[nfbwatlk] Fw: Update from Ruston

[Jedi]

I don't know. My Ruston days were kind of crazy sometimes. In some 
ways, I'd never want to repeat them again. In others, i'd be first one 
in line. I agree with one thing though: going to LCB definitely made me 
aware of skills I never knew I had.

Respectfully,
Jedi


Original message:
> Wow!  I remember my Ruston days.  Some of the best and most eye-opening days
> of my life.
> Sometimes, I wonder if those days weren't a lot simpler for me than what
> days are now.
> JP

> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Mike Freeman
> Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2009 11:22 AM
> To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
> Subject: [nfbwatlk] Fw: Update from Ruston

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "ELIZABETH LALONDE" <elalonde at shaw.ca>
> To: <list at cfb.ca>
> Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2009 11:02 AM
> Subject: Update from Ruston



>> Hello everyone, I hope those of you in Victoria had a wonderful Christmas
>> social last night.  I wish you all the best of the season.  I am thinking
>> of you all and send you all my love.  Below is another update from my
>> blog.  You can read all my posts at my blog at
>> www.elizabethlal.blogspot.com

>> December 11, 2009
>> It's been a while since my last update.  Time sure flies here.  The days
>> blur together and I cannot remember what happened on which day.

>> We are getting ready for mom's arrival.  She flies in tonight.  We will
>> pick her up in Shreveport.
>> Haven't seen her in almost three months.  We miss her and my dad so much.
>> She will notice a difference in the boys, as they have changed and grown.

>> We are watching a DVD with classic Christmas cartoons.  Rhys and Ronyn had

>> their Swine Flue shot yesterday, so they are tired today.
>> I finally have some time to catch up on my blog.

>> Last week the students and staff at LCB went to a Christmas tree farm and
>> cut down Christmas trees for the centre.  We were divided into three
>> groups.  Each group cut down a tree: one tree for the lobby, one for the
>> dining room and one for the career centre.  I helped cut down the tree for

>> the dining room.  We were in charge of the "Charlie Brown" tree; we had to

>> find the most imperfect tree and bring it back.

>> We each got a chance to cut with the hand saw.  Our tree was small and
>> without a top; it was perfectly imperfect.  I carried the tree back to the

>> bus.

>>  It was a cold day.  Surprisingly the temperature can get quite low here,
>> below freezing - much like a cold day back home.  Of course, just like
>> back home, it is damp, so you can really feel the sting of the cold.  The
>> weather can also change rapidly.  For example the other day, within a
>> period of four hours, the temperature went from 32 Fahrenheit to 72
>> Fahrenheit.  It was amazing.
>> Then we sat around the dinning room table for the afternoon and made
>> decorations.  I learned to make paper stars.  Only five different folds
>> and it took me three hours to master it.  I have never been crafty!

>> I taught Rhys how to make the stars on the weekend.  We now have colourful

>> stars around our trailer.

>> Yes, Jeff and the boys, and myself on the weekends, are still living in
>> our travel trailer. We are in our backyard, while Jeff works on the house.

>> I have been busy with so many projects at the centre.  Last week I baked
>> Mexican corn bread; this was my second attempt after my first batch of
>> regular corn bread failed because I forgot to add the Mayonnaise.  If your

>> meal doesn't work out, you have to re do it until you get it right.

>> So far I have had to redo two things: the corn bread and then this week my

>> chocolate chip cookies.  I have never had much luck baking cookies.
>> Usually they taste bitter from too much baking soda.  This time, they
> didn't
>> rise, probably because of too much baking soda.  I made them once again
>> and they were excellent.  I was so proud, even Jeff liked them.  It is a
>> landmark in our marriage, as it is the first batch of successful cookies I

>> have ever made for him!

>> On Friday, I cooked a hamburger paddy on a "George Forman" grill.  This
>> grill closes     and grills both sides of the meat at once, so you don't
>> have to flip it over.  I am getting one when I go back home.  It was
>> wonderful!

>> Another landmark- this week: I finished reviewing the grade two Braille
>> code.  Now I am starting on reading books.  I will read and read until my
>> speed improves, and then I will keep reading, as one student says "until
>> my fingers bleed!"

>> My teacher, Mr. Whittle, says we must read at least one hour in the
>> evening and at least five hours on the weekend to improve speed.

>> In shop I learned to use a radial arm saw.  There are many safety steps we

>> must learn to follow before we cut.  My first cut was terrifying.  I have
>> never used a power tool in my life.  I did it.  Now I cut all my own
>> blocks.  I am still making grid blocks.  I divide the block into a grid of

>> squares using an awl, so you can feel the lines.  Then I make indications
>> and drill the wholes.

>> I had a scary travel experience a couple of weeks ago.  It was my first
>> independent travel route, meaning I did the route on my own with out the
>> instructor.  I was excited, but nervous.  I walked to the apartments and
>> back.  Everything went well, I was so proud of myself.  I was on my way
>> back.  Things were going well, when suddenly cars veered out of nowhere to

>> my left and to my right.  The motors roared diagonally across ahead of me
>> startled, I realized I was in the middle of the Street.  Yikes!  How had I

>> managed to veer into the street.  I had been walking jauntily down the
>> sidewalk and then the next moment in was in the street.  I didn't know
>> which way to go, so I stopped and stood frozen.  A voice called to me from

>> somewhere to my left.  The female voice called me over.  She yelled, "you
>> are in the middle of the road."  Well, I already figured that part out.
>> Anyway, she got out of her car and helped me over to the sidewalk.  I
>> walked the rest of the way back to the ce!
>> ntre, disappointed, but knowing it was all part of the learning
>> experience.  Of course, veering into the middle of the street is something

>> best to avoid, but if you do, it is good to know how to get out of the
>> situation and back to safety.  My instructor said, if that happens again,
>> to wait until it is safe to move and then head back in he direction of the

>> sidewalk I was just walking along.

>> The experience shook me up a bit, but a few days later, my task was to
>> walk to the apartments and back again.  I did well and felt much more
>> confident.

>> This week I practiced walking along the sidewalk and finding stores.  I am

>> learning to locate the door of the shop with my cane.  My task this week
>> was to find the door, enter the store and then find out what kind of store

>> it was.  Then I had to locate the door again to get back outside.

>> My favourite store was "Bath and Body Works," a scented store like the
>> "Body Shop."

>> On Friday, I learned how to navigate my way over the train tracks: the
>> main goal being to get across them as quickly as possible before a train
>> came.  Ruston has many trains.  The train whistle shrills through the
>> centre all day long.

>> I have a small part in the Christmas play.  I am an elf.  I am also in the

>> quire.

>> We practice almost every night.  The performance is on Tuesday at the LCB
>> Christmas party.

>> Friday was the Ruston Christmas parade.  Jeff and I took the boys.  We
>> stood and watched the lighted trucks, local high school marching bands and

>> even Santa Claus passed by.  People in the vehicles threw candy to the
>> kids and honked their horns.  Rhys spent the entire time waving and
>> picking up  candy off the road.
>> Ronyn sat mesmerized on the tailgate of our truck and sucked happily on a
>> sucker.

>> PS.
>> In seminar this week, we did a personality test.  It was like the popular
>> "Myers-Briggs Type"
>> test, but simpler.  I learned a lot about myself and certain personality
>> traits that make me who I am.  It is a great way to learn about others and

>> yourself and learn how to work better with others.  There are four main
>> personality types and usually everyone has one primary type and a
>> secondary type.  I can't remember the name of the test, but if you google,

>> "Sanguine, Melancholy," it should come up.  I think it would be an
>> excellent thing to do with our members back home.  And it is a lot of fun.
>> Here is a brief description of the four types from the Web:

>> Sanguine
>> A person who is sanguine is generally light-hearted, funloving, a people
>> person, loves to entertain, spontaneous, and confident. However they can
>> be arrogant, cocky, and indulgent. He/She can be day-dreamy and off-task
>> to the point of not accomplishing anything and can be impulsive, possibly
>> acting on whims in an unpredictable fashion.

>> Choleric
>> A person who is choleric is a doer. They have a lot of ambition, energy,
>> and passion, and try to instill it in others. They can dominate people of
>> other temperaments, especially phlegmatic types. Many great charismatic
>> military and political figures were cholerics.

>> Melancholic
>> A person who is a thoughtful ponderer has a melancholic disposition. Often

>> very kind and considerate, melancholics can be highly creative - as in
>> poetry and art - but also can become overly pre-occupied with the tragedy
>> and cruelty in the world, thus becoming depressed. A melancholic is also
>> often a perfectionist, being very particular about what they want and how
>> they want it in some cases. This often results in being dissatisfied with
>> one's own artistic or creative works and always pointing out to themselves

>> what could and should be improved. They are often loners and most times
>> choose to stay alone and reflect.

>> Phlegmatic
>> While phlegmatic are generally self-content and kind, their shy
>> personality can often inhibit enthusiasm in others and make themselves
>> lazy and resistant to change. They are very consistent, relaxed, rational,

>> curious, and observant, making them good administrators and diplomats.
>> Like the sanguine personality, the phlegmatic has many friends. However
>> the phlegmatic is more reliable and compassionate; these characteristics
>> typically make the phlegmatic a more dependable friend.




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