Well, hello there.
I know, I know... had high expectations to blog daily about cross training. I got sick last weekend which I was going to use to catch up the prior days and then I fell into that "all or nothing" thinking error this week.
After re-evaluating priorities, my evenings with my family, homework, and energy level I've made a compromise with myself that I will blog more often, but it doesn't or will not be daily.
So rather than do a day by day synopsis of the past two weeks, I am going to highlight some of my favorite experiences from each class. Capice?
First, I still love my job. I would be lying if I didn't divulge that this, (next to child birth.. marriage.. child rearing) has been the most challenging, up & down roller coaster I have ridden. I am being challenged daily and have had some super "ups" & some self doubting "lows".
Wood Shop. I love wood shop. I have a really cool instructor. He reminds me a lot of my brother in law from Texas. Down to earth, simple, sincere and I can tell he loves his job. One thing I have appreciated and have learned first hand at the center is that an instructor's attitude about their job.. their day...other people can make a huge difference in how a student learns. It can also have an obvious affect (pos/neg) on the office environment.
I love walking into the smells of different woods, sounds of people creating, and a little soft rock music streaming in from my instructor's office. I am still working on my Braille blocks. I have had a lot of practice in cutting, measuring, creating lines, and chiseling small holes to tactually guide a drill bit. I have learned the importance of a clamp and used a drill press successfully and safely, all under sleepshades. The only time I have taken off my sleepshades is when I asked my instructor if I could take a picture for this blog. I am really proud of that accomplishment as there are days (like today) that I want to rip them off to "see" where I went wrong. Why the "H" did I just drill a hole 2 centimeters from the first hole creating a larger hole. Dang!! I have yet had success at creating the "perfect" braille block cell, but out of the 6 blocks I cut, I am going to make at least one to my satisfaction. Four more tries.
Keyboarding. This week I finished the 99 lessons outlined in the "Typability" curriculum. The past few days I have been practicing dictation, and am hopefully a few steps closer to completing and advancing to the technology class.
Home Management. I have been racking my brain what I made last week in Home Management. We had a mock-Thanksgiving meal where I made mashed potatoes with garlic, cheese, onion and sour cream. Amber did an incredible job with the turkey and green bean salad and the other students made a pie and stuffing. We practiced eating our meal under shades (typically have a "break" during lunch). I need all the help I can get since we are traveling to MADDOX next week for a nice, sit down dinner at a restaurant. We did spend 1-2 days coming up with a system to organize the plethora amounts of spices our instructor has in his kitchen. Up unto this point, all the spices have been clumped together and difficult to find. Unless you can identify through taste/smell (I have a strong sniffer, but also a strong gag reflex), have a sighted reader (not easily found in our building), or take the time to find, plug in and use an i.d. mate.. I have limited my seasoning to salt, pepper, and garlic salt, all easy finds. That's about to change.
This week we worked on baking, and I made homemade pretzels and rolls. They both turned out successfully and I am happy with the progress I am making in this class. My instructor is no-nonsense, honest, and has a good sense of humor. He is passionate about his student's doing their best and rising above low expectations.
On Fridays, we typically clean the kitchen. Last week I learned a few different techniques on sweeping and today
I cleaned counters, the fridge and started a load of wash. If you have any suggestions, I am open to favorite "knock your socks off" recipes. Send them my way.
Braille. Amber, the other employee in cross training, has received her national certification in literary Braille (NCLB). She is now instructing myself, and two other students in Braille during the last hour of the day. I know a majority of the whole word contractions visually, but am making exciting strides in recognizing and reading them tactually. I have been making an effort in practicing my tracking and reading pages, even if it's 5-10 minutes a day. It is a personal goal of mine to learn the whole Braille literary code and take the challenging NCLB exam, passing it the first time.
Orientation & Mobility. Since I last wrote, I was learning the perimeter of the building.. wearing out my cane tip, walking like a robot, and "white knuckling" my cane. Over the past few weeks I have felt 99% more comfortable walking around the perimeter, problem solving if I "feel" lost and getting back to my starting point. I have come to appreciate the sound of i-215; the sun on my neck, front, or either sides of my face; laughing children at the school North of the center; the sound of the flagpole near the entrance; the humming sounds of wood shop vacuums, water fountain, or library loading dock.
This week I made huge strides (no pun intended), crossing my first streets on 400 North and walking to the North Temple/1950 West Trax platform. I have not done this solo, (and frankly makes me want to throw up thinking about it).. but I know it will happen in the future and that I will succeed.
I had the fortunate opportunity to travel with Amber on both these routes. I learned quickly when Amber says, "Marla.. Marla.. will you please come. over. here. now." That I have done something that is not 100% on target and to listen and follow to ensure my safety. On our route to the Trax platform, we were traveling South on 1950 West to North temple. The sidewalk is not a "straight shot" and has many driveways to office parking lots. It takes some getting used, trying to figure out that an "opening" is a driveway versus a wheelchair ramp into a street.
As we were walking, I came to an opening and kept walking straight onto what I thought was the sidewalk. Amber's abrupt voice said, "Marla.. Marla... will you.." and I immediately followed. She calmly said, "Marla, I believe we just crossed the other side of the street." Me (screaming inside). "What... How?" Amber again calmly said, "It's okay. Were there cars. No. Are we safe, Yes." She was right, but I still couldn't figure out how I got so off course. We lined our body up, i-215 to our backs and crossed "the street" to the other side of the curb. When we reached the other side, there was grass, a LOT of grass and a higher curb.. but no sidewalk. What? Where the heck are we?? After problem solving, listening to distant traffic.. it made sense. We had just crossed a parking lot from side to side. We crossed back, found the sidewalk and gave each other a "blind five". Other than almost losing my lunch in the beginning, I never felt in danger or panicked that I couldn't do this. I didn't even think or have the urge to lift my sleepshades. I'm not going to lie, it helped to have Amber there to validate where we were. However, she wasn't telling me where to go, what I should do, or "to look". Because of that experience, I have had better success in distinguishing driveways from ramps and getting back on track if I veer toward a parking lot or curb.
That day I eventually met up with Brook as Amber had to take off to make her first solo trip on the Trax. Go Amber. Brook and I continued along 1950 West, turned left on North temple, and crossed the mid section to the Trax platform. We spent time exploring the platform, going over important tactual cues for safety and then headed back slower than Brook would like, but I did it.
Go me.
I know, I know... had high expectations to blog daily about cross training. I got sick last weekend which I was going to use to catch up the prior days and then I fell into that "all or nothing" thinking error this week.
After re-evaluating priorities, my evenings with my family, homework, and energy level I've made a compromise with myself that I will blog more often, but it doesn't or will not be daily.
So rather than do a day by day synopsis of the past two weeks, I am going to highlight some of my favorite experiences from each class. Capice?
First, I still love my job. I would be lying if I didn't divulge that this, (next to child birth.. marriage.. child rearing) has been the most challenging, up & down roller coaster I have ridden. I am being challenged daily and have had some super "ups" & some self doubting "lows".
Wood Shop. I love wood shop. I have a really cool instructor. He reminds me a lot of my brother in law from Texas. Down to earth, simple, sincere and I can tell he loves his job. One thing I have appreciated and have learned first hand at the center is that an instructor's attitude about their job.. their day...other people can make a huge difference in how a student learns. It can also have an obvious affect (pos/neg) on the office environment.
I love walking into the smells of different woods, sounds of people creating, and a little soft rock music streaming in from my instructor's office. I am still working on my Braille blocks. I have had a lot of practice in cutting, measuring, creating lines, and chiseling small holes to tactually guide a drill bit. I have learned the importance of a clamp and used a drill press successfully and safely, all under sleepshades. The only time I have taken off my sleepshades is when I asked my instructor if I could take a picture for this blog. I am really proud of that accomplishment as there are days (like today) that I want to rip them off to "see" where I went wrong. Why the "H" did I just drill a hole 2 centimeters from the first hole creating a larger hole. Dang!! I have yet had success at creating the "perfect" braille block cell, but out of the 6 blocks I cut, I am going to make at least one to my satisfaction. Four more tries.
Keyboarding. This week I finished the 99 lessons outlined in the "Typability" curriculum. The past few days I have been practicing dictation, and am hopefully a few steps closer to completing and advancing to the technology class.
Home Management. I have been racking my brain what I made last week in Home Management. We had a mock-Thanksgiving meal where I made mashed potatoes with garlic, cheese, onion and sour cream. Amber did an incredible job with the turkey and green bean salad and the other students made a pie and stuffing. We practiced eating our meal under shades (typically have a "break" during lunch). I need all the help I can get since we are traveling to MADDOX next week for a nice, sit down dinner at a restaurant. We did spend 1-2 days coming up with a system to organize the plethora amounts of spices our instructor has in his kitchen. Up unto this point, all the spices have been clumped together and difficult to find. Unless you can identify through taste/smell (I have a strong sniffer, but also a strong gag reflex), have a sighted reader (not easily found in our building), or take the time to find, plug in and use an i.d. mate.. I have limited my seasoning to salt, pepper, and garlic salt, all easy finds. That's about to change.
This week we worked on baking, and I made homemade pretzels and rolls. They both turned out successfully and I am happy with the progress I am making in this class. My instructor is no-nonsense, honest, and has a good sense of humor. He is passionate about his student's doing their best and rising above low expectations.
On Fridays, we typically clean the kitchen. Last week I learned a few different techniques on sweeping and today
I cleaned counters, the fridge and started a load of wash. If you have any suggestions, I am open to favorite "knock your socks off" recipes. Send them my way.
Braille. Amber, the other employee in cross training, has received her national certification in literary Braille (NCLB). She is now instructing myself, and two other students in Braille during the last hour of the day. I know a majority of the whole word contractions visually, but am making exciting strides in recognizing and reading them tactually. I have been making an effort in practicing my tracking and reading pages, even if it's 5-10 minutes a day. It is a personal goal of mine to learn the whole Braille literary code and take the challenging NCLB exam, passing it the first time.
Orientation & Mobility. Since I last wrote, I was learning the perimeter of the building.. wearing out my cane tip, walking like a robot, and "white knuckling" my cane. Over the past few weeks I have felt 99% more comfortable walking around the perimeter, problem solving if I "feel" lost and getting back to my starting point. I have come to appreciate the sound of i-215; the sun on my neck, front, or either sides of my face; laughing children at the school North of the center; the sound of the flagpole near the entrance; the humming sounds of wood shop vacuums, water fountain, or library loading dock.
This week I made huge strides (no pun intended), crossing my first streets on 400 North and walking to the North Temple/1950 West Trax platform. I have not done this solo, (and frankly makes me want to throw up thinking about it).. but I know it will happen in the future and that I will succeed.
I had the fortunate opportunity to travel with Amber on both these routes. I learned quickly when Amber says, "Marla.. Marla.. will you please come. over. here. now." That I have done something that is not 100% on target and to listen and follow to ensure my safety. On our route to the Trax platform, we were traveling South on 1950 West to North temple. The sidewalk is not a "straight shot" and has many driveways to office parking lots. It takes some getting used, trying to figure out that an "opening" is a driveway versus a wheelchair ramp into a street.
As we were walking, I came to an opening and kept walking straight onto what I thought was the sidewalk. Amber's abrupt voice said, "Marla.. Marla... will you.." and I immediately followed. She calmly said, "Marla, I believe we just crossed the other side of the street." Me (screaming inside). "What... How?" Amber again calmly said, "It's okay. Were there cars. No. Are we safe, Yes." She was right, but I still couldn't figure out how I got so off course. We lined our body up, i-215 to our backs and crossed "the street" to the other side of the curb. When we reached the other side, there was grass, a LOT of grass and a higher curb.. but no sidewalk. What? Where the heck are we?? After problem solving, listening to distant traffic.. it made sense. We had just crossed a parking lot from side to side. We crossed back, found the sidewalk and gave each other a "blind five". Other than almost losing my lunch in the beginning, I never felt in danger or panicked that I couldn't do this. I didn't even think or have the urge to lift my sleepshades. I'm not going to lie, it helped to have Amber there to validate where we were. However, she wasn't telling me where to go, what I should do, or "to look". Because of that experience, I have had better success in distinguishing driveways from ramps and getting back on track if I veer toward a parking lot or curb.
Go me.
