Contacts Matter. So does competence

 #DarlineGraham #DisabilityPrideMonth #VocationalRehabilitation

RantWoman does not usually cite talking AI-generated cats when looking for news stories. Here, though, "we will watch this evolving story" is a blessedly neutral contrast to all the different howling voices of the internet commentariat!  Treat the other stories here with caution. Still, RantWoman is inspired to try to plow through the online howling, to congratulate the newly appointed Senator Graham or Senator Graham Nordone, RantWoman is unsure of the preferred usage, and to see what can happen when people actually try to work across the aisle. 

Darlene Graham Nordone has been the Commissioner of the SC Commission of the Blind. She has a master's degree in vocational rehabilitation services and has a long career working with the blind in SC. The commissioner of a state agency almost certainly works closely with the governor. This should reasonably give her a leg up, even compared to other female political figures in SC.

Darline Graham is not a professional politician but she clearly has a long career working in political environments.

Now here come the tangled internet commentaries.

Some voices claim that Darline Graham was appointed to the Senate just because she is the late Sen. Graham's sister,. RantWoman has definitely heard that line from the left-leaning YouTube voices that come RantWoman's way. Not doing homework to find out actual qualifications is one thing. 

Even worse is a gratuitous diss that  "she does fine as an optician but that does not make her qualified to serve in the Senate." 

Come again? RantWoman has not seen any recognition of a optician certification. RantWoman has seen documentation about a Master's Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation. RantWoman would hope that a Commissioner of the State Commission of the Blind would not have to be making eyeglasses for the people she serves. RantWoman has also heard enough glasses nightmare stories that it might be really convenient to have someone who understands eyeglasses when it comes to matching blind and visually impaired people with the tools that will help them thrive, gain employment, function in modern society.

More importantly, having a brother in the Senate who respects one's work could be really, really helpful when advocating about need for resources and it would be a genuine mark of respect for the late Senator to want to support the asks she brings. RantWoman would like to find more media info about this, but that is not happening tonight.

"A woman would never be elected in her own right in SC."

Uhhh, thank you Nikki Haley for speaking up. Enough said? 

Nikki Haley's Got Something to Say to the 'Ladies' at 'The View' – PJ Media

RantWoman thinks it is about darn time that there was a woman Senator from SC, but RantWoman thinks that about a lot of states.

It would be safe to imagine that RantWoman disagrees strongly with the late Senator Graham about A LOT of things; RantWoman definitely would not mind if the newly appointed Senator Graham deviates from some of her brother's views.

The main point: blindness is not a partisan issue! Getting things done in the nation's capital is hard work and a lot of erstwhile journalists need to do their homework a lot better. Can everyone also try to think about ways people can work TOGETHER. RantWoman realizes it's not fashionable. Do it anyway.

Announcing...a major age threshold

 

Look,

It's a MAJOR birthday for RantWoman. RantWoman will be celebrating by inviting herself to dine with a number of different friends because why stop at one celebration.

RantWoman has had a very celebratory day. Scratch that. RantWoman made a delicious omelet to use up things in her refrigerator before an out-of-town trip.

RantWoman received a birthday email and offer of celebratory cupcake flages (cupcake flags?)  from her graduate alma mater. The offer makes RantWoman smile at least.

RantWoman has also made herself ANOTHER spinoff blog.

RantWoman of Age

RantWoman will be easing slowly into what she wants to do so please bear with the bare bones presentation.

Stop buying bagged salad?

 Invest the time to watch the whole video.

Diarrhea parasite now in 30+ states: What to know about Cyclospora

These vegetables could be source of cyclosporiasis outbreak

Bad Bunny's Halftime show nominated for multiple Emmys

 

Not By Sight News

RantWoman is posting this item here rather in her other, more explicitly religion-themed blog because this voice from a blind guy is calling out the faith tradition he grew up in. 

The themes here about blindness and otherwise are, in RantWoman's experience, not unusual in many faith traditions.

RantWoman is posting this here for other people who might need its messages.

Icelandic hot dog vs Seattle dog?

Iceland Photography 

One of RantWoman's summer amusements has been following Blanche, proclaimed World's worst photographer by Icelandair around Iceland.

Here at last Blanche has gotten to chomp on a famous Icelandic Hot Dog.

In a spirit of actual research, below the video, RantWoman presents comparison between the Seattle Dog and the Icelandic Hot dog.

Be advised, RantWoman admits to thinking the Seattle dog is not her first choice in hot dogs, but let's see why the Icelandic hot dog probably tops it.

Seattle Style Hot Dogs with Cream Cheese and Grilled Onions - Our Best Bites

All beef dog, caramelized onions, jalapenos

Sigh: RantWoman likes cream cheese but not really on hotdogs. RantWoman does like roasted onions and  jalapenos, but horrors, has usually skipped the cream cheese in favor of sauerkraut and mustard. RantWoman definitely approves of buns toasted on the grill next to the vegetables.

The Icelandic Hot Dog - Pylsur - ✮ The Food Dictator ✮

Free range lamb, beef, pork in a natural casing with coriander, garlic and onions sounds delicious. Add Remoulade with pickles, capers, chervil.

Sounds yummy though definitely get real Icelandic hot dogs rather than ordinary polish sausages.

Ah Expectations and more of an adventure than one hopes.

Yesterday RantWoman set out on one of her occasional "OK, let's just try it" transit expeditions. Delivering something time-sensitive to Lynnwood in person sounded like, oddly, more fun than just using overnight mail. RantWoman also wanted to get back to Seattle for a late afternoon medical appointment. RantWoman was optimistic based on a late morning start. 

RantWoman is a grown-up. MAYBE RantWoman could have planned better. Maybe.

RantWoman first used Google Maps to her destination or basically how to get from the Lynnwood City Center station to a street address in Lynnwood. Google suggested several bus routings, all of which involved some walking from the last bus stop. 

The Lynnwood City Center station does not have great signage about how to find buses. Even worse, there is no sign at all marking a RideShare pickup area. More on that in a moment.

RantWoman does not have a great mental map yet of the Lynnwood transit center or of a path to the buses. There is wordy signage at the Light Rail station but RantWoman yearns for a more graphical presentation, with large enough letters that someone like her could read it, of course. 

RantWoman does not know Lynnwood very well but has an overwhelming impression of many cars, wide streets, probably sidewalks and MAYBE accessible pedestrian signals. So RantWoman was NOT excited about any bus routing that did not say something like "Walk 50 feet to your destination" from the last bus stop.

At some point RantWoman realized that her destination was near enough to Alderwood Mall that it probably is in the service area for the Community Transit Zip service.

Clap clap clap. RantWoman has previously, a long time ago, had good experience with Zip and a friend also uses Zip. RantWoman knows how to find the Zip / paratransit pickup area. There are nice benches.

RantWoman also checked FindARide. Destination definitely in the service for Zip. RantWoman has not set up a full profile on Find a Ride, but RantWoman checked several categories that apply to her including age, disability, use of a white cane. Find a ride definitely suggested the Zip service.

None of those options appear to be available on the Zip app. File that.

RantWoman has previously, quite a while ago had quite easy positive experience with Zip except for that version of the app being useless in accessibility terms. The App is better now. RantWoman learned this after ring, ring, I would like to book a ride. The first call: we have no record of you and there is not a ride available. Try the app. Call back in 20 minutes.

The app is better behaved than long ago. The app also gave RantWoman the same set of routes that Google gave her. It took two more calls at 20-minute intervals to actually book a ride.  RantWoman had to persuade the call taker that she is blind / low vision and intended to pay with her ORCA card disabled pass. Then a Zip vehicle showed up. The driver did not have the name identified. He waited but a rider never showed up. RantWoman also got a message that a driver had appeared but not found RantWoman and had gone away. So SOMETHING is confused and confusing.

By this time, RantWoman was climbing the walls. Summoning an Uber was feasible financially, if only RantWoman could find the RideShare pickup area. If only.

RantWoman and the Uber driver did manage to connect because RantWoman was able to tell him where she was. Yay Uber driver. Good tip.

Based on the length of the ride, RantWoman realized the distance might be walkable, if RantWoman were not feeling pressed for time and willing just to set out and trust Google walking directions. RantWoman has uneven experience with Google walking directions and did not feel like experimenting. If RantWoman makes the trip again, she will also try to summon more enthusiasm for one of the bus options.

The destination also turned out to be a quite non-descript office park with decent sidewalk but pretty subtle signage. 

But Voila! RantWoman arrived, made one wrong guess about how to find the office she needed and at last connected with a very nice human she has been emailing with for a while.

RantWoman summoned an Uber for the return trip to Lynnwood City Center. Bravo. RantWoman now understands how to find the Ride Share pickup area. File that.

RantWoman also realized that she just needed to reschedule a medical appointment she had hoped to get back to Seattle in time for. Sigh.

And a closing note: the Zip phone line kept offering RantWoman a satisfaction survey at the end of the call. At the end of the third call, RantWoman asked the woman not to route her to the survey. RantWoman just figured the survey would not capture everything RantWoman was cross about. Word!