Numerous Updates, Changes And Sadness

Shortly after I'd written the last blog entry yesterday I opened the Pandora Radio app that's on my phone because I wanted to change my zip code from a San Antonio zip code to a zip code of the state that I live in now. I was able to double-tap the "my account" section of "settings" in my Pandora Radio app. I could even read what zip code was currently on my settings in my Pandora Radio app. However for whatever reason I was unable to change said zip code. So I then turned my phone off and back on again, hoping that that particular trouble-shooting step would change things for the better where changing my zip code on the Pandora Radio app was concerned. No such luck though. Once I'd turned my phone back on and discovered that my results were still the same I Googled "Pandora Radio, contact us." Once I'd Googled that particular phrase I found a contact form for Pandora Radio where I could contact that particular business. Shortly after I'd contacted that particular business and made that particular business aware of what I needed help with I received a general email response from Pandora Radio letting me know that that particular business had received my email. A little while after I'd received a general email response from Pandora Radio I received an actual email response from someone at Pandora Radio. In the email that the person from Pandora Radio had sent me I was informed that my zip code had successfully been changed to what I'd wanted my zip code to be changed to. It's so frustrating that something so seemingly simple as a person changing his or her personal information on an account is not accessible. Like, it isn't difficult for websites to be made accessible to everyone. Although I don't know coding nor do I have an interest in learning coding what I do know is that graphics on websites are what make websites damn near impossible for screen readers to read. Similarly, when people post photos of text on FB all blind people hear is the words "photo. No alt text available." Interestingly it didn't used to frustrate me when people posted pictures on FB. However now that there are people in my life that I'd love to keep up with in the way of knowing what the photos are that they post on FB, my perspective on this particular issue has definitely shifted. A little while after I'd gotten my issue resolved with the Pandora Radio app I started reading a book called Daring Greatly: How The Courage To Be Vulnerable Transforms The Way We Live, Love, Parent And Lead. I'd actually started reading that particular book when I was in San Antonio but I couldn't get through the book because I didn't like the way the person narrating the book sounded. Because truth be told I really don't like reading audio books. I prefer to read books in Braille or to listen to VoiceOver on my phone read books. So anyway I've been reading Daring Greatly: How The Courage To Be Vulnerable Transforms The Way We Live, Love, Parent And Lead and I'm enjoying the book much more this time around. This particular book is about the importance of people being vulnerable in their lives and living their lives to the fullest every day. A little while after I'd started reading Daring Greatly: How The Courage To Be Vulnerable Transforms The Way We Live, Love, Parent And Lead I went through the mail that I'd received. It turned out that I'd received my paratransit ID card which was exciting. I'd also received something from the paratransit company that was in print. It turned out that that particular business had sent me the rider's guide in print. Ugh. I'd also received something in print that was from the local State Library for the Blind. When I'd read what the local State Library for the Blind had sent me I discovered that what that particular agency had sent me was a donation letter. I'd also received something else in print from the State Library for the Blind that was a catalogue of books. So shortly after I'd gone through the mail that I'd received I sent an email to the local State Library for the Blind to ask if that particular agency would take me off of their printed material mailing list. In the same email that i'd sent the local State Library for the Blind I also informed that particular agency that I'd prefer to receive any contact from them through email because I check my email regularly. This morning I received a phone call from a number that I didn't recognize. So I let the call go to voicemail. A few hours later when I'd checked the voicemail it turned out that someone from the college I'm going to be attending called to remind me of the meeting I'd scheduled for this coming Monday with one of the counselors at the college. Shortly after I'd listened to said voicemail I called the local paratransit company. It took a few times of me calling that particular business though to actually get through. Because the first time I'd called that particular company I pressed the wrong number on the phone which wouldn't have gotten me to the right place. Then the second time I'd called the local paratransit company I pressed what I thought was the right number on the phone, only to discover that when someone answered my call the person spoke in Spanish. This was weird because at the main menu the automated system instructed a person to select the 8 to speak with someone who speaks Spanish. The third time I'd called the local paratransit company was the charm. I spoke with someone who spoke English. I asked the lady I spoke with if that particular business would please send me the rider's guide in Braille because I'm blind and don't read print. The lady said that she'd put in my request and that I should receive the rider's guide in Braille within 7 to 10 business days. A little while later I read some more of Daring Greatly: How Being Vulnerable Transforms The Way We Live, Love, Parent And Lead. In all honesty this is a hard book for me to read in the sense that it's unpleasant to think about how often I personally work through shame. I sometimes find myself working through shame when I write blog entries when I'm vulnerable. There are several blog entries that I've written here where I talk about things I'm going through openly and honestly. And although the things I write may look easy to my blog readers I can assure you that sometimes writing for me is one of the most difficult things I can do. I say that writing is sometimes extremely difficult for me to do because being vulnerable can be really scary at times, especially when you don't know how what you write or say will be received by other people. Sometimes I even feel shame when I write in my blog about certain things because I've been conditioned as a woman to be nice and to never say anything that could be perceived by anyone as negative. So working through shame is also something that can be hard for me to do. Yet in reading books like Daring Greatly: How Being Vulnerable Transforms The Way We Live, Love, Parent And Lead and in the feedback I receive from people about the blog entries where I'm vulnerable I know that showing my humanity as a whole rather than only presenting the parts of me that I think people want to read about is what's going to continue growing me as a person. Because I won't lie, there have been instances in my blog entries where I initially wanted to avoid writing about certain topics (like when I've talked about my sexuality, the fact I love watching lesbian scenes in TV shows that I enjoy watching or the verbal, physical and other kinds of abuse that I suffered as a child/young adult). Every single one of those things that I mentioned was and is hard for me to write about to one extent or another. Yet every time I'm faced with shame about something that's difficult for me to write about I push myself to write about whatever said thing happens to be because I know that ultimately I'll feel great after I get everything out in the open...and hopefully others will enjoy my honesty too. A little while after I'd finished reading Daring Greatly: How Being Vulnerable Transforms The Way We Live, Love, Parent And Lead I received an email from Amazon.com telling me the latest ways in which the Echo Dot AKA Alexa had been updated. One thing in said email that I'd read talked about how there's a way for people to talk naturally to Alexa rather than having to say her name every time a person wants to talk to her. Since that particular feature of the Echo Dot sounded really convenient I decided to enable said feature. So needless to say I'm looking forward to trying said feature out because I think having this particular feature enabled will enhance my overall experience with Alexa. While I was on the Alexa app on my iPhone I also changed the way that Alexa tells me the news and weather of the day. I changed the way the news was spoken by Alexa because I used to have Fox News enabled as well as National Public Radio (NPR). However I took Fox News off of what I wanted Alexa to tell me because I get really angry hearing about the things that the current US President is doing that are fucking up our country. Interestingly when I'd first enabled Fox News on Alexa it was tolerable to listen to the things that Fox News reporters were saying. As time went on though the more I realized that I felt like my health was in jeopardy because such news outlets like Fox News live to scare the shit out of people. Although I think that to an extent other news outlets do the same thing...but in order to keep my mental health at a good place I knew that it would be best if I turned Fox News off on Alexa. An hour or so after I'd updated some of my Alexa settings I read an FB status update that was posted by someone at the Louisiana Center for the Blind (LCB). In said FB status update someone from the LCB wrote about the fact that another LCB family member named Derek had passed away last night from a heart attack. Reading this news saddened me because I'd just been thinking to myself this morning how fun Derek was to be around. And I'd been thinking about Derek before I'd learned of his passing. Gosh, within the last few months the LCB has lost a lot of their staff members due to those staff members dying. Ugh, it's so sad. Shortly after I'd read on FB about Derek's passing I looked on the website that I'd recently gotten from the local DMV's automated system. I wanted to look for the application that I'd need to fill out in order to get a state ID card. However when I found the supposed form that I'd need to fill out on the local DMV's website my Mac wouldn't read the Portable Document Format (PDF) that the text was supposedly in. I'm not sure if my Mac wouldn't read the PDF because the PDF was simply a picture of text rather than actual text. Or perhaps my Mac wouldn't read the PDF because it was just being a stubborn piece of shit. LOL. So right after I'd discovered that my Mac wouldn't read the PDF I Googled the exact name and number of the ID card application in the hopes that I'd find an accessible version of said form elsewhere online. However what I ended up finding was text on the local DMV's website that said that the particular form I was looking for was not available online because people's physical signatures were required on said form. How fucking lame!! I'm definitely going to call the local DMV this coming week and ask for that particular business to help me fill out an application so that I can get a state iD. Hopefully I can convince someone from that particular place of business to accommodate me because I really don't want to have to wait for that particular business to mail me an application that I may receive within 7 to 10 business days. Because then I'd still be stuck with the same problem of having to find someone to help me fill out said form. So if I can avoid that sort of hassle I'd prefer to do so. Shortly after I'd experienced that particular disappointment I received an email from the local State Library for the Blind informing me that that particular agency would take me off of the large print mailing list. In the same email that the local State Library for the Blind had sent me I was also informed by said agency that there was a specific email address that I could use to order for that particular agency to mail me books in Braille. So after I'd read said email from the local State Library for the Blind I replied to said email. In the reply email that I'd sent that particular agency I asked if that particular agency would please change my preferred format to Braille only. Because I'm not a fan of listening to audio books at all. I think I've brought this particular thing up in my blog before though: how when I attended WSB last year I tried to train myself to be just as good at listening to audio as I was at reading and retaining things when I read things in Braille...which ended up not working. Still I'm glad that I tried to broaden my skills in that way. I think it was good for me to challenge myself in that way even though I haven't miraculously come to love listening to things in audio format. Because that particular challenge could've ended in a different way, with me enjoying listening to things using audio. Shortly after I'd sent a reply email to the local State Library for the Blind I sent an email to the email address that I was given to use to order books. So in the email that I'd sent that particular department of the State Library for the Blind I listed a few books that I'd like for that particular agency to mail me if that particular agency has those books in Braille.