Surfing

 

I have often been asked how I am able to use my computers, IPhone, and so on. I try to have as many talking machines as possible. This is much to the dismay of my husband who claims they talk at night and wake him up.  For reading and using the computer, I have a Screen Reader. It is called JAWS. You may download a demo here. www.freedomscientific.com It is not perfect, but what a world of difference for me. I am able to navigate web sites, word documents, email, and almost everything else. The voices have even come a long way. They sound almost human. There are many accents, voices and even languages. I invite you to take a look. Download the demo and step into my shoes for a bit. To clear up a question that comes to me from every second person I meet, I do not speak to my computer, but for unmentionable things I hurl at it in frustration, it reads to me. I navigate with the keyboard and short cuts. I do not have the ability to use a mouse. Yes, try it sometime. You may find yourself frustrated. I love it when I ask for assistance from a Tech support person and they tell me to look at the right of the screen or that the link I want is half way down the page and to the left. When you are using this technology, be prepared to listen to every link that comes before the one you want.  I still feel extremely awed by the fact that I can do any of those things. I feel so fortunate to be able to use such amazing technologies. I do want to explain that there are many web sites that are not written with accessibility in mind. I wish the programmers would step into my shoes. I understand it is very simple to make your pages accessible. You just need to take the time to find out how. Before I sign off, I also want to say how much I love my IPhone! The voice over feature included in the IPhone and Mac Products is wonderful. Seary and I are not always getting along, but I hear that is common. Have an accessible day.

Getting Around

Getting Around.

Getting Around

So, I went on 1 adventure on Friday. This involved taking a bus and switching to a street car. This sounds so simple. Why am I telling  you about it?

Well, because it is a big deal. My guide Dog and I need to learn our way around a new place or many places in this case. We met up with our friend for lunch and continued with our day with no incident. A few observations though. The bus driver was very friendly and helpful. The Street Car driver was surly to put it mildly. They are supposed to ask a person if they are at the stop if they are looking to take the street car, but he did not. It was so busy at Dundas I could not hear the electric sound of the car. Oh and he did not ring the bell either. No cues. Thankfully a kind stranger asked me if I am waiting for the street car.

Later on, my dog and I wandered around the Eaton centre. Malls are easy right? Yes and no. It is mostly a safe place, there was no indication of where we were in the mall. Again found our way without any problem. I did get to speak to a lovely sales person in one of the stores.

So far, my impression of the city is that it is friendly. I have met many people and am loving the interactions. My dog is also loving the stimulation and work. Now, if only we could convince other dog owners around here to pick up after their dogs, life would be easier.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I am working on my goals of 2013. What better way to remain accountable, but sharing them with the world? I know they should be very specific with numbers and dates and all, but I think I will start by just figuring out what it is I want/need to accomplish!

First let me back track for you. We recently moved to Toronto! Anyone want to purchase a house in the Kingston area? This is a serious question. 🙂

So, my goals are related to our move. The first, de-clutter and finish setting up our small place. This is a much more challenging task as we have more stuff than space.  My second goal is to learn how to get around Toronto. My dog was trained here so hopefully, he will make it easier for me. I still will need a fair amount of help with this. The third goal is to meet people and start networking. I am still working on my business. I am a mediator and Negotiator. I need clients. 🙂 I have joined Meet Up and I need to attend something. I am reaching out to friends as well. Do you know an awesome person in Toronto looking to get to know new people?  My Forth goal is to exercise. There is a room with all kinds of equipment down stairs. I need to use this. I am thinking twice a week? I also need to find a pool where they offer Aqua fitness. Fifth, I need read less fiction and more substantial books. My sixth goal is to finally work on a budget and plan vacations. We don’t seem to look after this very well. Something always gets in the way. Also as a part of this, I need to get back on track with my own financial planning. Must call advisor soon. Is that too vague? Ok, by the end of next week! Seventh, Post in this blog more often. So, at least once every 4 weeks. My eighth goal is related to my work. I need to start working on my website again. I keep thinking that I need to share more information about our services. I have so many great ideas on articles I can write, but I seem to get side tracked when at the computer. I will keep it simple for myself by planning on writing one piece for my page every 4 weeks. I do hope that is not too ambitious.  My ninth goal is to look after my own wellbeing. Sleep more; eat better even though I do eat well. There is always room for improvement. Part of this is to look after relationships with friends, colleagues and of course husband. I need to plan and actually do fun stuff such as going to the theatre, park, and using our canoe.

You may have noticed that I don’t have a tenth goal listed. This is because there is always room for more. Please feel free to check with me about what have I accomplished lately. I hope all your goals happen. I wish you a positive and healthy new year.