Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Upset, Laughing and Banned 

I got upset today about almost nothing. I went to get business cards and stupidly thought they make suggestions. No. I have to pick a colour and ask for help because my colour discrimination isn't very discriminating. Then I'm handed a folder of fonts to peruse. Instead of saying oh, I'm actually legally blind (because, let's face it, I don't look it, I'm not total and he might think he can sell me blank cards and I won't know), I tell him my 'vision's pretty shot - this could take a while.' Yep, sometimes I hate to admit it.

The stupid thing is, I had a colour in mind and a font. How hard can it be? I came prepared -ish. So I chose a colour, chose a font and left, soon hoping I can call tomorrow and cancel the proof because I think it's going to look pretty bloody awful.

To cheer myself up I stayed on the bus past my stop (actually, I just didn't want to get off) and hopped off where there are friands and coffee. Then I went to a photo shop, where a sales clerk, talking to another customer, referred to me as 'that guy' - which lead the other customer to say 'so I should come back when he's finished?' I so hate being mistaken for a bloke! Even from the side/behind. Women wear cargo pants too! Most men don't have long-ish hair! Is it not enough I felt miserable but my stoop-y mood has totally removed any hint of my womanliness? I'm spewing.

So from there I went to the bottlo to prepare for our chat Christmas party and bought (I never buy UDLs... this may be a first) some bourbon and cola. Not too much mind, but enough that we got silly and, thanks to an imaginative and temporary change to her nick, J is now banned from the family-friendly server. The automatic reason given? 'Trouble.'

Ahh, so my day ended well.

Tomorrow I'm off to Office Works.
// posted by Deanne @ 23:34
(3) comments |

Here I Am [Not] 

Col thanked me for my small donation to his Movember by giving me a moustache. The first time my face appears on the net and it's my face from... ooh, maybe twelve years ago? ... and it now has facial hair. Excellent.

So I finally took out my camera and tried to take a photo of the 34-year-old me, so that I can be a more open, approachable, less moustachio-ed blogger that I am already, and finally show my face.

I was kinda okay with the photo taking, until I saw it enlarged and realised I was right to think that if I screwed up my face in the sun enough, it'd get a bit crinkly. Photoshop suddenly makes all the sense in the world!

So here I am. About, ooh, eight years after friends first asked for a photo of me in IRC. All I've shared to date is a blurry photo taken al fresco in Melbourne's Brighton, in which I'm wearing a straw hat and which caused comparisons with Janis Joplin.

So here I am, friendly but perhaps a little anxious, smiling despite the crinkles, darker than in real life.

[Okay, stop. No. I looked at the post, the formatting was all screwed up and I look tense. Later.]

Thanks, Col. I'll work on it.
// posted by Deanne @ 23:04
(2) comments |

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Disability Carnivals and Personal Stories 

The Disability Blog Carnival #4 is happening at Diary of a Goldfish. The carnivals always point to posts by people with different disabilities and view points, so there's something for everyone.

Oh my God, I just spelt 'disability' as 'dissibility' - is that significant? Am I now officially a good speller gone bad? Or is my brain sick of typing out dis-ability and for a moment went with a new word that means the same group of people? Probably a word that doesn't have 'diss' in it would be good if I decided to go with a new word.

Anyway, the good thing about the blog carnival is that I discover new blogs and read old posts. Tonight I read about The Perils of Passing. qw88nb88 writes about people with autism passing as neurotypical, but passing is often discussed by people with RP too.

With RP, 'passing' is when you work to appear sighted, or to appear to be able to see, or to appear as if you don't need to do stuff differently to get the job done. Passing is different to forgetting you can't see, or finding you can't see when usually you can, or forgetting that people know you can't see and that they'll understand if your watch talks or you need to ask who they are.

I'm really conscious that I want to blog about some of this stuff, but that it's not typical blog fare and not my whole life - and also that depending on how far I take it, it's personal.

Not as personal as Lisa's post on her sex life (also worth reading because she talks about how edges are rounded off in autobiographical blogging, just like in real life) but personal all the same.
// posted by Deanne @ 22:50
(2) comments |

Blog Talk on Friday 

I've been meaning to ask if any other Perth bloggers are thinking of going to hear Christy Dena talk about blogging this Friday night? I read about it at Ponderance. The details, as swiped from there, are:


Everything you every wanted to know about blogging in 60 minutes (but were too scared to ask)
Blogs about communicating with friends, reaching potential customers, having your say, engaging with associates, developing communities of practice, branding, standing on a soap box, making money. Its all of that. A blog is a website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order. Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic, and are part of a wider network of social media.

Following the session will be refreshments.

Date: Friday December 1, 2006, 6:30pm-8pm
Venue: Australian Writers' Guild
196 Oxford St Leederville
Parking: TAFE Oxford St entrance.
Cost: FREE
RSVP: Tom Lubin on 0410 416 799 or tom.lubin@aftrs.edu.au

// posted by Deanne @ 22:40
(5) comments |

Monday, November 27, 2006

The Good About Now 

I didn't expect it to be so hot. I know Perth, but I've never stayed here for a whole summer. And it's not even summer yet! Rather than whinge about the heat and the light, here are the good vibe happening lately:


  • Swish - we're now in St Lukes Anglican Church Hall in Maylands and play under high ceilings, on timber floors and in natural light filtered through stained glass windows. When the ball flies off the south end of the table, we have to retrieve it from the op shop.

  • Stone fruit - cherries have halved in cost since I first spotted them, so I bought some today. I'm also eating apricots, plums, strawberries and pineapple. I even bought a section of watermelon today.

  • Salads - I keep coming home hungry and start eating raw capsicum before I start dinner. I think this means salads will be the go.

  • Sun Tan! - Mum recommended (via one of my sisters) Johnson's Holiday Skin, which is very handy because without it I can't look at my own bare legs in the sun without half-closing my eyes (I'm not joking!). Then yesterday I noticed that my arms have tanned a little all by themselves, which is better than them burning all by themselves.

  • Shorts and my little black hemp skirt

  • Walking at night - always a pleasure but so good when it feels warm and people's houses aren't so closed up.

  • Writers group - the three other members seem nice and supportive and unafraid to comment or receive feedback. I now have two members' business cards. I always think a business card would be a bit over the top for me, but then if they're being exchanged at a writers group, maybe I should get over it and have some printed.

  • A G & T with lime at Gill's


// posted by Deanne @ 23:06
(0) comments |

Saturday, November 25, 2006

An Imprecise Deconstruction 

Former Commonwealth buildings in Cottesloe, which until recently housed a measurements centre, were demolished over a few weeks. The orange tile roof and its timber frame were taken down in chunks by a machine operator. Rubble lies in the foreground. All the chimneys are gone but there was an awful lot of dust!

Dust, rubble, machinery, building with most of roof missing

// posted by Deanne @ 10:24
(0) comments |

Friday, November 24, 2006

Illegalities on a Sunny Day 

Just at the end of my tin-shaking outing today, a young woman in a black t-shirt said as she walked past that it was illegal. She said it in such a way (kind of to me but kind of to her companion) that I turned around and said, 'no, it isn't.' And she turned around and said that it's illegal to shake the tin and something else I didn't hear. She didn't want to talk to me about it, just to let me know that I was in the wrong and deserved her open-and-shut disapproval.

I felt terrible because I'd taken the spot from another collector without thinking, and was standing smack in the centre of the Wellington St overpass, just as it opens out onto Forrest Chase in front of Flight Centre. Yep, probably a little obstructive. I've also shaken the tin that much today that when I stopped to listen to my watch in the Hay St Mall I thought, gee, it's gone quiet all of a sudden. Ye-eah.

So after our exchange I moved to the side of the overpass and toned it down. I even stopped shaking my tin. Just as many people stopped to donate - I think it comes naturally, even automatically, to some Perth people. I found it hard to believe that people noticed me without noise to attract attention, but then most passersby see.

I think my tin shaking can be justified (tenuously) as making me a fully accessible collector...? No? I'm still not sure it's illegal.

Update: DOCEP's information on Street Collections mentions that a collector cannot obstruct or annoy people but it doesn't say anything about shaking the tin.
// posted by Deanne @ 18:59
(3) comments |

Make Yourself At Home 

I'm at Flickr, where the 'Sign Up' link is really obvious and where I can never think where I need to look to find the log/sign in link. Just now I looked at 'Sign In' and thought, no, no - I need to 'call' in. 'Call in' like 'pop in' or 'drop in' for a visit.

If I ever have my own super-special site with users and logins, I'm going to name that link something more homey/welcoming. My users could pop in, stretch out and do nothing! Sounds like it won't need as much technical know-how as I might have thought.
// posted by Deanne @ 18:34
(1) comments |

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Comedy Cop Out - A Meme 

I'm too zonked to focus my sun-weary eyes on a blog post, so I'm doing a comedy meme I found at CW's instead.

Which five comedies would you take with you to a desert island? In no particular order:


  • The Book Group

  • The Big Gig

  • The Young Ones (especially the Boring episode - I could imagine I'm just missing out on what's around the corner on my desert island).

  • The Blues Brothers

  • A Stephanie Plum Mystery by Janet Evanovich



I've kinda stuck the Book Group in because it's such a favourite, but I think I'd need something a bit less subtle if really stuck on a desert island. If I was stuck on a desert island, I'd probably just make a lot of jokes about being stuck on a desert island and how crap I am at surviving. I'd maybe spend some time trying to get home or gather/hunt food too. I'd go for a swim, explore, think about how lucky I am to be on an island while everyone else is at work or stuck in Woolies listening to 'Woolworth's the Fresh Food People.'

How about you? What comedy favourites would you want on a desert island that came complete with telly/DVD but no satellite phone?
// posted by Deanne @ 20:02
(2) comments |

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

More Appeal 

You know how I angsted over collecting money in the city last Friday? M from the Western Australian Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation rang this morning. They're having their annual street appeal in the city this Friday - and they need more collectors.

There are so many reasons why I need a job, but I didn't think avoiding street appeals would be climbing the list this fast.

Last Friday I raised money for a group that supports and advocates for WA's blind citizens, this Friday I'll be Fighting Blindness. Better watch out.
// posted by Deanne @ 21:32
(0) comments |

Randomness in the Western Suburbs 

As I walked home from the shops today, I started when an elderly man behind his brick wall said Sorry. I don't mean he apologised for startling me, I mean he said Sorry and then I noticed him and jumped.

So I said, Sorry, I didn't see you there!

Then he said, Can I tell you a short story I heard at the bowling club today?

And of course I said Yes.

The story went:

A first year medical student thought that terminal illness is something you get at the airport.

I said, Ohh, that's a good one! Seeya!

I'm not sure if this is more or less random than the guy I followed up this same wide and tree-lined street. Black business pants, white long-sleeved shirt, balding - I didn't notice him until he turned to caw back at a nearby crow.

Maybe I should be more superstitious.
// posted by Deanne @ 20:49
(2) comments |

Monday, November 20, 2006

Christmas Tree 

I bought myself a Christmas tree today and I'm all excited! Twenty bucks from Woolies - 95 centimetres of fibre optic tree! I don't think I've ever had a Chrissie tree before.

I was looking for a light globe and some face wash and, staring down at a Christmas tree box, I thought hey, 20 bucks, I could have a Christmas tree! Then I thought... you don't need it yet (just like I don't need to send out Christmas cards until, whoops, the day after Boxing Day). Then I thought, you should wait until you have a car, do what normal people do - you don't take Christmas trees on the bus. Yes you do! If you can carry it, you can take it on the bus.

I even looked at tinsel and bamboo Christmas boxes in red and green but I decided to delay that party till later. I don't know how I could use a Christmas box - it didn't have a lid, so maybe you just place Christmassy things in it and hope they get eaten.

I've even contemplated a wreath for my door! I'm going to be the Christmiest (if this weren't written down, you'd go with that - you pronounce that first 't' too) person around.

This year will be the best Christmas ever at the rate I'm going. I hope so, I'd love a good Christmas.
// posted by Deanne @ 23:05
(4) comments |

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Might As Well Ride 

Draw a line, watch a penguin in a scarf on a sled ride your line. Repeat. Do it at Line Rider.

Tara Calishain from ResearchBuzz gives a few instructions and links to a YouTube video of cool Line Rider rides in her TechTalk column about the daredevil penguin.

This is the game for me!
// posted by Deanne @ 23:33
(0) comments |

Under a Palm Tree Collecting 

Thanks to CW and Kathryn for their positive feedback about the street appeal! We raised over $2500 (thanks everyone!) and I raised $90 in a couple of hours.

At first I headed off with nothing but me and my tin to the town hall. I soon shifted to the opposite side of Hay outside McDonalds. Not much happened and it's hard not to feel like a failure when you have a single coin in your tin, let me tell you! So I darted back to Citiplace (at the train station, where we were based) to grab my backpack, tip a few more coins in the tin, and, yes, take out my cane.

With elderly members of the organisation getting out there to collect, I did feel that it was important to do what I could, regardless of how sighted/blind I am, or how much I need/do not need/feel comfortable with/do not feel comfortable with my cane. We didn't have t-shirts or bibs (hey, netballers wear bibs, it's not just a kiddy garment) to identify our cause, just our name tags and the tins. I kept checking that the word 'blind' rather than the word 'citizens' could be seen by passersby.

Back at McDonalds, three people stopped to donate before two organisers came along for a chat. Every so often they catch up with the collectors and make sure everyone's okay. Perth hosted the final of the Red Bull Air Race this weekend and the racers practised over the Swan River on Friday. Someone suggested that the foreshore might be a good place to collect.

So off I went! After a bit of dithering, I moved from a billboard (not fair to advertisers) to the bus shelter (not fair to public transport users) to a garden wall surrounding a palm tree. I stood in the shade on a sunny day, felt the gentle breeze, listened to (and occasionally saw) the planes and chatted to people taking a break! Near to me people visited the Swan Bells, bought food and drink, sat in the sun, and came and went on ferries, CAT buses, a red double decker bus and the tourist tram.

Only one man spoke to me without donating - he wanted to know where I bought my backpack (ummm, Margaret River?). One friendly guy donated while on his mobile, somehow engaging two people at once without a hitch. I met a woman visiting with her husband from Adelaide for the air race, a couple from Mt Barker up for medical tests, a woman from the UK taking children to the zoo, and two women - one a wheelchair user - who hoped to see the air racers practise.

I didn't count, but I'm quite sure more men than women donated. One man said he couldn't pass me one more time without donating. I hadn't seen him before. Another guy gave me spare change he wanted to clear out and when I asked if he'd like a sticker, he said he already had one. And so he did - he'd already donated to another collector near the Plaza Arcade.

I gave out lots of stickers, and asked everyone if they'd like one. I proffered the roll and let people take their own - even if I could see this would be more practical - no need to double-handle the stickers. People thanked me for them. A few children dropped coins in the tin - the right demographic for a small sticker!

One member brought her daughter along to help collect but it's against the law for a child under 16. People with guide dogs raised the most money but explained to those who asked that the money went to humans. A stranger came into our base, donated, and said she'd had a vision that she should come in and collect for us. With some misgivings (giving tins to strangers is risky - they can disappear with the tins and the money), an organiser let her go and the woman returned with $200!

I didn't just lean my cane against a wall while I collected, I also used it for mobility to get around the city. A senior cit at Citiplace said to her friend as I walked past and smiled 'that one can see.' When I came back without my cane to go to the toilet, I smiled at them again and I heard her say, 'I told you she could see.' I acknowledged them once more on my way back but she didn't say hello, so I didn't explain.

I know it's confusing and, ironically, while using my cane I nearly walked into a couple of signs coming up Barrack St towards the Terrace. When I use it, I need to look forward to stand and walk straight. However, if I look forward, I can't use my islands of vision as effectively. I think it mucks up the rhythm of my walk. Yes, Dee's Rhythm Method of Scanning for Hazards. But is it reliable?

So there you go, that's my couple of hours in the city. I have a sunburnt decolletage (really!) to show for it but I think it was worth it. And hey, I learnt I can shake it left-handed. A great workout for your forearms, especially if people are generous.

People were generous - ordinary people out enjoying their day.
// posted by Deanne @ 22:52
(0) comments |

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Shake It, Baby 

Tomorrow I'm heading into town to help with the Blind Citizens WA street appeal. If you've ever wandered about the central city on a Friday, you've probably noticed people from different groups shaking tins and asking for donations. I'm not sure what I'll be doing but there's a good chance I'll be shaking a tin. I hope we don't have to give out stickers - I won't see where to stick them and I won't see that people are wearing them - I'll be hassling people twice!

I'm not sure how I feel about this, I'm the worst fundraiser ever. I heard a fundraiser speak last weekend and she'd somehow raised millions of dollars for her organisation (not BCWA!). Not surprisingly, she spoke well about the need for the project and its likely benefits. I can't even sell a few raffle tickets or chocolate. I guess this is because any group I'm raising funds for is usually blindness-related, and it feels a little close.

I'm also the kind of person who feels a little guilty if I'm in a hurry and don't have time to find some coins, work out how many I need to keep for me, and then do that awkward 'here's some money' thing. I'm like this with buskers too. On the other hand, if the stars are aligned okay and I do donate, or give money to a busker in return for the entertainment, I feel really good.

I think I'll adopt a friendly 'donate if you want, have a great day anyway' attitude. I'm wondering what to wear too. I'm thinking of wearing Good Clothes but I don't want to look like I'm hoping you'll join my church (if I had a church, which I don't exactly). I want to wear my Good Boots but they have a heel and that probably won't be practical. What does one wear to ask for donations?

I'm also imagining the flusters I'll have interacting with a lot of people I can't fully see. I could give them a clue by bringing (that is, taking out) my cane, which I hardly ever use, but that might seem misleading.

Do people talk to collectors? Do they ask questions? Too late to get comments from you guys... I guess I'll let you know how it goes. :-)

If by some fluke you happen to see me, come up and say Hi! I'll do the mashed potato if you ask nicely. :-)
// posted by Deanne @ 23:26
(4) comments |

Perth for Iris 

Iris is a regular reader of Perth blogs, even though she lives in Germany. That's because she'll be visiting Perth next month. Iris asks what to do in Perth?

I've responded with my longest comment ever but I haven't visited many of the attractions she's considering. [Inaudible mumbling about Rottnest... something about never having visited in my 34 years as a sandgroper?]

If you were visiting WA (not for the first time) from Germany, what would you enjoy doing?
// posted by Deanne @ 00:35
(8) comments |

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Beauty and the Blind 


So, on the one hand, I'll never know what Julia Roberts looks like. On the other, I loved when, during a viewing of "Erin Brockovich," my wife leaned close and said, "Oh, I wish you could see what they've done with Julia Roberts's cleavage."

Stephen Kuusisto on 'The Beauty Myth' (The Washington Post, 12 November 2006). Kuusisto also talks about the Victorian era, when people really began to enjoy looking at other people in a big way, and how he can write about a world he can't see. Thanks to Blue at The Gimp Parade.
// posted by Deanne @ 00:08
(3) comments |

Friday, November 10, 2006

A Good Year for Romance and... Screen Readers 

Feel like a romance Tuesday night? There'll be nibblies! The Astor Cinema is hosting a fundraiser screening of A Good Year starring Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott in support of the Primary School for People who are Blind and Vision Impaired in Gaziantep, Turkey.

The organiser is Australian Sasha Kaya, who's life changed after travelling and living in Turkey. She wants to give something back to Turkish people, with support from the Association for the Blind WA.

Drinks and nibbles are available from 5.45pm, and the movie starts at 6.30pm. Tickets are $15 and you can book by calling the Astor in Mt Lawley on 9370 1777.

Why does the school need funds? The government provide some of their text books in accessible formats, including CD, but the kids don't have computers. They also need software programs like JAWS and ZoomText, scanners, hand-held tape-recorders (to tape their lessons), and even tapes. The children will need to be able to use these tools before graduating, after which they'll be encouraged to integrate into mainstream high schools with little support.

So if you fancy a flick starring an Aussie playing an Englishman (and another Aussie - Abbie Cornish - playing an American) that's set in France - in Perth, in support of children in Turkey, get down to the Astor this Tuesday 14 November.

And if you had a small heart attack at the thought that either a) I might have found a bloke, or b) I need a screen reader - all in good time, lol.
// posted by Deanne @ 21:49
(2) comments |

Like Melon for Mango 

Every so often I read a review of a restaurant that serves food in the dark. The latest is by American Jacqueline McGrath, a freelance journalist who has retinitis pigmentosa, and who visited the Parisian restaurant Dans Le Noir?. I know it's hard to eat when you can't see your meal, but is it really that hard to differentiate between mango and watermelon?


'That is watermelon, isn't it?' I asked the young man. 'Absolutely,' he replied. (A glance at the bar's chalkboard menu on my way out told me it was mango.)

'Dining in the dark: Traveler's Check: Dans Le Noir?' (Kansas City Star, 5 November 2006).

Wouldn't the smell and the texture give it away before you even took a bite? Slippy and fibrous vs firm and cellular? Tell me you'd know the difference?

I smelt mangoes in the supermarket recently. At first I could only see the peaches but no way did I move on until I'd spotted the mangoes and picked one up.

The reviewer's husband later admitted to picking up his steak because he couldn't eat it easily with knife and fork - he figured you can do that in the dark. What would you do in the dark (in public) because it's okay if people don't see you? I might relax.
// posted by Deanne @ 20:48
(1) comments |

Message Rejected 

Today I had to send an SMS. I hate texting, I'd rather talk.

The only person I text is my youngest sister, Erin. I figure it's okay to use capital letters and spell everything out with Erin because she'll just figure I'm a dork and not worry about it.

But today I had to text someone else and I started to angst about my texting. Would it reveal me to be an uptight user of Capital Letters? And paradoxically someone who doesn't use any punctuation?

The only reason I'll text 'ur' instead of 'youre' is because I hate not having an apostrophe. You can see my dilemma. I like to write as I learnt from reading as a kid - but I do remember taking pleasure then in noticing the conventions. Can I change my ways and find my unique texting voice?

I got over myself and, after deleting the message only once (a record!), I sent it off.

Message Rejected.

I've got this message the last few times I've SMSed Erin. I just figured one or both of us didn't have enough credit or charge (yeah, yeah... that too).

I walked down to the post office and asked the young guy there if I could put some money on my phone. I must have sounded like Mum, because he asked me if I knew which service I'm with. He did have twinkly eyes, so it's okay, I didn't feel like a lost cause, just not very technical. I bet he didn't guess I have three blogs!

Anyway, I sent my text again and it was rejected again. I surfed around the menus and found that the message centre phone number had about seven zeros on the end, making it a very long number indeed. So I hopped on the net, ran a search, discovered that the number should have two zeros (who'd have guessed the SMSs go through servers?), re-sent my message and voila! Message sent.

So, what I learnt is:


  1. I'll never get it if I don't do it. I have a blog and a talking watch, as if I can't learn to text a message.

  2. I shouldn't be afraid to make mistakes because I nearly always learn something useful. Eg. -

  3. The number 1 key is also the punctuation key. It has a picture of a reel-to-reel on it!

  4. Nieces under age two can't really use a mobile phone.



Nice try, Rori!
// posted by Deanne @ 00:54
(2) comments |

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Vicki's Post 

This is my first time post. The world of blogging is all new to me. It must be amazing to just send your thoughts out there into the ether and have people you have never met reading them and commenting on them. Happy blogging all.

Note from Dee: We're at the Cottesloe Library after my first new writers' group meeting. Sharing the joy of blogging!
// posted by Deanne @ 17:31
(1) comments |

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Dee is for Delta 

Did I read the papers to find out who was racing? No. Did I walk into the TAB in Fremantle to place a bet on the Melbourne Cup anyway? Yes, I did.

I knew I'd waste the friendly TAB guy's time if I tried to read many of the horse names. Lucky I saw Delta Blues name first. I thought, I like 'Delta Dawn' and I like the idea of a river with a delta, and Delta Goodrem shouldn't influence my chances, and delta is the greek letter for Dee.

So I said I'd bet for Delta Blues and I think the guy may have looked at me funny. I wondered to myself if the horse was foreign (yep, Japanese), or if the odds were long (yep, 17-1) but figured it didn't matter. I only place a bet to be in it, not so much to win.

But hey, isn't it great when you do? And the odds are big enough that your bet of $5 for a win / $5 for a place actually gives you enough money that you can... let's see, go out/buy clothes on sale/replace some of the make-up you lost in Esperance/make up for the years you didn't win?

Go Delta Blues!
// posted by Deanne @ 19:55
(4) comments |

Sunday, November 05, 2006

A Win and Some Wickets 

My first blind cricket match today and we won! We batted first and I scored 11 runs before I hit the ball into the wicket. Another team mate's teenage son ran for me, which made it much, much easier. I didn't need to work out where the ball went and then where it went in relation to the fielders. If my runner thought he could make it (and he was fast), he did. We play single-ended, so there's no second batsperson to worry about. A few Kulin players had runners too, it wasn't just me!

I bowled a few overs towards the end of the game, and I took three wickets! Yes, I bowled out two under-13s. Two competent and competitive under 13s! Maybe the first and last time they'll ever be bowled out by a blind lady. Until next year. Another batsman left his crease to hit the ball and the wickie scooped it up and stumped him.

I have a terrible memory for what happens - I just play. I remember that one of our players made a few dives, and another of my team mates made a great catch (all the more exciting because I saw it.

I didn't see much of Kulin's fielding but they did have some big hitters. The ball doesn't usually travel too far, so my guess is that some of these guys are much better when they have a cricket ball and it's bowled to them overarm. Is it as surreal for them as it is for me? The smile on one guy's face suggested that maybe it is (I could be wrong).

How did I get to be here, doing this - like this - with these people? I wonder this all the time. You'd be surprised how often it makes me smile. I hope you have days like these.

Anyway, I'm really glad the other team came to play us in the city, and I'm really glad that my team mates are so encouraging. Next week: Cecil Bros watch out!
// posted by Deanne @ 23:12
(2) comments |

Friday, November 03, 2006

Mo Down 

Col's growing a moustache for the month of Movember. I haven't stopped laughing about it, so I'll have to donate to the good cause, which is men's health. Depreassion, prostate cancer and testicular cancer are the three health issues targeted this Movember - all worthy of greater awareness and research. And if you'd like to watch a mo grow (heaven help us all), check out Col's MoLog.

I haven't committed to NaNoWriMo this November, so maybe I can chill out and let someone else be productive, in a laidback kind of way.
// posted by Deanne @ 19:43
(2) comments |

Thursday, November 02, 2006

A Time For Blogging 

It took me twenty minutes to make an online payment today, and half an hour to look for updates, download updates, install updates, note that one installation failed, click to find out more, have Firefox open and be told I need to use IE, to then upload my Symantec log files and then to be told 'thanks for helping us to improve our product.' Norton, you suck. I didn't pay $94 to help you improve your product!

Whinge, whinge.

So I'm still a blogger but technology's not on my side enough of the time.
// posted by Deanne @ 22:11
(1) comments |

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