Massive Missives of Fr. John

MAINE RAMBLINGS - A Weekend Visiting the Past

2011-08-10T15:39:00.000-04:00

MAINE RAMBLINGS

It was a much more emotional weekend than I had anticipated. I went up for the weekend because one of my god daughters was celebrating her marriage. Not a wedding – that had happened a year ago, with only about six people in attendance, on a sailboat. This was the celebration of that event one year later, to which around 130 people were invited. Because it “wasn’t a wedding,” only about 80 of the best and the brightest showed up.

Steps toward feeling older when you don’t have children of your own to measure your life against – when your god children get married. (As I write this, I am on a plane with a screaming child – and I don’t mean a child who is crying but one whose every utterance is loudly proclaimed and whose parents seem unable or unwilling to modulate his volume. I don’t quite have the courage to tell them that if they think this is cute, or Acceptable, they are wrong. I’d buy the kid a beer if I could be sure he’d drink it.)

As I was saying (and that kid’s screaming cuts through the noise cancelling headphones with music playing) before I was distracted, thinking about growing older – events like this do it. The young lady in question is the daughter of my oldest friend in the world. Not that he is much older than I, but he has been a close friend of mine longer than anyone else. I don’t know where I rank in his universe of friendships, but in mine, he is right up there in the top two. (Now to be perfectly fair, two others who would be up there have already died, leaving the field a little thinner.) He has sort of drifted out of my life in recent years and one reason for the trip, besides celebrating the wedding and meeting the groom (technically the party was the day before the one year anniversary, so I think we still could say “groom.” I’m not exactly sure that the etiquette is on that point.) was the chance to connect with my friend.

I also got to see the rest of the family. Another of his daughters from his first marriage is also my god daughter, I performed the wedding ceremony when his oldest daughter got married, and the bride’s three brothers (all four from his second marriage) are extraordinary young men. One is married and the other two will be serious catches when they plunge. My friend has married for a third time, and brought his current wife with him to the celebration. I didn’t really get a chance to talk with her so I have no opinion. I adore his first two wives.

In my life, my friend and his families have all been very important to me in various ways and at various times, and from what they say, I guess have been important to them as well. Seeing them all so grown up and happy (not without problems, hey, we all have - it problems and sorrows and areas of our lives that are less than we might wish) and extraordinary people who are continuing to grow and grow well – it was a very special time, Friday night and Saturday and then again on Sunday, as many of us gathered to help strike the party decorations and clean the lodge and return it to rustic normalcy.

That was one stimulus to emotion and looking back and feeling extraordinarily lucky about the people who have come into my life.

On Saturday morning, I drove from Searsport (I’m not going to help you, you’re just going to have to look at a map) to Bar Harbor Maine. My best friend in all the world, who died around 11 years ago, his family had a summer house in Bar Harbor. A BIG house, with MANY bedrooms. I didn’t go as a child – not sure why – but later I was a frequent visitor, and when his parents divorced, his mother kept the garage (something like a four car garage) and built a lovely apartment above it and a nice one room apartment on the ground floor, which I frequently occupied. His mother and I became good friends in our own right, and I would pop up and visit whether he was around or not. I loved those visits and the people I met. A tradition arose that on the last morning of my time in Maine, my farewell breakfast would be cold lobster, English muffin with lots of melted butter, champagne, and often enough, if my timing was right, blueberries. THAT, in mine humble opinion, is breakfast.

I hadn’t been to Bar Harbor in many years. My friend died when I was in Nigeria, and his mother has moved to be with her other son in California. She is in her late 80’s – sound mind, a body that does not cooperate as she would wish, and often enough she is annoyed with God that she is still her. I wanted to be able to tell her that I had visited Bar Harbor and tell her what it is like- it will upset her, I know, but a little emotion is good for people of any age. Keeps the blood flowing. So I drove from Searsport (found it yet?) and paid my visit.

Bar Harbor is even more a tourist attraction and there are many more motels and hotels and places for visitors to stay than I remember. The old quaint stores have been “upgraded” and the signs are all “faux” old style – a la Hamptons at its worst. Crowded, it’s not bad and not depressing even, but it isn’t what it was. I didn’t expect that it would be, but as I browsed the streets, I missed what I had known. Same thing happened in Princeton – the very popular town that everyone knows now is not what I grew up with, and there is no way it could be, or even should be. But I miss it.

On the way back, I passed Blue Hill, Maine. Now I belong to a group called the Blue Hill Troupe. I first encountered them when I was singing with the Light Opera of Manhattan in the early 70’s, and one night someone said the house had been virtually bought out by the Blue Hill Troupe. (It was not a large theatre – a moderate girl scout troop could have filled the house. Still, a sell out is a sell out.) When doing Gilbert and Sullivan, one is used to members of the audience mouthing words of songs as you sing. This night, the whole audience mouthed every word – dialogue and songs. It was an evening to remember.

The Blue Hill Troupe was founded in 1927 in – wait for it – Blue Hill, Maine, and very quickly moved its base of operations to New York. Today they do two shows a year – a more contemporary musical in the Fall and a Gilbert and Sullivan in the Spring. Each year they adopt one charity, and all the money they raise during the year (from the shows and program ads and dances and whatever they can think of and pull off) goes to this charity. There are some VERY good singers in this group and some REALLY good tech people, so the production standards are always very high. I’ve only been a member for a couple of years, and I don’t do much with them, but it’s a good group.

So instead of passing Blue Hill, I turned down the road, went to the town, parked and walked out on a dock and quietly sang “Hail Poetry” (from the Pirates of Penzance, for those of you who are not as up on you G&S as you should be) which is the anthem of the Blue Hill Troupe. No one will care, but it was one of those things one does. At least this one.

Since the theme for this wandering started out as why this was an unexpectedly emotional weekend, I will not spend a lot of time swelling on the setting up of the party or the party or the taking down of the party. The Bar Harbor visit produced its own emotions and recollections, and the grey rainy day that was Sunday served only to enhance the mood – whatever mood I was in at any given moment.

But my trip down the lane of old memories was not over. I had looked at a map (I have learned over the years that my mother was right when she complained about my lack of geographical knowledge and so I am not ashamed to resort to maps on a regular basis) and discovered that Belfast and Camden (where my god daughter lives and where the party was – and if you have not found Searsport, I have just given you two nice hints) are not far from Weld, Maine. Now Weld is a tiny little speck on the map, found by first finding Rumford and then circling around. Or perhaps finding Lake Webb and circling around.

But Weld is where Camp Kawanhee was, a summer camp for boys where I spent three extraordinary years. I hadn’t thought about the spot for years, and I didn’t even know if it was still in existence. So – Google, of course, what else. And sonofagun, it is still running. In fact, last year they celebrated their 90^th year and had a big alumni reunion. The pictures of the place look a lot like the place I remember – and I found myself waxing unusually nostalgic. So, since my flight to Orlando was not until 5:55 in the afternoon, off I went in the grey and rain and drove 2 ½ hours to Weld. As I drew closer, the rain stopped and the sun came out (thank you, God) and I revisited scenes of my youth.

There are signs that say please sign in at the office, so I did, and met the camp director, who chatted with me for a while (I suspect both visiting and assuring himself that I was not a kidnapper or worse) and we talked about the camp. One of the innovations is a museum, in which I found a book about camp history that HAD A PICTURE OF ME! Talk about validation! I told him some stories and bits he hadn’t known, and then I was free to just wander the camp. I was stopped twice by counselors or staff – very politely and very friendly, but also making sure I had not just strolled in, which impressed me. I saw no one with an earbud plugged into a head. I saw no iPod or Pad or gaming device of any kind, just lots of boy running and playing and interacting and exuding high energy and if they weren’t having a lot of fun, they are developing an extraordinary crop of young actors up there.

New lodges have been added. The new lodges when I was there are now old. The dining hall burned down and was rebuilt. They have a rock climbing wall and they reach scuba, neither of which existed in “my day.” But many of the activities and the trips and the spirit of the place is the same. Memories of names and events and people kept bubbling up, and while the place was in some ways different, unlike Princeton or Bar Harbor, I don’t miss it. Kawanhee makes me wish I had a son to send (unlike the child who is in his second hour of annoying everyone within earshot. And whose screams cut through the noise cancelling headphones playing music like a hot knife through soft butter. Sleeping is NOT an option on this trip. By the way, for future reference – Allegiant Air provides nothing for free. Including the seat. If you want a reserved seat, you pay for it. If not, you get assigned a seat after everyone with reserved seats is seated. You can also buy priority seating – and they serve nothing for free. Everything is for sale, including bottled water. I have not been to the toilets to see if there is a coin slot on the door, or what the charge is for toilet paper. I’m scared to go. So to speak.)

And then I drove another 2 ½ hours back to the airport, to turn in the rental car and start the trek to Orlando. Which I do NOT expect to be an emotional experience, especially since I was there only a coupe of weeks ago.

I don’t mean it morbidly, but I find myself saying goodbye to places. Last time I was in Rome, last time I was in London, I consciously went out of my way to visit some of my favorite places, with a sense that I might not ever see them again. Certainly that was in my mind this weekend as well. Now I am NOT suffering from a terminal disease that I have been keeping secret, I actually feel very good – I’ve been going to the gym regularly and walking more and trying to watch what I eat (I’ll have you know I passed up a chocolate cupcake with mint frosting this weekend. OK – I passed it up on the second day, having had one the day before. But I knew what I was passing up, which ought to get me even more credit, no?) I’m trying. So this feeling of goodbye is not related to anything (except perhaps a highly developed sense of melodrama).

I apologize if this is not my usual chipper, laugh-dotted reflection, but it wasn’t that kind of a weekend. Not sad – but rich. With the exception of the screaming child on the airplane. If a child cannot behave in public, don’t take him out until he can. And if the parents can’t teach him, just shoot them all.

Whoo – got THAT off my chest! And I don’t want to hear any more complaining about not writing in my blog more often. I’m gonna try. That’s all I can promise.

One last thing. If I had several lives to live, I would definitely live at least one of them in Maine. I truly love that place – both for the memories, but as much for the people who are there, and for what it is. The lobsters don’t hurt either. ($4.19 a pound!)

A CONDENSED REFLECTION ON 2 WEEKS IN LOUISIANA

2011-02-06T15:25:00.000-05:00

From January 16 to January 31, I was in Ruston, Louisiana, at the Louisiana Center for the Blind. I was a guest student, taking courses in Home Management, Cane Travel, shop, Braille, and computers, all wearing sleep shades. I wore the shades a minimum of nine hours a day and there were some days the darkness went as long as 13 hours.

On this blog there is a daily journal of what I did during the two weeks. But for those with less time, or less interest (and I completely understand – what is fascinating to one is not necessarily compelling for another) this is a shorter version, focusing more on what I learned and spending less time on the process by which I learned it. Most of the pictures are in the other blog item, but you can skim through that if you want to see the pictures.

The hardest question for me to answer is, “Why did you do this?” When I first learned of the existence of the several centers around the U.S. that do this kind of work, and that I would be welcome as a guest, I felt it was something I needed to do, both professionally, as Chairman of the Xavier Society for the Blind, but also personally, to share at least in a very little some experience of what our clients (and some of my friends) do as a blind person. Now that I have done it, I am still reflecting and processing the experience, so this little essay may or may not adequately answer the question for you. Heck, it may not answer it for me yet either.

Note – “blind” covers a range of visual conditions, from being able to see nothing to being able to see light and shadows to being able to make out more distinct images in a very small area of what should be a range of vision. In fact, many of the students at the LCB have some sight, but all wear shades when undergoing training and attending classes.

Another note – shades. I mean sleep shades, large black covering for the eyes, originally developed by the military. They are lined with foam, so they rest away from the eyes – you can open your eyes when in the shades – but completely blocking out light, so you can sleep. They are very useful for training purposes, and blind organizations and individuals use them a lot. They have the added advantage of emphasizing that the person coming toward you is not using their eyes. Unbelievably (to me, at least) there are many people who do not realize that a long white cane means someone is blind. They are fairly comfortable, but my eyebrows itched and it was difficult to scratch anything around the eye. You want the shades tight enough to keep out the light, but not so tight that they compress your sinuses or crunch your ears. I know, sounds funny but when you’re wearing these things nine hours or more at a pop, this gets to be relatively serious.

I flew down and was met at the airport, waited with the driver for two others to come in on another flight (a new student and the director of the LCB) and we drove to Ruston, about 40 minutes away. Stopped for pizza, and I was taken to my apartment. No roommate, so I unpacked, ate some pizza (and saved the rest for breakfast) and slept. The next day I took the school bus in, was given my shades and cane, my stylus and slate (for writing Braille – more on those later) and my class schedule. I was walked to my first class, Home Management and the adventure was off.

Since this is not a day to day account, I’m going to talk about each of the areas of training. Home Management is cooking, but also includes budgeting, cleaning, polishing shoes and tying a necktie, vacuuming but also learning how to take a vacuum apart and put on a new belt. There is a schedule of foods everyone needs to cook, including home made noodles, pastries, using a blender, a crock pot – it’s a long list. Each student must prepare a lunch for 8 (by invitation only) and lunch for 40, which everyone enjoys. Each of those exercises has a budget which influences your menu planning.

Ms. Merilynn runs one of the Home Management kitchens

You have to learn the kitchen, how to use the different appliances, how food items are kept and stored (salt is in the peanut butter jar, and the honey bear holds virgin olive oil – I never did learn where they keep the honey). Mistakes happen – one young man used whole wheat flour instead of confectioners sugar for his frosting for a red velvet cake. He only used one cup out of four – he had poured three before he ran out – and the resulting frosting wasn’t bad. But it was also not according to the recipe.

I did bacon and eggs my first morning, biscuits, brownies, a beef stew, fried pickles. I learned how to sew a button (remember all of this is blind, and I now can thread a needle more easily with my eyes closed than ever I did with them open) and tie a Windsor knot (on those rare occasions when I do wear a tie, it’s a simple 4-in-hand knot). I learned how to hand write a check, use a signature form and write on a blank page. Some students who were blind from birth never learned to write and so have to be taught the shapes of the letters by touch.

Cleaning is also part of the process, and includes dusting, bathroom cleaning, laundry and each apartment is regularly inspected and hints given about taking care of the place better. Each student lives in an apartment – some singly, some with a roommate – and students take care of their own space, their own laundry, their own shopping and cooking. The goal is confident independence, and everything is geared toward that.

Probably the most “dramatic” of the classes is shop, because for many it is so removed from anything they have done, and because a tremendous amount of responsibility is placed on the student. There is only one “specialized” tool, and that is the click ruler. Every other tool in the shop, whether hand tool or power tool, is unmodified, and is exactly the same as you would find in any woodworking shop. Safety guards are not removed, as they often are in other places, and safety with tools is a constant lesson. Whenever a major power tool is to be used, the student prepares and when ready to cut, calls out and is approved by one of the instructors, who either visually or manually checks the safety.

Part of the program teaches students to deal with basic plumbing and electrical problems

The student is given a series of arithmetic questions, and then is taught to use the click ruler. When that has been mastered, the student has to score a piece of wood to create a checkerboard pattern, mark the intersections, and then drill a hole at each intersection. Since a blind carpenter cannot see a drawn line, the scratch-all becomes his (or her) pencil. Another series of exercises introduces the student to other tools and in the course of two assigned projects, the student will have learned to confidently use every tool in the shop.

At that point the second instructor steps in and walks them through selecting and designing their final project. It can be a mantel clock, a grandfather clock, a chest of drawers, a chair – the student picks the project, designs it and when the design is complete, then builds it. The process takes anywhere from 3 to 5 months. The students pays 80% of a $200 price and the full cost of anything above $200. That gives the student a sense of ownership and responsibility. If a piece is cut long, it can be recut to fit and only a little wood is wasted. If the wood is cut short, it is wasted (and charged) unless it can be used somewhere else in the project. Students take great pride in their projects and they work hard at it. They learn precision, responsibility, and the work they turn out is very professional.

Cane travel is a foundational course because that’s how the blind move. In the first week or two, depending on a student’s experience and skill, he or she is cleared to travel, and no longer is allowed to take the bus back and forth to the Center. They have to walk, and learn to deal with carrying loads, with bad weather, with walking at different times of the day. Basic techniques are taught and re-enforced and students are given routes to walk. Other exercises include a drop (where the student and usually a teacher both wearing shades are dropped by car at an unknown location, and forced to find their way back to the center). Checkerboard is another exercise, where a group of students go out as a group, and at each corner a different person chooses the direction. At a set time, the teacher selects one to start the way home and at each corner, the teacher picks another student to be the guide.

If the traffic is on my left, then I am NOT lost.

As I went through the courses, I heard some of the same themes being repeated. Don’t overthink this was one of them. True in shop, true in cane travel, true in the kitchen, true when trying to read a line of Braille. Keep up the pace – true in the Braille room, true when walking with a cane. Keep your focus – in the kitchen, in the shop, when outside walking. Because these are lessons for life, not just for cane travel or cooking. These are things we all need to do, to know, to practice in our lives, and true whether blind or sighted.

One dimension I had not considered is the prevalence of diabetes as an illness among the blind. I don’t know how widespread that is, but certainly in the kitchen, great care is taken to include recipes with Splenda, and teaching students how to use Splenda in cooking. There are regular sessions with a nutritionist for those who need it. And students look out for one another – one wanting to try a piece of cake that a friend had made was refused “because there is too much sugar in it for you.”

When I was given my stylus and slate, I wondered, since I have had only a little practice reading Braille with my eyes, and none using my fingers and I wondered how much I could learn in only two weeks. I found I learned the alphabet quickly, and started with writing rather than reading. Using a stylus, you write backwards, since you are punching holes into a page which are read from the other side. But I quickly got the hang of it, and found I could churn out a fair amount of correct Braille in a fairly short period of time. How I was only using the alphabet. There are also contractions, and as you get more experienced, there are more contractions, which make it possible to read Braille at over 500 words a minute. That is a very fast Braille reader but not terribly unusual. For instance, a letter standing alone represents a word. “b” = “but.” C- can. D – do and so on. “And” is all six dots raised. There are many contractions and combinations and level two Braille is the ability to read a much more sophisticated combination. There is also a level three but it is used almost exclusively for personal note-taking and many fluent Braille readers don’t use level three Braille. (Brl = Braille; bl – blind; cld = could)

The machine on the desk is my Braille writer

I also learned to use the Braille writer, a Perkins like the ones we have back at the XSB. That too came fairly quickly, and in my last class I filled two pages of material. Reading was more difficult – not that I did not know the letters but my fingers found them hard to distinguish. You read with both hands at once, emphasizing the left on the left side of the page and the right on the right. I am right-handed, and so my left hand is actually better at reading than the right. The teacher constantly says not to “scrub,” ie move your fingers up and down to try and sense the pattern but rather to move straight across the line, keeping up the pace, repeating as necessary. It comes very slowly, but it is coming.

The computer class for me turned more into a survey of what’s available. I discovered that I do need to look at the keyboard if only every now and then, to help keep oriented. I can type really fast and really accurately but every now I then I need to check. Not being able to check does me in. I did pass the basic levels of typing to start working on the actual programs, but not the first time. Nor the second. Enough said.

Everything on the computer is sound re-enforced, from having a program echo your letters or your words, reading the material on a screen, whether something you have written or something you get from another source, like the Internet. No matter how fast the little voice reads – and it can read so fast I can’t understand it, although they say I would with practice – it is still slower than my reading it with my eyes. Another lesson – patience. There are times you stand or sit and wait. In the kitchen I was always running late, everything took more time. Walking takes more time. Reading and writing take more time.

Most of the faculty are also blind.

But it was a fascinating survey, playing with the programs I had been hearing about. The technology is changing almost daily, and blind users are become more and more proficient at using it to increase their access to the internet, to jobs and to take part in all the activities of the world.

My biggest post-event reflection is that it’s not extraordinary. Blind people are being helped to realize that they can do almost anything a sighted person can, and they use doing everyday activities as the platform to re-enforce that. They develop basic skills for everyday living – it’s a program many sighted people should undergo – and they “graduate” with both skills and a personal confidence founded on skill and experience.

A Diary - Two Weeks at the Louisiana Center for the Blind

2011-02-06T15:10:00.000-05:00

From January 16 until January 31, I was at the Louisiana Center for the Blind in Ruston, in the northern part of the state. The following is a detailed look at what I did and thought during those days. There is a much shorter condensed version for those who aren’t THAT interested in the minutia of my experience.

January 16 – Day One

Leaving New York. I had the 11 PM Mass at St. Malachy’s on Saturday night before so between getting home and procrastinating, I got around 3 hours sleep. I was up and ready for the Super Shuttle. Usually they call just before they arrive – this guy pulls up in front of a NY apartment building and honks his horn. At 6:50 on a Sunday morning. Pulls up in front of a snow bank and waits for me to lug my suitcase across the frozen tundra – these are the moment when I regret including the tip in the initial payment.

Only 4 of us going to the airport on this lonely Sunday morning, and I was the last one picked up, For reasons I don’t understand the driver decided to go downtown and go across the 59^th street bridge and then wander through back streets. We got there – curbside check in – security took a little extra time, they had seen something inside my computer bag and couldn’t figure out what it was. A hand inspection and two screenings later, we discovered it was a lock, one of those small combination locks you use on suitcases.

I had bought a day pass for the Sky Lounge – I belong to a group that as part of the services reimburses you for up to 12 such day pass adventures each year, so I thought I would take advantage of it. Snacks and tv, comfortable chairs and free wifi – booze if you wanted it at 8 in the morning. Nice way to kill a couple of hours and I was steps away from the gate

Of course during this time I kept doing the – “How would this be different if I were blind?” routine, and while I would certainly need directions, and I would have to allow for extra time in some cases, not a lot different, once I learned how to get around. I know this from being with blind friends who navigate through airports and down city streets and who boldly go into places they’ve never been before.

The flight was gentle – a little over 2 hours, but with my noise cancelling earphones and a Kindle, I am ready for almost anything. Sat next to a woman and her daughter from Australia – her husband and the other twin 10-year old were in the seat in front of us – they are spending 5 weeks just touring the U.S. They figured the girls were old enough and so they were exploring.

We landed in Memphis and I found the SkyLounge – very nice, one room with a fireplace and a tv dedicated to the play off game, but lots of seating, a special computer area with cubicles and connection points, a nice bar and snacks but they also had a cauldron of creamy tomato soup that was very welcome. Passed some time, and then onto a smaller plane for the flight to Monroe. They called one woman out of the plane by name, and then asked for a volunteer to give up their seat – they needed to adjust weight for the flight – for a $300 travel voucher and arrangements for a flight that would get them into Reston later (about 9 PM) and a meal voucher and 1,000 travel miles. One woman volunteered then changed her mind – another finally took the offer. The woman who changed her mind was right in front of me, and I heard her asking the attendant about the woman who had been called off. Since they were trying to lighten the plane, she wondered if that woman had been called off because she was too fat. The attendant explained she was an employee who had been flying stand-by and so was the first to be taken off. Chuckle.

Got into a conversation with a young Indian man who wanted to ask about free will and God’s role in our lives. What is it about wearing the Roman collar that brings this out in people? At the Lambs Club on Friday I got into several conversations like that – now not all the participants were entirely sober, so I cannot credit the Roman collar with all the influence. Drink does the same thing, makes people start to ask questions about life and death and infinity and stuff like that.

Pouring rain when we landed. As we passed by the waiting area I saw a crowd of people and a tv camera – wondered what THAT was about. Got my bag – so far no one waving a sign saying “Sheehan” and no one carrying a white cane, so I wandered back into the waiting area – there were chairs, and they had the Jets game on, so it seemed the logical place to wait. After a bit a young man did ask if I were Father Sheehan, and introduced himself. Eric Warden, and he was also waiting to collect Pam Allen, the Director of the LCB (the Louisiana Center for the Blind, henceforth to be known by the initials or whatever other nicknames the students may share with me.) and another student (from here on I will either not use names of students or I will make up something) who is here for the 9 month course.

Their plane was delayed, so we chatted, had an extended conversation with a Baptist gentleman who told a Baptist joke and pretty much his life history and shared his views on a whole lot of political and economic philosophies. And the camera crew waited. There was young lady with a small crown on her head and a sash proclaiming her “Little Miss Monroe” and blue jeans. Local style. There were also several other young ladies (and I do mean young) with bouquets of flowers. Seems Miss Louisiana was on that plane, returning from the Miss America contest. Nothing like hobbing and nobbing with celebrities. And the rain continued. Apparently it had been raining all day long.

The plane arrived around 90 minutes after my own. There was the expected fuss and filming and hugging and interviews – luggage collection – and the student’s bag didn’t come, so we wandered over to the counter and did the lost luggage routine. If the bag shows up on the next flight, they don’t send it over to you (this is American Airlines) they ship it to you Fedex overnight – so the bag that comes in on Sunday night you receive on Tuesday. Let’s hear it for customer service. The folks I was with decided that they would call, and if the bag were on the flight, Eric would drive back and collect it.

So off we went. I am watching Pam and the student carefully as they use their canes. He has some sight, and Pam knows the airport – she has lived here for some 15 years or so and does a fair amount of travel – but it’s interesting to see how they react. It seems a lot of it is reacting – you walk in a direction and with your cane encounter an obstacle, analyze what it is and move around it.

On the ride to Ruston I discovered that I had been given incorrect information (friend with a wicked sense of humor?) They do NOT put on the sleep shades before you reach town. Makes settling in a little easier. We did stop and get pizza en route. Still raining. Dropped off the student and I found my residence is across the street. I’m a duplex, living room and kitchen on the ground floor and my bedroom and bathroom up one flight. There are three other bedrooms in the house but the doors are locked. There’s a full kitchen and fridge but no food, so shopping is definitely going to be in order. No hangers in the closet either. But very nice, albeit a tad sparse. I had some pizza – set up the computer and found there is no wireless connection. Sigh. I could have been REALLY happy with a wireless connection. Janette came over to introduce herself and see that everything is ok. She is the house manager – the LCB has several housing complexes and she runs them. Unpacked and settled and went to bed.

Monday, January 17 – Martin Luther King Holiday Not for us, regular school schedule. Up and ate the remaining pizza – I tried warming it in the oven, which was nice, hot breakfast the first day of school – but managed to set off the smoke alarm. No one came running but it did get my heart pounding. I had brought a small radio, and when I surfed around the dial, I discovered that the strongest signal came from ESPN Radio (I didn’t even know there IS an ESPN radio!) and in second place were religious stations and country and western. I knew I wouldn’t find a news station but I thought I might come across a station with news. Closest I got was a couple of guys reviewing and playing clips from the Golden Globes Awards, where apparently Ricky Gervais made something of a hash of the whole event.

Shower and prayed and off to meet the group that rides the bus. I will not use real names here, for privacy and in case I inadvertently say something bad. Or advertently, for that matter. Interesting group though – in conversation, one woman ran through the birthdays of all the students in chronological order. Yes John, there are no secrets at the LCB.

Bus came – off we went. Many students walking to the school, and I learned that once you walk successfully, you’re no longer allowed to ride the bus. Now remember, this is a 9-month program and usually you are cleared to walk within the first week. The bus is for new students and special cases, like the guy in the wheelchair. At the center, every day starts with a meeting in the library – roll call and announcements. The new student and I were welcomed, plans for those taking part in an MLK march and luncheon were announced, schedule changes later this week – on Thursday classes will run from 1 to 10 PM instead of 8 to 5, and on Friday from 1 to 10 but the morning and evening classes will be reversed. Keeps everyone on their toes. I was taken to meet one of the administrators who fitted me with a cane and sleep shades. On they went, and that was the last light I saw until I got home.

This is the front of the main building

My first class was Home Management – and this will be my schedule until I leave. Met people, and spent the remainder of the time learning to sew on a button, and I want to tell you, I can sew a button and thread a needle easier blind than I can sighted. Some of the little tricks – most useful thing in a sewing basket is a bar magnet, for finding dropped pins or needles and holding them when you need to do something else for a moment. (Adjust thread, find a button, pick your nose – whatever.) I tried a ginger snap fresh from the oven that someone had just baked – did you know that you can add vinegar to milk as a substitute for buttermilk? And when you use Splenda for baking, you need to add baking soda (or is it baking powder? I always get those confused).

Off to my next class, which is navigation – how to use the white cane and get around. Using the cane is step one. Getting around is a long and complex training procedure, which involves learning some street wisdom for survival, and memorizing geography. Learning to think in east and west rather than right and left, for instance, even within the school. The man who is my instructor was not available today nor will he be tomorrow – some out of town people are visiting and he is involved with them. I had heard this in Home Management and so went to the substitute, but then was called over to another instructor (Miss Arlene) who had been asked to take charge of me for two days. We went around the building – we went across the street to the shop – yikes! Too much information to keep track of. I did not know until well into the lesson that my instructor is blind. The way she commented on my technique (Hey, I have a technique!) and greeted other people and guided me around made me think she might have been sighted. Nope, fully blind.

By mid-day I was tired, and since I don’t normally eat lunch – and was not sure that the effort would expend more energy than the lunch would replenish – I went to the front lobby just to sit, also because I knew I could find my way to the shop (my next class) from the lobby rather than losing a lot of time trying to find it again. Visited with some folks – one of the couples that works there had just lost their cat after a long illness, and people came by to express their sympathy. Met the man I had gone to the baseball game with in Detroit. Went over to the shop (with one of the instructors walking with me – I discovered that a new student is not supposed to go outside alone until they are cleared for basic travel, even across the street to the shop.) and met my shop instructor, who is the guy who drove the bus in the morning. Learned how to measure blind – the only tool in the shop that has been adapted for use by the blind is the measuring device – the technical term is click ruler – everything else, all the power tools, hand tools, are standard use, no modifications have been made for the blind. Those in the 9 month course make three projects – two small ones, and a graduation project that each one designs and builds. I asked what kind of projects they do and was told, “Cabinets, cedar chests, chairs, grandfather clocks, mantel clocks – whatever they want.” No kits or pre-fab, everything is cut from raw lumber.

The ruler is a six inch measured rod, with another six inch rod on the other end, making a rule of one foot, with half inch raised bars along the length, and a ratchet that clicks every 16^th of an inch. When an item to be measured is longer than six inches, there is a drop on the rear end, so you end up measuring the difference between the 12 inches and the length of the board. There are 12” screw-in attachments to the rod section, so you can measure virtually anything. Because it’s a rod you can also easily measure the depth of holes. See? I have a new skill. Things being emphasized in the shop are “Focus” which cuts across the board for all activities and “take your time and solve the problem,” again appropriate for anything you do as a blind person. Hey, anything you do period.

Mr. James and a student working the router. Both are blind.

When I finished that I went back to the center – with several other students, so I was not alone – and found the Braille class. Learned how to use my stylus, and once a basic skill in punching holes in a piece of paper had been acquired (and this is not as easy as it sounds) I started working on letters, Got to the “F” before we ran out of time. Practiced trying to read the letters with my fingers, without any success. Other students were there working on their Braille reading, so I had things being read out loud while I worked, which was rather nice. A young lady is reading an Amy Tan book, and a young man (who, it turns out is a sound engineer and proficient in the program we use at the Xavier Society for the Blind – I see an internship in the future here) is reading a science fiction book with a lot of specially created vocabulary. Fascinating. After an hour, I moved to the computer class, where I discovered the teacher is a client of ours. We visited, and she outlined the course. That and the ensuing conversations took most of the time, which she said she usually spends getting to know students.

Each teacher has been very good about going through what the course is about and provides and strives to accomplish. I don’t think this is something that is being done just for my benefit, but the ease with which the instructors go through this suggests that it is part of the regular routine. Very impressive.

When I left the computer class, I was tired and hungry and starting to have hallucinations. I was in the lobby, about to head out to try and find the bus to go home, when one of the students suggested we go for a coffee, to chat and unwind. I thought for a minute and said why not. So the two of us headed off – he said that since it was after 5 I could take off the sleep shades, but I said I didn’t want to get any visual help about the center or the geography. (I had had some when I came in the morning but I didn’t want any more. That also makes it difficult, since that is where there is accessible wireless access. I can see myself finding my way to McDonald’s or a nearby coffee house to use the computer.) It was not an easy walk but he was very good about suggesting changes to how I used the cane, and he talked me along. The norm is not to show someone or to guide them but to give them directions and let them find their way. We got to the coffee house and I had a large (and slightly stale and relatively tasteless) muffin (Note to self – a large coffee is fine, avoid the blueberry muffins at the end of the day.) But it filled the void, and we had a long an interesting chat. This guy is only recently blind – an auto accident – and is due to graduate in a couple of weeks. He is going to open his own company when he gets out, bringing together unusually talented blind people. When we finished we headed off to walk home. Now the walk home is around eight blocks, a little uphill, through a construction area and since it has been raining for days and days, there are several places where mud has taken over what used to be a path. One cross street has a stop light, the rest are listen and move exercises, and one large street that falls in that category is two-way, which is adventurous. And it’s dark, so we’re not as visible even with the canes. Ah the joy of adventures.

When we got to the complex area, my guide was startled when I told him my apartment number, since he had never been to this complex. Together we found the building and I found the right door, said my thank you, and went in. And took off the shades. From a little after 8 this morning until a little after six this evening, I was blind.

One of the things that was happening in the center and REALLY started happening on the way home was that I was starting to have hallucinations. Yes, I’m wearing sleep shades and there is no light reaching my eyes. (I also have to work on adjusting the shades because they were getting very uncomfortable by the end of the day.) But in the darkness I am seeing shapes and patterns and sights and while walking down a sidewalk, I think I am walking along a cliff, with a narrow path and steep drop offs on both sides. Or the path in my eyes starts to go left, while my companion and his voice are going right. Again, yikes! I know I have to ignore this new sight, but it is such a habit to trust your eyes, that it is not easy. I know I have to trust my cane, not my “eyes: but years of habit are not going to be broken in an afternoon.

But I was mildly proud that I had made my first walk home. Now tomorrow I will ride the bus, and hopefully a promised shopping trip will materialize, so I can get a little food in the house, some hangers and one or two other small bits. I didn’t bring any shaving gear – I have made no decision about re-growing the beard., but I am going to let it go for the two weeks and see what it looks like a how I feel when I get back to NY. I called a friend whose father had just died, discovered the Blackberry is not processing about 2/3 of the messages I received today, said Mass and wrote in this journal. A cup of hot water, I put the sleep shades on and did some Braille homework, and off to bed. If every day is this intense, it is going to be an amazing two weeks.

This is where I lived

Tuesday, January 18 – Up at 5:30, checked email and had breakfast – a cup of hot water, a pack of peanuts and a pack of pretzels left over from the Sunday flight. I have GOT to get shopping today. (Hey, if you eat them one at a time, and chew slowly, it can seem like you’re really eating something.) And see if I can find a place to watch the Sunday football game. With no internet access and no radio that produces news, I don’t even know what the weather is going to be.

I wore my shades out my front door, made it across the street and down to the general area where I thought the Activity Center was but the door I tried was locked. Turned out I had the right door and it was locked, but I didn’t trust myself so wandered about until some more people came. We chatted – the bus arrived and off for another day of wandering. Made it ok to the library for roll call – got a little confused leaving the library but made it to Home Management. Was given the task of cooking bacon and eggs. (aha! Food!) Took a lot of time just finding things, and small tasks like checking for eggshells in the bowl are different with shades on. But I cooked my bacon, cooked my eggs and ATE! Also did all the necessary cleaning up and putting away. Good. The two other students in the room are doing a red velvet cake and an apple pie with pecans. I can hardly wait for those projects to be realized.

Our second period today was seminar (these happens at least once and sometimes twice a week, and they vary the period so the same class doesn’t get cut out each time), so I found the library and got a seat. We had a guest speaker from Louisiana Tech talking about preparing for jobs and a whole lot about his own role in blind studies. The most interesting thing was that my hallucinations started appearing in real color instead of the black on black and black and grey shadows. After the seminar, as we were putting chairs back, I dropped my bag, which was open, so I was crawling around trying to retrieve things. When I got everything (I thought) I went out and had a very strong sense of being at the top of the staircase. I wasn’t – I couldn’t find the staircase – but I was scared to walk forward except in small steps. Now I KNEW I was in a corridor but it was very hard to overcome that illusion, and the fear that went with it. I could not find the staircase for love nor effort – I finally did find the elevator, so I got downstairs and sat. I thought I might look at my Braille, and discovered I had lost my slate, probably when the bag opened, so back up to the library and try to find a metal plate about two inches wide by six inches long in a pitch black room. Of course the room wasn’t black but it was to me. I did find it though, (I had left a piece of paper in it, which made it a lot easier to locate) and then ran into one of the administrators who said she was going to take me shopping at 3. Good news/bad news – I’m delighted to go shopping but it means missing Braille, which I probably need more than the food. Ah well.

Got to sit for a couple of minutes, and then off to shop. It had started to rain, and I managed to cross the side street at an angle, so when I got to the other side, I was not where I needed to be to find the door – and I could not find the landmark trashcan. I wandered for a bit, and as I was about to give up and use the front door, I found the step and got in. Our teacher was at a staff meeting, so we waited for a while until he came. I have no idea how long that was.

A word about waiting. We do a lot of it. Part of that is because sometimes you need to solve a problem before you can move. Sometimes, since the training is very one on one, you have to wait for a teacher to finish with one student before he or she can deal with you. And for me at least, at this point, all I can do is wait. I don’t have a radio to listen to – I can’t read Braille – so I wait. (Actually it’s a good time for prayer but that sounds a little too pious, so I won’t say that. But as this rate, I can count this trip for part of my next retreat.)

In shop I went through measurements and started on my first project, which is designed to teach me how to use a variety of tools. When I was in grammar school I had a very good shop program and a terrific teacher and I find myself thinking happily of Mr. Whitlock – at least I know the tools and how to use them. The young man I came in with at the airport joined us so there are 5 students working at the same time – I suspect my departure will not be greeted with great sorrow, at least in this class.

I went back to the Center with more success than going over and was taken to a Walmart for shopping. When I took the shades off – ouch, it was so bright. And it was a rainy overcast day. I got some hangars and some food – when I got home I realized I had forgotten to get any silverware and there isn’t anything in the house, and what I thought was diet A&W Root Beer turns out to be Cream Soda. Well, so much for the “advantage” of being a sighted person. Doesn’t work if the brain isn’t also connected..

The administrator driving me agreed that it would be silly to go back to the center once everything had been put away – I had missed Braille and would have missed most of computer, so I stayed home. I went for a walk later in the day to see if I could find someplace to get some cutlery – even a fast food joint would have plastic stuff I could use. But I did not want to head into town, because that’s the walking route and if my cane skills get to the point where I am cleared to walk, I don’t want any visual aid for the exercise, so I went the other way. And found nothing. There was a chicken place but no inside service and since I did not have a car, they wouldn’t serve me. Go figure. Had a nice walk but that’s all. I defrosted some spaghetti that was in the freezer, and put some in a plastic cup and heated it in the microwave and added some hot water so it would pour and essentially drank it. Tomorrow I will get something, but I feel really stupid. Instant coffee – no spoon. Peanut butter for toast – no knife. (well, actually peanut butter for bread since there is no toaster. I know, I could use the broiler but that seems excessive.) A couple of salads – no fork. You’d think I would remember something that basic. Sigh.

Did some work on assorted projects, said Mass and headed up to bed for some reading and sleep. The upstairs is toasty warm and lovely – downstairs, not so much. But the table and chairs are down here – the bedroom has two twin beds and one dresser and a closet (now with hangers), so there isn’t a comfortable place to work. I got some very slow internet occasionally during the evening but that is the snake in the garden. With regular access this could be very pleasant indeed.

There is going to be a chili party on Sunday, so I got some chips and salsa to contribute (and I will throw in some of the diet cream soda as well). I was asked to play in the football game on Saturday morning – my youthful voice has people thinking I’m in my 40’s but while I am grateful for the invitation, the closest I will come is watching. Blind football? Full pads apparently. If the weather is not awful I might well go and watch this.

Tomorrow is a regular day, then on Thursday our 8 AM is at one, and the whole schedule backs up – and on Friday the 1 PM is at one, the 3 is at 3 and the 8 is at 6 and the 10 AM class is at 8, so we finish at 10. It promises to be an increasingly interesting week.

Wednesday, January 19 - Boy am I sleeping well, Although I woke up with a serious headache. Aspirin for breakfast- plus rye bread and peanut butter, oj and instant coffee – although when you drop the Folgers into the hot water it fizzes. Fun. I did get some internet and got birthday greetings out. Didn’t have time for Mass but I did spend a little time going over Braille. I get my regular cane instructor today, and start serious work on my project in shop. This is tiring – I am sure one gets used to it, I don’t know if 2 weeks is enough time. Must be a different mentality when you know you’re going to be here for nine months.

Off to school. I made it across the street, which is no small accomplishment, since the traffic moves at a good clip, and there is a hill just to the right, which tends to block the sound. Yes, I am crossing with my shades on. Made it – found the activity room – visited with people until the bus came. Made it into the center and the library for the announcements. Down the hall to Home Ec and today I made biscuits. Well, almost. Each little step involves learning where things are and how to measure, and so forth. The recipe is on a tape, so listening and doing and keeping track of the tape is also part of the process. But I was going great guns until it came time to put in the milk. I missed the measuring cup by a little, so while I got some in the cup, I also got more in the bowl – in fact, too much more, so it all got thrown out and start again. I only had time to put together the dry ingredients before it was time to clean and move on to the next class. Today was staffing, which means that teachers meet with the students for whom they are counselors and it had an influence on the whole day. The teacher left before I was finished cleaning, and so there were some items I did not know where to put away, and the counter where I had been working was not as clean as it should have been,

My next class was cane navigation, and my teacher is in the same building as the shop. I went over and he was running late because of staffing. We chatted for a while, and we went walking, mostly in the building. Taught me some additional cane technique and talked about navigating outside. I got the geography of the building re-enforced, but how much of it will stay in the head is anyone’s guess. I am a quick learner, but a dubious retainer. Toward the end of the lesson the home ec teacher said I had an appointment with her during lunch. I wasn’t aware of one, and then I realized – oops. My unfinished business. So I went up to the kitchen and did my cleaning and putting away.

Lunch today was a project for one of the senior students, lunch for 40. Salad and taco soup, with assorted trimmings and cornbread and a cold drink and pudding. I usually skip lunch, so I was not planning on attending – but the home ec teacher said that serving a meal from a buffet and finding a place in a crowded dining room was one of the tasks, so I got her her lunch. Sat and chatted with some of the folks and all too soon it was time for shop.

Back across the street, and the shop teacher had to leave early because of staffing. I went back to work on my first project, and when I thought I was done and evaluated my work, realized how badly I had botched it. Manual skills I am out of practice with, and doing it without the benefit of sight. Sigh. Might simply start over tomorrow. Off to Braille. Where the teacher had to be out because of staffing. One of the more experienced worked with me on reading. Yes, Virginia, after two days I am reading Braille. Well, the beginning pages from McGuffy’s reader, and so far only using about half the alphabet. But I have my shades on – they do not come off from the time I leave the house until I return – so my fingers are learning to read and recognize the shapes. I did two pages, and then spent the rest of the time writing in Braille, using the letters I have learned so far.

And on to the computer class. Now I am a fairly fluid typist – but I am self-taught and do not use a standard system. This is ok, as long as I can use my eyes occasionally to see what I am doing, and make sure my fingers stay in alignment. I used to be a very good typist, but years of computer use have made me sloppy and careless. When one had to re-type a page if the error were not easily correctible, one paid attention. With a computer – it really doesn’t matter. So what did I do today? Took and failed a standard typing test, which is the first step to computer use. Before going to bed, I am going to spend some time with my eyes closed, typing phrases and sentences.

And on to the bus. Not a bad day – made some progress in my ability to get around, and deal with the kitchen and niceties of daily life. Not so great in shop and computer, but there you are. Had a lovely Caesar salad for dinner, and will spend some time working. Tomorrow we go to class from 1 PM to 10 PM - so a sleep until I awake is in order, and there should be time for work both in these subjects and some things for the “real” world.

Downstairs was so cold tonight I turned the oven on high and opened the door. It helped.

January 20 – Thursday

Set the alarm for just over 9 hours of sleep, and the alarm woke me up. Had a light breakfast and actually got on the internet for a little. Had a shower and prayed, said Mass and worked on homework items until time to head off for class. I really botched up the shop project – I can get the answer (ie finding the center of the block) but the process is fairly awful. I may ask if I can start over. I did learn some new letters. In Braille, of course.

The weather continues to be grey and chilly, although the temp hovers in the forties. The weather report that I heard this morning talked about rain. I wonder if they picked this place because for the blind there is nothing to see but grey skies and dead leaves.

The bus for those who don't walk the route

Made it across the street and to the Activity Center – I mention little details like this because they represents major accomplishments. Well, minor accomplishments – but I’m walking around totally without using my eyes, just my cane and my brain. (I can hear the wits among you making comments about being additionally handicapped, with the brain I’ve got. Yuk, yuk.) The bus came – we all boarded – and off we went. In to the library – announcements and then seminar. I had forgotten we had seminar, and had grabbed a standing place near the door, so ended up sitting on the floor. The topic was employment, and especially using rehab counselors. I was obviously not the audience, although I did take part a little at the end. But the focus was pushing the students to articulate what next after they leave the center. Some had very definite plans – some were very much up in the air. Some were very focused and together, some very naïve. A wide range. But probably a useful exercise for them. I did say that one of the things they should do is play to their strengths, and mentioned that while we have two certified braillists on our staff, we also contract Braille work and editing out to individuals – I got two people who said they wanted to talk more, and one young man interested in an internship.

The seminar took the place of shop today – and then off to Braille, where I worked on letters, and to computer, where I passed the first level and started working on the next. Break time – chatted with some people, skipped lunch (which on today’s schedule was dinner) and then to home ec, where I finished (and ate) my biscuits. Well, only two of them – helpful classmates ate most of the others. I did have two to take home with me. I also got a small jar of the taco soup from yesterday that was being given away.

And on to cane travel. Had to wait a little for Derrick but we had a really good session. Of course now it’s 8 o’clock at night and getting cold, but he solidified my sense of the building, and taught me some skills for outdoor travel. Now being taught and knowing are not the same things – but my last exercise was to go through my class schedule, which I did fairly confidently. So not a bad class at all. Waited a little for the bus – because it is night, many people taking the bus home, and there were two buses. I also discovered two dogs – I don’t know if they are newly arrived or if I have simply never encountered them before, but two dogs. How lovely.

When I got home I had some of the taco soup and checked email quickly and went to bed. The computer teacher told me about a program that echoes your letters and words, a basic screen reader (and it’s FREE!) and it works really well. My typing will improve.

Friday, January 21 – It’s been a long week. I slept until 9 and the alarm woke me up. Had one of my biscuits and some of the taco soup for breakfast. They call it taco soup but it is a thick mixture of several kinds of beans and corn and spices. Tingly but not really hot. Filled me right up. Shower and prayer – tried to get the voice reader on the computer to boot up again and that proved very difficult. Did some work on Braille. There is – aha - sunlight today, and tomorrow they are talking about temperatures in the 50’s. Even with the sleep shades on, walking out the door into sunlight is a very different experience.

I got over to the Activity Center easily – and discovered I had not put on my briefcase (I am using my computer bag as a briefcase, and wear it over my shoulder, leaving my hands free for navigation) So back to the house, grabbed the bag, and by the time I got to the other side, the bus was there, so I headed for the sound and boarded. Not many people – most who can walk are doing it in weather like this. Announcements – and the first class which is home ec. I opted to make brownies – around me one student was finishing his red velvet cake, so I had a taste of that. I had missed the apple pie with pecans yesterday, and today she was doing recipes into Braille. Another student was working on. another cake, I think. But it was a busy kitchen.

Note to self – chocolate is messy. Especially when without sight. Of course for me, any new ingredient means finding it – any new utensil, and so on. I have learned to use the oven – I thought I knew how to use the timer, but as I will relate, that turned out not to be the case. Anyway, off into the mysteries of brownies. The teacher wanted me to do a swirl brownie – cream cheese and sugar and egg mixed together and swirled on top of the brownie mix, but I ran out of time – this doing things blind takes time. That’s one lesson, by the way – we have scheduled classes, and the teachers are very relaxed about when you get there because they know that travel and other activities may take time. I was REALLY late for my cane travel today, for instance, because of the need to finish up and clean up in the kitchen. Sometimes people in cane travel have assignments to find a place and they get lost, or take more time than was estimated. One guy yesterday found his site – it was a ways off, since he is quite accomplished and will graduate within a month. His site was right next to a Kentucky Fried Chicken so he stopped and got something to eat. Then he got lost in the parking lot, and spent a good 15 minutes figuring out how to get re-oriented.

Cane travel is technique and skills, but a lot of it is simply problem solving. I have crossed this street many times, but suddenly I am coming up against what proves to be a car? What does that tell me? If I have wandered from what I thought was a straight line, what other clues are there to help me re-orient? Where is the traffic flow? What direction is this car facing? Where is the curb? And so on. The texture of the ground beneath your feet becomes important, and so a little sliding of the cane instead of just tapping is a real help in keeping you placed in your environment. You are listening and thinking and paying attention every second you are walking, because even in a place you know, something may be in your way that wasn’t there ten minutes or even ten seconds ago. A stop for a conversation may re-orient you without your realizing it.

Anyway – I got the batter made for the brownies and ran out of time, so I stuck them in the oven and abandoned the idea of the swirl. I set the timer, and cleaned – and then was told I had to do more cleaning, because apparently there was chocolate everywhere, including on me. In fact, when I had satisfactorily cleaned (and things like beaters and whisks present special cleaning challenges to the blind because there are so many places that chocolate batter can hide) my teacher took my out on the fire escape and brushed me off from chest to knees, and had me wash my face, since apparently I had chocolate there too.

And off to cane travel, where we reviewed the building and patterns, I learned a better way to find the shop, and we worked on echoes, hearing the space around me as well as the noises in that space. A couple of times I was able to turn into a corridor without shorelining – tapping along the side of something – just by hearing the sounds. Feels neat to be able to walk through a space and know where you are going. In the kitchen, for instance, we leave our bags and canes by the door, and I am at a point where I can often walk directly from the sink to the wastebasket. Little moments of accomplishment.

After travel I went back to the kitchen to see how the brownies came out. (The teacher had said she would take them out when the timer went off.) She set me up and taught me how to cut them, using a pre-measured board and toothpicks. Very soggy – delicious but not possible to take them out and put them on a plate. So I put them back in for a little bit – I know that re-cooking a cake item once it has cooled is not often helpful but there was little other choice, and the teacher wasn’t around for advice. Cleaned everything I had used – took the items out, and had almost five minutes of my own time (this was during the dinner/lunch break – we are still on a 1 to 10 PM schedule today) before shop class.

Went over for shop and asked permission to start the project over again. And spent the period working on that. One women who is having difficulties dealing with the physical problems made delicious oatmeal and pecan cookies, which we all praised to the skies, and today she got a real grasp of how the click ruler works. And again, everyone applauded her success. The temptation is to say that she is slow, but she just takes things at her own pace, and by the time she graduates, she will be fine and her confidence level will be much, much higher.

And off to Braille class, which was fun for me. I worked on letters (writing) and then read for a while and then worked on letters. It’s a struggle to identify the dots, especially when they come together to form words. But it’s coming, because once you identify one letter, then you know where the next one starts. Often enough, especially at this early stage, one can also guess a word once you have some letters, because other guesses are ruled out because you know you don’t have those letters yet. (Although by Monday I will have all the letters and the cap and the number sign, so that help will be gone.) We talked a little bit about how we process – Pam has been blind from birth, so she has never seen or used print, and for her Braille goes directly into images or however her brain processes the information. Our teacher, Mr. Whittle, had sight before going blind, and so his Braille goes to English print and then to information. Now over the years that has become second nature, like speaking another language or playing an instrument – but there are different ways the information is transmitted. One of the young women said she has had dreams in which people left her a Braille message or in which Braille figured in some way. One student her was applauded at roll call on Thursday because her reading speed was over 350 words – can that be a minute? I think so.

Mr. Whittle, my Braille teacher and a great baseball fan

I also learned that level 3 Braille is really mostly only used for personal note-taking and writing, that there is really nothing written for public consumption above level two.

Anyway from there to computers – I stopped in the kitchen on the way to see how round 2 had turned out but the teacher wasn’t in and I didn’t want to be too late. Some days are better than others. Some days you bite the bear, some days the bear bites you. The bear – in this case the compute program – won. I had not been able to get the talking program working on my computer, so I had not done a lot of practice and I had an awful time with both hearing the examples to type, and then getting them typed. The keyboard is just different enough from my own that it is not always easy to find the keys. I know, that’s an excuse but when you are a self-taught typist who uses patterns rather than the standard touch typing system, it does make a difference. As I was starting to get the hang of it, the teacher (Jewels- A woman) got an email from Pam that said she wanted to see me at 9:30 – and since it was 9:35 I got released.) She just wanted to check up on me, see how I was doing. We chatted for a bit, and then I went up to see about the brownies. Apparently the first time I thought I had set the timer but hadn’t started it, so the teacher had no idea when to take them out. She guessed – which was why they were a little goopy. They were better although the top was REALLY crispy – and she sealed them up in the pan so I could take them home. I went out and just missed the bus. Almost everyone was taking the bus rather than walking –it was 10:15 at night or later – so the bus did come back for a second load. A group was going out to the Waffle House but I simply did not have the energy for THAT adventure. And I was carrying a tray full of brownies.

I left the bus, cane in one hand and brownie pan in the other, and headed over and got turned around. Could be the bus was in a different location – could be I cut too sharply when trying to find the curb – but I had no idea where I was, and since walking into the road was a real possibility – and there was no traffic going by at that moment to help me – I simply stood still. I knew the bus would be leaving, and I could get a sense of where the edge of the road was and which went the road went by listening, so I waited. And found my way. It was cold but other than cheating and peeking through my sleep shades – which was not really an option – I had no other choice. (My own person code is that unless I think I am in real danger, the shades don’t come off.)

Had the last of the taco soup, checked email and went to bed. I thought I might read a little but only got through a couple of pages before I dozed off – woke up, turned off the light and hunkered down. I did not turn on the alarm.

Saturday, January 22 – I slept eleven hours. I woke up once, went to the bathroom, read for about ten minutes and then crawled back. Got up around 11, beautiful crisp day with sunlight. Had half a grapefruit and an apple with some peanut butter and a cup of coffee. Did some email, some work on a couple of projects and around 2 went out for a walk. I was careful not to go the route that the students use to go to the Center. If I get approved for travel, I don’t want any visual aid to help me along – or get in the way, whichever way that might work. I took my camera, but the idea was really to explore and get some exercise of a different kind. There is a lot of standing – in home ec you are always on your feet. Ditto cane travel – and walking, especially in cane travel – but just to stretch out the legs and see something else of Ruston, especially with this good weather. A couple of students asked about my plans, but I don’t want to see them without my shades. I will before I leave but again, knowing what they look like may influence how I respond to them and I don’t want that to get in the way of the full experience. I did confirm yesterday that two of the students have dogs – I haven’t heard them talked about before, so they may be new (the dogs, not the students) – but I really don’t know at this point.

The football game had been called off because the ground was so muddy, it would have been a real mess. Tao be re-scheduled at a later date.

I was remembering our Novice Master’s admonition when someone, on being given an assignment to help in a school said he had been a teacher before entering. Our Novice Master said – Ah, but have you done it as a Jesuit? The lesson, of course, was that there should be something different in the way you do whatever it is in your life if you are doing it as a Jesuit. Ah – but have you done it as a blind person? Everything is different. There is a party tomorrow afternoon, chili and fixings over in the activity center, and I am a little apprehensive. Mixing and mingling and finding food and a place to sit and dealing with salsa and chips and chili – should be an interesting adventure. I did cut and eat the grapefruit this morning without sight – that was trickier than I had thought.

I also realized on my walk that the blind have to plan ahead – I was walking along and saw a Dollar store and went in to buy a few things. I walked around the store until I found what I wanted – and made a few impulse purchases as well. Resisted others. But while a blind person with training could walk along a street they don’t know, and learn about their surroundings through a range of clues, and find their way from a strange place – they can’t know that there is a Dollar Store 30 yards away in the parking lot. They can’t wander through the store and browse without some assistance. They have to plan ahead.

Ah for a tv set or a computer connection good enough to let me stream. One thing I did NOT see on my walk was anything resembling a bar, especially a sports bar – thinking of tomorrow’s football. Well, there is always radio.

One of the students came over to tell me that there would be a car going to Mass tomorrow morning at St. Thomas Aquinas, so that sort of delineates my morning. So I went to bed around 9 and set the alarm for six. I read a little before turning in – got up around 1 and read for ten or fifteen minutes – but the alarm woke me again from a deep sleep.

Sunday, January 23 – Grapefruit, email, coffee and the last biscuit from cooking adventure earlier in the week – shower and dressed – you notice no mention of shaving? I now have a week’s growth, and I’ll see what it looks like when I get back to NY. Did some writing – I had an idea in the middle of the night and managed to write it down before it went away. As I lie in bed I am running the Braille alphabet and figuring out how to walk different places with my shades on – not just here, but back in Manhattan as well. I just realized last night that the letters k through t are the letter a through j with dot three added. I know, that doesn’t mean anything to you but for me it was a major discovery.

My Mass provider came by a little early and we chatted until the car came to collect us. Yes, I was wearing my shades throughout. Followed his tapping cane into the church, found a pew – got through Mass ok but accepted the guiding hand of someone to help me get to communion and back to the same pew. Nice group – the choir needs help (the concept of legato has not arrived at St. Thomas Aquinas Church) and somehow the priest thinks that concrete is not one but two different words. “Con” – pause – “crete”. The child’s room is not soundproof. Pam and Roland (Pam’s husband) were there, ran into them on the way out. (I thought I heard another cane and yup, there they were.) Back to the house for some work – still CANNOT get the talking screen program to work again. I cut up the brownies – they taste delicious but they tend to crumble. I’ll put out the plate and walk away. And I set the pan to soak, because it has to be clean and sparkling when I return it.

I have to figure out how to carry the taco chips, the salsa, a 12-pack of diet cream soda and the brownies in one hand, and my cane in the other. I really do NOT want to have to make two trips. I can get the chips and salsa into my bag, if I can figure out a way to attach the soda, then I can carry the brownies with one hand and the cane in the other. Even little things turn into an adventure.

I was unable to get the screen reader to work, so I did a little Braille and it was time to go over. I got everything into or attached to my computer case and carried the brownies and off I went. It was easy to find the Activity Center – the noise of talking guided me right to it. I forget how many of the students are partially sighted, and at an event like this, they don’t wear their shades, so I (wearing shades) got some guidance on where to put things and how to get around. Two kinds of chili – beef and pork (the beef was better) and jalapeno corn bread that was terrific. There were also desserts and potato salad and some other stuff I never got to – but interesting conversations and a nice afternoon. I gave my camera to JD, the shop teacher who is sighted, to take some pictures for me. His wife is there – he met her when she was student. Nice love story. Got home in time to hear the 4^th quarter of the first game, and review some folders and work for NY. (Temperature got up to 59 degrees today – which made going over and back very nice – I even went out the back door and just stood in the sun for a couple of minutes.)

At the chili party - notice that I am the only one wearing shades.

Had to wash dishes and then worked on Braille some more. Listening to a championship game is not the same thing as watching it. Went through folders and got a couple of things done for NY although the major item on my To Do list remains unresolved. Went upstairs to bed in the 4^th quarter and stayed up reading until the game was over. Nice to be in central time.

January 24 – Monday –

Woke up a couple of times during the night, once enough so that I even got up and read a chapter before going back to sleep. Got up at 5 so I could do some Braille work before leaving for class. 47 degrees when I got which holds out promise – cane travel this morning and it should be warm and sunny. Yay! Just think, one week ago I was getting ready to head to the Center for the first time, and I was looking around and seeing things. A lot has happened in that week, and I have not begun to process all of it yet.

Made it easily to the Activity Center, visited with others there until the bus came – a small group, most walking in these days when it is warm. I probably could go with someone, but I want to be sure my technique is good. At roll call, Pam announced that we would be on a flipped schedule for the week, afternoon classes in the morning and morning in the afternoon. So my first class was shop. Did a little remedial work, and moved to the next stage of the first project and learned a little bit more about navigation from Mr. James, including where the tool closet is. I had a little trouble getting to the shop, but solved the confusion.

One of the almost completed senior projects

Braille was interesting – Mr. Whittle put me on the Braille writer and I found it fairly easy to get the hang of. The bigger problem is remembering the letters of course, but I used the caps and numbers signs and didn’t do badly. Worst part was the distraction of another student reading her book aloud. Computer was also good – moved to using Microsoft Word, and the typing went very well and using the commands was pretty good.

I had a quiet lunch period, and off to home ec. Returned the baking pan and spatula, and said I did NOT want to do anything with flour. We decided on a stew since I had that meat in the freezer at home. Prepared potatoes and carrots and onions and put them away. I’ll defrost the meat and get it in the crock pot first thing, so it might be ready for lunch. It’s 3 ½ pounds of meat – might not use it all. But it was a productive period. There was a bus travel trip today so a number of students were out – they go to a nearby city and learn to use the public transport in that city.

After that off to cane travel – on the way over the secretary told me I had a package – it was the cd’s and the calendars I had asked for. I got them into my bag and off to class. Derrick and I did street walking for a little bit, and then set out to learn the route to the house. Not bad – it started to rain, and it was getting colder, which did not thrill me or make the walk any more fun, but with only one moment of serious confusion, I got there.

You leave the front door and go north on Trenton, the large one way thoroughfare that passes on front of the school and goes north and south (traffic goes south). It is a very handy reference – but so are all streets. There is a railroad track on the way one has to cross – active, with many freight trains each day. There are bars to block the street but noting to block the sidewalk, so one listens. They do whistle, and trains are noisy, so you shouldn’t be surprised – but you listen. From there to Park, cross Park and Alley (which is an alley) and then you get to Mississippi. Turn right, so that Mississippi is on your left. (There is a jewelry store on that block with a protruding window which can whap you if you’re not careful – your cane goes underneath and misses the hanging window, which is a reminder of why the instructor keeps saying to stay in the middle of the sidewalk rather than shorelining all the time.) Traffic is a better indicator than shorelining, and lets you keep your pace up. You want to walk briskly.

This would seem to be simple, just follow Mississippi all the way home. And I’m even on the same side of the street where I live. We get to Vienna, which is the counterpart to Trenton, only going in the opposite direction. A strong traffic indicator, with no light, if I remember correctly. There is a light farther down, and another street with a 4-way stop. You wait for the silence and cross briskly. On until we get to – is it Bonner? Learning the streets is a real help. Here is a 4-way stop with a twist – Mississippi does a dog leg right, so if you cross straight ahead you end up in the road. You head slightly left and end up at the corner, but now on the other side of Mississippi. (You don’t want to try for the right side, since there is no sidewalk there.) At the corner there is also a construction area, with mud and problems, so we walk on the road, along the side and shoreline the side of the road until we find a driveway.

Driveways can be momentarily confusing but checking for a gutter indicates whether or not a curb is a driveway or parking lot. Roads also have a slight rise in the middle, for draining, which alleys and driveways don’t, usually slanting slightly into the street. When you tap the cane, a slight slide helps keep in touch with the texture of the road, and that is always a help in keeping track of changing environment. Ramps at street corners are great for people in chairs or pushing things, but for me, I’d rather have a clean curb. Ah well, we use what we’ve got.

Not bad considering I had never done it in that direction, and walking with that older student on the first night was more an exercise of keeping up with him than learning a route. On Friday I may observe when Derrick and a student do a drop and return exercise, where they are dropped by a car and have to find their way back. I can’t do it in shade, I’ll be in a different mode – but it will be the last class of the last day.

We got to the house just before 5 – I was quite wet and an hour later my hands were still cold. I fired up the stove and opened the door, had a large salad for dinner, and did some writing while things were still fresh. Dealt with the mass of emails that had arrived during the day and defrosted the meat for the stew. I may even try to sear it, so tomorrow it can go straight into the crock pot along with everything else. Said Mass, worked on Braille and figured I might even do a hot tub while listening to the state of the union, if I can find a local radio station that is carrying it. Internet service dreadful even by the low standards I have come to live with here.

I’ll have to go back up and check – did I mention I had stopped wearing a watch? By the third day or so, I realized it was just a habit, because with my shades on, I couldn’t look at it. I’m even far enough out of it I was ready to listen to the State of the Union on the wrong day. Sigh. I did sear the meat – I did the first few and observed and then did the rest with shades. Patience – one can only keep track of a few pieces of meat at a time, since you can’t see them to be sure they’re seared and not burning. I checked the pile when I was finished, and did re-do a couple but all in all, not bad.

Tuesday, January 25. The Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. I reflect that the first step in bringing Paul to God (after knocking him off the horse) was to make him blind. And he had to turn to others for help, and teaching.

Up at 5 and it is still pouring rain. I didn’t bring an umbrella – interesting. I don’t have cane travel until last period today, since we are on a switched schedule, but they are talking about rain all day long. The gutter are full and the ground is soaked. Oh joy. Said Mass, had something to eat. Shower and dress and before I know it, off into the rain. An exercise in finding and avoiding puzzles. I told JD, who drives the bus and is the shop teacher, that I would be late for class. Right after roll call I dashed to the kitchen, got out the crock pot and put in the meat, got the veggies and put them in. Seasoning – beef brother (I read the label in Braille – once I figured out which side was up) and got it cooking and off to shop. I had left my work yesterday but fortunately it had not been thrown out, so I was introduced to a new power tool, and completed that step – and started on the next one.

The apartments across the street where the regular students live for the 9-month program

From there to Braille – we have the head of a blind school from Kurdistan (sp?) visiting, and she was in class today, with one of our students who is from there. She read, another student read to himself until the last 15 minutes and I worked on the Braille writer, also learning some basic abbreviations. A little bit of drill and I should be solid on the letters. The Braille writer is so much fun I need to remind myself to keep reading.

Computer class was more conversation than work today but we reviewed Microsoft keys and tomorrow we will do the note writer. Went to the kitchen during lunch and stirred, and turned down. Added some cooking wine, since the flavor was not as rich as I wanted. Helped but still not a strong, flavorful stew.

See? I can tie a Windsor knot. Sort of.

Went to the library to sit for a bit, and then back to the kitchen for class. Things were a little disjointed – we had some guests and Merrilyn (the teacher) spent some time with them. I did necktie tying and it was soon time for seminar. Pam read an email from some graduate students who had developed a guidance system for blind people that involved painting routes with a special invisible paint so a tracking system could guide the blind person around, Might as well put up poles with string. No one thought this was a good idea, and several noted that researchers and developers would do better to involve blind people in the early stages, rather than coming to them after the product or idea had been completed. It was a long session, a little repetitive, and I confess I dozed off. (One of the sideline advantages to wearing sleep shades is that no one knows when your eyes close.)

After seminar, dashed to the kitchen and tasted the stew. OK – not great but won’t kill you. One student came in and had some, and I packed the rest in large baggies, cleaned my dishes and the counter and headed back to the library for the 5:30 meeting of the NFB local chapter meeting. Another meeting, although there was a nice moment when one of the students introduced me to the chapter (which includes people not at the school) and spoke appreciatively of my being there. I got a chance to say a few words – and you know I never pass up a chance like that. I found myself getting a tad emotional at the thought of leaving. I really could spend 9 months here and become part of this little community, although they are all much younger. Heck I’m older than most of the teachers. And off to catch the bus and come home, to 85 emails. Answered what needed to be answered, had some of my stew and up to bed while the state of the union was still going on. I couldn’t get a clear link, and so it broke off and came back and broke off and came back and it wasn’t worth the effort. I’ll read about it tomorrow morning.

Wednesday, July 26. My parents wedding anniversary, would have been their 65^th. Woke up at 4 this morning and decided to get up. Had something to eat – dealt with emails and sent myself a couple of pictures that Merrilyn took yesterday when I was working on the tying a tie exercise. Changed my FB profile. Heavy snow and freezing in NY today. Sounds like it could be serious, 4 to 8 in the city, and 8 to 12 north and east. So far Monday still looks open and no problem for getting home. Although there are snow showers for Tuesday – as long as that doesn’t start to move faster. 27 when I awoke but supposed to get to 55 today, so by cane travel it could be nice. One can hope. I gave out several calendars yesterday – I’ll take the rest with me today – and my camera for others to take pictures.

Worked on alphabet and I think I have it – I also tried to go over the first round of letter short cuts, there are a few blanks I don’t remember. I need to spend some time with the stylus. Pam is going to the Daytona event, and the Washington seminar is right after that, so I need to check on airport travel for Monday. I think I can stop in for roll call and head off right after that.

Over for the bus, and JD announced he would not be present on Friday. We have no shop tomorrow because of an 8 AM seminar, so at shop I took off my shades at the end of class and took a couple of pictures. JD gave me a cross he had made for me of lignum vita, wood of life, a heavy wood with lots of sap that is essentially self-lubricating. I got to use the table saw – or was it the radial arm saw? One of those. I was very touched by the gift, and found that the arms of the cross are cut out, with a small section in the center bar and they spell “Jesus” Nice piece. Had a little trouble crossing the street, but solved the problem and got there. The sound of the router didn’t hurt in terms of orienting myself.

JD and the Jesus cross he made for me.

On to Braille, where I spent the class mostly writing with the Perkins Brailler. Getting better. In computer we spent the period working with the note taker – now THAT is a device. Word processor, address book, email, internet, database, games, typing tutor for Braille writing – all in a unit not as large as a phone book, with 32 character Braille display. You can write in level one and have it show the writing in level 2. 3 USB slots and a slot for a memory card. Hooks into JAWS and your computer. Now this little darling costs around $2,000 and they suggest that users be reading at a level of at least 60-70 words a minute. But it was an interesting bit of equipment.

Lunch – One student was having her meal for 40 exercise, spaghetti and meat sauce, salad, garlic bread (Texas toast) a drink, and Mississippi Mud pudding. Got good reviews – I continue to skip lunch, so I went to the lobby and visited and did a (very) little Braille.

Home ec was mostly cleaning, although Merilynn did spend some time showing me how she teaches students to write longhand, with a check writing template, a page template – fascinating. I never thought that people who grow up blind would need to learn to write by hand – if for nothing more than checks and signatures. One student making pizza and another working on Belgian waffles.

Cane travel – everyone was going back to the apartments for inspection and home skills. Faculty members go through the apartments and help teach home skills, including cleaning, laundry, stuff like that. Now this is not something I need, so I went over to Derrick’s office. He had scheduled something for 4:15, but we worked for an hour, and did some area travel. My pace has picked up – had a couple of problem solving moments. He is talking about working with me tomorrow on a longer route, and letting me do a solo on Friday instead of observing. (That also means he can do the drop route with another stuydent without worrying about me, since it is truly a solo. A sign of his confidence in how I am doing.) I left him to go back to the Center – Pam had said that she and Roland wanted to take me out to dinner, so I was going to meet them around six. I figured I could work on Braille during the interval. Except that I must have gotten disoriented and ended up crossing Trenton instead of Railroad Avenue and found myself on the street across from the center. Yikes! I figured it out and got myself back but it was a scary couple of moments.

This is Trenton Street. It's a great help in orientation, but when you cross it by accident, it's a little scary.

I went up to the library and could not find the table – I suspect they have moved it for the envelope stuffing project that is currently going on. I did some stylus writing, which was ok, and some mental exercises – reading was tough, because I couldn’t take off my shades to check my work. I could have, but I had made myself a pact and was earning admiration by sticking to it. Many – well, several of the students are partially sighted, and they wear shades for their classes, but they take them off for travel outside of class hours, and during lunch. I don’t. After a while the building got really quiet, and since I didn’t know what time it was, I went down to the lobby. Turns out it was five to six, and people started to assemble – turns out it wasn’t just Roland and Pam but also several others – we were seven plus me. All crammed into one SUV, with Merrilyn driving – I think she was the only sighted person. Went to WOW, a restaurant with another branch in New Orleans. They had Braille menus but I’m not up that yet – it was about five pages. I asked the waitress for suggestions and ended up with catfish and creole fries.

The real surprise of the evening was fried pickles. Yum, and I know what I want to make at cooking next time. I was home around 8:30 – 13 hours in sleep shades. Did a little email checking and went to bed. Tired.

Saturday is the Blind Driver Challenge in Daytona, when a blind driver will drive a modified car around the car. The car does not drive itself, the driver responds to cues fed to him from sensors that send information to an onboard computer. Some are going for that, and a number are going to Washington starting on Sunday for a gathering that goes on each year when groups go to meet legislators and lobby for items that will help the blind community. Congress recently passed legislation that mandates that5 electric cars must make a noise, because silent cars are really dangerous for blind people. After this week of walking with a cane, I understand in a whole new way the value of being able to hear a car. It’s that sort of activity, and people come from all over the U.S. for this exercise.

January 27 – Thursday. So much for being tired. I was up at 2, read for a little and back to bed. Off and on until 5 when the alarm went off. Breakfast and email and writing – life quickly settles into a routine. I will have had four different schedules in my two weeks here. Reports from NY talking about a lot of snow, public schools closed, XSB is open.

Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.
- Helen Keller

That’s the best short explanation of why I am doing what I am doing.

Beautiful weather day. In with the bus, roll call and morning seminar. Mr. Whittle led the session Braille and the importance of Braille. Rather preaching to the choir, drumming up support for something everyone is already in agreement with. On to Braille, where I spent much of the period reading. This will take time. In computer I worked with another portable machine, like yesterday’s only smaller and with many of the same capacities but with an 80 gig hard drive. Except that Jewel couldn’t make it work connecting with the Internet. The best-laid plans….

During the lunch break, Toastmasters met, and I couldn’t resist. I used to be a member of Toastmaster when I was running a dinner theatre in Charlotte, and members give speeches and respond to events of the day extemporaneously. They fine speakers who use verbal fillers, and yet the officers and evaluators use them to the point of distraction. It’s a good idea, and they seemed to have an enthusiastic membership but I think they need to raise the bar a little.

On to cooking, where I did fried pickles, both dill and sweet. I preferred the dill; Merilynn prefers the sweet. Another young lady was doing Belgian waffles but forgot to whip the eggs, so it didn’t rise as much as it should have, and she used pecans in the batter but didn’t chop them, so the waffle maker didn’t always close properly. They tasted great – but lessons were learned. Cleanup is always troublesome – time management is the one thing I have not gotten ahold of in the kitchen. One guy was working on shining shoes and doing a Braille budget. Home ec isn’t just cooking, but a wide range of home skills – another young woman had made pizza for lunch, and after she cleaned up, she had dusting – which is cleaning a whole large section of the Center. Did I mention they even teach you how to take apart a vacuum cleaner and do simple repairs?

So I was late for cane travel. Gorgeous weather, so we walked the route I will do tomorrow. Had a few problems, but solved them. We got back just in time for the bus home. Supposed to rain on Saturday and Sunday, so a quiet time inside seems appropriate. I am thinking of doing a walk to and from the Center tomorrow morning, just to see if I can do it.

January 28, Friday – Last day as a student at the Center. Up at 4 AM – not my idea, the body seems to be waking up when it wants to. Said Mass, checked mail, had something to eat – since the electric stove has a smooth surface for burners, I tried doing toast. Set the temp too high – it gets toasted very fast. Might try again tomorrow. Need to tie down the travel arrangements for Monday.

37 degrees as I walk out the door, but the weather report says it will go up to 68 degrees today. One has his suitcase because he is going to Daytona and then on to Washington. I took a couple of pictures at the Activity Room, and the bus came. At roll call, I took a couple of more pix – funny, because I don’t know who most of these people are except by their voices. Off to shop class – JD was out, so Mr. James is by himself. I chatted with one student for a bit and then spent some time with Mr. J while he explained the design program, how he came to create it and how it works. Each student creates his or her own project – they conceive it, and he leads them through moving from concept to how you imagine space and how you measure it and then how you build it. They have progressed through all the tools in the shop, and the work they make is truly gorgeous. The student pays 20% of the cost up to $200 and all the cost above that. All the wood is quality – cherry, maple, assorted others. No pine.

From there to Braille, where I spent the class writing – filled two full pages with sentences and worked on using the abbreviations, and punctuation marks. Again, at the end of class took pictures – discovered what my fellow student looks like. Mr. Whittle I had met at the Detroit Convention so I knew him. I also bought a Slate Mate to keep my slate and stylus, which I get to keep, along with the McDuffy’s Reader. Down to Jewel, where we chatted, reviewed what I had done during the past two weeks, and she gave me a bag of Louisiana pecans. Yum. At lunch I went to see the dining room, and took a picture and then went to sit for a little bit. Home ec was mostly with shades off – there was a general call throughout the day for people to come and help with stuffing the envelopes for the mail out, since the goal was to have it finished today, so I was the only one there. Jess was finishing off some snickerdoodles she had made, and Charles was cleaning up from his lunch for 8, so Merilynn and I chatted for a bit and then I went to sit again. My back was bothering me, and I had a loss of energy.

One pays attention crossing railroad tracks

But I rallied, and instead of the original route, Derrick suggested that I go to another bank, and before I left, I asked him to come out and take some pictures of me walking with the cane. That done, off on my first solo. Had one moment of totally getting lost, but Derrick showed up (as I was working on it – I wonder how I would have done had he not arrived) and the trip was otherwise uneventful. I spent a little time on the balcony in the absolutely beautiful weather, and then walked home, without shades but with my eyes closed for as much of the way as I felt comfortable with. I did not use the traditional route, and had a good walk and good cane experience. Yes, I looked more than once, but probably only peeked three or four times. I’ll take that, for a route I had never walked with my eyes or talked my way through.

Notice that I am right in the middle of the crosswalk

Oops - this is NOT how it is supposed to be done.

Home and had a Caesar salad – did some writing – had a quiet night but starting to think about what I need to do when I get back –gonna be a busy time.

Tomorrow I will sleep until I wake up.

Saturday, January 29 – And I did, although that was only a little after 7. But better than 8 hours, which is ok. Gorgeous day – supposed to get up to 75, and at 11:15 it’s 67, so there is hope. A quiet morning at home – browsed a little to see if I could find anything about the Daytona event, but no live or web coverage that I could spot. Had an apple with some peanut butter for breakfast and coffee. Email and writing – I have to do some apartment cleaning this afternoon to get ready for moving on. Got WQXR on the computer and while it cuts out a lot, when it holds it’s very nice.

Another of those “gotcha” moments last night – I was downloading the photos from my camera to the computer, and I realized I didn’t know who a lot of the people were. I know voices, but I’ve never had the chance to associate a lot of them with their faces – and there is really no one to ask. Or very few, since most of the people I know from the LCB are also blind, and they cannot see the picture nor would they know the face. Hmm. (I can hear the odd person reading this saying, “And John, they don’t know what YOU look like either.”)

There is no difference for a blind person between a bright day and an overcast one, except that you can feel the sun, sometimes. At night when I go to bed, the darkness helps me sleep. No difference for someone for whom it is always dark. Although yesterday at Braille, Mr. Whittle and one student were talking about the lights and symbols they “see” in their darkness, and apparently this is especially true for people with RP. And of course, nothing you can do about them – can’t close your eyes and make them go away.

Same guy as last week came by to see if I wanted go to church this evening, since he’s going to Washington tomorrow for the seminar. I said I would pass and either get myself to Aquinas tomorrow morning or say Mass here in the apartment. Listening to Tosca from the Met – but the stream kept cutting out so it was frustrating.

Temp is now up to 70 – around 12:30 and a lovely soft day outside. I have my back door open and I may move a chair outside if it gets any warmer. Had I but brought a cigar with me…. So instead I put on my shades and walked to the school and back, just to see if I could do it. And I did, with minimal difficulty.

CROSSING THE STREET

While it’s fresh in my mind, I thought I would walk you through what is involved in crossing the street from the Center’s main building to the shop building.

To make it simple, let’s assume you have made it to the front door of the inside of the building. You open the door, and switch from pencil grip to rolling hand, so you can have a broader sweep with the cane when you need it. There is a door mat under your feet as you leave, and you listen to the traffic on Trenton Street straight ahead. Trenton is a one-way, three lane street that goes north to south, so it is always a good guide. You head toward the sound of the traffic, paying attention to the texture of the ground with the cane. Here it is brick and you wait for it to turn to the cement of the sidewalk. At the beginning, I would sweep very wide to be sure I would get the gate. Not just to be sure I got through, but also because at the gate you turn right. Once I missed the gate and ended up at the curb.

Turning right (north – we are taught to think in terms of compass points rather than left and right) you proceed to the curb. Again, at the beginning I used to shoreline the wall (shorelining is hitting a curb or wall or other object and walking alongside it). My teacher, though, kept after me to walk in the center of the sidewalk and only shoreline in special circumstances. Shorelining made it easy to know when you got to the end of the wall, and then head for the curb. The problem with that is that you are not lined up at the crosswalk, and if you’re going down the sidewalk you can feel the slight dip when you get the ramp, and if you miss it, the cane tells you when you hit the very different and distinct texture of the street.

Now you’re at the corner, getting ready to cross. First thing – true for any street – listen to the traffic parallel to the direction you are crossing, so you get a sense of the line of the traffic, so you can start in an aligned direction and walk straight to the other side. If you do not know the street, you listen for traffic on the street you will be crossing – is there a light, a stop sign, is it one way either into or out of the road you are walking parallel to – you need to know this information before you set forth. If there is a light, wait until it changes in your favor, so you know you have enough time to get across. If there is anything hindering your ability to hear, wait – trucks, fire engines, in our case trains – anything that stops you from having a clear audio picture needs to be waited out. (In fact, when sirens are in the area, the advice is to simply stop and wait, even if you’re in the middle of a block on the sidewalk. Theyt make so much noise they block many other sounds.)

When you know the patterns around you, and you’re sure you’re aligned, off you go. You walk briskly, with a wide arc on the cane, listening to the traffic so you walk straight. When you get to the other side you will hit a curb, or if you’re really good, you walk right up the ramp. Again, the change in texture of the ground beneath you is usually your best sign.

But you’ve only crossed the street – now to find the shop. The easiest way is to go east (ok students, what way do I turn when I get to the corner? Rightt, that’s correct.) and shoreline the grass, since there is no sidewalk on that side of the street. You will come to a large plastic refuse container (and I mean large, about as tall as I am and significantly larger in girth – don’t say it). At the container, turn north, and you will come to the steps for the shop. Using your cane, find the steps, and go up to the shop door. Tara – you’ve made it. And remember your compass points, because directions within the shop are given that way as well. “Go to the west wall to find the tool cabinet.” “The radial arm saw is in the southeast quadrant” and so on.

There's the door to the shop - and the waste barrel that helps us find it.

When I first arrived, the students taught me on arriving in the bus (which parks just outside the shop door) to find the refuse container and head straight across the street, up on the curb and find the wall, and shoreline down the wall and around the corner until you find the gate. Easy, but the instructors don’t like you crossing in the middle of the block, where cars don’t expect to see you, as opposed to crossing in the sidewalk. Students also have identified a drain pipe along the wall, which is exactly lined up with the refuse container, so going from the center to the shop would involve turning at the corner, shorelining until you hit the drain pipe, and then crossing to the container. That is called landmarking (technical term) and works as long as the landmarks don’t move. Or if you miss them. Better to have a wider technique.

The word you hear a lot at the Center is problem solving. True for cane travel, true for shop, true for home ec – you have situation, one that exists or that you have created – how do you solve it? I’m lost – ok, where was I last when I knew where I was, what do I know about what the environment should be (where should the traffic be, what kind of surface am I on, what should it be) and in travel, the first thing you do when you are lost or encounter an obstacle is stop, listen and think. Be cautious about help from strangers – they are not always reliable. Good intentions, but not always reliable.

I have been told I may keep my cane. And that should add an interesting dimension to travel. Do I pretend to be partially-sighted or just ignore? I suspect I may have problems if people think I don’t need it. But showing a driving license for ID? It will be an interesting trip.

It's always nice to get back to the Center in one piece.

I skipped going to Mass, had a visitor who needed to talk about an annulment situation, and had something to eat. Worked on different projects – at 6 PM the temp is still 68 – and later made a bag of popcorn.

Sunday, January 30 – Last full day in Louisiana – and they’re talking serious thunderstorms, of course. I awoke at 4 and decided it was time to get up. Did some writing, had something to eat – shower and dressed and said Mass – the day at 8 AM is very grey and when I went outside to listen to the birds for a little (the morning bird chorus is really very impressive) you could feel the moisture in the air. There is a different quality to early morning in a small town than in Manhattan. A different kind of quiet.

The blind driver challenge apparently went very well. Mark Riccobono was the driver, and it was not just going around the track but around obstacles, and even boxes dropped by a van that was going ahead of the car. At one point he even passed the lead van. I guess it was fairly impressive. Interestingly, and completely unrelated, there is practically no on air talk about the Pro Bowl, which takes place tonight. I had to search to find the kickoff time.

It’s raining – pouring, actually – and when you’re blind, you can only go so fast, so you dress differently than someone who can dash through the rain. Rain seems to negatively impact the weak signal I occasionally get so computer use today was especially frustrating. I’m going to ask at the airport in Monroe if they know where the gates are in Atlanta (our arrival and my departure) and if I could perhaps get an electric cart to go from one to another. Hey, I’ll be carrying a white cane, and in Monroe, they should be used to dealing with partially sighted.

I did manage to check in online, using the Blackberry. It rained throughout the day, occasionally with thunder (although I never saw lightning). At several points I opened the door and worked while watching and listening to the rain. Highlight of the afternoon was cooking the pizza and reading while I eat that. It’s a cinnamon toast and tea kind of day, but since I have neither – pizza.

Other activities were cleaning the apartment, throwing things into the trash and trying to think about the last two weeks. I don’t have any deep extraordinary insights – and maybe that’s the key, that while there are some extraordinary people here (I have seldom been in a place with so much laughter on such a regular basis), what happens here is really very ordinary. And that’s the goal – to teach a blind person that they can do anything an ordinary person can do. Go shopping, take care of themselves, use power tools and cook and unclog a sink or a toilet, read and write and use the Internet – all very ordinary things. One young woman just finished law school – another has already made plans to open a restaurant (she has arranged for financing, found a location, she’s ready to hit the ground if not running at least walking very fast).

Tomorrow morning I will close the suitcase, strip the beds and go to roll call. I’ll visit a class or two, take a couple of more pictures and at 9:30, I am my cane am off to the airport.

Monday, January 31

Last day of the month, last day at the Center. I took the bus down and took some pictures during roll call. Many students away at the Washington seminar. I was given some souvenirs of my time, including some cajun spices, some dirty rice and a Center pen. I visited classrooms, took some pictures and soon enough, my ride to the airport came. It was raining a little, just so I wouldn’t feel bad about leaving. I was carrying a white cane, so I took off my glasses and let people assume I had a vision problem. The Delta staff could not have been nicer, arranged for someone to meet me in Atlanta (even as a sighted person I was worried about making a short connection) and even the TSA folks were good. Of course, I assume, with the Center next door, they have had a lot of practice dealing with blind people coming and going. The flight crew was good, touching me on the arm before they started to speak, making sure before the briefing that I knew where my nearest exit was. I put in earphones and listened to the Kindle.

At Atlanta a nice young man with a wheelchair was ready for me, but they did not push the wheelchair, just indicated it was available if I wanted it. I passed on that, and he walked me to the plane. We got there just as they had started to board, so I and the lady in the wheelchair and the young woman with a very young child were put on ahead of the herd. Again, good crew, gentle flight – I wore shades on the plane, and promptly fell asleep. A nice man offered to carry my bag and walked me to the baggage carousel, helped me get my bag and walked me to the cab. In other words, had I been wearing my shades the whole trip, I would have been ok. Lots of traffic, so the cab ride home took forever, and although I had been listening to the news, I was not fully prepared for the amount of snow on the New York City streets.

Reflection

I’m working on a reflective piece and haven’t gotten there yet. I did say that I had seldom been in a place with so much laughter. There are some truly extraordinary people at the Center, both students and faculty, and they are helping blind people to do absolutely ordinary things. It’s not a show – “Hey, watch the blind guy run a table saw!” – it’s people learning how to do the basic, necessary things in everyday life without using their eyes.

I was made to feel most welcome and there was a part of me that really wanted to stay and do the 9-month course. But I’m not blind, and my call is to be somewhere else, working on other problems with other people. I look forward to the Orlando conference this summer, when I will get to see some of the Louisiana friends again, and I suspect there are some people I met who will continue to be a part of my life. And I rather look forward to that. I will continue to practice my cane travel in New York, and I will continue to work on improving and advancing my Braille.

January 16 - Off to Louisiana

2011-01-15T18:46:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning I head out early to LaGuardia airport to catch a plane to Memphis and then to Monroe, LA where I will be met and taken to the Louisiana Center for the Blind. For the next two weeks I will wear sleep shades and learn how to use a white cane, navigate and deal with the basic of daily living in a world designed by and for sighted people.

I find I have a mixture of apprehension and excitement. I have no apprehension about what I am going to be doing. I have met a number of people from the LCB, both staff and graduates, and these are talented and dedicated teachers who do this all the time. They will not let me get into a situation where I can be seriously hurt - and I've been lost before with my eyes wide open, so not knowing where I am won't be a new experience. But not being able to quickly size up a situation or a person, not having visual cues to aid an admittedly failing memory - I just don't want to embarrass myself TOO badly.

I suspect I won't be writing here during the time away, but when I get back and have a little time to digest, I know there will be something here sharing my adventure with y'all. In the meantime, a little odd prayer every now and then would not be an entirely bad thing.

As I write this it is between Masses at St. Malachy's - I just finished the 5 PM, and I also have the 11. I am NOT ready, so when I go home I will pack, grab something to eat and it will probably be about time for the shuttle bus to swing by and collect me. This afternoon I had to go and get a new phone - I plugged my trusty Blackberry in last night for a charge and this morning - nada. I still had the charge I Had last night, but nothing new had been added. I checked the outlet and the plus was ok, which meant the charger was bad or there was something wrong with the phone, or both. Went to the AT&T place- charger fine, so has to be the phone. Now I'm leaving in the morning, so I took advantage of my status with AT&T and changed my basic plan, saving a little money and bought a new phone. Very like the one I had, so there is virtually no learning curve- but it was one complication without which I could have lived.

Two concerts and a gala evening to plan in the next days, some design work to finish at odd moments and get to a printer - well, I TOLD the folks at LCB I would have to have a little time each day to stay in synch with the office. I don't know if there will be a space where I will actually be able to sing while I am away - ah well, all will be revealed.

Stay tuned for further developments.

Ups and Downs of Shaving the Beard

2010-11-09T13:25:00.002-05:00

In no particular order or grouping -

When the weather got cold and I walked out the door, I really felt the change.

Everyone says I look younger.

Shaving. Starting the day by scraping steel across your face.

Aftershave - nice smell, nice feeling.

Laundry - now that the beard does not intercept the occasional bit of soup or wayward sauce, I have to pay more attention to stain remover when I wash my shirts.

I keep stroking something that isn't there.

Sooooo many people don't know who I am any more. (I know - maybe they're just pretending.)

I get to eat things like cotton candy that I used to avoid. Caramel apples. Chew bubble gum. (You do NOT want to chew bubble gum with a beard.)

No one gets up to give me a seat on the bus anymore.

Little children don't wave at me or tell me what they want for Christmas. Or just look at me with slightly wondering eyes.

On the upper east side, no one says "hello" in Hebrew any more.

More added as I think of them.....

OCTOBER 22 - THE LAST DAY

2010-10-29T15:46:00.000-04:00

Friday, October 22 – When I woke (that damn alarm again) I turned on the tv and the bow camera told me that we were in port. A quick dress, and off for breakfast, back to the room, and up to the lounge to wait for the others to meander. We let the organized groups go first – by the time we get there, the Customs people have gone for their morning coffee, so we retrieved our bags easily (all the other bags had already been taken) and we strolled out without anyone even looking at us, our luggage or our passports. The bus was waiting, but I put my foot down and insisted we get a group picture in which everyone’s face can be seen. And we did, in a location with our ship, Cristal, in the background.

The bus ride to the airport took us along the coast – Yanni had called and found the traffic was heavy on the highway, so we took the coastal road with a better view and about the same travel time. I had presented him with a Xavier Society bag earlier, and on the bus we gave him our envelope. We made a bathroom stop at the airport, check in was easy (except for two of our group who got randomly picked for a full baggage search) and I even found a free wifi service. For the record – you did not have to take off your shoes. While we were waiting to board, I saw a man I thought looked familiar – then I wondered – finally I went up and it was a guy who plays sax at the Jazz at Noon group (which this season moves to the Players Club instead of the National Arts Club).

I wasn't the only one who didn't get enough sleep last night.

Airplane travel is airplane travel – many of the same films and tv shows on the entertainment system – I remembered how bad the beef had been on the way over so I had chicken. Better. Someone in First Class bought out the chocolate covered blueberries before they got to me, so I saved money – but now what am I going to get for so and so? (Just kidding.) It was the retirement flight for one of the flight attendants after 41 years of service. She was a First Class attendant, so we really didn’t even see her, but they made the announcement several times, and large pictures of her at the beginning of her career and now were posted in the cabin in several places. As we were settling in, before we took off, the pilot announced that the doors were closed, and if anyone wanted to change their seats they could – so the woman next to me, in the middle, went searching and found an aisle seat, so the seat next to me is empty. Thank you, Jesus! And I got my computer into the overhead, so the space under the seat in front of me is also blessedly empty.

I’m finishing this bit on the plane – when we land, I will get my bag from Customs and see about a flight to Buffalo. I have a reservation on a 9PM but if we get there in time and no problems, I might try for a 6:20 that exists. (Turned out it didn't exist, and I waited in the airport for the 10 something plane, that ended up being about 40 minutes late. Sigh. Welcome home.)

Reflection: A trip like this needs some reflection time, and I’m not sure I am entirely ready for that. On the other hand, looking at my schedule for the next several weeks, this may be the best chance I have, at least in the immediate future.

It was a varied group, and the dynamics were a little strange at the beginning – one woman from Minnesota didn’t know anybody, was traveling alone and is blind. Another who came along is also blind; I knew her, but I was the only one. She had a roommate she didn’t know. Two other blind people had companions with them. Our Xavier group was 13 and then we had 7 others we didn’t know either. One person knew only me and her sister whom she had brought with her. One person spent more time working and looking for internet cafes and connections than taking part in the pilgrimage, one person was working through some personal problems, another got sick toward the end with an intestinal infection of some kind, another had knee problems, and another could only walk for very short distances, and in fact carried a seat cane so she could sit when she needed. So there were distractions and problems - mostly minor but it was not a trip of unbroken joy.

But each person on the pilgrimage is basically a good person, and we started taking care of one another almost from the first moment. We were interested in one another and when we got on the boat and into the private dining room, we started learning more about one another. Different people took different tours, and went exploring in different groups, so there was usually a story to share, an experience to relate. There was extraordinary generosity in helping the blind folks who were traveling alone – they are both very independent, but in strange situations, like exploring the Grand Bazaar or climbing a mountain, some help is needed. Some people learned how to help a blind person – many people don’t know that and haven’t had any experience of what blind people need and want. And don’t want.

I’ve been doing these pilgrimages for only two years but so far, we have been positively blessed with guides. Last year Moshe – this year Iannis. Thank you whatever guardian angel or St. Francis Xavier is guiding these people to us. It does make a world of difference when the guide is more than competent, likes the group and helps make the exploring fun and rewarding. We know from the Xavier Society that there are some who are clients, who use our services. There are also those who become friends, whose lives we get to know in a small way. I hope that for our guides we have moved from being just clients to something more.

Our new best friend, who guided us in and around so many places.

Daily Mass is an important anchor, at least for me. It helps keep me in a pilgrimage mode, rather than a tour or a trip or a “vacation.” Not every stop or every location had something to do with St. Paul, but they were part of the world in which he lived and preached, to one degree or another. And as we discovered last year, having to “re-see” the views and panoramas and sights in order to describe them to our companions was an illuminating and an important part of the trip. (As I write this we are leaving Europe behind and heading out into the ocean – Lord, your seas are so large and this plane is so small….)

I found strange things moving – Mars Hill, where Paul preached, is a large rock. Yet that touched me more than some of the architectural and archaeological marvels we saw. I found myself at home in the Grand Bazaar, probably from my time in Nigeria, but the group of 4,000 shops, the people pressed together, shop keepers trying to sell you something as you passed by, the bargaining – I felt very much at home.

And yet I don’t like crowds (unless, as I noted earlier, they’re audience.) I don’t like tourists and I am already planning next year’s trip to the Holy Land in the same time period we went last year, precisely to avoid crowds. Go figure.

Watching BBC Europe reminds me that for most of the world the U.S. is NOT the center of the world and much of what goes isn’t even interesting in other countries. The lead story while we have been away has been pretty much the riots in France, to a lesser degree the budget cuts in Britain, and the continuing protests in

Greece

In the final analysis, there are probably more negative comments for the agent here in the U.S. than there were for last year's pilgrimage. But it was a wonderful time, and we met some truly extraordinary people. Everyone had the freedom to create their own trip, and I think that most did. That their pilgrimage didn't always look a lot like mine is a tribute to how good the trip was, I think.

There will be more pictures, at some point, and perhaps even more reflections. Or stories I have forgotten. When I left the airport I went up to Buffalo for the NY State Convention of the National Federation of the Blind, where I gave a speech and said Mass on Sunday morning.

Next year - back to Jerusalem!!! With a couple of days in Jordan. Stay tuned for further announcements.

OCTOBER 21

2010-10-29T15:34:00.000-04:00

Thursday, October 21 – Being awakened by the alarm in a situation like this is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you know you’ve had a better than average sleep. On the other hand, if it weren’t for that damn alarm, you’d still BE asleep! Ah well, no rest for the wicked. Or the tourist. Not necessarily in that order.

Today is the last full day of the trip – well, tomorrow is a full day but spent pretty much at the airport and in an airplane. Just the thought of airplane food makes me rise more quickly and head to the buffet. We’re going to Crete in the morning, and Santorini in the afternoon/evening, which means an early start for those going to the Knossos palace and a gentle but shorter morning for those of us not. I am not. I went on one tour, and that was really more than the budget could afford. So I ate and waited for the hordes to leave and then I wandered into the harbor.

Crete (geography moment here) is the island, and the harbor is dedicated to St. Nicholas. Every port has a chapel to St. Nicholas, but here the whole harbor is dedicated to him, and there is a gorgeous Orthodox Church in his honor. (I have pictures of the outside – others took pictures of the inside.)

I wandered through town, found the lake and climbed the hill alongside. At one point I was wandering down a street and outside a bar there was a pair of women’s shoes. I looked around for the woman but didn’t see anyone barefoot. I took a picture but I left them there, in case the owner returned or someone came by who needed a pair of shoes.

Bought a few minor souvenir things as gifts for people (Note on travel – buying of stuff for people who are at home. Or not with us. I know that whole economies are built on this notion, but it becomes an obligation worse than Christmas. People dashing around desperately to find “something” for a niece or a nephew or a whatever. There are, it seems to me, two kinds of people – those you want to buy something for (a small and select group) and those you need to buy something for (a class virtually without end). I find myself buying things with no one in mind, so I will have something to give someone I have completely forgotten about but feel I should have bought something for. You’d think a vow of poverty would free me from some of this. Wouldn’t you.)

Crete was small enough that people kept running into one another, and there was no pressure about getting back to the ship because it was right there at the dock and a gentle stroll away. Nice morning. I even found a wifi connection on a public square that did not involve the buying of a glass (or boot) of beer. We sailed and at 11:30 had a meeting with Eliza bethm the Cruise Director, about disembarking procedures for the next morning (we have to have our packed bags outside our rooms in the hall by midnight!) and then a final tribute to the crew, which included them singing “We Are the World.” A short meeting with Yanni, and then folks dispersed for lunch and Mass at 1 PM.

That's our ship - Home Sweet Home

Small gathering but nice. We finished briskly, for one member to go for a massage and me to go to a meeting about the Talent Show.

The Talent Show. Yes, there is a Talent Show. There had been a call for interested people last Tuesday, and I had not gone. All sorts of people had talked about it, but not many showed up. People had been hearing me sing in the lounge during the week, and Elizabeth was really pushing me to come and sing. We talked and since it did not seem there would be too many, I said I would sing 4 songs – If I Were A Rich Man, Bring Him Home (from Les Miz), Largo al Factotum (from Barber of Seville) and a jazzy version of “Slow Boat to

China

.” I went to the meeting, we set levels - I normally don’t like to use a mike but it is a strange space acoustically, and the ears have gotten to used to the amplification, I’d work too hard without getting the result. So mike it is. I ran through the four songs, and the musicians in the band sat and listened and people came in and listened and the bar waiters sat – a good sign.

I then went and took a little nap. I was awakened by the call to see the arrival at Santorini, a village built on top of a mountain, which is really part of an ancient volcano. There are three ways to go up – walk, ride a donkey (E5) or ride the cable car (E4). I was tempted by the donkey but I had 8 euro 50 cents and I didn’t want to break a 20 Euro note for 50 cents. I also did not want to talk down the hill, and I had been warned that while riding the donkey up might be hazardous, riding one down was outright dangerous, bordering on crazy.

Loading the tender boat

A tired dog can sleep pretty much anywhere.

Lovely – small streets, whitewashed buildings, and a view at every corner. I visited the Catholic Cathedral, and had a long chat with a guy who runs a shop who is a Rotarian. I was wearing a Rotary shirt and we got talking. The Rotary Club was meeting that night, but we were sailing and I was singing, so that didn’t happen. I didn’t want to buy anything – and I didn’t want to drink or eat anything – so in a very short while, I had sort of “done” Santorini. I took a cable car down, waited and gone on the first tender back. Had a quick and light dinner, and took a shower, packed most of my clothes and stuff, dressed, collected my passport, and it was show time.

Yup, they've got donkeys here too.

At rehearsal there had been only three of us who were going to perform: a man who plays the harmonica from Austria (just outside Vienna) and a woman who was going to sing “Girl from Ipanema”in Spanish, and yours truly. The other singer was to start things off, and she never showed up. So we had the harmonica player, and me. How do I put this humbly? I blew them away. I worked hard but it is less work with a mike. The audience was very responsive, the mix of songs was good and I left them wanting more.

When I finished, the professional entertainers – of whom my earlier critique not only stands but was enforced pretty much each time I heard them – then followed with a Broadway revue – Cats, Phantom, Chicago – so I watched for a very small time, had a couple of drinks, and then it was time to finish the packing, stick the bag outside the door and head for the bed. Because tomorrow starts even earlier.

OCTOBER 20

2010-10-29T15:24:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, October 20 – Rhodes. This is the only tour I signed up (outside of what wa s included in our original package) and so I was up early for breakfast and a 7AM departure from the ship. And as we left it was raining. Annamarie was our guide, a number from our group but several from other groups as well. We headed first for Lindos, an ancient temple around which was built a castle. Advertised as 300 steps climb. One of our group who is blind was determined she was going to climb those steps. I volunteered to go with her. As we worked our way to the beginning of the climb (we were moving more slowly and the group disappeared ahead of us.) we ran into people who were coming down who had abandoned the climb because it was slippery. But we pushed on ahead anyway, and when we reached the halfway spot, we caught up with the group.

Here is where we came from - we're at the halfway point

And here is where we are going - the actual top is higher than the top turrets here

On the way up, we had steps and we had slanting ramps and we had fairly open areas that were more rocks than steps. There were a couple of people selling table cloths and place mats and other woven areas. The halfway point is where donkeys come up and go down, for those who would rather ride than walk. We then took a long staircase up to the next level and through a rocky path and on to more stairs and rocky areas. Finally, we reached the top. View of the harbor of St. Paul, lovely view of the sea and the countryside all around. Lovely wind blowing – lots of places for a view.

Here is the original temple on top of the mountain, around which they built a fortress

St. Paul's Harbor, as seen from the top

The person I was with and I made it back down to the halfway spot, and we both decided to take a mule down. Yes, there are pictures. Now I only have pictures of the person I was with and the mule – other people have pictures of me and my mule, and at some point I am hoping that I will be reunited with those pictures and I will share appropriately.

Getting ready for the ride down the mountain - but only from the midway point.

You still have to walk the first half!

It's a STEEP ride down!

We got the bus back to the loading area and the bus on to the next stage – except that when we gathered by the appointed time, three of our members were not present. They did turn up about 15 minutes later – we did not leave without them – and off we went to visit the old city Medieval town) of Rhodes.)

As we approached the old city, the rain started. And I don’t mean a sprinkle, a gentle pitter pat, this was a flood. A veritable flood. A can’t see the other side of the street flood. The group pretty well decided that they did not want to get out of the bus into the flood. We moved to another gate, and three of us actually did get out with Annamarie and we went into the old city to see the hospital – and as we got there the rain stopped.

The hospital of the Knights of St. John

The other two were a honeymoon couple and they did not go back to the bus, but wandered off by themselves. I went back to the bus, had lunch (Taco while anchored to a Greek isle) (and the rain got magnificently heavy) and then as the weather cleared into a beautiful day, back into the city. Wandered about – visited some of the areas, and then settled into a small café for a beer and some of the internet. Well, I asked for a Mythos, a Greek beer – the guy asked if I wanted a large or a regular – I said a regular – and I got a beer in a large glass boot that held about 2 litres of beer. Yikes. That held me for the whole time I was working on the internet. The square in front of me had a couple of poles on which lived eight or nine gorgeous and very noisy parrots. On the way back to the ship I did a little shopping, and got ready for the evening Mass.

We had Mass in a new location, a larger space, in case others wanted to join us. Of course, as these things work out, we did not have any new people and a number of our group didn’t come – a couple were feeling sick and some had other ailments. Or maybe better offers. We have only been together as a group with everyone presents only a very few times. I keep saying people are free to do what they want, and they believe me. Ultimately this is a good thing, but everyone in this group is really interesting, and while I may be the only one who thinks it, I miss the dimensions the missing folk could give. The Mass was very nice – and we finished in time a drink before dinner, and ou regular evening gathering in our private dining room. It’s the last time we will gather here, because tomorrow there is open seating. We go to Crete in the morning and Santorini in the afternoon (really evening) and to give people enough time on shore (especially since accessing the shore in Santorini is by tenders – ie, boats shuttling back and forth) everything is moved back and made more flexible. The ship’s photographer came by to take pictures of everyone at the table, and dessert was Baked Alaska, presented with lights off so the flaming desserts could be more clearly seen and waiters flailing towels, music playing over the sound system (A Latin American something, which provided a lively beat but puzzled some who wondered what it had to do with Alaska) and a sense of high drama. Fun.

I left right after dessert while others were still chatting, because I wanted to see the ship’s magician, who was doing an up close evening, cards and coin tricks, that sort of thing. Good showman, lots of humor – he’s dealing with a multi-lingual audience, so the usual line of chatter has to be kept to a minimum. He’s good, although I did know how he did all of his tricks. He even did a little pick pocketing and watch switching. Low keyed and fun. I got a seat in the front row – me and four young boys – and it was a nice gentle evening with no amplification.

This was the first night I slept until the alarm woke me – perhaps climbing up the 300 steps had something to do with it?

OCTOBER 19

2010-10-29T15:12:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, October 19 – A rough night, weather wise. Fun for me, but lots of rolling and bouncing. Departure is supposed to be at 7 so breakfast is at 6 so I got up at 5. Lovely shower but I wonder how the rough weather will influence the schedule – we are supposed to disembark onto tenders (small boats) for the trip to shore to Patmos. Up for breakfast and a seriously rolling deck. At one point I was at the stern, and the flag was blowing forward - in other words, the winds was stronger than our forward motion. (I even took a picture.)

Back to prepare for the day and we all met at the Metropolitan Lounge. Winds at 40 mph, no tenders – the captain tried to enter the port to see if he could dock, but the winds and currents were simply too strong, so Patmos is cancelled, and as I write this, in dark skies and strong seas, we are on our way to Kasadi – Ephesus – although the schedule is a little loose, to the distress of some people who want to dictate what the schedule should be. Sigh. And sigh again. Somehow they can’t seem to grasp the notion that other people have schedules and commitments have been made and not everything can be changed at the last minute because we have changed our plans, or to make it the way THEY would like it to be. Sigh. So we have a quiet morning on the ship, which is not exactly a hardship.

The dark skies, lots of places to sit and watch the world go by – although, as always, finding a quiet place was a little more challenging. Bingo in this place, a cocktail making demo in another – not just background music, but loud and active “things to do.” But soon enough it was time to grab a lunch bite, and off we head.

Our group was to gather at 12:30 and leave, so we would be ahead of the other groups, who were leaving at one. Sigh. I love our group, but this one wasn’t there, that one had to go back to the cabin for something – it was 12:55 by the time we all gathered and headed out. And out was not to a bus, but off the pier and down the road – our group does not move fast, so it was a bit before we were actually on the bus.

The port and the city is Kushadaseh – that’s not how they spell it, but that’s how they say it. Our guide – whose name I have forgotten – had an accent difficult to understand sometimes. He spoke of the history of the city and often referred to the fact that we were going to “the house of Mother Mary.” And then the bus started to climb. And climb. And climb.

Small roads, no real guardrails, winding steep climbs – beautiful views, but the accident potential does get your attention. We did get to the house of Mother Mary without any incident, and we strolled past the gift shops into the areas of the house itself. On the way is a large cistern, fed from pipes from at least ten different sources. If I understood the guide, this was because of concern over poison – although the next influence would, it seems to me, be at best moderated. Maybe I didn’t understand him properly. There was a large outdoor altar but to my relief, I learned we would be celebrating Mass in an interior chapel.

The house itself was only discovered and excavated in the early 1940’s (1943?). It’s a 2-room house, and is a small chapel (what was the main living room and kitchen) and a side room (what was a bedroom). Pope John Paul II visited twice. We went through with carrying degrees of personal piety. Met a chap from Alabama outside I had talked with on the ship, and introduced him to one of our merry band who is living in Alabama. After everyone assembled, we went on to Mass behind some gates and along a walkway – gorgeous view of the valley. The sacristan is a Franciscan, who had spent two months in Chicago, and his English was quite good, so we had a chat. Everything was set up for Mass – liturgically a little confusing because, following the custom, I celebrated the Mass of August 15, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but I preached on the Jesuit feast, the North American Martyrs. Nice Mass. On back into the compound for some shopping and visiting rest rooms (always an important sotp on any pilgrimage!). They have three fountains for water - one for health, one for beauty and I think the other was for romance. They also have a large wall, along the lines of the wailing wall, where young women place slips of paper asking for or about their husbands to be.

Some of the slips asking for husbands.

From here, we went down the valley to the ancient city of Ephesus.

In my old age I am learning not try and disguise my lack of knowledge on any subject, because I get found out too easily. This is one of those cases. I knew about the place we had visited, but the whole excavation was a new item on my personal agenda and it is breath-taking. In so many places, archaeological sites are roped off and sealed up and you can look at things from afar, and this is understandable. But here, a huge site (only about 20% of the city is excavated but that is huge) there are streets you walk down and columns you can touch, and you can really get the sense of being in the ancient city. It is a new excavation – somewhere I have written down when it was started but it’s not 30 years and I somehow think it may be actually less. Since I had no sense of what was involved when we started, I was constantly being surprised at getting to an intersection and finding a street that literally went as far as my eye could see. In the days when Ephesus was a major city, the sea came right to the edge of the city. (Today is about 7 km away – a little over 4 miles.) They have a huge amphitheatre, a place where they uncovered the tombs of gladiators – fascinating, fascinating, fascinating.

Included is of course the library of Ephesus, originally built (and used) as a mausoleum. We did a little shopping on the way out – I bought a Rolex for 20 euro. Of course it’s a fake, it was advertised as a fake, but except that the band is a little cheap, it really looks like a Rolex. With my luck, I’ll run into a robber who will kill me for my Rolex. But I just couldn’t resist.

From there we were kidnapped again – seems if you hire a Turkish guide, he has a relationship with some business somewhere and by God you are going to visit them. We were taken to a leather company. Now, fair enough, leather is a major Turkish export, mostly lamb leather, and they do beautiful work. We had a fashion show, and were given ouzo – of course, I don’t like ouzi, so this didi not quell the angry little creature in my breast. The fashion show was nice – and then we went into the salesroom, where one of the gentlemen did a nice job of explaining the different kinds of leather (did you know there is a “silk” leather? Me either.) And then, of course, the sales pitch.

They gave us a 30% discount, no sales tax or duty (Turkey is not in the EU) and you could bargain a little after that. Five of the group bought something – four bought coats and one bought a belt. (An 85 Euro belt. My PANTS don’t cost 85 euro.) So obviously any unhappiness about being kidnapped had been assuaged.

We got back to the boat just in time for dinner in our private little alcove. Which is always fun but runs a full two hours of conversation and eating and not terribly fast service. It was Greek night, so the menu was heavily loaded with Greek food, and there is a Greek show in the evening –which I skipped. I sang again, only a couple of songs but the word is getting around the ship about the guy who sings. And a relatively early bed.

MONDAY - OCTOBER 18

2010-10-20T08:47:00.001-04:00

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18 – Feast of St. Luke, and the anniversary of the assassination in Lagos. Somehow, in spite of good intentions and deep desires to sleep late, I am awake after about six hours, and I mean awake – not going back to sleep. So I was at breakfast by 7 – it is still dark at 7. Which is nice, watching the sun come up. Except that today the clouds are dark and full and sunrise is more black turning into grey. I ate lightly – in spite of an earlier comment, I don’t think I am going to come off the ship significantly lighter or smaller than I boarded. I went to one of the lounges – empty, of course – to pray and watch the heavy rain falling. Lovely. And quiet. Because the lounge was closed, no one thought it necessary to pipe in music, which is the case in virtually every other area of the ship except out on deck.

A couple of hundred people boarded the ship in Istanbul, so they had their orientation meetings and drills yesterday afternoon, and last night and today are engaged in wandering the ship, learning the geography. There are “rehearsals” for the last night talent show this morning. One can’t tell if that is auditions, or if everyone who shows up gets to perform. Several of our group are hot for me to take part, and I am (strangely) ambivalent. Certainly could be a good way to get the Xavier Society name in front of a lot of people. But it would also mean staying for the whole show. For all I know there could be magnificent talent on board. I am still reluctant. The call today takes place during the time we had scheduled for Mass, so I may be able to hide behind that – or show up just to see what’s going on. I did not bring any music, although I do have some accompaniment CD’s with me.

This afternoon we are supposed to go to Mykonos, which Yanni is going to lead us to as an individual (unpaid) visit. I will certainly be heading for an internet site – I am assuming there may be calendar proofs to look at, I have to send birthday greetings to people I have missed over the last several days, and I may be able to upload these latest ramblings. I am in one of the cocktail lounges as I write this – the sea has small whitecaps, and while the clouds overhead are dark grey, there is light on the horizon (at least on the port side) and no idea what the weather might be like for the afternoon. People are going by on their way to breakfast, and other small groups are sitting here talking and enjoying the view. Of course, rock music playing in the background, although more softly than usual. Grateful for small favors.

Time for Mass, so I went down and put together the Mass kit. The library was open and being used, so I went and sat in the Metropolitan Lounge for a bit. Mass was nice – several people not there, I know two had massage appointments. An Australian chap who had come in to use the library stayed for Mass. Several people had talked last night about singing – I was sort of hoping they’d forget the idea but they hadn’t, so we did, and it was very nice. I preached about the anniversary – it was on this date eleven years ago that I found myself in the middle of the assassination attempt. After Mass I stopped in the talent show sign ups but all I saw were people sitting in different areas either reading or chatting. Went into the lounge and had a Bloody Mary – thought I’d do some reading. The sea has gotten much rougher, the ship is definitely moving, and rain and grey clouds. But as I was starting my drink, the team trivia contest was also just starting. Sigh. Off to find a quiet spot. Not possible. The upstairs lounge where I had prayed this morning had a private function going on. The pool deck had a very loud drink making exhibition. All the chairs in the casino were filled, ditto the seating area outside Reception (where I had also gone earlier to change the tip totals for the cruise) – so I ended up back in my cabin, feeling a little curmudgeonly. I can only imagine what this ship is like if it is running at capacity. It’s not just the crowds but the accompanying volume with which people think it necessary to make announcements.

I did head back after a bit because the pool deck had a gyro station, and I love lamb. I stopped en route at the Rendez Vous lounge and ended up singing a couple of songs again, with a large group present, including several of the staff. The cruise director, the social activities lady, thinks I have a “magnificent” voice – who am I to argue. I made a strategic disappearance after some singing and headed up for lunch and the gyro. Turned out to be a chicken gyro station. Sigh. Not a day to buy a lottery ticket.

The ship is heading for Mykonos, but plowing through moderate seas and heavy rain. Things cleared a bit as we approached the fabled island. We had a short meeting, back to get things together and the traditional gathering for departure. There are shuttle buses that take passengers from the new cruise ship port (handles two hips at a time, and a much larger ship was already ahead of us in one berth, and we got the other.) Drops you off about a ten minute walk from the center of the town. There was a tour to the ruins of Delos – good luck to those folks, because the rain continued, alternating between moments of calm to absolute downpour – by the time we got to the center, we were all pretty much soaked. Bob and I peeled off and headed for an internet café, and found a real café on the waterfront with wifi – ie, no charge. So we ordered beers, and later on fries, and settled in. His computer only has about two hours of battery life, so after a bit he moved inside where there was electricity, I did as much as I could, and then wandered about the town for a bit. I did not get to the windmills, I did get to meet Pete the Pelican. As I hit the boat, the rain poured, and lightning across the bay is always dramatic.

The picture is our guide, Yanni, standing on the shore of Mykonos, at a rare quiet interval between rain downpours.

Had a wash, changed clothes and headed to the lounge for a drink, and then dinner in our private little dining room. Two of our group treated us to champagne – I asked what the occasion was and they said my anniversary – I think the morning homily had an impact. We tend to spend a full two hours at the table, which most seem to enjoy, but the staff ain’t crazy about. Tonight, there were fewer people serving, and we certainly could have been out and finished much sooner, if the service had been more efficient. I went to the lounge and ordered an Irish coffee and was sitting there as others come by. Elizabeth, the cruise director, came past and I asked her how the wedding had gone. We (the group) chatted with her for a bit, and I asked her if it was ok if I sang occasionally – I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. She said yes, and at that moment the piano was playing Moon River, so I jumped in. And a bit later did Torna a Sorrento. Nice reception. One had left her card in her room – so I walked her to the desk to arrange for someone to let her in. I went back to the lounge, but the conversation was loud (to the obvious annoyance of some of the patrons who wanted to listen to the music) and very negative in tone, all about events that were over and resolved. So I wandered off. The pool deck was deep in a Latin dance event, it was pouring rain and getting rougher, so I figured it was probably time to go to bed. So I did.

SUNDAY - OCTOBER 17

2010-10-20T08:42:00.000-04:00

Sunday, October 17 – Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, 2^nd bishop of Antioch after St. Peter. I was awakened at 6:55 by a pounding on the door – one of our group with a ticket for the day’s excursion wasn’t going to go and did I want to go? Had he pounded on the door at 6:30, I would have been off in a flash. But the group was supposed to gather at 7 for a 7:10 departure. Shower, brush teeth, dress, get food – not gonna happen in ten minutes. So I passed. Sigh – another life-changing opportunity lost.

When I did rouse myself – which was not too much later, because having been awakened, I could not go back to sleep – rats – the sun was coming out. Had breakfast with some folks from Honolulu who had boarded last night. Flight from Hono to Atlanta, and Atlanta to Istanbul, There were a trifle jet-lagged. Took coffee up outside – weather very nice, and lots of sun, although there are grey clouds that could be worrisome. Met another couple of New Brunswick and we chatted for a while. I went to the stern where there are chairs and tables for a quiet read of the morning hours, and found someone already in the Jacuzzi. I was immediately tempted but he told me it wasn’t hot – tepid even. I sat to read/pray, but somehow someone thought that the environment of a beautiful harbor with gorgeous scenery was enhanced by having loud, thumping music playing. Sigh. I disagreed, so I got up and wandered elsewhere where the ambience was less inviting but the silence infinitely greater. OK, I admit it, I am not a crowd person. Unless they are audience. Then the more the merrier.

We are twenty in our group – three are off on their own, meeting a friend in Istanbul. Two others are also on their own – one had been a flight attendant, and had visited the city a lot. Thirteen are on the tour, the one person who decided (at the last minute!) not to go and me – so there are only the two of us on the ship at the moment. Yanni says I can do internet at Mykonos on Monday, so depending on the weather I may go ashore later just to walk around – but it seems a day for going over the material for the calendar, reviewing the music for the CD recordings, working on the speech for Buffalo which I to deliver the day after I land, and of course, it’s never too early to work on the concerts for November and December – and at least two of those are new material, so I have to write a script and coordinate music. Yeah, that will keep me occupied. There is a Captain’s cocktail party tonight, dinner, and then Mass, since everyone will have been away all day. There is another show tonight – we’ll see. We sail at 7, so heading out the straits and back into the open sea is also fun to be on deck for.

It turned out to be a quiet sort of day. I spent some time on deck sitting in the sun (watched the crew paint the smokestack, and watched a large cruise ship dock in front of us) and the went to get a drink – a nice Sunday morning Bloody Mary. I had had one yesterday and it was very nice and included in the drink package I had opted for. This morning I was told there would be an extra charge. I will not bore you with the back and forth but while the staff was very nice and polite and wanting to be helpful, it was “the policy” and there was nothing they could do. Fair enough. So I told the bar manager – quietly and gently – that I was going to visit every bar on the ship several times a day, and at each bar I would buy a drink, stink my finger in it, and move on. I figured by the end of the cruise I could cost them between 400 and 500 euro.

Suddenly he found a way to change the policy so I could get a Bloody Mary. The bartender and the waiter are Filipino, and they had said, before the bar manager got involved, that they could “take care” of me. But I told them if someone caught them, they they would get in trouble, and that was not what I wanted either. So we ended up with everyone happy. Well, maybe not the bar manager, but he should have been, because you know me, I would have done the visiting the bar routine.

I had lunch in one of the sit down restaurants. In the evening we have reserved seating – in fact our group has a small private dining room, which everyone continues to enjoy very much. But breakfast and lunch are open seating, and there are buffets and special food stations, and you get to try out all the different eating areas. Chatted with a retired teacher and his wife, who is an art teacher, from Minnesota. And went to lie down for little in my cabin. Spent some more time on deck in the sun, and then it was time for a shower and a change of clothes for the Captain’s cocktail party.

The “invitation” in the daily newsletter said dress for the event was “Elegant attire”. Closest thing I have is clerics, so I put on a black shirt, Roman collar and the black suit. Wore my silver cross for emphasis, put a Xavier Society for the Blind button on my lapel and off I went. As I got off the elevator, I found a long queue, so I followed directions and went around and discovered that the queue was even longer – and the reason was that before you approached the room where the ”party” was, there was a station through which everyone went where they took your picture against a moonlight backdrop. The gangplank picture was 12 euro – I can only imagine what this one costs. At the top of the stairs one is introduced to the captain – and the question, “Do you want a picture with the captain?” My answer – Sorry, I can’t afford it. Probably not what they were expecting.

This event was in the room where they do the shows, so everyone was herded in – past a trio of waiters with trays of drinks, and into seating areas. I slipped off and stood in the back. Nuts on the table, and waiters passing trays of hors d’oeuvres. It was interesting watching people come in. For some, “elegant attire:” meant shorts and a sports shirt. Chacun a son gout, and so forth. One couple in our group was shown in, met the Captain, not asked if they wanted a picture and shown to a table in the very rear of the facility, while there were lots of seats down front. Do you think that the fact that one of the couple is blind and carries a long cane had anything to do with this change in routine? After a bit the captain was introduced, in several languages, and then he introduced his executive staff, everyone applauded and the “party” was over. Sigh. Disappointing at best.

Dinner with the group was interesting. I asked how the day had been and the response was, “The tour from hell.” Apparently the guide, Ahmet we had met yesterday, moved at what one person described as “glacial speed,” and effectively kidnapped the group for almost 3 hours in a department store, where there was a real hard sell to buy things. I’m sorru I wasn’t there, I would have put an end to that in a hurry. Also apparently he was given to telling “Pope” jokes – one of the group if it was then ok to start telling Mohammed jokes, and that seemed to cool his jets a little. And everyone in the group was happy that someone had spoken up. Because of the marathon the group could not return to the ship so lunch was downtown – and (on a 105 euro tour!) they charged for water! And extravagantly. Many of our group are not longer young (and I would have to include myself in that description, of course) and in a day filled with walking, there was no opportunity except lunch to sit down. One of our blind members was ushered to a spot and Ahmet’s idea was that she should sit and wait and he would return later to collect her. Rather like a library book. She, quite rightly, protested, and went her way. All in all – not a successful day.

The one member of our group who had decided at the last minute not to go (remember the pounding on my door at 6:55 episode?) – he announced at dinner that he had spent yesterday afternoon and today at a free wifi place at the harbor. Now you’d think he could have mentioned that to someone? I have been off internet since Friday – I am hoping to find a place tomorrow – and I spent the day on the ship, as he well knew. A note? A message? Ah well – he was happy doing his thing, and apparently his distance from the group is more than just physical. He has said several times what a great trip it is – and when he is around, everyone enjoys him. But he is a slave – dare I say an addict? – to this connection business, and other human or group relations seem to fall away.

The rest of the group is learning about one another, and everyone seems to be having fun. After dinner we had Mass in the library. Very nice, and because it was Sunday, the readings for Mass are in the Mass Propers in Braille, and so three of our blind members took turns doing the readings. At the end of Mass there was a request that we might sing parts of the Mass the next day – and then folks headed off for assorted activities, including the evening Show “From NY to Parish.” I stuck my nose in – after changing out of the clerical suit – didn’t want to scandalize anyone any further when I showed up at the bar – but I sat in the rear, not having great expectations about the show. This time I didn’t stay until the end. Even things as basic as tempo – at once point they started New York, New York – and it was the slowest tempo I have ever heard with that particular piece of music. The amplification is REALLY LOUD – and the singers had the same problem with staying on pitch I had suffered through the night before. Maybe their hearing has been damaged with all the loud music? Again, costumes were lovely, choreography simplistic and awkward, and the soloists seem unaware of the repetitive mannerisms. One of the men has one gesture – he moves his hand (the one not clutching the mike) in front of him and to the side, and then he repeats it – virtually with every phrase of the song. That’s it – his whole repertoire of movement, except that at the very end of the song, he raises his hand a little.

I wandered off. The bar where the young lady plays classical music is just outside the theatre area, so the sound from the stag almost drowned out her playing. And if I had started to sing with her, that sound would (knowing my voice) I feared be heard within the other space. So instead of having another drink, I went back to the cabin, did a little reading, and to bed.

IDLE OBSERVATIONS

Of course, it is not high season, but we are an older group. There are few at the disco an night, and one can always find a spot at the gym. I have seen two children – the ship holds 1200 and my new best friend at the Rendez-Vous lounge tells me that there are a little over 800 on board. No wonder they are so busy hustling money at every opportunity. In the newsletter for Monday there is a note that we will be charged 8 euro a day for tips, unless we want to go to reception and change that to something else. I heard one distinguished gentleman talking about that and the word “Disgraceful” was used several times and with passion. I suspect he will tip more than the total when he is done, but the idea of having it automatically added to the bill really got under his skin. And I don’t disagree with him.

The cruise line is not coming away with high marks.

See the guys painting the smokestack?

SATURDAY - OCTOBER 16

2010-10-18T10:43:00.000-04:00

Saturday, October 16 – I got up around 6. Yes, on purpose. Dressed and out to find the early coffee station, and outside on deck as we passed through the Dardenelles. Dark but the fortress was lit, and normal city lights along the shore made it a lovely moment. Cold, and occasional rain splatters. There is a real feeling of accomplishment being awake to see the run rise. There is an early breakfast service, and when I came back for the 3^rd cup I found two of our party there – one had gotten up early to go to the gym and the other, a historian, was out to see the fort and the early part of the passage. We chatted for a bit, and then I went to find the library, where we will have Mass, and to see about printing out the homily I wrote last night. Found that I can’t – and even if I pay the extraordinary (dare I say exorbitant?) price for internet use, I can’t use my thumb drive – nothing can be sent up and nothing can be received. In this day and age to advertise that internet is available and then prohibit any transaction is simply not honest advertising. (Grumble. Snort, Fratsis.) It’s not a question of technology – the equipment is here – someone just decided to limit any possibility of a virus or problem by eliminating all service. Ah well.

Let me give you a sample by sharing this morning’s schedule. Early coffee from 6 am. Buffet breakfast (including a waffle station) from 7:30 to 10 AM. 8 AM a walkathon, wake up and stretch exercises at 8:30 AM. Also at the same time a combined service club meeting – Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions. The library opens at 8:30. Port talk for those going ashore at 9:30, children’s activities start at 10 (although to be honest, I have yet to see any children) An origami class at 10:30 and napkin folding at 10:45. A fashion show at 11 AM – also at the same time, fruit and vegetable carving. 11:30 AM – Bingo. And Greek cookery lessons. Several musical groups start playing at noon, and lunch is from noon until 2 (Tea is from 4 to 5) A special casino session from 12:30 to 2:30, bridge players at 2, team trivia at 2, Greek dance class at 2:30, and Stop the Bus (I have no idea what that is) Happy hours from 10:45 to 11:45 AM and 7:30 to 8:30 PM – buy one, get one free. We are supposed to dock at 4 and there is an afternoon and a separate evening tour. There is a show art 10 – Night at the Movies, music from great films – there’s jazz and disco dancing at one of the lounges, special drink and dancing sessions, and an on deck description of the shore and sights as we approach Istanbul. Now that doesn’t include the usual photo display, the specials for beauty shops and other places. In short, if you’re bored, it’s your own fault!

I can’t afford the Istanbul tours but I am going to go to the meeting to see what I can learn. I will probably head off by myself to explore and do the best I can. The overriding consideration – DON’T MISS THE BOAT!!!! They did give us a map yesterday, which helps, but it doesn’t have a scale, so one doesn’t know if we’re talking about two miles or twenty.

As I write this I’m sitting in the cabin, looking out the window. Not a porthole – someone figured out that if you don’t have something that opens, you can have a lot larger window – so there is really a very nice view, and since I am on deck 4, I get to see the wake right outside the window. It’s overcast – grey – although just before 9 AM it’s fairly dark. Not necessarily gloomy but not bright. I’m going to head upstairs to pray the morning hours in the office (finding that I could put my breviary on the Kindle has been a GREAT thing) and pop into the on shore meeting.

I went to the meeting – yet another meeting. Long and full of slides and information and I left before it was over. I missed the napkin folding demonstration (rats! But I can buy a book about folding towels, which looks like it could be fun.) and wandered up on the pool deck. The cover is still on the area, and the sky is dark and grey – but there was a pasta station, doing spaghetti or noodles, and different sauces and different things you can add. Being a simple soul, I just had bacon and noodles – and a cold draft – lovely. Back to the stateroom for a little quiet time and then – another meeting, this time with Yanni and our group to finalize our own tour options. I left that one early too since we were supposed to have Mass in the library. By the time the meeting was over, Mass was about 40 minutes late in starting – and we had missed the on deck narration of coming into port. IN fact as we came out of Mass they were making the first announcements about gathering for the afternoon tour.

The regular tour packages had been disrupted because there is a marathon in town on Sunday, and so streets will be closed for much of the day. Even though Turkey is 97% Muslim, their weekend is Saturday and Sunday and Sunday is the official day off. This is a leftover from the 1920’s move to make the country more “modern,” which in those days meant Western. So the “full day” tour starts on Saturday and continues on Sunday. One of our group bought a ticket, but is only interested in going on Sunday, so I got to go on Saturday. Yanni had arranged our own bus and guide, and off we went. I had volunteered to walk with one of the blind people who is traveling alone, and we had a lovely time. The guide is young, named Sammi, but took the college course for guiding, and has been working for four years.

We rode through the streets, in the “Modern” city – on the Asian side. As you probably know, being highly educated and sophisticated readers, Istanbul (formerly Constantinople – I’ll wait if you want a little of the song. Ready?) is a city split in the middle, with Asia on one side and Europe on the other. The modern side has architecture reminiscent of the worst days of Russian building, but very modern street cards with tracks in the center of the major roads. Traffic was heavy – it was a Saturday afternoon – and people seem to think traffic signals are pretty lights decorating the corner, but fulfilling no particular function. People walk everywhere – anywhere – at any time – and cars are only marginally better. The idea seems to be that you go through the intersection until the actual moment the light actually turns red – and maybe even a little after that. So a car starting immediately on the green runs a real risk of ramming someone sneaking through the last seconds of red.

We went over a bridge leading into the old city, the European side – a long bridge and people were fishing on both sides. Not a few, but side by side on both sides for virtually the whole length of the bridge. Perhaps a hundred or more fisherman doing their thing on a Saturday afternoon. Past mosques and the train station that was the last stop on the famed Orient Express. Through narrow streets and cobblestones and a mix of shops, modern and looking back to earlier years. We got to a spot, set a time to re-gather and off we went, into

the Grand Bazaar, a covered market area of over 4,000 shops, 18 exits and over 30,000 people working there. Large and crowded, very tourist oriented and bargaining is the rule. Lots of fun. And although I did some bargaining, and taught some of the others in our group some of the basics (Hey, remember I had 12 years of living in Nigeria!) I didn’t buy anything. When we gathered, and one of our group had an encounter with a seller who told her that “this very day” his wife had given birth to a son, and so she should buy something to help him celebrate, that he could take something home for his wife, we headed for the spice bazaar. Now along the way we had picked up a new guide, Ahmet, and he is a slick, older professional guide. In the best oriental style. Very good – very taking care of his people – very connected with local merchants and you KNOW there is a kickback going on here. Which is fine, since he provided a good experience.

The spice bazaar, as the name implies, is mostly spices. Some smaller stalls and other things, although we did not see much of it, since his “contacts are the first two shops just inside the entrance we used. We visited a spice shop and sampled spices and Ahmet gave a not very subtle sales pitch. But the spices are fresh and the prices significantly lower than the US. Next door was a candy shop – Turkish delight in a wide variety of flavors (the mint is not to believed!), dried apricots, nuts in several varieties, figs – you get the idea. And again, sales pitch. And again, good value, and lots of our people bought stuff. I resisted – although the aphrodisiac jelly with a plastic figure of a man with a LARGE erect member was hard to resist. Back to the ship for a late supper.

I was on my way into dinner and passed through a lounge where a young lady was playing piano – and as I walked in, she was starting La Donna e mobile. Now I had been very good about resisting things all day long, and I was plumb out of resistance, so I started singing. Lots of applause. Got talking to someone, and the next thing I know, she was playing Libiamo from Traviata. Then Torna a Sorrento, and ultimately O Sole Mio. Well, you know me. It was fun.

Yanni came by and was somewhat surprised. People had talked about my singing, but he had never heard me sing. I had a drink, and then wandered off. (Notice that I never made it to dinner – I’m going to be the first person in a long time to lose weight on a cruise.) Did some reading and then headed to the big lounge for the evening show, “Music from the Movies.”

Now it’s a cruise show, and one does not go in with great expectations. Which was good, Because even scotch could not help. I assume they all think they’re great. The singers have a very flat sound – unfortunately flat meaning both the richness of the tone and the ability to stay on pitch. The girls are tall, the men agile, the singers mildly painful and the choreography uninspired. The costumes were lovely – but even the creation of the show was disappointing. There is great movie music – much of which was totally ignored. On a screen behind the stage, clips from a film would be shown and on stage, a singer with a song remotely connected to the show (for the film “Amadeus,” a rock song the refrain of which – and virtually the only understandable lyric – was the word “Amadeus,” sung over and over and over and so on.) The show went about 40 minutes – there were times it seemed longer. Where I come from, there are a lot of really talented young performers who are looking for work, and usually the cruise shows can draw on some real talent. Doesn’t seem to be the case here. I will go to a couple of other shows, just to see – but this was a yawn. Loud – but I even dozed a little at the end. If I were casting, there was one young lady with a light baritone voice I would ask back, just to see if she could do anything else – but the right would have their resumes filed in the circular file.

At that point I was ready for bed – or at least quiet. I found an old movie on tv – Victoria and John Brown – and I dozed through some of that and crash around midnight.

FRIDAY - OCTOBER 15

2010-10-18T10:37:00.001-04:00

October 15 – Friday. One thing we have learned in Greece (besides that there is no such thing as a deadline – except when you’re on the ship) is that plans change. Up and down for breakfast as the place opened. No one else came, and I was able to have a lovely breakfast and enjoy reading while I ate. Shower and shave – have I mentioned that I have yet to get used to this barbaric (you should pardon the expression) custom of starting the day by dragging a blade across your face? Sigh. And on to the cathedral for Mass. No sign of the sacristan, so I found vestments, and found the hosts, got the sacramentary and lectionary ready – the advantage of having been there two days before. He showed up as I was almost ready to go out. We chatted – the value of a good education that included French – and Mass we was lovely. At the end someone mentioned that our guide, Yani, had said there would be a later departure time than previously announced (See what I mean about plans?) I strolled back, and Yani called my room – seems the Acropolis was going to be open this morning, so we would check out of the hotel around noon, and go to the acropolis, with a stop at Mars Hill, and then on to the boat. And – to make things even nicer – the weather was turning absolutely gorgeous.

I took advantage of the extra time to pack and do some work on the computer, since I wasn’t entirely sure about the internet on the boat. I knew it would be available, but since I had paid for it, I thought I might as well take advantage of it. I checked out the ship which whetted my appetite, and before I knew it, it was time to head out.

Gentle bus ride to the acropolis park (through which I had walked yesterday) and we’re starting to recognize things along the way. The indefatigable, knowledgeable and non-stop talking Mara was with us again. The walk up the hill was out of the range of a couple of the group, so Yanni stayed with them, and we set off. It’s a gentle slope, but slippery and not an easy go in some places. Well, I mean a strapping man like me had no problem with it, but for some, it could have proved a challenge. Two of the four blind members were along with us and they certainly had no problem with the climb.

We stopped en route to look at the musical stadium, which was built by a Roman general in memory of his young wife, and which is still used today for concerts and major events. Mrs. Mara had a drawing of what the place looked like when it was built, with a roof and statues filling all of the back niches – really quite impressive. Seats around 5,000.

Now we had been looking at the Parthenon for several days – in pictures, across the city from the roof of the hotel, from the museum – and we had talked about Parthenon, and many of us knew things about the Parthenon already. So I was really not prepared for what an impression it made to be standing there. Knowing all the mathematics and odd bits about the building increases the sense of wonder, but if I were to have known nothing at all, I am sure that the sheer size and beauty of the building and the site and the realization of how old it is would still have taken my breath away. What they did – in the space of nine years (Yes, that’s how long it took to build – they had money and so they were able to work – at 2,000 years before Christ, mind you – at a pretty good speed. Mrs. Mara said she did not think the building could be duplicated today, and certainly not in that time frame.)

I could overwhelm you with facts and data and stuff you can perfectly well go and read for yourself. At some point I might sit down and do some of that. But right now, I have to confess, the strongest memory is not the data but the image of those huge columns against a gorgeous blue sky, sitting on top of a mountain, overlooking a huge city.

We met as scheduled – well, sort of on schedule – and visited Mars Hill, which is on the way down. Mars Hill? This is the place where Paul preached to the men of Athens, delivering his famous (ie described in the Acts of the Apostles) sermon about having found an altar to “the unknown god.” It’s an impressive rock – and the only solid tie to St. Paul of the day. Before we knew it, time to head off for the boat.

Check in was gentle and easy – the welcome on the boat impressive – the cabin is lovely. We just about had time to get settled in, and suddenly it was time for the lifeboat drill. From there we went to a meeting about life on the boat and the optional tours at the sites we will be visiting, and then it was time for dinner. Well, after the official meeting by the boat people, Yanni talked to us again and pushed people to make their choices about tours. They’re not cheap and that is a concern for some. Not for me – I just can’t go, so that’s actually fairly easy. Exploring Istanbul by myself is a little daunting – but as long as I get back to the ship before it leaves, how much trouble can I get into?

Yanni had arranged for a private dining area for our group – well, for all but two who had decided they wanted the later seating for dinner. Had they not, we probably would not have fit into this space. But it’s very nice and everyone seems pleased. Stressed about the tour choices having to be mad but it’s settling in.

Life on the ship. Well, not everything is exactly as advertised. The information was that internet facilities would be available on the ship. And they are. At 15 euro for one hour. That’s about $23. The information was that smoking was only permitted on deck and in one of the lounges. Fair enough. Only when one gets on board does the small print appear – It is not permitted to smoke cigars or pipes on board. Well dang. The ticket is inclusive – your meals are included, and coffee and water. Soft drinks and fruit juices and specialty coffees (like cappuccino or espresso) those are extra, as are hard drinks. I signed up for an all inclusive ticket – one fee to cover all your drinks for the full 7 days. WhenI first saw the plan, I thought it was excessive. But when I sat down to do the arithmetic, especially considering the non-alcoholic drinks – well, we’ll see how it comes out, because I did sign up. So I had a drink in the lounge, and a glass of champagne with dinner. I’ll have to do more drinking tomorrow to make up.

There are shows and events not only each night but each moment. I am saying Mass on board in the library, and for Sunday, they are going to announce that Catholic Mass is available. I have NO idea how many people may show up for that – I hope I don’t run out of hosts. There is also – wait for it – a passenger talent show night. Contrary to what the casual reader might think, my first instinct is to become invisible. The range of “talent” is going to tend to modern songs and American Idol wannabe’s. It would be a nice way to get the name “Xavier Society for the Blind” in front of people – but my instinct is still to become invisible. We’ll see.

I like sailing. Or whatever the appropriate term is for moving across the water on a ship that carries 1,200 people. (We are on a ship called Crystal, of the Louis line, if you want to see the ship for yourself. Although at 15 euro an hour, it might all be over before I get the chance to send this up to the blog site so you can actually see it.) The vibration of the engine passes throughout the ship and in a very few moments will lull me to sleep. I did not go to the show this evening – A Mamma Mia night, melodies of Abba – nor did I go to the Bingo (5 euro a card) nor to the disco party nor to any of the other half dozen things going on. Fuddy duddy that I am. But we are passing through the Dardenelles around 6:30 in the morning, and I sort of think I want to be up for that.

We turned in our passports, and we each have a card, like a hotel key card, and it does open the door to my cabin. It also acts as a ship wide charge card, and will be used to check us off and on the boat. (Note – this means that if you miss the boat, not only are you left behind and on your own, you are in a foreign country without a passport. Now THERE is motivation for being on time.) It’s a dangerous prospect, because it is so easy to just present the card for payment at a shop, at the bar – which, of course, is the idea. Tips for the staff are added on to your final bill at the rate of 8 euro a day – which is reasonable – but the small print notes that you can go to the reception desk and change the amount of the tip. Very small print.

Enough. I will share more of the wonders of life aboard the ship tomorrow. We arrive in Istanbul around 4 – although I did not sign up for the “Istanbul by night” tour, nor for the full day tour on Sunday. (105 euro – not an option.)

THURSDAY - OCTOBER 14

2010-10-14T23:16:00.000-04:00

Thursday, October 14 – Good enough sleep, and again, up before the scheduled wake up call. The last of the workers came out, and the last of the rescuers made it out just before I left to go down to breakfast. I thought I would be early and alone, and there was our sick lady from yesterday, so I joined her. Had a good chat – one of the fun things about a trip like this is learning about the other folks who come along on the trips. Back to the room – and the internet was still out. I did some writing, some reading, made notes about writing an unhappy review of the hotel – and then it was time to gather for the morning trip to the Acropolis.

Except that the Acropolis was closed. Again. Greek is rife with strikes and protests and one of the targets is the large central highly prominent monument. Something to do with back salaries. So we had a discussion over options the tour company created for us. After some discussion the general concensus was to go with Plan B – go to the Acropolis Museum, and then some free time, if people wanted to shop or go on their own to see other sights. It was not a universal concensus – one person stayed at the hotel, and several who came would rather have done a plan C option – but off we went. Did some gentle sight-seeing on the way and when we got to the Museum, discovered it is a very modern structure – only been opened for a year. One of the problems in Athens is that since the city has been occupied for 6,000 years, once you start to dig for a new foundation or even for a major renovation, you are going to hit something of archaeological interest. Worse for a large structure for a museum. So they designed the museum to sit above the excavation. And the dig is still going on. The floor of the entry way and much of the first floor is clear plexiglass, so you can watch the dig going on under your feet. As items have been excavated, they are added to the museum collection.

One of Acropolis excavations discovered a huge cache of statues and other artifacts buried together. Seems that when the Persians (? – I think it was the Persians) entered and sacked the city, they found it largely undefended and so they pretty well flattened everything. But they realized that so many of these statues had been offerings to the gods, and so they did not feel they could destroy them, so they buried them in a huge hole, all thrown together. Talk about an archaeologist’s dream!

Our guide was with us – the story-teller from yesterday. Very educated, very knowledgeable, and somehow she really want us to have every bit of knowledge she has. Now we were in a museum, with very informative signs and displays – but our guide talked us through. I was with one of the blind members, and we wandered off by ourselves for part of the time. It is a gorgeous new facility, glass walls on many sides, and a magnificent view of the Acropolis, which is up the mountain but right next to the museum. No pictures are allowed in the museum – and the reason is that the dig is moving so quickly that many of the items have yet to be properly catalogued. The museum will close again shortly, so that a new entrance can be created, so that entering, you will literally walk through the ancient city excavated underneath the building, with exhibits showing aspects of everyday life, and then move into the museum proper.

Around 1:30 we split up – some went back to the hotel with the bus, some went into the Plaka, the old market area, and I wandered off to find Mars Hill, the site from which Paul preached his homily about the “unknown god”. I had to walk around the Acropolis and then down a hill and a whole other ancient section. Fascinating. Then I had to find the hotel, which meant going through the Plaka – and I did it! Not without a little sideways wandering but with all these wonderful breakfasts, I needed to exercise. I ran into a major demonstration at the Parliament. Lots of protesters, and a lot of army guys as well. I also came across a small boy (maybe 7?) sitting on a stool and playing a small accordion. Street beggar, but very cute.

And back to the hotel. I discovered that the folks who had gone back to the hotel had also gotten caught in the middle of a demonstration, and so had to abandon the bus and come back to the hotel by the Metro. One of the tour company people was there to guide them, so it was a fairly stress-free adventure.

We had Mass at the hotel at 5, and then a business meeting with someone from the tour company prepping us for the cruise portion of the trip – how meals and charges work, the optional tours that are available at various stops along the way (NOT cheap! – I will be taking up a collection when I return) and the schedule for tomorrow. People then wandered off for dinner. I was not going to eat, but I walked one woman who is blind to the restaurant I had been to last night. She wanted to go out, but no one else did, so off she went by herself. She is very independent, and had no qualms about eating alone, or finding her way back to the hotel. I know people who are nervous about walking out of the hotel by themselves in a strange city, and they are sighted!

I went back to get out the monthly E-newsletter and catch up on some writing (and praying!) and a slightly earlier bed. Of course, all that did was cause me to wake up at 4 o’clock, and I mean wide awake. So I did some writing, and watched a German film with English dubbing and Greek subtitles.

Today (Friday the 15^th) we have Mass at the Cathedral, and free time, packing and a departure a little after twelve for the port and embarkation. Tomorrow in Istanbul!

OCTOBER 13 - ANOTHER DAY IN GREECE

2010-10-14T22:33:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, October 13 – We have a group wake up call at 7 AM, but I set my alarm earlier. Up and shower and shave (I am most definitely still NOT used to this idea of pulling a piece of sharpened metal across my face first thing in the morning.) And down for breakfast. Breakfast is a very nice spread – Five buffet tables of food – cold cuts and cheeses, lots of different kinds of rolls and bread and spreads and fruits and yogurt – lovely yogurt – and four or five kinds of eggs, and sausages and bacon and pastries and potatoes, five kinds of juice, coffee – hot chocolate – tea – and so forth. One can definitely eat. None of our group was there when I arrived, but shortly one showed up, then two more, then two more, then two more – as I was leaving, one of our group arrived who told me that one of the women was sick, so I called and talked with her sister. Probably just time change (and perhaps a little bit of taverna?) so she was going to stay in.

The day was dark and overcast, but no rain. We had very good luck – although it rained occasionally, only when we were in the bus. I keep saying – if you want good weather, invite the priest. We met in the lobby at the prescribed time and walked over to the cathedral of St. Dennis (St. Dennis? Yup, the first person baptized when Paul came to this area.) The sacristan didn’t speak English and I don’t speak Greek – but he speaks French, so we got along fine. Nice Mass – lovely church. Back to the hotel, where we discovered that, because of the fear of strikes, the tour folks had decided to go to Corinth because of the concern that streets in Athens would be closed with protest marches. (They do that a lot here – since September, there have been 72 permits granted for marches through the streets. Almost two a day.) I went to check on our sick lady, and found her and her sister having a light breakfast in the dining room. They decided to come with us – there is, after all, a bathroom on the bus – and our merr4y group gathered together and off we went.

Corinth is about 85 kilometers from downtown Athens, and our guide for the day is Mrs. Mara. She embodies the tradition of story-telling, and throughout the day, we were regaled with Greek legends, Most I had heard – but for some of the group, they were hearing stories for the first time.

Odd bits about Greece picked up along the way – Greece has a population of around 11 million, and something like 4.5 million live in Athens. In area, it’s about 1/3 the size of Texas. It has been an occupied city for over 6,000 years. Yes – six thousand years. I think that wins the prize.

Do NOT eat olives straight off the tree. Not only nasty, it will paralyze your taste buds for hours afterwards. Nasty doesn’t begin to describe just how bad the taste it. Olives need to soak and be cured for a LONG time before they are fit to eat.

Acro – means high. Acrocorinth – the fortress on the mountain above the three cities of Corinth (ancient Corinth, old Corinth and present Corinth). Acropolis – high above the people. Acrobat – high above something.

When you think of Greek ruins, we always think of the standing pillars – and nothing else. When the barbarians ravaged

Greece

, they took the marble walls and burned them in kilns, so they could get the marble dust,. The pillars were harder to fit into the kilns, and in later construction, they had been fastened with metal rods down the center, so the columns were left standing. (I had never realized that marble could burn!)

On the way, she told stories and discussed the political situation in Greece, the role of refugees and socialized medicine and other support programs. We did a detour to view the canal – the notion of building a canal through the isthmus went back before Julius Caesar. Caesar wanted to build a canal but died – Nero started one – at one point 6,000 Jewish slaves from the Galileean revolt came to work (also adding to the Jewish community). It is a straight canal, no locks – there is a small bridge at each end that blocks the canal, which helps control traffic. When a boat is cleared, the bridge drops into the water, the boat passes through and the bridge comes back into position. At which point, small children dash onto the bridge to retrieve the fish that have been caught on the bridge.

We had lunch at a small restaurant along the side of the canal and watched boats going back and forth.

And on to Corinth. We spent some time at the current archaeological site. Some of the group spent more time at the museum, because they could not deal with the walking. We saw the Bema, where Paul preached, and was most probably judged by Gallio. OIne of the buildings that remains was a public lavatory – think out house, with multiple holds. And learned where the expression “the wrong end of the stick” comes from. Has to do with the stick with a sponge on the end that was used for cleaning oneself at the public lav. (There was a running stream underneath the facility.) I assume you can figure it out from there, and that a more detailed explanation is not necessary. If you look carefully you can figure out the architecture.

I knew, but was reminded, that Greek statues and buildings were, in there days, highly decorated, with many colors and paintings. The materials used were naturally based and so over time faded and were washed away. It was not until later excavations, when statues buried deep in the earth were uncovered, that scholars realized the extent to which this decoration had been the norm.

There is never enough time. At least for me. I suspect some of our group had been ready to leave before we did, but I could have spent hours more. On the way my heart gave a little tug as we passed the sign for Epidaurus, where one of the great Greek theatres exists. Not on our tour list, and I’m probably the only one in the group who even knows it is there – to be so close. Ah well.

Back on the bus to head back to Athens. The guide had been on the phone, and the concern over street strikes for the next day was high, and so the plan was to do the bus tour of downtown Athens when we returned rather than the next morning. Of course, in the desire to show us everything about Greece, the powers that be managed to arrange a traffic jam. Sitting on the highway with traffic not moving for around an hour. At one point an ambulance sneaked past on the shoulder – and after a bit we started to move, and we never saw anything about what had held everything up. Back through downtown Athens, and finally back to the hotel around 6:e30. People went to their rooms to freshen up, and the guide from the agency was in the lobby to make dinner suggestions – we were on our own.

I went up to the roof, where there is an outdoor patio, with a breath-taking view of the Acropolis all lit. Drinks with some of the group – and then some ate in the restaurant, some went other places, and I went with two to a little restaurant around the corner – where we ran into some other members of the group. They would have walked passed it, but although much of my Greek has deserted me, I could at least read the name of the place. Nice food – good prices – lamb again (what can I say, I’m a sucker for lamb.) Back to the hotel, and discovered the internet was out. Grumble, fratsis. Read for a little and bed.

OCTOBER 12 - DAY 2 IN GREECE

2010-10-14T22:27:00.000-04:00

October 12 – Tuesday

Waking up on an airplane. Sigh. The usual toing and fro-ing. Breakfast according to Continental Airlines – two pieces of honeydew, three pieces of cantaloupe and a croissant thrown carelessly on a plastic tray, with a pat of butter and a packet of strawberry jam and beverages. They call it coffee –

Brazil

should sue.

But we arrived safely and a few minutes ahead of schedule. An easy getting off, no documents to fill out in advance, passport control was quick – bathroom stops for some – collected luggage, and the guy from the tour company was there with a sign. Now of course, there were last minute bathroom breaks and one piece of luggage that was one of the last off the plane – but ultimately we got it all together and off into the airport. With 4 blind members of the group, our rate of proceeding varies so we did have to stop and let people catch up. Blind people do very well with their canes and/or with the help of others. But when everyone is also schlepping luggage, it can get a little more complicated.

It was raining, so the bus was a little late in coming, and several people took advantage of the pause to change money. Euro’s – Greece is a member of the European Union. The exchange Bureau has a tendency to shortchange you, and there were a couple of conversations about rates posted as opposed to what was delivered. One of our group decided to use her ATM card – and the machine promptly ate the card and refused to return it. (Yes, she had alerted her bank that she was traveling.) Of course no one had responsibility for the machine, so she spent part of the bus ride into the city calling home to cancel the card.) And we later discovered that another member had lost her wallet during the exchange process. She had collected money from three others (so there would only be one exchange and therefore only one fee) and somewhere in there her wallet disappeared. Four credit cards, 2 ATM, her Social Security card, over $600 in cash, auto registration. She too spent some time at the hotel making phone calls and tomorrow she will have some lost property forms to fill out. She does have trip insurance, which will reimburse part of it, but what a way to start the trip.

The ride into the hotel is about 45 minutes and the guide did a nice job of narrating the trip. Both of our guides are called Yanni – easy to remember. Check in at the hotel was easy – some went out for a snack – we had several free hours and we were going to meet at 7 PM for Mass in the hotel, and then off for an evening at a Greek Taverna – entertainment and meal – nice way to start the trip.

Yours truly unpacked a little, took a mini nap, and started to organize. There is Internet – expensive but available – and a detailed instruction on how to log in. I tried – and I tried- and I tried – and that’s when I decided to take a nap. Up again – tried again my computer told me “No operating system.” This is NOT what you want to hear. Fortunately the back up system worked and I was backing operation – at which point I called the front desk. I asked if there were a problem with the internet and the operator asked me if I had my tv on. Say what? Yes, one logs onto the internet through the tv. This detail was NOT included in the detailed instructions. Sigh. So I emailed the work I had done on the plane, dealt with several emails and other items and then I got a phone call from one of the members – Father John I need to speak to you as soon as possible. What now? thought I, who has died? Turned out this was the woman telling me she had lost her wallet. Whew.

Mass was in one of the hotel meeting rooms – they had set up with a dais table, elevated, three microphones – I got a small serving table and set up for a much more intimate setting. Catholics – literally the first people in sat in the last rows and everyone else tried to fill in behind them. No one sat in the front row. But the Mass was nice. And off to the taverna. Almost everyone went. One of our number (who knew he would have to do some work on the trip) skipped the traverna so he could get things out of the way and be free for the morning excursion.

The bus took us to the outskirts of the plaka, the traditional market district. Small streets, cars parked on what one would think of as a pedestrian walkway, stone streets – reminiscent of some sections of back alley Rome. A cat sitting on top of a car watching us go by – I wonder how one says miauow in Greek? We were adopted by a black lab as we got off the bus, and he stayed with us almost to the restaurant. A stray but wearing a collar. Seems the government feeds stray dogs, and puts a special collar on them. Gentle soul, this one – he was not around when we came out at the end of the meal.

The restaurant was large – long tables stretching across a large room, more tables in a balcony area surround half of the area. There was a stage on which there were three musicians playing. There was only one other group when we arrived, but in a fairly short period of time, every seat was filled, including a large group of students from Serbia who were in Greece on a study tour of ancient Greek civilization. There were small plates on the table (I am not even going to try and remember names of food dishes – bear with simple descriptions) – yogurt and some kind of herbs, a pasta dish, Greek salad, a bean salad, fish eggs (not caviar, pink, a sort of a paste) bread, a plate with sausage, a spinach filled pastry, and something that looked like a meatball but wasn’t. Interesting – wine and water were included, but you were charged if you wanted a soft drink. Nice to know the keep their priorities straight.

After a bit (the musicians were playing throughout) dancers appeared – young men and women in traditional Greek dress. The men were animated and the women were mostly bored. Pretty, but uninvolved. The dancing was nice - occasionally the men got into athletic exhibitions of how good they were. Entrée choices were chicken, pork or lamb. When in doubt, take lamb. Tasty. A honey ice cream for dessert. Just before dessert was served a belly dancer showed up. Classical Greek face, lovely outfit, gorgeous figure (so I was told, because of course, I never noticed. Ahem.) She, too, was less than involved in what she was doing, and – because of my Lebanese friends, I am able to report that she wasn’t really a very good belly dancer.

This did not seem to bother some of the young men – although the next day one of the women remarked that she had looked around the room and many of the men were not gazing in rapt attention. That might have been because some of the young Serbian college women were heart-stoppingly gorgeous – yes, that I did notice.

The belly dancer got some of the men on stage and they danced” with her. The other dancers re-appeared in new costumes and danced for a while, and then they too got a group on stage and they “danced.” At which point – simply because it was time, not as a critical comment on what was going on on stage – we betook ourselves back to the hotel.

A gentle walk back to the bus – different people with different ailments and ages, blind members who move at different rates – some at the front, leading the way, others bringing up the rear. We almost lost part of the group on the way to the restaurant – one of the women started to lose her skirt (I was not there to see it, so I can only repeat what I was told) and by the time a repair had been made, the first group was out of sight, and the second half was concerned about getting lost. It was a fairly straight street and we had paused for them to catch up – and nobody took any pictures of the skirt episode – but we do try and keep track of our group segments.)

And bed. This business of late dinner and early rising could not keep up for 12 days, but once we hit the boat, hopefully the timings will shift.

On My Way to Greece (And Turkey)

2010-10-12T10:28:00.000-04:00

Monday October 11 – I am accustomed to staying up most of the night before a trip, packing and organizing and taking care of odd details, grabbing two or three hours sleep at most and heading off into whatever adventure has raised its head. This time, however, I was not being picked up until after noon, and so I had a chance to work, to get some serious sleep and to spend a fairly relaxed and civilized morning. I did some work on the calendar, I had a lovely shower and packed, I had lunch, and even thought the Super Shuttle was 20 minutes early, I was ready.

I was the first one picked up, and the next person on was from Phoenix, Arizona. I made the mistake of saying, “Hi there” when she boarded, and this was obviously a signal to chat. So I learned about her life in Phoenix, her visit to New York, her friend who had just moved here, her feelings about the Super Shuttle being 20 minutes early (she was NOT pleased) and her impressions of New York (way too busy and frantic and not at all like Phoenix). I forebear from mentioning that this was one of the reasons many of us love New York – but then someone else boarded, and since I was in the front seat (one of the perks of being picked up first – to make up for the long ride) I could start ignoring the conversation in the back seats.

Got to the airport (Newark) long queue, and a very confusing mechanical check in system. Seats with more leg room available for a mere $89 – if I could have used some of my accumulated air miles I would have gone for it, but of course that is not an option. There are no human beings involved, just wave your passport under an electronic eye and answer a series of questions, and off you go.

Now to some this may seem an easy way to go through the process, and while there are baggage assistants who actually take your bag, physical attendants are few and far between. I’m sure the airline thinks this is a grand idea, saving on all those nasty salaries. But I wondered as I checked in how this squared with all the security we are supposed to be conscious of and worried about. As our party gathered in the food court near our boarding gate, one woman told the story of her checking in. She had the same kind of confusion I did, and when she saw Jane Patricia, she didn’t even bother to read further (after all, how many Jane Patricia;s can there be in the world?) and got her Boarding Pass and headed off to the security area.

While she was waiting in line, she mentioned to someone that her pass had the wrong last name and all sorts of excitement broke forth. Had she not mentioned it, could he have boarded? Who knows? The other Jane Patricia is in our little group, and was a wonderful way of introducing yourself to someone. But it does make one wonder about security. As did the discovery that another two of our group (with different names) had the same seat. That also got worked out before we boarded, but again, this is the kind of crack security we are spending millions and who knows how much on?

But meet we did, the old friends reuniting and new friends fitting easily into the mix. People making last phone calls, buying snacks for the plane, eating in anticipation of the airline food, visiting facilities and walking. I kept finding people and making introductions. I also went to the gate personnel and arranged for the blind members to board first – except that when they started to board, none of them were around. I got two on, one made it through on their own, and the last were among the last to boars. We are nothing if not an independent group.

Overseas planes in the tourist section are pretty much of a much. I have a notebook computer, so I am able to work in the increasingly smaller space, I have noise reducing headphones, a folder full of crossword puzzles and a Kindle, with several new books loaded in for the trip, and the breviary. Yes, I found how to download the breviary (the office that priests say each day) onto the Kindle. I love the printed breviary, with the thin pages and the ribbons and the sense of connection to generations of priests before me who have walked corridors and sat in churches quietly reading these same prayers. But when one travels, not having to carry this heavy tome is not a bad thing. And while I recognize and agree with the notion of witness value, having people see one read an obviously religious book, it always made me feel a little self-conscious, like “Watch me, now I’m being holy.” With the Kindle, it’s just a man in a black shirt reading a book, and it could be the Bible (which I also have loaded in) or Balzac or anything in between. Anonymity can be comforting.

Drinks – since you can’t pay cash and have to use a credit card, I had a double. One sits in my pocket for later consultation but the first one was very nice indeed. Dinner was a choice between chicken and pasta or beef and rice – I chose the beef and rice. I am a reasonable cook and I have lived in a lot of interesting places with carrying cuisines, and I simply do not know how they can take a piece of beef (assuming that it really was beef) and do whatever they do to make it turn out like what accompanied the rice. Sigh. I’m old enough to remember when flying was fun and I can remember a number – yes, as in many – really good meals on airplanes. Even in coach. Those days are obviously gone, certainly on Continental Airlines. Now I understand the people who were eating before we left.

So I’m going to continue to work on the calendar material so I will be ready to send it to the designer when we get to the hotel, and then read and perhaps nap a little, and then it will be morning and what Continental laughingly calls breakfast, and then we go through Customs and see if there is someone there to meet us. I think I’m going to call a meeting at the hotel, so the members of the two groups can meet and we can coordinate schedules and Mass. I think we have the afternoon off and a group dinner in the evening.

Notes from the Pilgrimage

2009-12-14T15:19:00.003-05:00

Go to the blog for

The Xavier Society for the Blind

ie, www.xaviersocietyfortheblind.blogspot.com

and you will find the first installment of the trip to Israel.

HOW I SPENT MY BIRTHDAY

2009-12-13T19:47:00.000-05:00

(For those looking for the blog posts on the recent trip to Israel, they will be posted first on the blog for the Xavier Society for the Blind).

I celebrated the 9 AM Mass at St. Malachy's and the congregation sang to me. And I concelebrated the 11 AM, since we were having Confirmation with Bishop Sullivan. Lots of folks came up to find out about the pi9lgrimage and wish me a Happy Birthday. We had lunch at the Rectory and then I walked over (in the cold and heavy rain) to the matinee performance of "Love, Loss and What I Wore." This is a 5-woman reading, with a rotating cast - I saw Rhea Perlman, Kristin Chenoweth, Lucy DeVito, Capathia Jenkins, and Rita Wilson. If you don't recognize a name, you probably know the actress - and if you don't, remember the name because each of these women is wonderful.

Now this is a "chick" play - as evidenced by the fact that there were perhaps six men in the whole theatre. And I, of course, was sitting 3rd Row center. In a black suit and a Roman collar. And a huge beard. I rather stood out. (I was very careful not to pick my nose.)

But the play is wonderful and the acting was like a Master Class. Funny and poignant and sad and awful stories and just true moments and about the time you thought how nice, one of the women would reach out and grab your heart and squeeze two or three times. I loved every minute of it. The show runs a little more than 90 minutes without intermission but it seems like ten. I went primarily because Ms. Chenoweth was in it, but it turned out to be one of the loveliest theatre events I have been to in a long time. What a nice present - Happy Birthday to me.

Then I went home and spent the rest of the night returning phone calls and working. Another year older and deeper in debt. Well, older, anyway - we're not allowed to go into debt.

Flyer for the Next Concert

2009-11-29T15:59:00.001-05:00

'Click the Share button

to see the flyer for the next upcoming concert

On to Israel

2009-11-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

On December 1 I will be off to Israel for wa ten-day pilgrimage. I can't say if I will be able to make postings during the trip, or if I will even be interested. But shortly after I return there will be another mini version of a Massive MIssive. And of course, a Christmas letter to follow shortly after that.

I trust everyone's Thanksgiving was outstanding, and that the early days lead all to what will prove to be an extraordinarily Merry Christmas!

CHRISTMAS IDEA

2009-11-20T08:07:00.000-05:00

Someone sent me this and I thought it was a REALLY good idea.

Yes, Christmas cards. This is coming early so that you can get ready to include an important address to your list.

Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD this year.

As they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice, CHRISTIAN card to brighten up their dark, sad, little world.

Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it.

Here's the address, just don't be rude or crude. (It's not the Christian way, you know.)

ACLU
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York , NY 10004

Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations - they have to open each one because they won't know if the card might contain a contribution. So spend 44 cents and tell the ACLU to leave Christmas alone. Also tell them that there is no such thing as a " Holiday Tree". . . It's always a CHRISTMAS TREE!

And pass this on to your email lists. We really want to communicate with the ACLU! They really DESERVE us!!

For those of you who aren't aware of them, the ACLU, (the American Civil Liberties Union) is the one suing the U.S. Government to take God, Christmas or anything Christian away from us - take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance and off the money, prayer from schools, the crosses out of Alington National Cemetary.

OMG - It's Almost Thanksgiving

2009-11-20T08:03:00.000-05:00

I have GOT to become more disciplined about actually writing on this thing. Since the last entry I marched in the Veteran's Day Parade (a wonderful experience, with people waving and holding signs - great encouragement and support throughout the whole line of march) and went to the All-Sports Dinner at the NY Athletic Club (dinner with Ahmad Rashad, 20 world champions, 25 national champions, 15 national team champions and I have forgotten how many Olympic medalists) - another inspiring evening. I sang a concert (From Broadway to God) at Holy Name of Jesus Church and raised over $1,200 for the Xavier Society and was honored to take part in a memorial service for Jim Fradrich.

I leave for Israel on December 1, leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I also helped out as an usher for a production of Brigadoon put on by the Blue Hill Troupe - the picture is what I look like in a kilt. It's a little fuzzy but it was taken with a cell phone camera.

Musings from the Metropolitan Opera

2009-10-20T09:37:00.000-04:00

I went to the Met last night - Monday, October 19th. Saw Der Rosenkavalier. Started at 7:30 PM and ended at just about midnight - and worth every minute. Glorious singing - Susan Graham - Renee Fleming - Miah Persson - Kristinn Sigmundsson - Barry Banks - just breath-taking stuff. An orgasm for the ears. And the soul.

Ran into James Levine downstairs before the performance - wearing a neck collar and sweats, hair toussled, moving very slowly - his complexion was gray and he did not look good. Worrying. If this is only a slipped disc, it is taking a toll on the maestro. (Of course, on Sunday, I ran into Donald Trump at Grand Central, and while he is certainly healthy, he doesn't look good either. The hairdo is as unfortunate in person as it is on television. His assistant - or was it a bodyguard - is sporting the shaved head look, and standing next to the Donald, he looks much neater and cleaner and more together.)

New wrinkle - they have a sales table in the lower lobby before the show, and during the intermissions, on the first landing going down to the orchestra seating. I wonder that the fire department lets them block so much of a major entrance and exit. And a sign of how bad things must really be, that they are out hawking CD's and souvenirs at a lobby table. At the Met. Even selling expensive stuff, you can look cheap. Sigh.

I have to learn not to be angry at the people who dash up the aisles as soon as the curtain falls, so when the artists come out for their bows at the end of the act, they see an aisle filled with folks trying to get out. Even worse at the end of the show - people immediately stand up - I guess tourists, who think every performance should have a "standing ovation" a bit of theatrical currency that is fast becoming worthless. Of course, that means the only way you can see the cast is for you to stand. Those are better than the ones who simply leave as soon as it is over, not giving the singers the courtesy of three or four minutes of applause. Ah well - patience, John, patience.

I was surprised at the number of people who left after the second act. There is such glorious music in Act 3, especially the trio and duets at the end. I had empty seats on either side of me, and loved having the extra space.

As I was leaving - at the very end, AFTER the house lights were up, I got to the end of the aisle, and of course people were moving up the aisle as well - a very large gentleman stopped to let me out. I looked at him and said "Thank You," and he replied "Opera breeds courtesy." Would that it were so.

Imagine - they do these huge and intricate performances every night, sometimes two in a day, and not only do they pull it off, they sell all those tickets!!! Hard to imagine the whole structure that keeps all of that going.

The new fountain is really very pretty, although I confess I miss the old one. And one wonders if the work will EVER be done - construction barriers and temporary walls and detours - makes getting around Lincoln Center a little extra challenging. And when the snow arrives.... I miss the easy subway access. Might still be there but I certainly haven't found it.

FROM BROADWAY TO GOD

2009-10-19T16:42:00.000-04:00

...How did someone who started out as a singer and an actor end

up as a Jesuit priest?

In a series of songs and stories,

Fr. John Sheehan, SJ traces the road that took him.....

From Broadway to God

Featuring

Fr. John Sheehan, SJ

With Woody Regan

on piano

Wednesday, November 4

7 PM

Holy Name of Jesus Church

Our Lady of the Angels Chapel

207 West 96^th St – Between Broadway & Amsterdam

No Admission

BUT

A collection will be taken up for

The Xavier Society of the Blind

FATHER JOHN SHEEHAN, SJ

It’s a Singer! It’s an Actor! It’s a Priest!

It’s Father John!

He’s been singing and performing all his life, from his days as a boy soprano and a child model (born in New York, baptized in St. Patrick’s Cathedral) , through high school (in Princeton and Trenton, NJ, both on stage and in radio) and college. He was the recipient of one of the first three degrees in Theatre awarded by the University of Notre Dame, and after graduation came to New York, where he sang with the Light Opera of Manhattan, did dinner theatre tours and summer stock, and a season with Arena Stage in Washington. He also worked with a stunt-driving team, managed dinner theatres and catering services, and had a small public relations business. He joined Actor’s Equity as a stage manager, ran several dinner theatres and was in charge of publicity and front of house for Pittsburgh Public Theatre. He has done voice-overs, local commercials, and he was Cantorial Soloist in a Jewish Temple for 2 1/2 years.

Entering the Jesuits in 1980, he studied and worked in New York and London, did a year of Philosophy study in Dublin, and earned his theology degree in Toronto. He spent twelve years in Nigeria (West Africa) and almost three years in the South Pacific, in the Marshall Islands.

He studied with voice with Charles Reading (assistant to Giuseppe DeLuca), and song study with Pat Maloney (student of Lotte Lehman) and Elizabeth Hawes-Smith, head of the vocal department at the Royal College of Music in London. In Innsbruck, he sang with the Walter von der Vogelweide Kammerchor, and has done multiple solo concerts in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, London, Tokyo, Austin, Orlando, South Bend, Chicago and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Presently he is Chairman of the Xavier Society for the Blind and assists at St. Malachy’s Church (the Actors’ Chapel). He is chaplain for the New York Athletic Club, American Legion Post 1870 and the Notre Dame Club of New York. He is a member of Actor’s Equity, the Episcopal Actors Guild, the Blue Hill Troupe, the Mario Lanza Society, the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, the Lamb’s Club, and the Cornell Club. He has three CD’s available at www.lulu.com, and he cannot believe that God will let him die before he gets to be in a Broadway show.

WOODY REGAN

Woody Regan has been conductor or pianist for many well-known performers, including Elly Stone, Kaye Ballard, Liliane Montevecchi, Donnie Osmond and David Cassidy. In collaboration with Sam Shepard he created and played the piano score of Shepard's play When The World Was Green (A Chef's Fable" which opened The Signature Theater's Shepard Season at The New York Public Theater and The Singapore Festival for the Arts. In Moscow, Woody became the first American composer to perform his own work at The Moscow Art Theater. He also composed incidental scores for many plays, including A Taste of Honey (directed by Michael Mayer) and Marvin's Room at the Crossroads Theater.

GOLF OUTING - SEPTEMBER 15

2009-08-10T13:45:00.003-04:00

This is where we will be playing, the Black Bear course at Crystal Springs Resort, about a 50-minute drive from the George Washington Bridge.

The cost for the day is $150 - Yup only $150 - and that includes breakfast at 8 AM, modified shotgun start at 9 AM (Best Ball format, a day of fun golfing including gifts for all golfers), contests for closest to the hole, longest drive, and Mulligans and Strings available for purchase. After golf, a raffle with several great prizes, and lunch. You leave before the traffic starts and get home before the evening rush.

Fee includes golf carts, driving range, locker room - and if you want to come and you don't play golf, you can get a complimentary Minerals Sports Club pass so you can use the spa amenities including indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

Obviously it's not a a fund-raiser, but a way to enjoy a day out, play some relaxed golf and meet new people. It's our first shot at a golf outing, so we tried to make it as affordable as possible.

Only 60 slots available, so sign up now. Tell (or better yet, bring) your friends. To make a reservation or for more information, call (212) 473-7800

Email: xaviersocietyfortheblind@Yahoo.com

(I know - it's really long, but it's really easy to remember.)

Thank you for your support and I hope to see someone on the golf course. (Boy, if no one comes, it is going to be one expensive round of golf for me. I figure it's worth the $150 just to see me play.)

SEE THE HOLY LAND FOR $50

2009-08-10T13:36:00.004-04:00

Would I lie to you?

I am leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land from December 1 to 10. Cost: $2,800 which includes air fare, hotel (2 to a room), most meals and air-conditioned local transport for sight-seeing. Great deal, eh? What better way to see the Holy Land than with a Jesuit priest - who looks like a Jew?

But in case you feel you can't commit to the $2,800 (plus a couple of hundred for taxes, tips and buying presents - be realistic) there is an alternative.

We are having a raffle. ("We" being the Xavier Society for the Blind) and the First Prize is two (2!) tickets on the pilgrimage. Yup, air fare, hotel, meals, etc (See above).

Second Prize is $1,000 and Third Prize is $500.

Only 250 tickets are being sold, and each ticket is $50. If you win the First Prize and don't wish to go, it IS transferrable - you can give it to someone, or turn it in to the Xavier Society for a tax credit for the full value and we will take two blind people who would not otherwise have been able to go.

Call and buy a ticket using your credit card (212) 473-7800, or send an email so we can hold a ticket for you and send us a check

Email: Xaviersocietyfortheblind@Yahoo.com

Snail Mail address: 154 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010.

Drawing will be held on September 15, the day of our Golf Outing.

What?!? You don't know about our Golf Outing? See the post at the top of the page.

And good luck!

From A Friend - Worth Passing On

2009-07-14T13:13:00.002-04:00

We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services. I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers.

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry.

If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat. Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made.

Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped. At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?"

At this point my heart stopped. I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was.

At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland , into Arnhem ." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day. I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.

I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach.

He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer. There was no parade. No big event in Staples Center. No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage. No weeping fans on television. And that's not right.

Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.

Rest in peace, Shifty. "A nation without heroes is nothing."

I'M HOME!!!

2009-07-11T13:21:00.015-04:00

For a couple of days at least. And I am filled with good intentions about doing a wrap up, a summary, a reflective piece filled with brilliant observations and witty and incisive comments.

Yeah, right.

But in the meantime, a couple of photos to illustrate and amplify on my earlier comments.

The Guide Horse - see? I wasn't making it up. In the top photo you can also see the plastic diaper arrangement, a real necessity when you have a horse walking through a hotel. Or a living room. Or wherever,

Did I mention that working dogs are exempt from the Pooper Scooper laws? Yup, a blind person is not obliged to clean up after their working dog. One assumes the same is true of a working horse?

The remaining pix are from my hotel room window. Pretty much self-explanatory. If you look at the one picture, you can see the lights in the baseball stadium.

DAY THE LAST

2009-07-09T11:41:00.003-04:00

Well, for the convention anyway. And before I launch into the last day, a word from a previous posting. Several people expressed - interest? - in how the pony which was being used as a guide animal relieved itself. I guess one might try to house train a pony, but this one had a plastic arrangement that was designed to catch whatever might be excreted. It hung below and behind - and when I saw the critter the plastic container was empty (thank you). But talking to some folks who had been with the critter when the bag was full, the aroma is - pungent.

Up in the morning - down to the gym - sweat to greet the day. What is it about sweat first thing in the morning that makes you feel as though you've done something noble. Even in this short time, the day falls into a routine - shower, dress, downstairs for a muffin and email and off to the first session. (To kill any possible suspense, Father John did not win ANY of the raffle or door prizes throughout the whole convention.)

The first session featured two of the folks who head up the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped at the Library of Congress in Washington, and following their presentation they and I and another man from Talking Books in Colorado went out for a long talk and some light breakfast. I won't bore you with the details but we had several avenues to explore, and the upshot is that I learned some valuable information, got some valuable advice and I will be going down to meet with them at their place probably in August.

Because of the meeting I missed the next three sessions (See? Good things happen when you least expect it!) Actually the next session was underway when I got there and was being moderated by the guy I had been sitting next to at the ball game the night before. It was a panel, a group of people talking about their experiences learning braille and learning to uose the white cane. I stayed for that and the next session but they were running about 45 minutes late on the agenda, so at that point I bailed (No not Brailled, bailed) and took a large box to UPS to ship back to the office. Some things I had brought and had not used and a LOT of things I had collected during the week.

Down to the lobby to do email and work and then back for Dan Goldstein's talk. Dan is a lawyer who works for the NFB and I've been working with him on some of the issues with the Reading Rights Coalition, of which the Xavier Society is one of the founding members. (They always list us last though - never can figure out why.) He was very good and very direct and very encouraging about several of the issues we are engaged in.

The next speakers were also very informative, but about things I suspect you don't care about a bit, and a year ago, neither would I have. I split early - when 2,800 people all try to move at once, the elevator system can't cope, so I thought I'd leave and have some extra time.

Now I have been full of praise for the hotel -but when I got back to my room, I discovered that the cleaning crew had been a tad overzealous and the plastic tabs that makes a black shirt a clerical shirt - were gone. I assume the cleaning lady saw them on my desk and decided they were junk. Furious? Yeah, that would be a good word to decribe my mood. I was going to wear a clerical shirt for the banquet, and to visit people the next day and to travel home in - now all I have are a couple of black shirts. THAT annoyed me, but even more the thought that cleaning ladies were going through the thinks on the counter and on my desk and deciding what was and wasn't to be thrown out. If it's in the waste basket it's to be thrown away. Otherwise - not their call.

So the manager got rather a blast and quite honestly, while he was very polite, his whole demeanor was - So what? When I get home the Marriott management will get a letter, along with a copy to the BBB in Detroit and the NFB who sponsored this convention, with the suggestion that perhaps this is NOT a hotel to consider for future such activities.

The banquet was OK - with so many people they had tables out in the foyer area with loudspeakers - and with a community of largely blind, the ability to hear is more important than having a good sight line to the dais. Lots of door prizes (see above) and scholarships awarded and a terrific speech by the President (it went for an hour but it was still a good speech - remember to ask me about the vibrating vest) and off we went. I went to the porch and smoked a cigar, visited with some folks and crashed.

There will be one more posting, since I have one more day, although at this writing I suspect it will not be as productive as I might have hoped. But I'll work out at the health club and get a good night's sleep, no matter what.

2009-07-08T08:26:00.003-04:00

DAY FIVE
(Or Tuesday, for those of you not at a convention)

Sleep. Blessed glorious more than five hours of sleep. Not a lot more but at this point, every little bit. When I signed off last night I went to the dance, and the band was quite good – and REALLY loud – which gave me the motivation to stay only a short time and retreat to my room, where I knocked off some material for a meeting next week and finished the ad so I can send it to the office for comments and even did a little work on the homily for the weekend. OK a very little work, but I have an idea where it is going to go.

Of course, the big news item is Michael Jackson’s burial and the “service” at the Staples Center. Hundreds dead in rioting in China – and all the focus is on the crowd at the Staples Center. I may be in the minority here but enough is way too much – I grant his ability to dance and sing. I also note the drug use that seems likely to have been the cause of death, a lifestyle that was bizarre if not perverted (I know, he was acquitted but so was O.J.) – not my notion of a role model nor the “saint” he is being proclaimed by those of his inner circle. With the huge estate and debts and weird people attached to the whole situation, I am sure that the legal wrangling will keep him in the news for some time, and that the merchants and brokers and publicists will have their own motives for keeping the story going. Sigh. Enough. (And I don’t think there is anything more “wrong” with a ticket lottery winner trying to sell his ticket than there is for any of the other Michael Jackson sales that are and will be going on.)

I grabbed a muffin and a container of juice and did my morning email, sending things out. Ah to feel productive even before the first session of the day. Which I went to.

I’ll cut the suspense short – lots of door prize drawings, no wins for Sheehan. Economic report – yawn. Election of new board members – more yawn. Met a man who has been a client of the Xavier Society for years and wanted to let me know how much he enjoys and values our services. I’ve heard that a couple of times, and I never get tired of it. On the roster of speakers this morning, there was a man from Humanware, a supplier of devices to help the blind gain access to materials – they are very good and he wasn’t bad; a blind athlete who took part in the paralympics in Beijing (he was interesting); a report from a man from the Perkins School (Perkins was the first school for the blind in the U.S. founded in the early 1800’s – and the school is really much more interesting than the man who spoke, who is the President of the school) and the woman who is the head of the World Blind Union – between her quiet voice, her Australian accent and the content of her talk, the ONLY thing that kept me in the hall was the thought of the $100 door prize to be awarded at the end of the session. Which I didn’t win.

I went back to the exhibit hall to buy some things and at the NFB booth (Independence Mall – cute title) it took 20 minutes to process a credit card. The whole set-up of the store was a disaster – so far the experience of the NFB convention has been very positive but THAT – grumble, fratsis, snort. When it comes time for the evaluation, that will lead my own list of things that need work. I know the philosophy of the group is that blind people are the equals of sighted, with which I have no argument – but sometimes things need to be laid out differently. It was worse situation for blind folk, because they could not see when a clerk was free, they could easily find the way through the crowd to get a better spot. I shamelessly took advantage of my sight and tonight I will try to feel guilty about it. I don’t think I will succeed.

So here I am, catching up – had a piece of Wisconsin cheese for lunch – a very small piece – pity the poor starving priest (Ok maybe not starving but something more than simply peckish) and I am about to trot back to the hall for the afternoon session. I am going to cut out a little early because I have two meetings scheduled with people, and then I am going to a baseball game. I don’t really want to – there are several activities that I would like to attend (and probably should be attending, if not participating in) but I’ve laid out $60 (which includes an all you can eat buffet – these are good seats – remember, I’m not in NY anymore) and I’m not about to blow that off. So the people I’m meeting will buy me drinks and the food comes free, so even if the afternoon session is a bust – and I don’t think it will be, the featured speaker is supposed to be very good – I am filled with high hopes for the rest of the day. I counted and I have enough underwear for the rest of the trip, and life is good.

(Later - actually the next morning)
The metings were VERY good, except that at each one the person I was talking with insisted on buying drinks - so I had my week's allotment in one sitting. But very productive and hopefully a couple of good ideas may actually come to fruition. Off to the ball game - the stadium is about a 20 minute walk and after sitting all day, I opted for the stroll. (And on the way over I got a call from an Italian friend I know from Nigeria who is visiting in Texas. Small world indeed.)

GREAT stadium. Beautiful weather. All you can eat section upstairs on an outside deck (where, had I but known, I could have smoked a cigar. Actually there is even a cigar store and lounge at this stadium but I'm tight on cash and so I was noble.) Good seats and empty enough so that it wasn't a tight fit.

And let me tell you about going to a ball game with blind folks. Next to me was a guy who grew up with mill ball and kept better track of the game with his ears and paying attention than I, who had to keep checking the scoreboard. He talked baseball all night and was terrific. In front of me were a couple of guys who had the game on radio, so the play by play helped keep them in the game - and the conversation was far wittier, baseball relevant and fun than I am used to going to games with sighted friends. It was a great night. Took the people mover home afterwards, and unlike NY city subways, this rides on an overhead track and everyone in the car is chatting with everyone else - where are you from, do you like the city, how was the game, did you go to Notre Dame (I was wearing an NDN Alumni shirt) - great night.

And so to bed. Last full day of the convention tomorrow, and then I have a day to go visiting and exploring and then back to the "real" world for a couple of days before I head off on retreat.

Sweet dreams.

DAY FOUR - (Yawn)

2009-07-06T19:48:00.006-04:00

The yawn was not boredom but rather fatigue. I was complaining yesterday about getting up early - I was up later last night and the alarm today went off a half an hour earlier, because I went for the March for Independence. Gather at 6:30 am.

I may have commented earlier about the inherent new way of looking at things when you get a bunch of blind people together to march in a picket line. More so when you have a thousand or more of them marching through the streets of Detroit. Imagine you're blind - there are talking signs all along the hotel so you find your way to the gathering point fairly easily. Next challenge - find your state delegation. How do you do this? Simple, you listen for someone calling out "New York. New York. New York over here."

The problem with this is that there are 51 OTHER delgations all doing the same thing. And occasionally an announcement over the loudspeaker. And at one point someone thinks it will help motivate the crowd to play loud music over the loudspeaker. Which it does - thereby making it even MORE difficult to hear the all from your state.

It all got sorted out, as it usually does, and off we went. Lots of police along the way - and news cameras - I suspect we were a feature on several local tv channels. (I have a tv in my room but seldom get to use it. Same thing could be said of my room.) I did get to meet some interesting people along the way and had a long talk with one of the NFB lawyers, whom I had met before, and she was able to answer a couple of legal questions I had brought along with me. The usual questions of crowding when a wide sidewalk turned into a small one, or someone stopped and the people behind kept walking, or someone walked into a state sign - keep imagining, it probably happened.

The march ended with a rally - lots of speeches and local politicians and I left early. I have learned that when 2700 plus people all try to move at once - and a number of them are blind and visually impaired - the elevators can't handle them all at once and you spend a lot of time standing around the elevator lobby. I needed a shower before the first session, so I went back and had the shower, dressed and got a good seat in the NY contingent.

The first thing they do at each session is a door prize of $100 - you have to be in the room to win. I think they call that motivation. Opening prayer by the "other" priest, and a good local band. A presentation by and to the Blind Veteran's group, including one of the Tuskegee Airman (I had drinks with him later in the day) and then - apparently a great tradition for this group - the roll call of states. If that brings to mind an heroic parade, forget it. Each state affiliate chairman - and there are 52 of them - gets to the mike, announces his state, crams in as much PR as he or she can fit it, and answers a series of questions about who the delegate and alteraneta re, who will sit on the nominating committee, when and where the state convention will be - some are shorter and some are longer and it makes watching paint dry seem a terrific option. They do break it up with drawing door prizes, but it went from 10:05 until noon.

Lunch - except I never got lunch. I did get my computer and did some work in the lobby - and got waylaid by someone who wanted to talk. Went by the Exhibit Hall to greet people and pass out brochures - and suddenly it was time for the afternoon session.

Opening event (after the $100 drawing - I didn't win again) was the President's Report. Marc Maurer is the President (Notre Dame grad) and his report went for a full hour. In that hour, there was factual report after factual report after factual report. There was very little filler and it was all interesting and occasionally exciting and very, very good. Yes, I know it went for an hour. But they deal with questions of accessibility that most sighted people never think about. Example - more and more kitchen appliances are digital and the critical information appears on a screen. An old oven - you could turn a dial, and have marks on the dial so you knew what you were setting the heat to. With a digital display, unless it talks, a blind cook is left out. Example - we are working to save energy and there are more electric cars on the road. One of the things about an electric car - REALLY quiet. Most people would think - Aha, that's good, that's a bonus, less noise pollution. But if you are a blind person, listening for the noise of an oncoming car to guide you as you cross the street - WHAM! Stuff like that.

Before the session started I saw a woman with a guide pony. You know about guide dogs - guide pony. I don't have my cable with me so I can't get the picture out of the camera and onto the computer so I can share it with you but I will. A guide pony - think I'm not going to take a picture of that? The young woman is Muslim and apparently they have a cultural bias against dogs (unclean, unclean) and so - a guide pony.

Idle thought at some point during the day - I had mentioned that the design of the hotel is round. Did I mention that the plates on which they serve the food are all square? Go figure.

After that talk it was pretty much all downhill from there. The Honorable John Dingell was supposed to give a talk on (and I quote)"Policies to Enhance Employment, Includion, Safety and Productivity. Dingell is THE longest-serving member of the House of Representatives, I think ever. 52 years. So it's a tourist thing if nothing else. But he droned on and on (and on) about health care reform and what he was going to do, and the bill his father had sponsored (his father was a Representative before him). Never got to the topic and while I can't be absolutely sure, I was fairly sure I heard some Boo's in the crowd as well as applause.

He was followed by a former Representative, now the President and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. This could have had potential and he wasn't awful - but he has definitely taken a course in glittering generalities, and I would dare to say he probably did fairly well. He was followed by another Representative, Congers (or Conyers?) I confess to not knowing Representatives and he was not on the printed agenda. He also talked about health care - and his deep and personal relationship with Stevie Wonder. Funny, in an old man sort of way, but too long and not always coherent. He should consult with the first guy abot his diet or exercise.

The next speaker was to talk about "The Journey of Braille: From the Hands of the Creator to Earth Orbit." The proverbial straw that did in this particular camel. On the one hand I didn't want to NOT be in the hall if they calledl my name for a door prize. On the other - I'm outta there. Went out to the porch and had a hamburger - met people and then met more people and then met more people, and while I found them fascinating, I'm not sure you would. There was one man who is here because his 22 year old son is going blind and he is trying to figure out how best to support and help him. A young man from Staten Island who has had his guide dog for three weeks - he wants to come to the blessing of the Guide Dogs. Many others.

By then it was after 7, so I went back to the Exhibit Hall and sat in on a meeting with some people from the Treasury Dept (talking about accessible money - money printed so the blind can figure it out) and then to the lobby to do some online stuff. When I leave here I am going to a dance with a live band to see what the music is like, and then I have to finish laying out an ad for a magazine and finish some material for a meeting next week so I can post it in the morning, and maybe even work on homilies for the weekend and next week.

Oh - last night. (Not that this is the last night but I remembered I had never really finished last night's activities.) When I left the porch, I skipped the Kurzweil demo, and the Guide Dog meeting had started, so while I did stay for a little and got some literature, I wasn't going to get to meet anyone until it was over (10 PM) I did stop by the group promoting the use of Braille and visited with the Blind Veteran's group and then it was time for the New York caucus.

Which was actually kind of fun. About 40 people - talking mostly about the march and the rest of the convention and the NY State convention, although they did also talk about an online poker tournament coming up (in which you too can play for an entry fee of only $20 - trust me, you'll be hearing about that from me in the not too distant future.)

And finally - blessedly - bed. Which is hopefully in the not too distant future today. I have to think to realize that today is Monday. There is an unreality to all of this, living almost exclusively inside the hotel. I'm going to see how late I'm up - I need to do the gym in the morning, more for the weights than the treadmill tomorrow. We'll see. I was really unhappy with the alarm clock this morning, and I'd like to send some of the work off in the morning before the first session (and that $100 door prize).

Sweet dreams.

DAY THREE (Interim report)

2009-07-05T11:11:00.005-04:00

Any day that starts with pizza for breakfast is a good day indeed. Although the first question of the day was - and I quote -

WHY IS THE ALARM GOING OFF AT 5:30 IN THE MORNING? A CONVENTION IS SUPPOSED TO BE A TIME OF REST AND PLAY AND SLEEPING LATE!!!

Not. At least when it's Sunday and morning Mass is at 7:15 AM and everyone knows that you're a priest. Now I was not the celebrant, so I did not need to be particularly awake,but I did need to be present. I was (present) and was not (particularly awake). But (as sometimes happens after a Mass at which I am a pew participant) a number of people came up to talk about my singing. The Mass itself was led by a priest who has been associated with the NFB (see yesterday) and it was ok. I'm a Mass critic, worse than theatre, and there were things I would have done differently. The cantor raised her hand to indicate that people shoudl sing. Hello - this is a group of blind folk. No ushers to help coordinate movement for communion, nor talking voices or guides to help people find the Minister of the cup on each side - which led to some interesting moments. And at the end they sang three of the four verses of America - leaving out the most beautiful!!! Grrrr. Now if >>I<< were in charge of the world.....

Dashed off to buy a NY Times ($6!!! - thank heaven for the pizza because having paid for the paper I couldn't afford breakfast). Made myself a cup of coffee from the room brewer and off to the meeting of the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind.

Note: For all their other talents, blind people at a meeting can be just as boring as sighted people. Equal opportunity taken to its logical conclusion. A HUGE ballroom which was only about 1/3 full, but which was chilled for full capacity so I ended up leaving early simply because I was freezing. And I needed the time to do some other business.

So I'm sending this - off to the exhibit hall to make a purchase - and to a meeting of the National Association of the Blind in Communities of Faith. I have NO idea what this group is about but I have loaded my bag with materials and off I go. I won't stay for the whole thing unless it's terrific - there is a meeting of people planning activities for Meet the Blind month at 3:15, a meeting of Kurzweil users at 5:30, National Guide Dog users at 6 PM, the National Association of Blind Veterans at 7 (also a meeting of those interested in promoting use of Braille at 7) and a caucus of the NY delegation at 9:15. Now where I get to eat in all of this I have NO idea - so it might be a low budget, low calorie kind of day.

(Some time later)
When I was on Kwaj, the golf pro used to repeat (often) "It's all good." (Have you ever known a golfer who was not a philosopher? Although the same relationship cannot be assumed of philosophers...) Today - so far - it's all good, although I have to work a little harder at finding it. I have spent the day in meetings with little or no immediate value. I went to the meeting of faith communities - veyr evangelical, lots of alleluia's and amens, and not a lot of concrete information. (Although they did manage to extract a $5 membership fee, so I expect I will receive the odd e-mail during the coming year.) From there to a meeting on how to morre effectively reach senior citizens, whose eyesight is failing. I didn't spend a lot of time there but there was a lot of talk about crafts and what it was like to be a grandmother. On to the meeting about "Meet the Braille" month, an annual event designed to help educate the wider world about the blind and what they can do. (Ie, pretty much anything.. All right, flying a plane is tricky - actually flying is easy, landing is hard)

The moderator was a sighted staff member from NFB and unusually up tight. So far the sessions have all been fairly relaxed - blind folks speak out when they want to ask a question (raising your hand is fairly counter-productive) and people need to talk to get directions on where to find a seat, so strict decorum is in the background but people are relaxed about how it is actually observed. This guy wanted everyone to sit down before he started (blind folk don't care of they can't see you) and then he started to lay out the program. I was rahter hoping it would be a session of ideas, but it seemed to be a presentation of the NFB program, which involves having students take pictures standing with other people next to a cut out figure. OK it's more sophisticated than that, but not something the Xavier Society is going to get involved in.

At one point he stopped and asked if someone was talking. Someone was talking on the phone, very rude but not unusually obstructive, but it was a high school moment, with the teacher pretending she didn't know what was going on but threatening anyway. The person stopped talking and we went on. Not two minutes later, HIS phone range, he looked at it, apologized and said he had to take the call. That was when I gathered my bag and left.

From there to the meeting of the blind lawyers. I have been working with this group in trying to free up the Kindle situation and I was interested in the section on copyright law and access to electronic material. It was a very well-done presentation, but I knew absolutely everything that was presented. Sigh.

So now I'm back in the lobby, taking a quick rest before heading off to the Kurzweil presentation, a swing by the Guide Dog Association meeting, a visit to the Blind Veterans (and maybe a quick visit to the National Association to Promote the use of Braille) and then a meeting with the NY affiliate group at 9:15. And lest all this sound too exciting, remember that I have to be up and dressed and downstairs by 6:15 AM to take part in the 4 km March for Independence, which includes a rally and a torch lighting and music and dancing in the streets. I will take my camera but I can fairly well assure alland sundry there will be NO pictures of yours truly (that would be me) dancing in the street.

In theory there should be one more entry tonight. In practice, don't hold your breath. More tomorrow.

DAY TWO - Reflections etc.

2009-07-05T11:07:00.004-04:00

Reflections from a sighted guy at a blind convention.
And other stuff.

DAY TWO

How weird is this – I’m in Detroit on the 4th of July, watching the New York fireworks on television, on the 43rd floor of a hotel with glass walls – and there are no local fireworks to watch. Apparently their big fireworks was last week. (Probably bribed by NBC so there would be no competition. Or maybe they didn’t want to compete with the glorious sunset – which at 9:43 is still breath-taking.)

Digression – for those of you in the “older” category. Remember when the 4th meant a picnic – maybe a parade – and in the evening you would go to a park or a college football stadium and lie on the grass or gather with your friends and watch the fireworks. Maybe a little food – but that was enough. It was simple, but somehow it was also magnificent and magic and special. As I watched the tail end of the NBC Macy’s Spectacular (or whatever they called it) I had the feeling that NBC and the powers that be don’t trust us to figure out something is special. So we have bands and the Intrepid and guest singers and the dancers from West Side Story and production and more production, as if the fireworks alone wouldn’t be enough. (And of course there are about a million gazillion more pounds of fireworks than anything we ever saw as children.)

End of digression. And certainly the Macy’s fireworks were spectacular. But you know what? Half that many would also have been spectacular. Thus speaketh the crotchety old man. Curmudgeon. And increasingly proud of it. Today local communities are abandoning their own fireworks because of the expense. But I wonder if tomorrow they will abandon them because they can no longer compete with television, because the local children will be comparing the Fire Department effort with what they see on tv, and it will fall short and they will be disappointed. All right, all right, I’m done.

Today was personal contact day for the Fuzzy Jesuit (that would be me, for those not paying proper attention). I arose and after a short argument with myself, which I lost, I betook myself to the 40th floor where the “Health Club” is. All I have to say is if one is going to spend time on a treadmill, a 40th floor glass wall view of the city is the way to do it. And a tv set on every machine. And headphones. And every other machine imaginable and free weights and I had a really good workout. Upstairs to shower and coffee in the room and off to register for the convention. Which took about three minutes and then the first walk through of the exhibit hall.

I spent a couple of hours visiting tables, finding out what they were selling or providing, and introducing myself and the Xavier Society. Made some appointments for longer meetings later in the week, ran into a couple of people I knew from other events and got rid of some brochures and a lot of business cards. Met a lady who had been befriended years ago by someone from the Xavier staff. She didn’t remember who but she was still grateful. Gave away more Braille cards and Braille brochures than printed. I went to the lobby and had a muffin and cranberry juice and worked on my computer for a while. (Wifi is free in the lobby - $12.95 a day in the room. What’s the expression? Oh yeah, "no brainer.”) Met some more interesting people in the lobby, gave away some more brochures – and back for another hour at the exhibition. My thinking being that organizations change their table staff so I got to meet a whole new crew of people. Walked around for a bit and found a grocery store for a cheap sandwich, on to the porch for a cigar – and met more interesting people, including one guy who (on discovering I was a priest) talked about his wife and his marriage and a bunch of stuff.

From there on to the Mock Trial, put on by the Blind Lawyers’ group. Very (VERY!) funny, although a little weak on the law side. The large ballroom was packed and the jury (ie everyone assembled) was decidedly prejudiced. The case was about a divorced couple, each seeking custody of their children. He is claiming that she is an unfit mother because (wait for it) she is blind. Guess what the verdict was.

I left before the end so I could attend a meeting of newsletter editors. The National Federation of the Blind (hereafter NFB) has a federation in each state (or almost each state) and many have newsletters. Most of the people at this session were editors or past editors or people who wanted to be editors. I was hoping for some technical information about doing newsletters for the blind, and I think I gave more helpful information than I received. Ah well, more blessed and so forth.

At the end of the meeting I went down to the bar, to help lower the level on the Laird’s bottle. (If that doesn’t make any sense, you haven’t read Day One, have you?) But the place was crowded and I wasn’t in the mood and while I was peckish, I wasn’t in the mood for a meal, so I went up to the room and dropped off my bags. I had not visited the Hospitality Suite, and I wanted to see the view from the 70th floor so I went up.

WOW. More glass walls, only more of them. Two large rooms and a bedroom and a piano. A piano? Yup, a parlor grand, at which I promptly found myself seated, noodling away. Had a soft drink, some cheese and crackers, chatted with people, including the only other priest at this event, who has been with the group since 2000 and who is celebrating the Sunday liturgy – and up came two pizzas left over from another meeting. Yay! Vegetarian, but thick cheese and really good. Visited with some more people, played a little more and just before sunset I came back down to the room and – see the opening paragraph.

Actually, after the Macy’s extravaganza finished (Blew itself out? Naw, too easy.) I looked out the window, and turned off the lights and there were small fireworks all across the horizon – not big but from my window I counted at least six. That was after I had gone through the whole nostalgic thing.

Which was a lovely way to end what was, all things considered, a pretty good day. Mass tomorrow morning at 7:15, so I’m off to an early bed and I hope a gentle sleep. (Oh and I snarfed a piece of the pizza for breakfast. Hot coffee and cold pizza – day doesn’t start any better than that.)

And thus endeth the second day. And I looked at it and I saw that it was really, really good.

Reflections from a sighted guy at a blind convention

2009-07-04T10:43:00.002-04:00

Reflections from a sighted guy at a blind convention.
And other stuff.

Although it is merely the arena in which this all takes place, I HAVE to start with the hotel. The Marriott Renaissance in Detroit. Right on the river. Breathtaking view. And a staff that hasn’t learned about attitude or cynical or nasty. A couple of examples:

My first night here, I went to the bar and just to make conversation, I asked the bartender if they had Applejack. A cousin was a Laird (family name, not Scottish title) and Laird’s Appplejack was the premier brand of applejack. (Well, for all I know, might be the only brand of applejack – certainly the only brand I ever saw.) The bartender had never heard of it – fair enough, I was ready to move on to something else. After all, most places I go, they have never heard of applejack. But this guy goes and asks one of the managers, and oh yes, he knows applejack, they use it in the kitchen in place of Calvados. I said fine, but nothing would do but he went and got a bottle and left it at the bar. Of course, now I am obliged to drink some it. Which is not a hardship.

The next morning I called the desk and asked if they had a sewing kit, because I needed to re-attach a button on a pair of pants. (The story of how I lost the button will be told when I figure out how to put an age barrier on the blog, sort of an adults only thing.) Oh yes, they had a sewing kit. I said I would stop by the desk and pick it up. Later in the morning, I went down and asked about the sewing kit – and the woman couldn’t find one. She was most embarrassed, went all over, finally said she would send one up. Not to worry, says I, I’ll come by again later today. And I did. And they still couldn’t find it, so they offered to send it up and I said sure. Went upstairs to my room – and there were three sewing kits on my desk. And as I marveled at this multiplication of mending stuff, there was a knock on the door and a young lady was standing outside – with ANOTHER three sewing kits. (I only had one button. Something of overkill.)

The whole hotel has obviously gone through training on dealing with blind people. They know how to give directions, they know how to offer an arm to guide, there is braille everywhere. This is a great hotel. They charge outrageously for internet in the room, but there is free WiFi in the lobby. And several free computers for those who did not bring theirs. (Although badly set up and really slow.) There is a food court with cheaper food – good food at the hotel spots – even a couple of grocery/convenience stores where you can get cheaper food and drink and cigars. (Although they sell soda more dearly than you can buy it in a machine. Go figure.)

Now let’s use our imaginations. Imagine 3,000 people in a hotel where the major design feature is that the building is circular. And most of these people are blind. So in addition to learning new geography, the geography doesn’t have corners. Some have canes, some have dogs. Think traffic jam where most of the people can’t see. Half the elevators are “high rise” (floors 40 and above) and half are “low rise” (floors 40 and below). When the bell rings to announce an elevator, a blind person doesn’t know if it is high or low – and there are usually MANY people crowding into the elevator lobby to find a ride up. Or down, since the lobby of the hotel is on the 3rd floor. There are four levels between the 3rd floor and the ground floor (interesting arithmetic, eh?) and no straight line way to get from three down. People who work here aren’t always sure how to get to some places.) People with sight get lost – and how the blind fare is one of the more amazing dimensions of this gathering. Because they do – with grace and with great humor and with a degree of patience I will probably never possess, they find their way into meeting rooms and they find seats, the find rest rooms and food courts, and order where there are no Braille menus or directions, and all somehow on schedule. On Monday there is going to be a March for Independence (independence for the visually impaired, of course, which is one of the foundation principles of the NFB).

My room is comfortable – wide screen tv, two beds (so I can use one for organizing papers and other things), a desk and a comfortable arm chair, a closet, bathroom, and one wall that is nothing but window looking out over downtown Detroit and the river. I can see the riverboat at its mooring from my window. An iron and ironing board – although at a convention for the blind, crisp creases is not one of the priorities.

THE FIRST DAY
Went to the first session on Jaws 11 and Microsoft Windows 7 and how they interface and some tricks that Jaws can do (including a remote feature that is built in) and a look at a new magnifier that is coming out later this summer and a look at a bunch of technical stuff. Fascinating. I went into the lobby during the break to make some phone calls and maybe get a muffin and ended up buying 15 shirts from the Michigan Federation of the Blind Chapter – gifts for the staff. Met a guy from Nigeria. Went to a session about DAISY and using DAISY on your own computer. DIASY is program that lets you insert comments and notes and bookmarks into oral text. Technical but for someone who is blind, really important.

Went to another session about the knfb reader, which is a mobile device with which you take a picture of a document, and then the gadget reads you what you just shot. So a blind person can deal with a menu, a note, a boarding pass – without asking assistance from anyone else. Talk about mobility and accessibility. Not cheap but what price freedom?

In the first meeting, the presenter (sighted) walked up and down, and was able to see raised hands from people who wanted to ask a question. In the second, the presenters were blind, and so people simply spoke up when they wanted to ask something. When a presenter asks a question like how many people use a certain program, rather than raising hands (a sighted response) people applaud or make a verbal response. In the first session there were sighted people from the company to help late comers find a seat – and one guy who had to leave the meeting a couple of times was NEVER able to return to his seat without help – he always thought the row was farther back than it was and he ALWAYS had to have help.

I took a break at lunch time (not eating lunch) and went out to the outside area to smoke a cigar and enjoy the outside. Chatted with some folks – enjoyed the view and the weather. Walked around the complex and helped some folks who were getting lost – some blind and some sighted. I tell you, it’s a confusing place. Went and sat by the river for a little, skimmed the Wall Street Journal, and then off to the last formal session, talking about mobile readers, including a new program for the Blackberry that will be introduced later this year that essentially turns the Blackberry into a reader.

And later in the evening there the “Rookie Roundup” an orientation session for first time convention attenders. When the national president made his opening remarks, he mentioned me by name, that I was involved with the Reading Rights coalition and of course, the Xavier Society for the Blind. I skipped going to the karaoke and went instead to have – you guessed it – or maybe you didn’t – an applejack and 7-Up. And it was really good, out on the porch overlooking the river. Almost went to get a cigar but it was just chilly enough to be discouraging.

And thus – with my window wall overlooking the city with its lights shining and the amusement park next to Caesar’s glowing in the summer night – endeth the first day. And I looked back on all that had happened and I saw that it was good.

THANK YOU - AND NOW.....

2009-05-29T21:45:00.003-04:00

First of all, thank you - make that THANK YOU - to everyone who took part in our NFL Raffle, or our online auction, or the live party at the New York Athletic Club. As I write this we do not have the final figures, but it seems we raised more money than last year, which (given the current economic situation) is no small accomplishment. YAY!!!!

Of course, the need continues. The work continues. The salaries and the expenses and the costs continue. So - if you did NOT have the chance to contribute something to the Xavier Society for the Blind during our event, it's not too late. (Let's be honest - it's NEVER too late!!!) Donations are 100% tax deuctible and 100% needed and appreciated.

UPCOMING STUFF

On September 15, we will be hosting a Golf Outing at a wonderful golf course just outside New York. You get breakfast, 18 holes of golf, lunch and prizes and an auction and prizes during the round and presents when you get there. If you don't play golf, buy a ticket anyway, and come to the resort, and after brunch, spend the morning at the pool or the spa or the exercise room - and then join the golfers for lunch. You'll be on the road and home before the afternoon traffic, having had a GREAt day and supported the Xavier Society.

The ticket is only $150 for all the above. But there are only 60 slots available, and I get one, and sponsors get some and several people have already indicated an interest

SO DON'T WAIT TOO LONG!!!

AND - LAST BUT NOT LEAST

Visit the Holy Land with Father John. (That would be me.) From December 1 to December 10, I will be leading a group to the Holy Land. What better way to see that very special place than with a Jesuit priest who looks like a Jew.

Basic fare (double occupancy) is $2800. Figure a couple of hundred more for tips and taxes, and whatever you plan on spending for souvenirs and Christmas presents. (Christmas shopping in Bethlehem - how's THAT for a notion)

If you'd like more information about the trip, drop me a line, send me an email or ring a ding ding on the telephone.

OK - enough for now. More stories and adventures to come.

THINGS TO KNOW

2009-05-03T21:27:00.002-04:00

WWW.XAVIERSOCIETY.COM

That's the web address for the Xavier Society for the Blind auction that is going on RIGHT NOW!! Go and see what GREAT stuff we have. Bid. Spend money (!)

MAY 19
That's the date of the Annual Benefit Reception at the New York Athletic Club. We'll have a silent auction, a raffle draw, door prizes, a terrific jazz guitarist to keep things moving - and drinks and munchies. Ticket - $100 ($50 of which is tax deductible.)

THE NFL RAFFLE
That's the one for which we will draw the winners on May 19th (See above). First Prize: two air tickets to Miami for the Superbowl, 4 nights in a hotel, 2 tickets to the Superbowl and two tickets to the NFL Alumni Player of the Year Award Dinner. (At least one Hall of Famer at each table.) You're not just here, you're the guest of the NFL.
Second Prize: $1,000
Third Prize: $500
Tickets - $100, and there are only 250 of them, so it's a one in 250 shot to win something.

SEPTEMBER 15 - Xavier Society Golf Outing. For $150, brunch, golf, lunch and prizes.

DCecember 1 - 10 - Fr. John leads a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Base price - $2,800. Includes air fare, hotel, at least two meals a day, guide, air-conditioned buses for touring. And of course, me. Brochure on request.

For more information on any of these exciting moments, or to book me for a concert, or just to give us money - hehehehe -
Phone (212) 473-7800
Email: johnrsheehan@Yahoo.com
or
xaviersocietyfortheblind@Yahoo.com
(I know - it's really long but it's also easy to remember)
or mail:
Xavier Society for the Blind
154 East 23rd St
New York, NY 10010

Thank you. As my grandmother would have said, you'll get an extra star in your crown in heaven.

And Now for A Couple of Pictures

2009-04-19T22:24:00.011-04:00

They're not great pictures - they take in large sections of the stage and don't do much toward telling the story. But they all have the advantage of including me. Sort of like Waldo - where's Fr. John

Here are two more shots - that thing that looks like a flower growing out of my hat onto my face - well, that was a flower. And the picture of the gorgeous young lady - I got to spend most of my time on stage in the second act cuddling and schmoozing with her. One of the highlights of my theatrical career - second perhaps only to I DO, I DO when I actually got to kiss a girl on stage (other than on the forehead or the cheek or the hand). And she was a very good actress - she pretended she liked it every single night.

ANOTHER REVIEW

2009-04-19T22:23:00.001-04:00

I attended opening weekend of the Blue Hill Troupe's production of The Sorcerer. I enjoyed both 'opening performances' as the shows are double-cast.

Savoynetters in the show:
Rich Miller - Closing cast Alexis
Dan Rous - Closing cast Marmaduke
Carol Davis, Eric Peterson, Katie Holler and Matt Hughes, chorus.
Gary Slavin - Stage Director

I enjoyed viewing two slightly different interpretations of the characters in ways that all worked beautifully. Gary Slavin is open minded when he works with the principals, enabling them to develop their own subtle character interpretations, while maintaining continuity in the
characterizations to fit his vision for this opera.

I too was leery about the contemporary vision (for me, part of the fun of G&S is seeing or getting to wear 19th Century costumes, traditional appearances, etc.), but in this case I was very pleasantly surprised. The Sorcerer's plot is the kind that can work in any time frame.

I do not want to give too much more away, with the hopes that I can entice folks to attend one of the six remaining performances in New York City but here are highlights of the principals and chorus:

I have to repeat Jim's note about the chorus. I have NEVER (well hardly ever) heard an amateur chorus use so much diction. I heard and understood every word which is really important when performing a G&S that is not as well known to the general public. The vocal blending and
quality was outstanding.

In addition to Jim Cooper's positives about Craig Burmeister's excellent tenor voice and strong acting as Alexis, I equally enjoyed Rich Miller's realistic and energetic interpretation of the character and strong vocal quality. While Amanda Smith had a sweet, tender voice and truly delicate features that epitomizes Aline, I also thoroughly enjoyed Elizabeth Sanders' command of the role with her strong, glorious voice and her strength of character that worked well against Rich's Alexis. I laughed at the Aline's text messaging during Alexis' Act I monologue.

I particularly enjoyed both of the J.W. Wells – David Pasteelnick and Kevin Murray. Both used excellent diction during the patter and exhibited very believeable characterizations. I also liked the genuine displays of remorse in Act II generated by them both.

Both Constances - Kathleen Stetson and Dena Cubbin have outstanding voices and rather different, but equally effective interpretations of their characters. Both had me laughing out loud. Ditto with the Partlets - Lesley Berry and Suzanne Taylor. Both are strong actresses and I loved what Gary did with their characters, expanding their roles.

Now on to the 'parents'. The Sir Marmadukes - were played effectively, yet differently by Dan Rous and Alan Abrams. I love Dan's deep voice and his depiction of someone with a truly aristocratic nature. Alan Abrams exhibited a believeable character and several times had me laughing in the right places. The Sangazures were handled with aplomb by Leslie Middlebrook and Cornelia Iredell, both nailing their two intense and lengthy duets that round out their characters. The staging for both numbers with Marmaduke and Wells is exceedingly
clever.

Dr. Daly is one of my favorite characters (after Captain Corcoran, of course), and I had the pleasure of watching two wonderful actors, Win Rutherfurd and Ron Madden who brought such a genuine sensitivity to this character. The singing of Daly's two notable songs were beautifully done.

I was intrigued by the staging coordinated for the quintet. (Most of the time the actors are kept standing in a static group - which I gladly did not see in this case).

The principal parts are rounded out by a seemingly cold-ridden snuffy (but not so poorly dressed) Notary played by William Tost. He had me in stitches every time he was featured. The Hercules was played most effectively by Julian Rosenberg. I think this was his first on-stage
performance, but he had full command of the stage. His part was increased but I will not give away what his unique and engaging activities entailed.

The chorus members each developed a unique character in great detail (some of these characters are famous today). I was glad to see the show more than once to get to watch how all the chorus members were intricately intermingled. The Sorcerer is one of the best operas for chorus because it really gives each person a chance to do his or her own thing and make it work within the confines of the plot.

The orchestra was excellent and Music Director Zachary Schwartzman expertly kept everyone together, utilizing solid, realistic tempi (which is something I always notice) and kept the pace moving briskly.

The set and lighting are incredible. How so? Buy a ticket and find out!

I strongly encourage anyone available to be in NYC next week to attend a performance. The production benefits Inwood House, a charitable NYC organization that helps troubled teens.

For more information and to order tickets, go to:
www.BHT.org.

Wendy Falconer
Stamford, CT

THE SORCERER - A review

2009-04-18T20:06:00.002-04:00

I am currently appearing as a humble chorus member (OK, a chorus member - I don't really "do" humble) in the Blue Hill Troupe production of THE SORCERER. I don't usually go out of my way to promote shows in which I am movable scenery - but this is a really good production, and the chorus has an unusual role in a most unusual staging. we opened on the 17th, and below is a review that appeared from the Savoynet, a group of folks interested in (fanatic about?) Gilbert and Sullivan. Better to let another voice to the talking:

THE REVIEW
Last night I went to see the Blue Hill Troupe's Sorcerer production with several friends, including Wendy Falconer, Vikki Willoughby, and 2 non-Savoynetters whom I've done G&S with for too many years (Rick Churchill and Marianne Barcellona).

Despite my misgivings about a version set in 2009 New York, it was a marvelous production: the sets were stunning, the lighting magnificently creative and the performances top drawer. Gilbert's lines take on different shades of meaning when done with intentionally American cadences. I saw the Opening Cast (they double cast their shows). I was particularly impressed with David Pasteelnick's JW Wells: I got every single word, and he delivered much of it while moving about with a hat and cane.

The set was mostly white with some black trim, and decorated with various Gobos and projected patterns during different scenes. The Teapot Brindisi was particularly effective with every cast member having a translucent teacup with dry ice steaming away, along with little electronic sparklers that appeared to be inside the cups.

The chorus diction was superb, and Craig Burmeister's Alexis lovely. I really enjoyed Aline's 21st century sensibility, she really stood up to Alexis and walked off stage in disgust during the 2nd verse of "Thou has the power" after refusing to take the potion. (He sang the second verse to a scarf she dropped) I think it makes the characters more believable.

They perform twice more this weekend and 5 more times next week. If in the NYC area, this is definitely worth seeing.

-- Jim Cooper
Webmaster and Past President, Troupers Light Opera

For a link to see more about the show and order tickets online
http://www.bht.org/download/emailinvite.html

NFL SUPERBOWL RAFFLE

2009-03-28T15:16:00.002-04:00

As you know (and if you don't you have NOT been paying attention to previous postings) one of my jobs for the Xavier Society is raising money. Some might say it is the MAIN job.

So, in May we are going to have a fund-raising Benefit at the New York Athletic Club. There are several elements - the admission to the party (GREAT party, $100 a ticket) - and the Silent Auction at the event - this year the auction will go online starting on April 13, so people not in New York can take part (more on that in a slightly later post - I don't want to overload you) - AND the NFL Superbowl Raffle.

We are a designated NFL charity, and so we have 250 Raffle tickets to sell, at $100 apiece. The first prize is:
2 Tickets to the 2010 Superbowl in Miami
Airfare to and from Miami
4 Nights in a hotel
2 tickets to the NFL Alumni Player of the Year Award Dinner (with at least one Hall of Fame player at each table - tickets for this even alone are $1,250 apiece)

If (for some strange reason) you win and don't want to go - you can get a $5,000 prize instead.

Second Prize - $1,000

Third Prize - $500 (By my math, that's three chances in 250 to win something. Beats the Lottery.)

How do you get tickets? Send me a check for $100 (or multiples thereof if you want more than one ticket.) Make the check out to Xavier Society for the Blind - and I will send you your ticket by return mail.

If you win - it will be the trip of a lifetime. Past winners report that they are treated like visiting royally - you are not just at the game and all the festivities, you are there are the guest of the National Football League. And if you don't win - you have helped the Xavier Society for the Blind during tough times. Sounds like a win-win to me.

JAZZ AT NOON

2009-02-15T21:06:00.003-05:00

I have talked about Jazz at Noon before - a group of musicians who have been gathering each week to play since 1964. Now new members have been added but two are from the original group. Les Lieber is the leader - plays sax and is something like 96 years old. He's one of the few people in the world who has shot a regulation round of golf and shot less than his age. He played with Paul Whiteman among others. The singer, Mike Cantor, has also been there since the beginning and is around 92. The picture above is me and Mike singing a duet at a recent Jazz at Noon event.

And for those who are Facebook folk, yours truly is on Facebook. I figured, since I've got a face...

And I just received the video of my Florida concert. It was only a one-camera shoot, so he didn't get all of the talking but did get most of the singing and a lot of the talking.

EATING OUT - WAAAAY OUT

2009-02-12T13:57:00.003-05:00

I have long and often said that my greatest asset is my friends. I often get credit for events and experiences that would not be possible were it not for the generosity and outgoing qualities of people who let me hang around. This past week I had another of those wonderful moments.

I have a friend who is a member of what I call the Escoffier Society (but what is technically Les Amis d'Escoffier Society of New York, Inc.) and who invited me to join him one night for dinner. Now let me apologize right up front since I was NOT taking notes and after eating and drinking, some of the technical points may be a little fuzzy or may have disappeared altogether. But what I do remember - I herewith share.

The event was held at the Intercontinental Barclay, one of the oldest and more elegant hotels in NY. The Director of Catering and the Executive Chef were in charge of preparing and coordinating the evening. We were perhaps 50, certainly no more. (A few tried to sneak in and were politely but firmly escorted elsewhere. They certainly did not eat with us. Come to think of it, there were a few coats lef tin the checkroom... ah well, whatever.)

In the interval between arriving and formally beginning, there were wines and drink available at the bar and passed hors'd'oeuvres. There was duck breat, with chipotle and a blueberry sauce served on an edible spoon, a wild mushroom mixture on a slice of toasted bread (or was that a cracker?), scallops, salmon tartare served in a cone made with squid ink, and a piquant tomato in a glass with a dollop of creme fraiche. Well, talk about diversity of flavor and texture. Most of the people in the room are in the food industry and almost everyone knows everyone, so I met a lot of people who came to introduce themselves because they KNEW they didn't know me. I did know a couple of people besides the folks I came with but not many.

WINES - the wines were carefully selected to balance and complement the meal moments and they were wonderful. The Moscato was breath-taking. You read Moscato and think sweet - well, this wine (A Gallo Twin Valley offering) had about five different flavors going on and hitting the tongue in several different places. Some thought it too strong for the dessert but I thought it provided a counterpoint rather than an accompaniment. But that was my favorite.

Although the Malbec was a delight all by itself. I am only a moderate wine drinker (outside of church., of course - and altar wine is usually awful. (I once was saying to a group of people that I was surprised how few people took advantage of receiving Holy Communion under both species, and one woman spoke up, "Well, Father, if you had better wine...") So when I drink wine, I want it to be really good. This was. Really good.

The opening wine was very nice, but the appetizer was so extraordinary that nothing could have shone with that taste event going on.

FOOD
Ah yes - the food. Why we were all there, after all. The chef is apparently very well-known for his risotto. If this was an example, I can well see why. The risotto was firm and the texture consistent. Presentation was simple, a generous serving in the center of a potage bowl with the sauce around and a small lobster clas resting on the center portion. Lots of lobster bits within the dish itself and a rich flavor throughout. The stock had been well rendered down,the shells braised or baked (?) but the result was magnificent.

But at an event like this one keeps raising the bar and the entree was way up there. The veal was a large serving, and the zest was between the bresaola and the meet, with some other spices or elements that were not identified on the menu. The general feeling at my table ran to a Chinese pepper of similar spice since there was a tang more than the zest would provide. Turned out to be a chipotle - which surprised pretty much everyone. A good reminder that there is a range of chipotle - flavor, texture and certainly strength. It took a serious effort not to suck on the bone.

The potatoes were simple and elegant, decorating the fava bean and fontina puree, which added another texture and a surprising taste to the mix. The cheese was felt on the tongue before the flavor snuck through. A nice balance to the veal.

I confess by the end of the entree I was starting to slow down. The conversation was fascinating, since we had several food people at our table, including the head of the Escoffier Society. As dessert was being served, the chef came out from the kitchen, pulled up a chair and sat at our table. (That's how I know about the chipotle.) The baked apple was a small apple, firm and sliced for easy handling. The gelato was wonderful - perhaps a little strong for the plate but a wonderful back and forth between the two. There was also a curled chocolate swirl (of white and milk chocolate) that I left alone. With the other flavors going on - and the wine (!) - I couldn't really find a place for it. But what do I know?I'm an old dinner theatre manager.

Now the ticket for this soiree is not at McDonald levels. But I have to say, I think we received far more value than was paid. (Note the clever cpmstruction which makes clear to the observant reader than I did not actually pay for this.)

Service, of course, was spot on, efficient without being annoying. Wines were poured, glasses and plates cleared, and if one needed anything, pretty much an indication of the head and there it was, whatever "it" was.

All in all the sort of evening that delights the taste buds and confounds the waistline.

EATING, DRINKING, SHOOTING AND SINGING

2009-02-09T16:10:00.002-05:00

If you are in New York, and someone offers to take you to dinner at Tira a Segno (which roughly translated means "target practice", say yes. And hold them to it.

I went on Friday with a bunch of folks, and the place is delightful. Old school, very charming, WONDERFUL FOOD - if you like Italian cooking, and if you don't, well, there's no hope for you anyway - and after dinner, they asked me to sing. (Which, of course, I don't mind a bit.) I did O Sole Mio, Libiamo and Questa e quella. (It IS an Italian club.) And then went down into the basement for some work on the range. Yes, it is a shooting club and they do have a shooting range in the basement. Drinks not allowed, which I think is a rather sensible house rule to enforce. It's somewhat downtown - McDougall between Bleeker and Houston - but well worth the trek. I don't think I'm allowed to join - something about your name ending in a vowel, and I suspect I couldn't afford it anyway. There are a couple of priests on the membership list (so the chaplain thing is probably covered - any club with guns really needs a chaplain) and the Cardinal and several Bishops are Honorary Members. Terrific place.

And then on Sunday I went to the Harvard Club. Never been to the Harvard Club. Most of the furniture is older than I am. (Say it with me - And better looking. Right.)

The Blue Hill Troupe (of which I am a member) was singing an afternoon concert in a large room, with floor lamps with turtles as the base and elegant large old painting on the wall, high (high!) ceiling and woodwork pretty much everywhere. A nice crowd, and an age range that went from about six to somewhere pretty close to dead. Almost everyone stayed awake, and the applause was loud and sustained. It was a short concert - only about an hour, all Gilbert & Sullivan stuff, but stitched together in a mish-mosh with something loosely passing for a script. The music was pretty good - one of the things I do enjoy is that these folks can sing. The script? Well, one can't have everything. It verges on embarrassing but doesn't quite get there. But on a spring-like Sunday afternoon (the temperature crossed into the high 50's - might even have made the 60's while I wasn't looking) it is rather fun to get dressed up in the tuxedo with the plaid bowtie and the red vest and sally forth to sing. Especially when one is only singing in the chorus - no solo work, no apprehension, no sweat.

We have two more concerts this week - Wednesday at the Tennis & Racquet Club (Or is it the Racquet & Tennis Club? I'm so unschooled in these things) and then next Sunday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Wednesday gig has an afterglow following the concert - that's the society way of saying "drinks" I gather. I've sung longer for less, so that should be fun too.

Onwards. If you're in town on February 15th,come by the Metropolitan Museum and listen to us do our stuff. (Hey it's worth the admission price to see me in the plaid bow tie!)

OH FLORIDA - LAND OF WARMTH AND COLD

2009-02-05T11:10:00.009-05:00

I was really enjoying telling people that I was going to Florida in the middle of January to sing a concert. (The "sing a concert" part also had a little bit of boasting, but the "going to Florida" part was just mean, rubbing in that THEY would be staying up north, in the cold weather, while I would be sitting around in shorts. Outside. Maybe next to a pool.

God doesn't like it when you do that. Sooooo - I arrived in Florida, unpacked my suitcase and settled in at the rectory of the church where I would be doing this concert. And the temperature dropped. Coldest week they've had in years. And when I say cold, I am not talking Florida cold (what in NY would be called perhaps chilly). I'm talking night-time temps in the 20's.

Now the people were wonderful - the parish is beautiful (see picture) and the concert was great fun. We had perhaps 400 people - the collection was encouraging (all the money went to the Xavier Society for the Blind, of course) - and there is even going to be a video. But the weather? Bah, humbug!

And of course, the day I left to return to New York, the temperature climbed back up to 75.

Next time I travel, I'm keeping my big mouth shut!

To the right is the picture of the young lady was was my accompanist in this adventure in southern singing. I did a show called "From Broadway to God," answering at least in part the oft-asked question, "How did you get from being an actor to being a priest?"

And here I am after the show with a very nice man who wanted to know the name of one of the songs I had sung as an encore piece. He said he was planning his funeral, and he very much wanted to include that song. The song was "Bring Him Home" from Les Miz.

Me, I want Dixieland at MY funeral.

An Odd Bit of Fun

2009-01-29T08:51:00.001-05:00

The Christmas Letter is coming - but in the meantime, someone sent me this and I thought it worth sharing - click on the link and you get a digital pic of the recent inauguration that lets you zoom way in or way out - just amazing technology.

http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=15374

Check back soon and the Christmas letter should be here.

2008-12-30T17:35:00.005-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

With everything going on, I have not yet written my Christmas letter for this year - which will end up looking a lot more like a New Year's Letter for Next year. Below are two photos from the gig I had singing as part of a quartet at the Warwick Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. (Standing as I am amidst some really good-looking people, you can tell they hired me for my voice.) New Year's Eve I will be singing Eisenstein in a production of Fledermaus. And for that, I will be modifying my beard into a more European trimmed look.

There definitely will be a long narrative and more pictures upcoming - in the meantime, have a blessed and peace-filled New Year's and - watch for more stuff.

2008-10-31T15:50:00.006-04:00

“NOW I CAN TURN YOU OFF”

A number of people kept telling Fr. John he should make a recording and so in 2001, he did. In fact, he did two together and issued them together. When the first CD’s were published, Fr. John sent a set to his sister, who wrote back that she was thrilled and had actually been waiting for something like this for years. “Now I can turn you off,” she said.

Now there are three - one of sacred songs, one with a wide range of songs from operatic arias to show tunes to the song that Father's own father sang at his wedding breakfast, and the third of recordings made when Father was singing live concerts in a number of different locations.

We trust that you will not want to turn him off when you hear these beautiful songs. Each disc is $12, and may be ordered on line at : www.lulu.com. Type in the disk # or the title of the disk, and you should be taken to Father John’s page on the site.

All proceeds from the sale of these disks goes to the work of the Xavier Society for the Blind. If you send Fr. John an email when you have ordered a disk, he will send you the full booklet that was made for each disk when it was originally published.

Lulu item #1387771

Lulu item #1391166

THE SEVERAL SIDES OF FATHER JOHN
Lulu item #1313461

ANOTHER WAY TO GIVE

2008-08-12T13:20:00.005-04:00

HELP THIS POOR LITTLE BOY!!!!

For those of you who would LOVE to help support the Xavier Society for the Blind (see SHAMELESS BEGGING LETTER below) and yet don't have the ready cash to make those huge contributions - there is another way.

The Xavier Society for the Blind has enrolled in the Goodsearch Program. This means if you search on the Internet using the Goodsearch program, or shop through Goodshop, the Xavier Society receives a small amount for each search and a percentage of each purchase. Please encourage your friends and family to sign up for this easy way to support our work. Doesn’t cost anything, and the more people who use it, the more money we will receive.

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up! You can easily and quickly add the Goodsearch option to your toolbar so it automatically credits the Xavier Society each time you make a search.

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.

Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Xavier Society for the Blind as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!

See? And it doesn't hurt a bit!

The poor little boy at the top is, of course, mine own (and much younger) self, visiting my Great Aunt Mary and Great Uncle Hen at their house in Red Bank. I thought I looked pretty sharp that day, and all these years later, I don't know that I was too far off. Compare that picture with one of me today, and you'll see why I need all the help I can get.

Many thanks - and as we say in the trade, God bless you.