Blindness is a contact sport. By which I mean not just that blind people rely quite a lot on their sense of touch to provide the information sighted people can see, although that is certainly true; but also that it can get a little rough out there sometimes.
On Wednesday, I was asked to make an apple and sweet potato crumble for our upcoming Thanksgiving feast. And while peeling sweet potatoes with one of those razorblade peelers, my hand slipped and I cut my finger. Which is kind of a thing when no one can see, since there was equal concern for my digit and the sweet potato crumble. So off I went to one of our resident sighties (this is a term I heard in New York and think is hilarious – go ahead and laugh at yourself, sighty), who confirmed that, yes, my finger was bleeding and needed a bandage, but no, I hadn’t bled on the food or cooking area. Phew.
(Thankfully, I was able to finish the crumble and even play an open mic later that evening.)
Then, on Saturday, I injured myself a bit more seriously while playing goal ball for the first time. Goal ball is a sport invented in 1948 for visually-impaired World War II veterans, now played at the highest levels of competition by blind athletes throughout the world. It was described to me as a cross between soccer and dodgeball, although in fact you are trying to do the opposite of dodge the ball. Basically, two teams of blind (or sleep-shaded) athletes square off on a court about the size of a volleyball court. They take turns trying to speed-roll a 3-pound medicine ball with bells inside into each other’s goals, with the defending team seeking to block the shots by flinging their bodies into the path of the oncoming ball.
And I was having a lot of fun learning how to play yesterday until my foot got stuck as I attempted to take a shot, resulting in a severely sprained ankle.
I’ve been bedridden since then, unable to walk beyond a Frankenstein-esque lurch to and from the bathroom and kitchen. Ice is keeping the swelling under control, and I would be ecstatic if, come Monday morning, I can limp to my classes. But I’m not particularly optimistic right at the moment. So we’ll just have to see how things go – I may need a support cane in addition to my regular cane for a couple days. In which case, naturally, I’ll be launching a hip-hop career as 2 Canez. (I rolled my eyes, too.)
Still: other than these calamities, it’s been a pretty good week. Travel is ramping up and I had my first uncomfortable challenge – crossing a six- or seven-lane intersection of two busy streets, complete with a turn island to make things that much more challenging. It takes a lot of focus to parse traffic patterns by sound alone, and to use the sound of traffic to orient yourself for a street crossing. Denver isn’t New York, and you don’t get a lot of obvious right angle street corners here. But I’m getting a lot better at it, and I’ve been supplementing my sleep-shaded travel classes with a good bit of (partially) sighted exploration of the Denver area. Even managed to catch a great Sturgill Simpson show Friday night.
As for home management, I’m finally cooking a bit. In addition to the aforementioned crumble, I also made a casserole on Friday with chicken, rice, chiles, beans, corn, and some Mexican seasoning. Unfortunately, like the unsighted novice I am, I accidentally doubled up on pepper and left out the onion seasoning. But I’ll consign it to the dustbin of history, literally and metaphorically, and take a small measure of pride in the fact that I at least completed every step of the process and can now see how a little practice will enable me to get this cooking stuff eventually.
Braille, as I mentioned in another post, is coming along really well. I’m excited to begin Grade 2 next week.
And finally, I’m starting to learn some truly applicable things in tech. Friday, I got started on VoiceOver, which allows iPhone users to get the most out of their devices without sight. I can now read and send emails and texts without seeing the screen, and I understand the mechanics of navigating other apps as well. From here, it’ll just be a bit of trial and error as I learn to command the apps – Audible, Spotify, Transit – I use most frequently.
Anyway, I reckon it’s time for another shuffle to the freezer for a new bag of ice. Stay safe out there, kids. Talk to you soon.
I'm so glad you're writing this blog, Graham. Thank you. I can only imagine the challenge of cooking (my favorite hobby) with impaired vision. I'm curious: has the use of a rice cooker come up at all? I've long been a fan, especially for people with little experience or confidence in the kitchen. Between rice cooker's ability to stop cooking before food burns, and its dual use as a steamer, I think it might prove helpful for you. Roger Ebert was also a fan, and wrote about it at length: http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/the-pot-and-how-to-use-it
ReplyDeleteHope your injuries are healing!