DAY THE LAST

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.