-
Day 822: What a world. My employer just approved me for a Delta cobranded credit card (I’ve switched my airline allegiance when I learned that Delta will replace @phinnia’s damaged wheelchair on the next business day) with a mind-bogglingly high, as in, “I will never use this in a month”, line of credit and enough promotional miles to make for at least one free round trip first class ticket. Nature, along with my credit, is healing. Either that, or I just have an Honored reputation with American Express (as opposed to just having a “Friendly” reputation with Citi). So far, I can’t seem to convince Leah to reinstate her Facebook account, because she’s still squeamish about Facebook’s data protection issues (honestly I can’t blame her, because, y’know, with Facebook, you’re the product). Given her opinion of Elon Musk, though, I’m not sure what she’s going to do if his Twitter buyout offer goes through (apparently despite his protestations?). Oh here’s a thing I forgot to mention for those still following me on micro.blog despite my lack of posting. Leah is getting all of her teeth replaced with one of those all-on-four (actually all-on-six) thingers. It’s expensive. I was surprised I was finally able to make that happen. Thanks, Amex. Our property manager’s name is Jesus. So literally any time we need maintenance done on our place is a come to Jesus meeting. Anyway, that’s all I got. Stay safe, wash your hands, and for everything else, there’s MasterCard.
-
Tomorrow I may be describing contract tests to a bunch of people who don’t get “integration tests” and this is why I’ll probably have at least one adult beverage before close of business.
-
And we have what appears to be another underwhelming show from Apple. Any chance we’ve hit peak iPhone?
-
“I can’t possibly be racist! I probably have some Jews and Jewesses in my family!”
-
Did Pence just defend Trump’s racism by pointing out his Jewish grandchildren? Yes, yes he did.
-
It occurs to me that “in the middle of a pandemic where you’re encouraged to keep your distance” is probably the best time EVER! for me to observe “blindness awareness month”.
-
Y’know, after having this article come across my desk about how autistic, deaf or other folks that use means of communications that cops apparently aren’t trained in are more likely to encounter police violence, and how we appear to be appointing Ms. Quiverfull to the Supreme Court, and how Mango Mussolini will only guarantee a peaceful “continuation” of power, and how it’s totally fine to GoFundMe the bail for some wannabe militiaman who underagedly carries guns across state lines and kills people, but MIKE FUCKING BLOOMBERG RAISES $16,000,000 TO PAY FINES AND FEES FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE SERVED THEIR TIME AND WE NEED TO BRING IN THE FBI, I think I’m going to do something soothing. Like watch a murder mystery where a child kills babysitters with kitchen knives and stuff.
-
Look. I don’t think this is a large ask. When 2021 releases to Production, can I get a feature where, when someone uses the phrase “wheelchair bound”, they lose a randomly chosen gland?
-
March 203, 2020
Day 198: “What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?” 1
Not a lot to report. @phinnia submitted her paper introduction (I think she’s doing a paper on the public health implications of subminimum wages for people with disabilities). I wonder how many caregivers worry that, if the subminimum wages end, what passes for a day program for their charges will disappear. If that’s a thing at all, that says horrible things for how we as a nation support families of those placed in subminimum wage jobs.
Hey. For my blind peeps (or, I mean, if you’re not blind and you find yourself in this situation, that’s fine too), what wired headphones are you using when you also need to hear what’s going on around you? I’ve been buying EarPods with the 3.5 mm connector for approximately ever, but is there a better option that I’m just not aware of?
Oh hell I should put the meeting on my director’s calendar to discuss the points I came up with that’ll go into the job description for my new role.
Anyway, that’s all I got. Stay safe, wash your hands, and “what I have written, I have written.” 1
1 … It … wasn’t Talk Like A Pilate Day? Did I get confused?
-
Are you thinking what I'm thinking, B1? // You're a petaQ, B2.
From the home office:
@phinnia: “My EAR! Driving me bananas.”
Me: “Bananas?”
@phinnia: “B’Elannas even.”
Me: “B’Elannas?”
@phinnia: “B’elannas.”
Me: 🎶 “In pyjamas” 🎶
@phinnia: “🎶 Are coming down the stairs 🎶”
Me: “I’m trying to imagine B’Elannas in pyjamas.”
@phinnia: “Sexy little red ones.”
Me: “Multiple B’Elannas?”
@phinnia: “One for Tom, and one for Harry …and some extra pyjamas for the Delaney Sisters.”
Me: “And Seven of Nine. Don’t forget Seven of Nine. Harry would enjoy Seven of Nine in sexy red pyjamas.”
-
March 202, 2020
This is just a gentle reminder that there’s another country out there that has dabbled in patriotic education”. COVID-45 “fell in love” wiht its leader. I mean–it’s not that I don’t believe in coincidences, but …
-
March 202, 2020
Days 195, 196, 197 … 65,535? Are we up to 65,535? No, 197. I … wish it wasn’t RBG’s time to go. I have …let’s just say I have concerns about the future of everything from women’s rights to the ADA if Moscow Mitch and his comrades manage to squeeze out a judge on RBG’s old seat whilst it’s still warm. … Wait. Did I just describe the likely procedure that’s about to unfold in the Senate in a way that makes it sound in any way like defecation?
Aaaaaaaanyway. I just gave a presentation in the meeting that I run and survived. And next week I likely have to make another one, and further cement the job description for my new role. With 2020 being such a shit show in the macro but …not exactly horrible in the micro for @phinnia and myself, the conflict is real.
I forgot how much I enjoy Law and Order: CI. And an inordinate amount of those cases involve my Wall Street homies. And sometimes my software developer homies.
From the home office:
Me: works diligently on something for the company that I hope will not only promote me but give me more money
@phinnia: “So. If I got a fishnet mini dress, would this be a good thing?”
Me: splorf
@phinnia: “But I’d be wearing it for YOU!”
Also from the home office:
Logan (from Law and Order: CI): “Where you goin’? You have a date with a doughnut?”
@phinnia: “Wait. Did a COP just make a DOUGHNUT JOKE?”
Me: “SCANDALOUS!”
Anyway, that’s all I got. Stay safe, wash your hands, and I wonder what the deuce it is that @phinnia wants from me. Y’all enjoy your weekend.
-
Republicans: “And may we leave all other issues aside for a time.” Also Republicans: “REPLACE HER WHILE THE SEAT’S STILL WARM!”
-
Oh hell.
-
One advantage of this working from home is that, except for meetings, I have no “work hours”, as such. One disadvantage of this working from home is … see above.
-
I have to present to my test engineers on how to debug their node.js tests and I hate presenting. Wait. I want to make Managing Director and I hate presenting. These two things seem at odds with each other.
-
IntelliJ IDEA’s screen reader support for anything other than basic text editing feels very … bolted on.
-
March 199, 2020
Day 194: For a case study on why you should try to make use of your paid time off, and why I plan on trying to use all of mine, I offer you Michael R. Caputo. I plan not to let get to the point where I accuse scientists of sedition and rant about “left wing hit squads”.
Today … was entirely spent writing up a new set of objectives for myself in what would hypothetically be my new role. See, because there’s likely a
left wing hit squadcreature in the basement of the former Lehman Brothers headquarters that feeds on bureaucracy, the process goes like this: The role gets defined, I set those as my objectives, they open an actual role with a new title and new management structure, I apply to it, I interview with the same people that thought I’d be best for the job in the first place, I show how I’m meeting the new objectives to this point, then they promote me.In other news, @phinnia got a nearly perfect mark on her ethics paper (she’s cruising with a comfortable grade of 95 so far in the class), and is looking to do, for her large assignment, a paper on the …dubious ethics … of experiments that were done at the Willowbrook institution, and similar, on disabled children. You know, children not dissimilar to our son. Or me. Or @phinnia. Y’know, in case you thought ableism wasn’t a thing that ever existed.
Fun fact: there is still a Supreme Court decision that has been used to allow for the involuntary sterilization of disabled people without their consent that hasn’t been overturned. Buck v. Bell. Look it up when you have a second. And, in some states, there were laws on the books that could have been used as justification to spay @phinnia or neuter me as late as 1986. Y’know, in case any of you thought ableism wasn’t a thing that existed.
Anyway, that’s all I got. Stay safe, wash your hands, and who the HELL put a 7:30 a.m. meeting on my calendar? Wankers.
-
I actually just heard the phrase “carefully machined top button” and now wonder if Apple is … maybe going overboard with its product descriptions? A little?
-
March 198, 2020
Days 191, 192 and 193: These late night cravings will be the death of me. Today it was sticky toffee pudding and custard. Thank God @phinnia isn’t pregnant. This hardly seems the time.
So I had to move my dentist appointment—it’s a bad idea to go to a dental office where one person is pregnant, another person’s wife is pregnant, and another person’s mother is working on a century on Earth when you have a cough during these unprecedented times. That’s fine—it’s not an emergency.
What isn’t put off, though, is my meeting about my promotion. Not that I hold out much hope for it being more than a meeting, since the proverbial wheels grind slowly, but any forward motion is more than I expected during the time of ‘Rona. Guess I’ll find out tomorrow.
We have two new dressers. I should really figure out how to get ‘em assembled. Also we should figure out what we’re doing for our fifth anniversary of arriving in New York. Oh hey it just turned into Promotion Meeting Day here.
Anyway, that’s all I got. Stay safe, wash your hands, and “be sure to drink your ovaltine.” … Oh. Guess I’m a little early for that.
-
Or, I mean, we could have Trump, who is disgusted at the idea of people like me living in his shitty-ass buildings. joebiden.com/disabilit…
-
Oh LORDIE, @phinnia is having a late night bacon craving.
Look, 2020. There are just certain things you are not allowed to do to us, OK? Just … this had better just be a regular old bacon craving, just timeshifted. Because we are too old for the alternative.
-
March 195, 2020
Days 187, 188, 189 and 190: So Dr. Fauci is saying that I may not have to deal with the regular grind of being grabbed and yanked on the subway by people who suddenly think with their eyes until … the end of next year. I can’t say I’m displeased.
So my … fifth, sixth, something like that? meeting about my ostensible impending eventual promotion got moved. I’m hoping for Tuesday afternoon. Also, at some point, we need a refresher on how @phinnia’s wheelchair comes apart, in case we visit Seaners while the snow hasn’t flown yet. In the meantime, I suppose I could set up a video call or something.
So I got this concentrated cleaner that our cleaning company uses, and some empty bottles to store the diluted solution in, and noticed that there is … no easy way for me to label the bottles so @phinnia knows what they are. If you’re sighted and labelling things for someone who’s blind, there’s at least one device for that. I mean—it’s come up before, but there is no real provision for “disabled person X needs to make things accessible for person Y without that disability”. The one time I had a help desk technician trying to fix my video output, where the screen reader was working fine but the screen itself was failing miserably, he literally had no clue what to do. I mean, he was panicking—and yet, this exact same technician had previously told me “not to worry” when I couldn’t get the screen reader launched for some reason, because he “had things under control”. It’s a flaw in generally accepted thinking amongst abled people, I think.
Oh my dentist’s office wants me to fix their accessibility issues, in exchange for which they will give me money. They were thinking of having me do that after my appointment on Monday, until they checked and realized that I would be under oral sedation. I never code while on sedatives. It just seems like a reasonable thing to avoid.
Anyway, that’s all I got. Stay safe, wash your hands, and if anybody has an accessible, portable way of generating printed labels, hit me up.
-
Seriously. I’m going to have to chop my hands off and install new ones because I got some of this Nature’s Bottled Interrogation Technique on ‘em.
-
We bought us some Nature’s Miracle. It was more like Nature’s Terrorist Attack. Seriously. I could deploy this in the lobby and clear the building.
subscribe via RSS