I frequently find myself countering other people’s notions that I live in constant pain.  It comes as a surprise to many that my atypical body can experience physical pleasure and comfort.  Here are five things that make me feel good:

• Stretching my hamstrings: When I was a kid, I would make my parents stretch my legs back until they touched my nose.  I’m not quite that flexible now, but I still like the burn I get in my legs when I flex them
• Getting my scalp scratched: I purr like a cat when this is done to me.
• Sex: No surprise there.
• Hot showers: I used to be afraid of water when I was first trached because I was afraid it would somehow enter my airway, but now I can’t start my day without a shower.
• Sleeping on my side: I can’t fall asleep unless I’m on my left side.  It’s also the position that gives me my best dreams. 

Over at Minnesota Monitor, Jeff has posted a concise Labor Day survey of the current election landscape in our great state.  His prognostications mostly jibe with mine; Pawlenty and Klobuchar should win handily, while the DFL should pick up at least one Congressional seat.  Read Jeff’s analysis and prepare yourself for the onslaught of belligerent campaign advertising.  Though the political winds should favor Democrats, Republicans won’t go down quietly. 

We also say goodbye to summer today, at least in spirit if not in name.  Time to put my whites away, dig out the flannel, and start dreaming about next summer. 

I received this in my inbox earlier today and I thought it might be relevant to some of my readers:

Hi, my name is Adriana and I am conducting research for a program on the elimination of bias against persons with disabilities. The programwill serve as continuing legal educations for California attorneys.  As assistant to an ethics lawyer, I am eager to plant some seeds that will help bust misconceptions such as the binary between the “able-bodied” and the “disabled”. The program will cover basics, such as ADA compliance and how to improve internet accessibility through website design. However, I hope to substantially strengthen and humanize the program with the voices of diverse persons with disabilities who might share their experiences in accessing legal services. Please share your experiences with me and help guide the direction of this program. I want it to raise awareness of the rights and experiences of persons with disabilities to a new audience in order to provide one more avenue where voices can be amplified with integrity, unlike the many media outlets that cut and contort statements to fit their storylines. If you have a story on this topic to share, or have any questions about the program or this request, please contact me! My email is dosmanos@gmail.com.

This sounds a lot like the CLE I co-teach every year at Gillette Children’s Hospital.  Maybe I should just send Adriana my PowerPoint slides. 

So, do you think the cops who recovered the Munch paintings split the two million M&Ms amongst themselves?

I’d write more, but I’m still digesting Fair food and all that lard seeping into my bloodstream is making me sleepy.  More soon.

Minneapolis has selected local company US Internet to build the city’s wireless network.  A City Council vote to finalize the deal is expected on Friday.  It looks like Minneapolis residents will be able to access the 1mbps network for about $20/month.  Some residents might need to purchase a special “wireless” modem to boost their signal for cost of $75 or a rental fee of $5/month.  For the sake of comparison, Qwest offers 256 Kbps DSL (about 25% of the speed of the proposed wireless network) for $27.  Needless to say, Qwest is not happy with news that it will have to compete with a municipal network. 

Some of you may remember that I served on a digital inclusion task force to develop recommendations for the “community benefits” portion of the contract.  It appears that USI accepted most of them (you can read the Task Force’s report here).  Prices for consumers and businesses will be fixed for a decade.  I am disappointed that no free option is available for low-income residents, but USI did agree to provide a free “walled garden” that contains access to basic municipal and neighborhood information.  Additionally, USI will contribute $500,000 to the startup of a Minneapolis Digital Inclusion Fund and it will contribute an annual percentage of its profits to the Fund.

Let’s hope the network functions as promised and that it will provide a real alternative to the Qwest/Comcast duopoly.  The community benefits portion of the contract is truly innovative and other cities would be well served to use it as a model if they choose to contract with a private vendor for their own municipal WiFi.