as we did this past Sunday in letting the New York giants come back from 28 down to tie it, and not get burned, but well it’s just been that kind of year. I think that game will show us what we must avoid come playoff time though, so it was good that happened. You can’t let up!

So, there have been a couple of glitches in this experiment, but thankfully they do not involve locking up! So I may in fact be able to make this work, and blog for Dunkin’, aboard a GO Triangle bus, and even from the beach. We shall see. In any event, I wish you a merry Christmas, and a safe and happy entry into 2016. I will do some kind of end-of-year post next, though I’m not yet sure what form it’ll take. Do you also have any fun trips planned?