The Wayback Machine

 Personal, Pop Culture  No Responses »
Jun 092015
 

The AV Club is doing a pop culture retrospective of 1995, a year that has a special significance for me. It’s the year when I first began to feel like an adult. I graduated from college that spring and moved to Minneapolis a few months later. When I wasn’t trying to comprehend the basics of contract law and torts, I spent quite a bit of time navigating this newfangled thing called the Internet.

And now all of that is 20 years ago. Ugh. I’m going to put on some Oasis and order a sports car on eBay.

Spock Lives

 Personal, Pop Culture  No Responses »
Feb 272015
 

Leonard Nimoy’s Spock has long been a touchstone and role model for me. In Spock, I saw an outsider like myself who still managed to earn friendship and respect despite his alien attributes. His accomplishments were rooted in his intelligence, but he was no robot. He abhorred cruelty and a strong undercurrent of compassion ran beneath his cool facade of logic. I will never be as smart or rational as Spock, but I could do my best to follow his example. I could be another outsider who manages to find a place in the world and achieves some degree of success. I could try to approach problems thoughtfully and remain calm when things go wrong. I could be serious without being humorless.

It might have taken me a lot longer to figure this out if I hadn’t met Mr. Spock via reruns on TV. And I’m so saddened that Nimoy, the man who breathed so much humanity into the alien, is now gone. But Spock endures and that gives me some comfort. As long as people strive to be a little more rational and a little more decent to each other, Spock endures.

Celebrity Appearance

 Geeking Out, Personal  No Responses »
Feb 062015
 

My new voicemail greeting is cooler than yours.

I gave money to LeVar Burton’s Reading Rainbow Kickstarter last summer and received a personalized voicemail greeting as a reward. This is likely going to confuse telemarketers and my parents, but I don’t care because OMG LEVAR BURTON FROM STAR TREK IS SAYING MY NAME!!!!!

Now, how much cash do I have to shell out for Gillian Anderson to have dinner with me?

Invasion!

 Personal  No Responses »
Jan 282015
 

I’m spending a good portion of today exiled from my condo without my wheelchair. The reason: bedbugs! My cleaning guy found a few last week and an exterminator confirmed that I have an infestation. The treatment requires that my place be heated to a high temperature, including my wheelchair. So I’m camping out in my buiiding’s party room while I wait for the all-clear. Even worse, there’s no wi-fi here (I scheduled this post to go up today after writing it last night). I may be wasting away from boredom even as you read this.

My building has had previous bedbug infestations and I suspect that a few stragglers sought refuge in my unit. Unfortunately for them, amnesty will not be granted. This experience has also taught me that exterminators probably make a quite decent living.

XLI

 Personal  No Responses »
Jul 232014
 

41. The number doesn’t roll off the tongue, but I’m happy to be here. Yesterday, a lovely young woman complemented me on my curly hair, so decrepitude hasn’t completely set in yet. Let’s hope I can keep it at bay for a while longer.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. And now I must call my attorney to ensure he remains on call this evening.

Car Talk

 Disability, Personal  No Responses »
Jul 162014
 

After much waiting and bureaucratic hoop-jumping, I drove home in my new Honda Odyssey earlier this week. Automotive technology has advanced considerably since 1999. My Caravan’s engine always made its presence known with a steady rumble, but I can barely hear the Odyssey’s engine. Everything is very sleek and digital and unobtrusive. It’s like commuting via the starship Enterprise. Even the modifications have a futuristic feel. With a single button on the key fob, the sliding door opens and the ramp deploys. The ramp is stowed within the van’s floor, so I no longer have to listen to it rattle beside me.

I’m on vacation next week. I believe I will spend it driving around the lakes and inviting random attractive women to join me.

Pictures will be forthcoming. Of the van, not the women. Unless they’re into that sort of thing.

Room And Board

 Local, Personal  1 Response »
May 202014
 

Given the news that Minneapolis will be hosting a Super Bowl in 2018, I’m wondering how much my place could fetch on Airbnb for that weekend. My guess: quite a bit. I’m located within walking distance of the new stadium (currently under construction) and the airport is easily accessible via light rail. My kitchen isn’t terribly well-stocked, but that’s a small price to pay for location and a decent Wi-Fi connection. This may be the ticket to funding a European trip or paying off a chunk of a car loan.

What are my readers’ experiences with leasing out your place to strangers?

New Ride?

 Disability, Personal  No Responses »
Apr 032014
 

I’m currently debating whether to purchase a new van. My 1999 Dodge Caravan still runs well, but 15 years is a long time to hold onto a vehicle. I worry that it could suddenly fail without warning, forcing me to scramble to find a replacement. A new van would be a significant expense ($45,000-$60,000), but I might qualify for some assistance via a Medical Assistance waiver. I’m also fairly certain that my next van will be a Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey. The Dodge has been generally reliable, but its hunger for new parts began rather early in its lifespan.

Of course, I’m fortunate to be in a position where I can reasonably afford a new vehicle. For most people with disabilities, an accessible vehicle is a luxury item that is too expensive to even contemplate.

Profile Piece

 Personal  No Responses »
Mar 262014
 

Kevin Featherly, friend and fellow Humphrey Policy Fellow alumni, recently wrote a profile of me that appeared in Politics in Minnesota. It’s behind a paywall, so I’m linking to a PDF in case you’d like to read it. Technically, I don’t have permission from the magazine to reprint it, but I’m hoping my charm and good looks will keep the lawyers at bay. I also tried to reformat it as webpage, but that induced way too migraines.

Anyway, here’s the article. Kevin makes me sound much smarter than I really am.

Condo Fever

 Personal  No Responses »
Feb 062014
 

I consider myself a hearty Midwesterner who doesn’t hesitate to venture outside on an icy cold morning. I have walked to class on days when the wind chill was -20 and the sidewalks were clogged with snow. But this winter has tested my fortitude. Temperatures have barely nudged out of the teens for the past month and the copious snowfall has rendered the landscape a blinding white void. Other than the commute to work, I don’t think I’ve left home since early January. I’m pretty sure my broadband usage for the past couple months rivals that of a good-sized Bulgarian town.

The weather is certain to moderate soon, but I would like to at least see Her without risking frostbite or a spinout on the highway.

Of course, I reserve the right to complain in a few months that the excessive heat and humidity is keeping me indoors.

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