DanniStories Blogger

Want To Be My Valentine?

2023-02-05T05:13:00.006-05:00

64 yo female seeks senior male for friendship and possibly courtship.

Looking For A Special Friend For Valentine’s Day

Okay, I got your attention! If you can make it through my two hurdles, you may DM me on any of my social media you saw this on. Kindly tell me what on this list interests you so I will know you saw it :)

My Wish List

1. Must be a member of Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints or want to know more about it. Www.mormon.org

2. I’m a Democrat.

I love cats.

Disability - mobility-disabled. Need you to be vaccinated and masked, too.

2nd Disability - mentally ill with Borderline Personality Disorder. I like CBT to help me with it.

www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/borderline-personality-disorder

I'm an Enneagram Type 4.

https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-4

Want to take the test? https://www.truity.com/test/enneagram-personality-test

And, I'm a Myers-Briggs INFJ-T. INFJ is the rarest of the 16 types.

https://www.16personalities.com/infj-personality

Want to take the test? https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

ADD, too. Not hyper.

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd

My daughter depends on my income to have a place to live.

I love writing, arts and photography, science, social issues, genealogy, singing, food, travel.

Open to men of color.

Other states or countries ok.

Used to a tight budget, but hope you have an income that can support me.

Disabilities ok.

Want to correspond before dating.

No intimacy before marriage.

Details below of each item:

First Hurdle: You must be a member of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints or an Investigator. Religion is a very important part of my life and I don’t want to fall in love with someone who cusses, drinks, smokes, or generally thinks our lifestyle is stupid. Note that this is the mainstream Church and not the odd sect that still believes in plural marriage. We do not practice this and haven’t since 1898.

Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints

www.churchofjesuschrist.org

If you want to know more about our Church, you are an Investigator. Talk to a Missionary. No one will pressure you to join our Church because we don’t do that.

Www.mormon.org

Would love to meet someone who likes to talk about our Sunday School lesson every week. This year we are studying the New Testament. When I get to know you better, I’d invite you to our weekly Zoom singles group where we discuss the week’s lesson and in-person activities.

Second Hurdle: I don’t want to argue about politics. I am a Democrat who votes her conscience. During the last election I got into a lively 3 hour conversation with a Republican candidate for the Ringgold, GA City Council and found plenty to agree on. My political views are plain on Twitter, and I [mostly] confine them there. So, if you’re a Republican, I won’t say that you can’t be my friend, but my last boyfriend was and it ended the relationship because we couldn’t find common ground. Most members of our Church are Republican, and I just avoid politics generally with them. It’s a taboo subject during our weekly Zoom in Singles. So, I’m willing not to talk about politics, but hoping to be able to if things get serious later.

If you’re still reading, great! Now I’ll tell you what my main interests are and see if you have any in common.

Pets. I’ve had cats, dogs, birds and chinchillas but have held and enjoyed turtles, frogs and snakes as well as farm animals. We currently have a cat, two nine-month old kittens, and an elderly Silky Terrier I trained to be my service dog. If you don’t like pets or especially cats, we might not be compatible. Our pets are as dear as family members.

Family. I live with my daughter and she works as my care aide. So, if we got serious, she can’t make ends meet without my income. So, that’s something we’d need to talk about before that time. She’s the family member you’d need to get along with. My parents have been dead for many years. My sister is dear to me, but lives across the state. I have a few scattered cousins. Would love it if you had a close-knit and large family.

Disability. I am mobilty-disabled. I use, at times, a cane, a walker, and a manual wheelchair. I would still be using a power chair if I could get one. If we park close to a store, I can lean on Maggie’s shoulder and make do until we get a motorized cart. But, I get sick about two weeks after an outing, despite our masks. I don’t tend to get sick enough to go to the Emergency Room, however. My daughter and I are current on our COVID vaccinations and hope you are. If we get serious, I do look forward to dates with you and will gladly put up with a later cold or whatever. Hoping you can put up with lifting the wheelchair [35 lbs] or walker. Going to a movie or restaurant is definitely fine!

If you have a small car, it might not fit. Welcome to life and the disabled person! If we’re not walking far, your arm might be enough. Have disabled parking pass, will travel!

If you are also disabled, you might have to deal with your own disability equipment, and I’m ok with that. Even if our care aides have to come with us on dates!

Mental Illness. I’m being honest with you, I am a person with Borderline Personality Disorder. I did learn many coping skills in therapy, so I am open to you talking with me about it and how it might affect you. I am hyper-emotional, but it mostly shows in my enthusiasm for life. I tend to be optimistic. My daughter and I get along well. We joke around a lot. We enjoy the simple pleasures of life. It takes a lot to make me mad, and we’ve had, maybe one argument last year and none so far this year that we couldn’t resolve. My daughter and I talk things out. We compromise. I admit if I said something that later proves to be wrong. When I get angry, I don’t hit. I might yell, “This is so frustrating!” but I don’t cuss and am very unlikely to throw an insult. When I drive and someone’s rude, I usually yell, “You jerk!” or “Repent, ye sinner!” and joke about it. I am very unlikely to call people names or insult their character. See my Twitter for what I do say. I am a lot kinder to friends and family.

Writing. I’m a writer and I do that most of every day except Sunday. Hoping to meet someone who wants to read my young adult science fiction and maybe writes the same. But if you write nonfiction or you’re a reporter, blogger or streamer, that would definitely interest me. It is hard for someone who’s not a writer to understand just how much time I spend typing every day. It’s my escape from financial worries. It’s my dream, to someday sell enough of it to get out of poverty and maybe, open people’s eyes to what it means to be low-income or disabled, or a single mom.

Science. I love to see all the breakthroughs lately in tech, medicine and AI among many other topics such as architecture, the environment, and space.

Arts. I do some graphic arts, such as my own book covers. I use DAZ Studio the most, GIMP often, and rarely, Blender [not very good at it but want to learn]. I used to do oil and acrylic painting but my hands aren’t steady enough now. I do love to take pictures.

Social Issues. I have a lot of concerns about homelessness, addiction, incarceration, mental health, and lack of health care in our great country. All these issues are interconnected, and my grown daughter and I often discuss them. Also, immigration reform, worker shortage, recycling, public schools, and zoning. You can tell from my frequent Twitter posts on these subjects.

Genealogy. Would love to talk about progress on our family trees, or help you with yours! I’m very good at census records and 1850-1900-2000’s genealogy. Know a little about wills, church records, property records and the like. Learning about all sorts of primary sources and how to determine which relatives belong on the family tree and which don’t. Would love to learn from you if you’re more advanced than I!

Music. Love to sing and would really love to have a partner to sing with! I play the keyboard badly and never learned to play by music, but play by ear. I can follow music to sing by. Love to harmonize to my favorite songs! I love Alternative Rock, folk, hymns, LDS artists especially Cherie Call and Michael McLean, and a huge variety in just about every genre. I don’t like Rap, mainly because of the bad language.

Food. When I get to know you better, I love to eat out, but I also love to try new things to eat, so if you like to cook, that’s cool! I love everything from hamburgers to steaks, spinach salad or cooked, broccoli, yeast rolls, cornbread and biscuits.

When eating out, I like just about any fast food except McDonald’s and prefer onion rings to fries. If I get fries with a meal I usually pass them to my daughter, who loves ‘em!

As far as restaurants, country, Mexican, Chinese, pizza, Greek, Thai, Japanese or German are my faves. Not too fond of Italian or hot foods because of my stomach. I can still eat pizza, but not lasagna. However, when mild, spicy food gets to me, a little aloe juice usually fixes it.

I’ve never been addicted to anything, but if I were, it would be sweets. I love European dark or white chocolate, cookies, cakes, cream pies and pumpkin or pecan, and ice cream or frozen yogurt. Milk chocolate is okay, and American chocolate is okay. I like European better because they don’t put enzymes in there to make you hungry, or wax.

I usually just drink water with a meal. Carbonated drinks or lemonade usually give me a bad tummyache or worse. Tea and coffee are not part of a Latter-day Saint diet, though herbal teas are okay and I love those. I especially love Boba tea [without green tea] and milkshakes.

Travel. I haven’t traveled a whole lot, but if you have, would love to hear about it. I love to see new places. My dream trip would be Germany, Ireland and Scotland, and to do some genealogy while there! Where would you go, if you could afford the trip? Armchair traveling is fair game.

I’m used to a very tight budget, so I don’t mind if you have the same. I’m just as pleased with a picked wild flower as I would be with a nice bouquet in a vase. If you gave me a box of Godivas for Valentine’s but a single bar of Ritter Sport dark chocolate with hazelnut from the grocery store for the next holiday, I wouldn’t complain. Or, if you forgot a holiday.

I’m more likely to tell you, if you are on a tight budget, that I don’t need a box of Godiva’s or an expensive meal to be happy just with your company. I would like to know that you have a steady income and are a hard worker. It doesn’t have to be six figures. If we get serious, I would like to know that you can support me. What’s most important is you, not your income.

And, if you’re disabled, too, and on disability income, that’s ok. As I said, I’m used to being frugal and we can be frugal together. I used to be a hard-worker before I became disabled and still consider myself to be one. Maybe you’re in this boat.

I’m white, but you don’t have to be. I try to see my prejudices and change them. I’m an advocate of world peace. My religion is very important to me, so for a romantic interest, it is vital. However, when I go to Church, I see interracial couples. There aren’t many members of color, and it makes me sad. When there are members of color, they are welcomed, at least as far as a white person can notice. I am aware that there are as many ways a white person can offend a person of color as there are bigots in this world. I strive not to offend anyone because of their difference from me. As far as my friends, I value our differences as well as our likenesses.

If you live in a different state or country, I wouldn’t necessarily expect you to move here. I would lose my Medicaid and have to go on the waiting list again in a different state, but if you can afford my medical care, let’s talk about it. If your family is there and you want to stay near them, I might be willing to move there. I lived in Utah for 8 years and really loved it.

I’ve talked about wanting to build my own home forever. I’d like to make the shell out of shipping containers but have the outside look like a Victorian. So, this is another big conversation topic for me, including zoning, geology of the land, whether or not to have farm animals, a garden, what plants or trees and how much water we’d need for them, etc.

I look forward to a lot of conversations about things important to both of us. Hoping for a singing partner, someone to read some things that I write, or perhaps someone who wants to edit my writing. Or someone to make art with. Maybe, after marriage, someone to travel with or at least be armchair travelers together.

The things that are most important to me in this special friend are these:

Honest, open communication. I am very open about my feelings, and would like my special friend to feel free to open up when he’s comfortable.

Cares enough to read a social media post or two and DM me about them, whether to agree or politely disagree. Whether you agree or not, tell me why you think so. I’m not looking for a yes man, I’m just looking for polite conversation.

Interested enough to try reading something of what I write. If I send you a story and after the first page, you’re falling asleep, it won’t hurt my feelings if you ask for another story. If something turns you off, tell me about it. Maybe something I write will interest you.

Yeah, it might hurt my feelings if you tell me the first story you read isn’t interesting to you, but I won’t get mad or tell you I don’t want to be friends.

Every story is different, and every reader is different. What matters to me is that you want to read it in the first place. Your comments might help me improve it.

I’m hoping to find a fella who really enjoys what I write, and that is important to me. But, we will never know unless you read one. You don’t have to eagerly await every page that I write. If you like one of my many stories, even if it’s not written yet, you might like another.

Likes something that I like. You don’t have to like everything that I like, but having something in common is a basis for any friendship, isn’t it? If you love to sing with me but hate my writing, that’s ok. If you love my writing but can’t sing or play an instrument, or you do but hate that, it’s ok, too. Or if we have great conversations about science but you don’t sing or like my writing, at least we have interesting conversations.

Those first two hurdles are the most important, especially my religion. I can like you as a friend even if you don’t meet it, but I won’t date you. I really, really want to be able to date someone. If you’re a Church member but we argue about politics constantly, am I going to want to date you?

What I expect to happen from this request for a Special Friend:

If you like my post, you’ll either reply to it or DM me.

I’ll correspond with you via the DM for a few weeks.

Once I feel comfortable, I’ll get on Zoom with you.

Later on, I’ll introduce you to my daughter and see how she likes you. Maybe your family would like to virtually meet me.

Sometime after that, I’ll plan to meet in person.

If there are several of you that I’m dating, at some point I will choose one, if he’s serious, and if I feel serious about him. If I fall in love with you, I’ll tell you. I hope you’ll tell me when you know, if you’re in love, or if you don’t think I’m right for you. Honesty is the best way to go.

At that point I shall be the loyal girlfriend and be exclusive. I will have known you for maybe six months. You would never, ever think to dishonor me by inviting me to your bed. You know that would end our relationship. At this point you also agree to be exclusive, and loyal to me.

If you decide to ask me to marry you and my answer is yes, we will have about a six month engagement and plan a Church wedding and Temple Marriage. If you are a new member of our Church, it takes a year to earn a Temple Recommend, but I am a patient woman.

I will be your devoted wife and absolutely faithful. We will decide together our path, with me listening to you with an open mind and both of us praying together about all those major decisions ahead of us. We’ll study our Scriptures together and have many interesting discussions of how they apply to us, today, in our daily life. We’ll attend the Temple together and get all our relatives sealed to us.

I have a daughter who will look up to you as her new father, and I will look forward to being a second mother to your children, and be as loyal to them as I am to you. I will adopt your parents as my second parents and give them love and devotion as well. The same for your family. I believe you don’t just marry a man, but his entire family, the easy and not-so-easy to get along with.

So, my new friend, there you have my honest wish list of my heart. I get so many DM’s like, Hello, Beautiful or Hello, Darling and I don’t answer them. I don’t want to be scammed. So, if you want to DM me, read a few of my posts and pick one to comment about. Give me a long enough comment and I’ll reply to you. I don’t expect you to read all of my social medias or fawn over what I say. I just want to know what’s important to you, and for you to start a conversation with me.

How Many Words In Your Word Count?

2023-02-04T23:19:00.000-05:00

I decided to do some research and add to my usual go-to Nebula Awards Word Count. That's here:

https://nebulas.sfwa.org/about-the-nebulas/nebula-rules/

Every editor has a different word count boundary for whatever length of story from flash fiction to novel.

I looked several places and came up with this, in living color:

I put together word count guidelines from several sources [note, these are flexible]:

Micro Fiction: 55-300 words

Picture Book Ages 4-5 500 words

Picture Book Age 6 550 words

Picture Book Ages 7-8 600 words

Children’s Chapter Book Age 7 1000-4999 words

Children’s Chapter Book Age 8 5000-10,000 words

Flash Fiction: 6-1,000 words

Also called microfiction

Short-Short story: 1,001-5,000

Some set lower limit at 750 words

Short Story: 5001-7,500 words

Novelette: 7,501-17,500 words

Novella: 17,501-40,000 words

Middle Grade Book Age 8 20,000 Words

Middle Grade Book Age 9 25,000 Words

Middle Grade Book Age 10 30,000 Words

Novel: 40,000 Technically

Middle Grade Book Age 11 40,000 Words

Middle Grade Book Age 12 50,000 Words

Novel: 50,000 Minimum

Young Adult Novel Teen: 50,000-70,000 words

YA Science Fiction 50,000-80,000 words

Romance: 50,000-100,000 words

Novel: 55,000+ words

Novel: <70,000 Too Short

Thriller: Suspense. Mystery: 70,000-90,000 words

Novel: 70,000-79,999 Maybe Too Short-Probably Fine

Novel: 80,000-89,999 Totally Cool

Non-fiction: Many subgenres-check.

Memoirs: 80,000-90,000 words

Science fiction: 90,000-120,000 words

Fantasy: 90,000-120,000 words

Novel: 90,000-99,999 Generally Safe

Historical: ~100,000 words

Novel: 100,000-109,999 Maybe Too Long-Probably Fine

Novel: 110,000+ Too Long

Super Novel: 120,000-300,000 words Way Too Long

Legend:

Short It’s Ok

Medium It’s Ok

Novel: Too Short Romance: It's OK

Optimum Length Novel: It’s OK

Longer Still Acceptable Length Novel

Getting Too Long Novel: Maybe Too Long

Novel: Too Long

Super Novel: Too Long

https://nebulas.sfwa.org/about-the-nebulas/nebula-rules/

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/word-count-guide#3-reasons-word-count-is-important-in-writing

https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing/novel-and-short-story-word-counts

www.WritersLiterary.com

Adia, Scientist 6 Jan 2023. Book Trailer on YouTube. Doomed scientist strives to discover a new fuel as War moves closer, but her experiment fails. Now Adia realizes just how vital her work is, and who threatens it, when a visiting scientist offers help.

2023-01-07T19:01:00.001-05:00

My Amazon Author Central page is here: https://www.amazon.com/Dannis-Cole/e/B074KMNVSQ/

Reviewer copies are free to any reader if you will write a review on Amazon stating briefly what you liked and disliked about what you read. I like honest reviews. If you would like a reviewer copy, feel free to request the story of your choice at dannis@dannistories.com

I use the name of my indie publishing house, DanniStories, on most of these:

dannistories.com [I am having trouble with my website at the moment]

Discord https://discord.gg/pRSDVs3NDd DanniStories GrannyHandicap [disability talk] and Adiamaea [gaming] also.

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest [current projects]

TikTok DanniStories account is lost. Will be making a new DannisWrites account.

Twitch

Twitter [now DannisWrites] YouTube Reddit I am most active on Twitter, TikTok and Instagram. And I usually participate in National Novel Writing Month every April, July, and November. nanowrimo.org [DannisWrites]

Windows 11 Mysterious Error - Duplicate Application Data Folder

2021-10-30T22:53:00.001-04:00

I Have To Reinstall WHAT??!??
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Windows 11 problems!

Yep, Windows 11 is brand new, so I expected problems. I didn't expect to see an error from Windows 10 in 2011 and 2013.

Windows Forums

I just searched and the link I found above was from 2012, above, with a good explanation of why it happened. I just had one subdirectory. In that subdirectory were the files that should have been in the first iteration. Previous times I searched, I got forum entries about it from the dates I mentioned.

I saw one solution that called for renaming the offender and deleting it. When I tried that, I got a 3rd iteration that was just a link. In that link file were all the directories that should have lived in the 1st one. So I un-renamed them and did a system refresh.

The refresh didn't work, so I reinstalled keeping my files.

This worked, but I am having to reinstall all my software and apps that were on my C:/ drive. You can bet I won't be putting Poser or VUE on that C: drive!!

I have also formed some opinions on my spanking new Windows 11.

Pros:

I like the new look

It was very easy to figure out where things were

Cons:

Less button space on the bar for the programs I actually use

Buttons I cannot remove and want to: Widgets and Chat

Cannot remove Windows Edge

Search defaults to Windows Edge no matter how I wail and complain that search won't use my default Google Chrome

Cannot easily change groups of extensions to certain programs

Windows Explorer still loses focus on the folder I'm working on

Windows Explorer still scrolls up or opens folders when trying to move files

Quick Access still adds files that I don't want pinned, and some can't be removed, even after unpinning

Overall, I like Windows 11 better than Windows 10, mainly because I'm not constantly brushing the stupid window with news and opening it accidentally! The widgets window behaves better, though I couldn't find any 3rd party apps to put there. Where is Google when you need it?? I would love to put my Google News there instead of Microsoft's pitiful excuse for a news server. At least Google has a vague idea of what I'd like to see there, and more ways to tell it what I want.

I already knew I was in for days of installing software and yes, dealing with passwords. I feel like that fella in the picture. But now I'm worried that I will do all these reinstalls and possibly have to go through it again. I'm going right now to set a restore point!

PASSWORD PURGATORY

2021-10-30T22:22:00.002-04:00

I love this photo, by Pixabay on Pexels.

I wrote a filk about it. Sing to the tune of, "What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor?"

What Do ye Do When The Password's Fergotten?

Chorus:
Way hey ire she rises,
Way hey ire she rises,
Way hey ire she rises,
Earlay in th' mornin'

What will I do, I forgot me password,
What will I do, I forgot me password,
What will I do, I forgot me password,
Earlay in th' mornin'

Told it to reset me password,
Told it to reset me password,
Told it to reset me password,
Earlay in th' mornin'

Check me phone, oh no, it's dead now,
Check me phone, oh no, it's dead now,
Check me phone, oh no, it's dead now,
In the midst of mornin'

Phone is chargin', send it to me email,
Phone is chargin', send it to me email,
Phone is chargin', send it to me email,
It is now mid-mornin'

Check me email but forgot that password,
Check me email but forgot that password,
Check me email but forgot that password,
Now it's towards late mornin'

Where's that security key, it's not on me,
Where's that security key, it's not on me,
Where's that security key, it's not on me,
Now it's really late mornin'

Guess it's time for lunch, now, Mateys,
Guess it's time for lunch, now, Mateys,
Guess it's time for lunch, now, Mateys,
Earlay afternoon, now

Tech support says go back to Google,
Tech support says go back to Google,
Tech support says go back to Google,
It's middle afternoon, now

Google says gotta wait 6 hours,
Google says gotta wait 6 hours,
Google says gotta wait 6 hours,
Time to get me home, now!

- Dannis Cole

I plan a TikTok of that soon!

This filk illustrates the problem with passwords, 2-factor authorization, and how we try to cope with it. Sometimes I have to call my daughter in. "Will you please type this [wailing deleted] password in for me...again??"

Passwords and the process of having to type in ever-longer and more complicated ones are discriminatory against people with disabilities. There! I said it!!

The number one obstacle in my life right now is passwords.

I use Google and Google Chrome to manage my passwords. It's usually easy, fast, and Google even has a password generator built-in. When it works.

If you change your password in an app, even on your computer, it will not be saved in Google. That means I had to change it AGAIN because of course, I had no clue what it was when I tried to log in after validating my account.

I am a writer. I do TONS of research. I have passwords on about 3500 sites. So multiply the above routine that many times and you'll see why I'm just about tearing my hair out!

And Google moved their menus around in Settings. I have memory problems. That means, I can never remember where to look for Password Manager. It's hidden from me in many submenus. Usually, I'm a Google fan. I got my email when you had to apply for it, that long ago. I have many email accounts, as many folks do to try to keep work and personal separate. I've just turned to Thunderbird [again, it's been many years] to try to deal with my tens of thousands of emails in each of many accounts.

I do own a Security Key. I tried several free Password Managers. The only one that really works for me is LastPass, but for a free account, I can only use it on one device: My Phone.

My Phone is the thing I get frustrated with and call my daughter in. "Can you make this thing do what I need to do right now??"

I learned how to use a personal computer in 1986 at what is now Chattahoochee Tech. Cellphones have not been my device of choice. The screen is too small for me to see what I'm doing. So I use various means to get my cell connected to my PC so I can text without getting very frustrated. Voice recognition refuses to get what I say right compared to people around me, so I gave up. I spend more time correcting what I said and the AI thought I said than I do just sending the stupid message.

We live in the 21st century. I expected robots, flying cars, and intelligent AI's. What I got is a cellphone I can't see, a computer that doesn't understand my voice, and passwords for everything.

I thought my security key would solve my Google problems. It hasn't.

I thought Windows Hello would solve my Google problems. It hasn't.

It's not just Google, to be fair. It's every company with a website gated with password entry. When, as a society, can we get rid of passwords and just use our fingerprints and faces and security keys???

And then there were keys for the softwares I am dying to use.

VUE

VUE 2016 has the most draconian process ever to install their legacy software. As you may know, e-on software's website got creamed by a hacker in 2018.

http://www.cgchannel.com/2018/01/e-on-launches-temporary-website-following-cyber-attack/

So, no longer is it enough for me to have my key for my copies of VUE 2016, VUE 2015, and VUE 11. I have files from all of these that have assets that aren't readable from other versions. Sigh.

No, I have to install and put in my key, 4 characters at a time even though it says that you can copy and paste the whole thing. There's not even an installer for my VUE 7 any more, so all those assets are gone.

Then I have to fill out the dreaded contact form for tech support. Tech support will send me a new key based on a number generated in the newly installed software. Tech support is very nice and all but it takes them 48 hours per request. I had trouble the last time, then I had to reinstall Windows 11. Yep. Haven't done it yet.

Poser 11 also has a horse-choker key to activate the software.

Family Tree 2017 also has a key.

Each of these softwares with keys has a password-protected website. Hello, Google!

Enough about passwords. Let's get to the other reason this PC setup is taking so long.

Windows 11 problems! See next blog post.

It's Been A While

2021-10-30T21:47:00.003-04:00

Photo by Craig Adderley from Pexels

Usually, folks enjoy the cooler Fall weather. Well, I'm struggling to get my new PC set up. I still need a USB Type C port free [there's only one so I need a Type C hub] and one of my hard drives is occupying it. I've been trying to stuff my 3D models from 2 old hard drives to two new 5 TB ones and moving pictures, 3D models, creations, stories and story ideas, old copies of my stories in case I have to prove to Amazon KDP [again] that yes, I did create those stories, and old receipts and utility bills etc for proof to Department of Family and Children's Services that I am, indeed, low income. Sigh. All of these things and more live on my many hard drives.

I still have to get the files from the MSI machine onto them, but first I'm getting the most recent stuff organized. I've been working on this for days and days, which are melting all together!

I also still have to get my files transferred over from the incredible overheating Surface, and then there's files on the Lenovo laptop I used before the Surface, and I need to get the PC ready for a friend, that makes 4 computers needing my attention besides the shiny new Omen.

The 4th, by the way is a Chrome OS machine and the only one without any problems that's fit to give away!! I will combine the others into a Render Farm. But that project will have to wait.

In the meantime, while files chug away, I am learning how to do Unreal Engine 4, in which I hope to bring Adia, Scientist to life. So I'm also learning how to import 3D models from DAZ Studio over the DAZ to Unreal Bridge [is that like the Rainbow Bridge, I wonder?]. Then I can use the same models I use on my book covers to animate and act out my stories!! I might even use the settings to do my livestream. All on the back burner.

I have been doing test renders and all I can say is WOW! That was fast!

I am constructing a render on a commuter train car to be used in a future story.

I am also recruiting my daughter Maggie to help me update my X-Ray entries on Adia, Scientist and teaching her how to edit and catch my [too-many] typos. I have plans to fix all the typos in Adia, Scientist and formatting problems in anticipation of releasing it in paperback and hardcover.

But first, I have to get my PC fully set up.

I installed Thunderbird to manage my multiple email accounts and am moving all my newsletters to a new email. This is a nightmare, and all because of ...

PASSWORD PURGATORY!!!

See my next Blog Entry. This one's too long.

So, until I'm fully set up, my livestream is on hold. I will probably have to start from scratch :( But hey, that's life! Omeniae will get set up, and I will be on the air again! Probably, I'll start with short ones once I get the camera plugged in. That hard drive is now receiving my backup files. When I'm done, I can unplug it. Here's hoping it's on the USB C port!

DanniStories's Post

2021-10-22T04:44:00.001-04:00

Setting up new PC!
By: via DanniStories

DanniStories's Post

2021-09-15T17:32:00.001-04:00

I am waiting for a new PC or to get an interim one set up to continue my Livestream. Sorry for the inconveniences, Friends! It's part of being on Disabled Time.
By: via DanniStories

04 Sep 2021 Disability and Anxiety/Depression

2021-09-05T04:52:00.001-04:00

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

World Health Organization Depression

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression

Self-care interventions for health

https://www.who.int/health-topics/self-care#tab=tab_1

Mental well-being: resources for the public

https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/mental-well-being-resources-for-the-public

Doing What Matters in Times of Stress

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240003927

#HealthyAtHome - Mental health

https://www.who.int/campaigns/connecting-the-world-to-combat-coronavirus/healthyathome/healthyathome---mental-health

Relationship between Physical Disability and Depression by Gender: A Panel Regression Model

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5130183/

Screening for Depression

https://adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/ask-and-learn/screenings/screening-depression

https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/depression

You can use this to screen yourself for depression.

Frequent Mental Distress Among Adults, by Disability Status, Disability Type, and Selected Characteristics — United States, 2018

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6936a2.htm

Coursera Free Course - 10 weeks long

The Science of Well-Being

4.9stars

29,705 ratings

https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being?utm_source=gg&utm_medium=sem&utm_campaign=09-ScienceofWellBeing-US&utm_content=09-ScienceofWellBeing-US&campaignid=9728548210&adgroupid=102459401907&device=c&keyword=happiness%20course&matchtype=b&network=g&devicemodel=&adpostion=&creativeid=433067297434&hide_mobile_promo&gclid=Cj0KCQjwssyJBhDXARIsAK98ITSpQa8wXsnUXz4xFvenE_ynURk5GXxNKJ7ynPcs6vC9pLXs_9VFYM4aAqoFEALw_wcB

I can't recommend this course enough! I think families should take it together. Dr Laurie Santos talks about important studies and real-world examples in a friendly way. There are many practical suggestions anyone can use to increase their happiness, right now, today!

With the course there is a free app for doing the exercises called ReWi, which is available for iOS and Android. The name comes from "Rewire your habits".

03 Sep 2021 Disability and Education History

2021-09-03T22:07:00.001-04:00

Photo by Max Fischer from Pexels

Disability History: Educational Reform

https://www.nps.gov/articles/disabilityhistoryedreform.htm

Telling All Americans' Stories

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/tellingallamericansstories/index.htm

Disability History Featured Places

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/tellingallamericansstories/disability-history-places.htm

The Evolution of Special Education

Kelli J. Esteves and Shaila Rao

November/December 2008

Retracing legal milestones in American history.

https://www.naesp.org/sites/default/files/resources/1/Principal/2008/N-Oweb2.pdf

LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT

https://www.myeducationalsolutions.com/least-restrictive-environment-lre/

02 Sep 2021 Disability and Public School

2021-09-02T23:05:00.000-04:00

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

There is a lot more to discuss! I spoke mainly about schools in the USA but am open to discussing school in an international context. Here is what I found in two hours of my livestream:

What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?

https://www.understood.org/articles/en/individuals-with-disabilities-education-act-idea-what-you-need-to-know

5 Most Common Learning Disabilities

https://www.masters-in-special-education.com/lists/5-most-common-learning-disabilities/

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Facts For Families Guide

https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/Layout/FFF_Guide-01.aspx?hkey=c2dc89fb-aac1-4308-9297-eedfe7755b92

This resource has a wealth of info on various topics. The ones I talked about tonight are:

School Services for Children with Special Needs: Know Your Rights

No. 83; September 2016

https://www.aacap.org/aacap/families_and_youth/facts_for_families/fff-guide/Services-In-School-For-Children-With-Special-Needs-What-Parents-Need-To-Know-083.aspx

Chronic Illness and Children

No. 19; Updated October 2015

https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/The-Child-With-A-Long-Term-Illness-019.aspx

Talking To Kids About Mental Illnesses

No. 84; July 2017

https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Talking-To-Kids-About-Mental-Illnesses-084.aspx

Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth

No. 122; May 2017

https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/transgender-and-gender-diverse-youth-122.aspx

=============================================================================

I think schools should:

- Allow students at least a 30 minute lunch. My older daughter had 15 minutes for lunch in 5th grade. I know because I ate with her on special occasions.

- Allow students recess twice per school day. I think all high schools should have parks where students can walk, jog or swing at recess, to blow off steam.

- All school systems should integrate mental health care in-school. They should have online therapy available during school hours.

- All school systems should have a no-bullying policy, on or off campus. This should include colleges and universities. Bullying is abuse. Abuse of any kind should not be tolerated.

- Class sizes should be reduced. Teacher burnout is a sign that classes are too large and paperwork is too much. Reduce homework and reduce teacher workload.

- Do less testing. Research shows that standardized testing is biased against ethnic groups. Many students suffer from test anxiety.

- Emphasize socialization and working together. Don't tolerate hate speech, name-calling, or making fun of people. Teach students to stand up to this in heathy ways. Have a therapist teach groups about positive communication.

- Make more partnerships between the psychological community and the education community. Child psychologists can show teachers more healthy ways to gain class cooperation.

- Dannis Cole

01 Sep 2021 Disability and Homelessness

2021-09-01T22:34:00.002-04:00

An attractive Black woman sleeps on a picnic table. By her is an umbrella and a few neat items. A clothesline is near her, tied to one of many trees.

Photo by NICE GUYS from Pexels

People Experiencing Homelessness

https://www.ssa.gov/homelessness/?tl=0

US Interagency Council on Homelessness

https://www.usich.gov/

Case Studies: Connecting Supportive Housing and Health Systems to End Chronic Homelessness among People with Disabilities

https://www.usich.gov/tools-for-action/case-studies-connecting-supportive-housing-and-health-systems-to-end-chronic-homelessness-among-people-with-disabilities

Over 40% of homeless in U.S. have a disability

https://blog.easterseals.com/over-40-of-homeless-in-us-have-a-disability/

DISABILITY OVERVIEW

https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/disability_overview

HUD Releases 2020 Annual Homeless Assessment Report Part 1

Homelessness Increasing Even Prior to COVID-19 Pandemic

https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/hud_no_21_041

HOMELESS

https://www.hud.gov/faqs/homeless

Homelessness Among Individuals with Disabilities: Influential Factors and Scalable Solutions

https://www.naccho.org/blog/articles/homelessness-among-individuals-with-disabilities-influential-factors-and-scalable-solutions

We also talked about bullying in schools. I plan to make this a topic for discussion in a future livestream. I think schools should:

- Allow students at least a 30 minute lunch. My older daughter had 15 minutes for lunch in 5th grade. I know because I ate with her on special occasions.

- Allow students recess twice per school day. I think all high schools should have parks where students can walk, jog or swing at recess, to blow off steam.

- All school systems should integrate mental health care in-school. They should have online therapy available during school hours.

- All school systems should have a no-bullying policy, on or off campus. This should include colleges and universities. Bullying is abuse. Abuse of any kind should not be tolerated.

- Class sizes should be reduced. Teacher burnout is a sign that classes are too large and paperwork is too much. Reduce homework and reduce teacher workload.

- Do less testing. Research shows that standardized testing is biased against ethnic groups. Many students suffer from test anxiety.

- Make more partnerships between the psychological community and the education community. Child psychologists can show teachers more healthy ways to gain class cooperation.

- Students should have a Bill of Human Rights. Every student deserves a healthy school environment, free of bullying, discrimination, and public health threats. If a school cannot provide a safe environment, students should have a choice to attend remotely. Schools should follow CDC guidelines, including masking and vaccination requirements. COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic to hit us.

31 Aug 2021 Disability and Incarceration

2021-08-31T22:55:00.000-04:00

A Black man with white hair stands in a jail cell with his hands outside the bars. He has tatoos on his forearms. His hands are relaxed and his shoulders are down. To me, he appears despondent.

I chose a picture of a Black man because people of color are disproportionally arrested and incarcerated compared to white people. Over half of people in US prisons are mentally ill. See links below.

Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

History of Psychiatric Hospitals

https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/nhhc/nurses-institutions-caring/history-of-psychiatric-hospitals/

America's Long-Suffering Mental Health System

https://origins.osu.edu/article/americas-long-suffering-mental-health-system

Improving mental health for inmates

Using a variety of new strategies, psychologists in correctional settings are transforming care for people in prisons and jails

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/03/mental-heath-inmates

Fact Sheet: Incarceration and Mental Health

http://psych-history.weill.cornell.edu/his_res/imi.html

Serious Mental Illness Prevalence in Jails and Prisons

https://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/evidence-and-research/learn-more-about/3695#:~:text=SMI%20POPULATION%20ESTIMATES,number%20has%20grown%20since%20then.

Yes, U.S. locks people up at a higher rate than any other country

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/07/07/yes-u-s-locks-people-up-at-a-higher-rate-than-any-other-country/

30 Aug 2021 Disability and Media

2021-08-30T22:23:00.004-04:00

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Movies with Characters Who Have Physical Disabilities

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/movies-with-characters-who-have-physical-disabilities

TV Shows and Movies That Address Disability and Difference

https://www.parentmap.com/article/tv-shows-and-movies-address-disability-and-difference

Family Movie Night: 7 Films That Address Disability, Differences and Inclusion

https://www.parentmap.com/article/family-movie-night-films-that-address-disability-and-differences

Special Needs Documentaries

https://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2011/10/06/the-15-top-special-needs-documentaries/

LIVES WORTH LIVING

https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/lives-worth-living/

10 MOVIES AND FILMS FOR ADULTS ABOUT DISABILITIES, ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION

https://easterseals.ca/english/10-movies-and-films-about-disabilities-accessibility-and-inclusion/

Films With Disabled Characters

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls031084909/

Article of Interest - Entertainment

Movies featuring characters with disabilities

https://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/2003/1-03/iCAN1-03.html

GrannyHandicap 28 Aug 2021 Dementia

2021-08-29T01:40:00.000-04:00

Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels

I use a photo of a Black family because elderly Black people are twice as likely to have dementia as a white person. Hispanic folks are 1.5 times as likely. I attribute this to systemic racism and access to healthcare, though there is much more research needed. See the CDC link below, where these stats came from.

What Is Dementia?

https://www.cdc.gov/aging/dementia/index.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dementia/symptoms-causes/syc-20352013

Fall Prevention

https://www.cdc.gov/stillgoingstrong/

https://www.cdc.gov/stillgoingstrong/about/common-injuries-as-we-age.html

Prevent Falls and Fractures

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/prevent-falls-and-fractures

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/fall-proofing-your-home

US Area Agencies on Aging

https://www.usaging.org/

Dementia research: What’s exciting the experts?

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dementia-research-whats-exciting-the-experts

Consider joining a clinical trial or study in person or online. All types of volunteers are needed — people with dementia or memory problems, caregivers, at-risk individuals, and healthy volunteers.

https://www.alzheimers.gov/clinical-trials

I participated in this one!

https://www.alzheimers.gov/clinical-trials/boston-cognitive-assessment-online-cognition-testing?searchTrial=Ringgold,%20GA,%20USA&onlineOnly=true&page=1

As of today, the link worked and I instantly got an emailed link to the test. I scored 25/30, which is pretty good. Anyone over 50 can take it. Once you finish, you are emailed your result. It only took me about 10 min to take it online.

GrannyHandicap 27 Aug 2021 Fibromyalgia

2021-08-27T22:31:00.000-04:00

A picture of myself from 1982. I was pregnant with my first daughter. At age 22, I had fibromyalgia symptoms but was undiagnosed. It was a hot day and I wasn't feeling very good. Despite how much pain I was in, I appear perfectly normal and was having a fun day despite all that was going on inside.

Fibromyalgia

https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/fibromyalgia.htm

Fibromyalgia

https://www.arthritis.org/diseases/fibromyalgia

Is fibromyalgia real?

https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/is-fibromyalgia-real

Living with Fibromyalgia, Drugs Approved to Manage Pain

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/living-fibromyalgia-drugs-approved-manage-pain

Living with fibromyalgia. Consequences for everyday life

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1633377/

Fibromyalgia Pain Takes Toll on Everyday Life

Work, Relationships, Parenting Affected by the Chronic Pain Disorder, Survey Shows

https://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/news/20110513/fibromyalgia-pain-takes-toll-on-everyday-life

Water Exercise for Fibromyalgia: Easing Deep Muscle Pain

https://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/features/water-exercise-for-fibromyalgia-easing-deep-muscle-pain

GrannyHandicap 26 Aug 2021 Disability and COVID-19

2021-08-26T22:55:00.000-04:00

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

What Covid-19 long haulers should know about claiming Social Security disability benefits

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/14/what-covid-19-long-haulers-should-know-about-social-security-disability.html

Guidance on “Long COVID” as a Disability Under the ADA

https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/civil-rights-covid19/guidance-long-covid-disability/index.html

Other Coronavirus and SSA Resources

https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/

COVID-19 DISABILITY RESOURCES

https://www.aclu.org/fact-sheet/covid-19-disability-resources

Long COVID Can Be a Disability, White House Says

The Biden administration has released guidance and resources on long COVID and disability.

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-07-26/long-covid-can-be-a-disability-biden-administration-says

Data collected by the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor, a rapid independent monitoring project that DRF/DRAF collaborated on with six other organizations, indicates a continued lack of access by persons with disabilities to food, medication, and essential supplies.

https://disabilityrightsfund.org/covid19/

COVID-19 and Long COVID-19 Coronavirus Resources

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/topics/coronavirus-covid-19-long-covid

Voices of People with Disabilities During the COVID19 Outbreak

https://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/content/voices-people-disabilities-during-covid19-outbreak

GrannyHandicap 24 Aug 2021 Mental Disabilities

2021-08-24T22:24:00.002-04:00

Photo by kira schwarz from Pexels

Mental disorders from World Health Organization at the UN

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders#:~:text=Mental%20disorders%20include%3A%20depression%2C%20bipolar,mental%20disorders%20such%20as%20depression.

San Francisco Chronicle

Mental illness and disability aren't crimes. Police can't keep being California's first responders

1 day ago

https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Mental-illness-and-disability-aren-t-crimes-16404110.php

The Mental Health of People with Disabilities

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/features/mental-health-for-all.html

Common Mental Disabilities

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness

What is Intellectual Disability?

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/intellectual-disability/what-is-intellectual-disability

Photo by Cliff Booth from Pexels

GrannyHandicap 23 Aug 2021 Mobility Disabilities

2021-08-23T22:36:00.002-04:00

Photo by ShotPot from Pexels

What is a mobility impairment?

https://www.washington.edu/accesscomputing/what-mobility-impairment

https://www.washington.edu/doit/mobility-impairments

Helps For Mobility Impairment

https://www.disability.illinois.edu/instructor-information/disability-specific-instructional-strategies/mobility-impairments

Equipment Commonly Used in Mobility Impairment

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/rehabtech/conditioninfo/device

Photo by Misha Voguel from Pexels

How To Walk With A Cane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFMEmG6YKDI

Photo by ELEVATE from Pexels

SCI FACTSHEETS

Maintenance Guide for Users of Manual and Power Wheelchairs

https://msktc.org/sci/factsheets/maintenance-guide-users-manual-and-power-wheelchairs

How to Keep Your Wheelchair Clean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMRw-2l9c4A

How To Prevent Spinal Cord Injuries

https://www.spinalcord.com/spinal-cord-injury-prevention

https://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/shc/spinal-cord-injury-awareness

How Do I Know if I Have A Spinal Cord Injury?

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-cord-injury/symptoms-causes/syc-20377890

Spinal Cord Injury: Hope Through Research

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Hope-Through-Research/Spinal-Cord-Injury-Hope-Through-Research

Participate In Clinical Research

https://clinicaltrials.gov/

Wheelchairs, Mobility Aids,

and Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices

https://www.ada.gov/opdmd.htm

Prevalence of Disability and Disability Types by Urban-Rural County Classification – United States, 2016

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/features/disability-prevalence-rural-urban.html

CDC Disability and Health State Programs

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/programs.html

Footless Jo Talks About Amputation Life

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvFroKGvBjvALxCTFzZXL5w

Granny Handicap 21 Aug 2021 Blindness and Low-Vision Disibilities

2021-08-21T22:11:00.004-04:00

Photo by Mikhail Nilov from Pexels

Tags: #Blindness, #LowVision, #Cataracts, #EyeDoctors, #Diagnosis, #Treatment, #LivingWithBlindness, #BlindDisabilityEquipment

I talked about blind friends I've known, then talked about these links. Let me know what you think! I didn't have anyone to talk to tonight.

What is blindness?

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003040.htm

What happens in an eye exam?

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/eye-exam/about/pac-20384655

How Do We Prevent Blindness?

https://preventblindness.org/

https://preventblindness.org/focus-on-eye-health-expert-series/

What are kinds of blindness?

https://www.perkins.org/four-prevalent-different-types-of-blindness/

An End to Blindness?

New technologies could save the eyesight of millions

https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2015/treating-blindness-vision-loss.html

Resources for Vision Impairment

https://hadley.edu/welcome-hadley

https://www.loc.gov/nls/resources/blindness-and-vision-impairment/information-advocacy-organizations/

American Foundation for the Blind

https://www.afb.org/blindness-and-low-vision/disability-rights/advocacy-resources/disability-rights-resources

National Eye Institute

https://www.nei.nih.gov/

Lighthouse For The Visually Impaired and Blind

https://www.lvib.org/

American Academy of Opthamologists

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/low-vision-assistive-devices

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/low-vision-resources

Technology for the Low-Vision and Blind

https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2021/low-vision-technology.html

Brain Implant For The Blind

https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/02/06/844908/a-new-implant-for-blind-people-jacks-directly-into-the-brain/

What Is Braille?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille

Braille Institute

https://brailleinstitute.org/blog/sight-loss-blog/be-independent-again-with-assistive-technology-for-visually-impaired

My Fave Blind YouTuber, Molly Burke

https://www.youtube.com/user/MollyBurkeOfficial

Granny Handicap 20 Aug 2021 Relationahips and Being Disabled

2021-08-20T23:40:00.003-04:00

Photo by ELEVATE from Pexels

This is a huge topic, and I barely scratched the surface. What I thought I would find was more talk about the importance of good communication in all relationships, not just friends and dating! But I think I found some good sources.

Making Friends When You Are Disabled

[https://www.verywellfamily.com/making-friends-with-small-easy-steps-2162851#:~:text=Children%20with%20learning%20disabilities%20often,in%20everyday%20speech3%EF%BB%BF](https://www.verywellfamily.com/making-friends-with-small-easy-steps-2162851#:~:text=Children%20with%20learning%20disabilities%20often,in%20everyday%20speech3%EF%BB%BF)

How To Make New Friends When You Have a Disability

[https://disabilityhorizons.com/2019/04/how-to-make-new-friends-when-you-have-a-disability/](https://disabilityhorizons.com/2019/04/how-to-make-new-friends-when-you-have-a-disability/)

Making Friends:

Thoughts From Young Adults with Disabilities

[https://publications.ici.umn.edu/impact/24-1/making-friends-thoughts-from-young-adults-with-disabilities](https://publications.ici.umn.edu/impact/24-1/making-friends-thoughts-from-young-adults-with-disabilities)

Institute on Community Integration At University of Minnesota

[https://ici.umn.edu/]

I experimented during the livestream with the Making Authentic Friends app. I put it on my phone after reading a few very negative comments.

This app helps people with special needs make friends

[https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/22/health/special-needs-friends-app-trnd/index.html]

Making Authentic Friends app didn't work very well for me. Kept losing focus and going back to the home screen on my Android phone. It was still running but popped up a login screen repeatedly and never finished looking for a friend for me.

I am hoping folks will contribute to it so programmers can improve it. The concept of it is a good one, but apparently the folks abandoned the website and put all their hopes in the app. Unfortunately, the app developers didn't make sure the app was working properly before releasing it. I hope they will keep on with it until it is functional. I had high hopes for it. At one point when I was putting in my age, I got an error message saying I was outside of the age boundaries, yet it did let me register anyway.

Meetup Groups for people with disabilities. I didn't see any much in my area, though there were scattered activities. Meetup depends on the folks who form the groups to create the activities. I would find it difficult to make an in person event because I never know if I can make it to a venue that day. I might experiement with this to create something for Zoom sometime!

[https://www.meetup.com/topics/disability/](https://www.meetup.com/topics/disability/)

Communication and Disability

[http://www.nln.org/professional-development-programs/teaching-resources/ace-d/additional-resources/communicating-with-people-with-disabilities](http://www.nln.org/professional-development-programs/teaching-resources/ace-d/additional-resources/communicating-with-people-with-disabilities)

Dating and Disability

I would like to caution those who want to try dating websites in general that it is very hard to sort out who is there to genuinely meet someone and who are scammers. I haven't had the best experiences on dating sites but have known friends that did. Your mileage may vary!

Expert Dating Tips for the Best Disabled Dating Websites

[https://www.vantagemobility.com/blog/dating-tips-and-sites-for-people-with-disabilities]

4 Part Series on Long Distance Relationships During COVID

[https://blog.easterseals.com/love-is-blind-a-series-on-long-distance-relationships-during-covid-19/?_ga=2.129552970.733626551.1629504431-260975149.1629504431&pk_vid=e28f841038f172271629504460c3ba4e](https://blog.easterseals.com/love-is-blind-a-series-on-long-distance-relationships-during-covid-19/?_ga=2.129552970.733626551.1629504431-260975149.1629504431&pk_vid=e28f841038f172271629504460c3ba4e)

Easterseals Thrive - Dating With Disabilities

[https://www.easterseals.com/thrive/dating.html](https://www.easterseals.com/thrive/dating.html)

Had a nice conversation with a married gentleman from Poland about how to get started writing! So I gave him this link:

[https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction]

If you are more interested in writing non-fiction there are still plenty of good articles on that, too, at Writer's Digest. My website and blog have a bunch of links for new writers also, and I love to talk about the Writing Life, too!

GrannyHandicap 18 Aug 2021 Deafness, Communication and Barriers

2021-08-20T00:57:00.000-04:00

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

I've been posting the links we explore on the livestream to Twitter singly, but I think they make more sense in a group. So from now on, I'll post my after-the-livestream links in a blog post and post that link on Twitter.

Deafness and hearing loss

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss

Making Listening Safe initiative from World Health Org

https://www.who.int/activities/making-listening-safe

file:///D:/2D/DanniStories/Social%20Media/Blogger/WHO%20Safe%20Listening.pdf

CDC Types of Hearing Loss

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/types.html

Learn Fingerspelling [ASL Alphabet]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeAq4gkOEUY

20+ Basic Sign Language Phrases for Beginners | ASL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1desDduz5M

Bill Vicars - Learn ASL by immersion. You'll be amazed at how quickly you can start having real conversations in ASL. Dr. Bill Vicars (Deaf/hh) of "ASL University" will teach you ASL using his innovative and interactive question-based approach.

Lesson 01

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaMjr4AfYA0

Guide to the Different Types of Sign Language Around the World

https://www.k-international.com/blog/different-types-of-sign-language-around-the-world/

What is it like to be Deaf?

https://www.hearinglikeme.com/what-is-it-like-to-be-deaf/

I did a crude version of the activity in the article. I didn't have earplugs handy, but my daughter had noise-canceling headphones. I described my experience. This would be worth repeating in the future on a Livestream!

All About Tinnitus

https://www.hearinglikeme.com/watch-understanding-tinnitus-with-dr-ben-aud/

Would have been better if I'd remembered to pronounce it TINNitus instead of TinnITUS lol!

This dissertation gave many suggestions about how colleges might approach helping minority Deaf students, in this case Black and deaf or Deaf students. The difference between deaf and Deaf is, Deaf is a person with a connection to Deaf Culture and community.

Obviously, a dissertation is not easy reading for laypeople, but I suggested just reading the Abstract and Conclusions. In these, the six Black and d/Deaf students who are the subject of the paper gave their views of how their school could have made their journey easier, without much effort on the school's part. In my opinion, all of their suggestions would apply equally to students with any disability, in any workplace, and in public and private schools for children.

They mentioned not wanting to be put in a box. Instructors seemed to want to group them by race or disability, but not both at once.

The suggestion that stayed with me most was of anyone teaching making a chart of disabilities across the top and class periods down the side, with a count of students. If this were visible while the instructor was lecturing, perhaps if he/she knew of a Black and d/Deaf student, they could include an example of a Black and d/Deaf person who advanced the subject field.

Imagine what that would mean to a person studying, to know of an example of someone like them, who became famous in that field. Especially if that student wanted to major in that field!

The comments from these 6 disabled students were well worth a read!

2014

The unexpected talented tenth: Black d/Deaf

students thriving within the margins

Lissa Denielle Stapleton

Iowa State University

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/38930568.pdf

Next time we revisit what it means to be Deaf, I'd like to dive deeper into the controversy over possibly curing deafness, and the threat that presents to Deaf culture in the view of many people who were born Deaf. I would love to hear from folks who live with deafness and how valuable Deaf Culture is to them!

Granny Handicap Livestream 19 Aug 2021 Disability Equipment

2021-08-19T23:51:00.000-04:00

Photo by Marcus Aurelius from Pexels

Links We Talked About Tonight

A Look At The Range Of Disability Equipment Available on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Mobility+Aids+%26+Equipment&i=hpc&rh=n%3A3776631&_encoding=UTF8&c=ts&qid=1629420550&ts_id=3776631&ref=sr_pg_1

Of course, disability equipment is a HUGE category. I'm sure I missed a lot!

Don't forget canes or a service dog for blind people [I know an animal is not a piece of equipment, but many blind people prefer a dog to a cane]. Also braille equipment for the blind or talking books or a computer with software that talks rather than displays pictures.

Many other disabilities require equipment that can't be bought off the shelf, like prosthetics. This is where grants come in.

How Do I Get The Disability Equipment I Need?

I forgot to mention this one! A good first step is to try United Way. They are a charity that offers a referral service with local sources in your area of the world. Have your pen and paper or note-taking app open and ready when you call!

https://www.unitedway.org/

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1428401496031367168

https://pocketsense.com/financial-assistance-medical-equipment-8105202.html

This article talks about Medicare, Medicaid, Charity Sources and Grants.

Low Income Relief has a list by state of sources for free medical equipment

https://lowincomerelief.com/free-used-medical-equipment/

A family started this site to gather info about grants

https://www.disability-grants.org/about-disability-grants.html

Organizations That Give Your Old Medical Equipment a New Home - International

If you have equipment or supplies and want to donate or need them, these links might help.

https://www.goodnet.org/articles/7-organizations-give-old-medical-equipment-new-home

https://www.grantsformedical.com/charities-that-help-with-medical-equipment.html

Independent Living Centers - USA These facilities offer help to find free, gently used equipment, evaluate your home for hazards, many services. Staffed by handicapped people and federally funded. I've used them in several cities and even states. An excellent resource!

https://www.ilru.org/projects/cil-net/cil-center-and-association-directory

The State ADA Coordinator's Office. Every state probably has a similar office but it might not be named the same.

Here's the one for Georgia:

https://ada.georgia.gov/helpful-resources/technology-and-education/assistive-equipment-technology

Sometimes there are partnerships between charitable agencies to get disabled people the equip they need.

Atlanta, GA Area Goodwill/FODAC Partnership

https://medtrade.com/news/general-healthcare/fodac-and-goodwill-of-north-georgia-partner-to-help-people-with-disabilities-get-necessary-medical-equipment/

If you live in the UK

https://www.gov.uk/apply-home-equipment-for-disabled

GrannyHandicap Livestreaming for 3 Months Now - How Are My Stats?

2021-08-13T18:23:00.003-04:00

On May 5, 2021, I looked on Twitch for livestreams for handicapped people and couldn't find any that weren't marked for mature audiences. I'm a member of a Church that advises us to avoid movies with a worse than PG-13 rating and we are taught to avoid profanity, etc. So I decided to create a family-friendly one.

I began with streaming Forza Horizon 4 on my XBox, my favorite video game. I played and talked about being a disabled gamer. Those streams are archived on my YouTube Adiamaea channel. But, I decided that maybe a talk format would be better for my purpose.

I wanted to create a community around disabilities. Not just in gaming, but in RL. So, in August I began the talk format.

Here's what my stats say so far:

My goal is 50 followers as part of becoming a Twitch Affiliate. I have 13 friends so far. I won't bore you with most of my stats which would require a lot of explanation and really, I'm still learning what all of them mean! But, as I tweeted several days ago, I've had views from 15 countries. Most of those were from the US, where I am. The next highest group was the UK [yay! I have some ancestry over there!]. It is very exciting to me to get views from other countries as well as my own.

Since switching from gaming to talk, I've had a lot of friends popping in to say hi, tell me about themselves, or ask a question. Even though my views actually went down during this transition, I am happier because chatting is more important to me than views. It's all about building a community, or multiple communities, around disability awareness.

I say multiple because my friends are on many different social media sites. I don't want to exclude any of them who might not want to create a Twitch account just to join the conversation. There's very little overlap between my 551 Facebook friends, my 473 Twitter followers, and followers on other sites. My plan is to join any sites that are legal and nontoxic where my friends are and want to stay. We can talk about disabilities anyplace!

So, yeah, after 3 months, my stats are depressing. But I'm in the same boat with most new streamers. Time will tell whether my community will grow to a size that benefits a lot of folks. I'm learning more about how to make a quality livestream and trying to improve. I'm very disorganized and my learning curve is steep. Some of the programs suggested are harder to learn than I thought they would be. I am 62 years old so I don't learn as well as I once did, and I have always had disabilities that interfere with using and learning my skills. The important thing is, I'm not giving up, and I'm really enjoying my livestream. I'm loving the conversations with my new friends.

When you're disabled, you want to do things that feel like the work you used to do. My second job was as a DJ in a small town AM-FM station that played country and gospel. Livestreaming feels a lot like my DJ work when people would call in. So, as long as my livestreaming is enjoyable for me and I feel like I'm helping people understand disability issues, I'm going to keep doing it.

GrannyHandicap Livestream Mon-Sat 8-10pm EST. No account required to view! Everyone is welcome even if you're not disabled! Family-friendly channel so if you join the discussion, please watch your language! Create an account to type in Twitch chat.

Add me on https://discord.com so we can talk! My username is Adiamaea#3641. Choose the Granny Handicap server for disability talk and more! Typed chat and voice. I'm still learning Discord, but I plan to learn how to use a streaming software to integrate it into my livestream eventually. What you type on Discord will stay. What you type on Twitch is gone once the livestream ends :( This is why I suggest not leaving a link on Twitch.

If there's a link you want to share with me, a comment, or suggestion for a topic you want to hear about, leave it on Discord, Reddit, Twitter, Facebook Granny Handicap page, whichever your fave social media is. There is a current list of my social media links right here in my blog.

I am on Twitter a lot, so I will see it sooner there if you put the hashtag #GrannyHandicap on it. However, I'm building my community on Discord and it gives me many ways to keep kids who join it with their families safer. Reddit also gives me tools to keep my community safe for families, so I will see which site gets the most action from my friends :) Folks who already have a social media account elsewhere can just join the community there, and if you want me to add sites, I'm happy to make an account where you are comfy. As long as it's not a site that violates my community guides :)

Peril in a Cessna 150 Over Atlanta

2021-07-14T04:31:00.004-04:00

My father had a private pilot's license. I hoped when he got it that we would fly a lot, but I only got to ride with him once in a blue moon. He didn't have his own plane so he would rent one occasionally.

He decided to take me to visit my sister. This was about an hour's flight from PDK [Peachtree-DeKalb Airport] in Chamblee, GA. This city is a suburb in NE Metro Atlanta. The year was 1984. Dad rented a Cessna 150, which was a two-seater plane. It was a rainy afternoon.

We had a lovely visit, but we left late. Dad did not have an IFR rating. He was not supposed to fly at night [on instruments]. Dad was tense because we left at sunset. Also, the speaker on the radio was bad and he could barely understand the traffic controller at PDK on the way up. He did not have headphones. I wasn't very good at helping understand what was said, of course, because I never studied flying. I was 26.

Photo by Jarod Barton from Pexels

About time we got to the Atlanta metro area, it got dark. Dad thought he spotted PDK and headed for it. But, it wasn't. He kept trying the radio and getting static. Both of us were tense. Dad kept making small talk, but he knew, and I knew, we could easily run out of gas.

We kept flying for about an hour when he got in contact with Stone Mountain Airport, 'way on the East side of DeKalb County. Now that he had a beacon, he was able to figure out where to go to get northeast. We had a rainy day of travel, and lightning occasionally lit up the sky.

I could tell Dad was looking for streets that might be suitable for an emergency landing. I was, too. But he was talking about anything other than the possibility of running out of gas. The trip to PDK was a jumble of lights and I couldn't find a single landmark. Dad had been on many flights over Atlanta, of course, so I'm sure he found some landmarks. Tension and silences grew except for the constant squawk of the static-y radio. And thunder that came more frequently. Rain on the windshield made it difficult to see. At times, the rhythm of the engine was off. Dad was an airplane mechanic during World War II and taught me how to listen for obvious problems with my car engine. I didn't know much, but the skips in the engine worried me. What else was wrong with this rental plane?

Finally, he was close enough to know we were in radio range of PDK. We both struggled to understand what the air traffic controller was telling us. PDK was a busy little airport during the day and seemed just as busy after dark. Lots of radio talk and lights circling in the sky. Sometimes Dad would ask me, "What?" after they said something and maybe I caught a word that he didn't. Weather cut our visibility more and more as we went. I was aware of my heart pounding.

As we got closer to the airport and got into the landing pattern, Dad was very busy watching gauges and flying lights. Tensions had been high and now it was worse. Traffic control gave Dad instructions and he kept having to ask them to repeat. We weren't the only small plane landing. I prayed silently with eyes open, watching the darkness all around us. Finally, Dad understood which runway to head for, I think it was 27. He asked me to look for it then found it. I found the line of blue lights on either side long after he did. Thunder and lightning got worse.

We approached the runway. I thanked Heavenly Father for bringing us this far. Wheels whined as they touched down. Again. It was a good landing. We came in pretty straight. Dad taxied to the gas pumps and we were laughing and talking, now that our danger was over. Until the engine stopped. We ran out of gas right there!

The man at the pumps busily got on his ladder to reach the gas tank over us on the wing. I noticed his face as he kept checking the gas pump numbers and staring at the hose. Finally, he finished, put the cap back on and got down. Brought the ladder across and stowed it. He came up to Dad and said, "Man, you were flying on fumes!"

Dad said, "I know."

The man said, "I've never seen a tank that empty! I put more gas in that tank than the specs say it holds!"

Dad got quiet. I didn't say anything until the man was out of sight, Dad paid the rental in the office and reported several problems with the Cessna, and we walked out into the rain to his car.

"Dad, you always said that any landing you walk away from, that's a good landing. That was a good landing!"

Dad smiled, but our levity was gone. "Don't tell your stepmother what happened."

I laughed. "You know I won't!" And I didn't. We were quiet as he dropped me off.

I have thought about that night a lot. As far as I know, Dad never rented a plane again. I would have flown with him because I don't hold grudges. My dad was the kind of person to work harder after a mistake. It didn't make me scared to step into a plane or be near an airport. If Dad had needed to make an emergency landing, I still think he would've been able to do that.

That doesn't mean I wasn't scared up there, knowing we might run out of gas. I knew we might because I had asked Dad if we could fly around longer and he mentioned there wouldn't be a lot of gas in the tank when we got back to PDK ... before we got lost. I was very scared! But, neither of us gave up. We listened intently to that horrid radio. Dad kept asking for clarification until he got the instruction. It was obvious to me that he was mentally making backup plans. He was doing his best, and I was doing what little I could to support him. I didn't talk so he could concentrate. I didn't panic. I didn't get angry or show my fear. When he asked for my help, I did what he asked. When he didn't, I just watched what was going on and kept myself calm. We both knew that a lot of planes and people didn't survive an emergency landing. But, we both kept calm and just kept on believing that we would land safely. The thunderstorm really didn't make things that much worse except for extra static on the radio. Lightning wasn't striking near us.

Up there, trying to spot PDK through the rain and in that jumble of lights and trees, I was scared. But, I also trusted my dad to get us there. And, he did!

Don't panic if you're in an emergency situation. I had been through several before this incident, and I've been through several afterward. Every emergency is different. Sometimes, it's just happenstance. In this case, Dad thought he had enough time to get to PDK before dark. The malfunctioning speaker contributed to Dad's error. But what matters, is how you handle an emergency. Growing up, I watched my mother through several. She had been an emergency room nurse. Her stories of how nurses and doctors handle life crises inspired me to keep my head when emergencies did happen. I saw Mama keep hers through several. Dad didn't have many opportunities to show his courage in front of me, but that night, he sure did.

DanniStories Blogger

Want To Be My Valentine?

Looking For A Special Friend For Valentine’s Day

How Many Words In Your Word Count?

Adia, Scientist 6 Jan 2023. Book Trailer on YouTube. Doomed scientist strives to discover a new fuel as War moves closer, but her experiment fails. Now Adia realizes just how vital her work is, and who threatens it, when a visiting scientist offers help.

Windows 11 Mysterious Error - Duplicate Application Data Folder

I Have To Reinstall WHAT??!??Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Windows 11 problems!

PASSWORD PURGATORY

It's Been A While

DanniStories's Post

DanniStories's Post

04 Sep 2021 Disability and Anxiety/Depression

03 Sep 2021 Disability and Education History

02 Sep 2021 Disability and Public School

01 Sep 2021 Disability and Homelessness

31 Aug 2021 Disability and Incarceration

30 Aug 2021 Disability and Media

GrannyHandicap 28 Aug 2021 Dementia

GrannyHandicap 27 Aug 2021 Fibromyalgia

GrannyHandicap 26 Aug 2021 Disability and COVID-19

GrannyHandicap 24 Aug 2021 Mental Disabilities

GrannyHandicap 23 Aug 2021 Mobility Disabilities

Granny Handicap 21 Aug 2021 Blindness and Low-Vision Disibilities

Granny Handicap 20 Aug 2021 Relationahips and Being Disabled

GrannyHandicap 18 Aug 2021 Deafness, Communication and Barriers

Granny Handicap Livestream 19 Aug 2021 Disability Equipment

Links We Talked About Tonight

GrannyHandicap Livestreaming for 3 Months Now - How Are My Stats?

Peril in a Cessna 150 Over Atlanta

I Have To Reinstall WHAT??!??
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels