Computers and blind people

Well despite my good intentions of keeping this blog up to date I’ve been rather lax. This is due to a number of things:

1) I tend to write this at work drink lunch breaks on times when our database is doing something computer hungry and therefore freeing up my fingers to do something less boring instead. This patently has not happened this week. This is because some data I put on the system over the weekend a few Saturdays ago was the wrong data and I’ve therefore had to unpick everything I’ve put on manually, as the system does not have mass undelete feature. I’ve lost the will the live a few times. Give me a job in advertising, right now, please. For those of you in advertising who hate it, feel free to swap jobs with me any time you choose.

2) I’ve had a delightful combination of winter and post-Joanne blues this week. I’ve only just started to cheer up.
A few other things that have pissed me off:

1) Our rat, which I shall call Rufus this time, has returned. This is after Rodney, who ate us out of house and home and probably gave us a small dose of Weil’s disease each. Rat woman came over on Wednesday to slaughter him with Klerat. Good riddance.

2) Hot water packed up on Friday, and its only just been repaired as we were out in Nottingham last weekend. Did I mention this already? The trams, by the way, were cool. I like the way they suddenly go into super-fast mode round about Wilkinson Street.

3) Small bedroom TV packed up.

Now all’s we need is the washing machine or some other major appliance to die for that nice pre-Christmas spend up we really don’t need.

But, as I say, I started to cheer up this afternoon. The main reason for this cheer is that I’ve started participating in a group called Blindoscafe, run by and for, surprise surprise, blind people in the UK. After lurking for a bit I got the impression that the main players really were quite a good bunch of people. Stupid sense of humour all round, with a degree of seriousness for when it’s appropriate. My only gripe with this list is that there is TOO MUCH TRAFFIC. I mean, 200 e-mails a day is a lot to wade though innit?

Here’s my sociological stance on blindies for what its worth:
Blind people seem to fall into too categories:

a. Ultra-conservative, non-adventurous whingers for whom a night on the town consists of a McDonalds before getting the last bus home at half-eight.

b. Wild, massive hedonists. Pleasure involves getting plastered by 9, heading out for a really hot curry, then going to a late night gay club (we get the sympathy vote from most gays, odd fact but true) for a some late night drinks. Then getting a cab home as it gets light and falling asleep, waking up a few hours later on a pukey pillow..

There does not seem to be a middling type of person, as there is with the majority of sighted people. We either are one or the other. Psychologists and sociologists more qualified than me can explain this phenomena I’m sure but I’m too much a part of this world to be able to give a reasonable explanation as to why.

Sounds: Garbage, Robbie Williams doing the ‘swing thang’ and its really better than ought to be. The CD is a Chrimbo present for Lynn but I had to listen to it on the way home from work and its OK. When I think about what I used to listen in the 90 and early 00s and what I like now, I really am turning into a Radio 2 fart. I suppose the main reason for this is that GLR, my station of choice, has turned mainly into a talk station. Don’t get me wrong, Danny Baker is the best thing going on the radio right now, but the only equivilant is Radio 6, a digital station. I do have a digi radio in the house but its not half as accessible as an ordinary analogue radio.

Mood: It’s Friday, all the better for it.

Books: Can’t be bothered to read right now. Just scan Metro on the tube, that’s about as intellectual as things have got recently. Help me, my brain is turning to blancmange.