Friday, March 16, 2012

Rage at the Machine

Trackball-Kensington-ExpertMouse5



A combination of this have kept me away from here. I'm fixing to graduate college and so I'm looking for an adult job. I've also been pretty busy with all my class schedule stuff too. I don't know what it has been but I've also somewhat lacked motivation/flow throughout to write something and put forth the effort to blog.

I've been having some problems between keyboard and chair with my laptop. I guess some of it could perhaps be attributed to a feature which in my personal opinion could be seen as a bit of a design flaw. I'm sure that the designers were well intentioned with taking away the button of the mouse on the newer Macbooks. In theory it sounds awesome to have a computer where there is no need to hit a specific mouse button to make it click rather the whole trackpad is a button if you will. I don't know why I can't wrap my head around the motor skills needed to take care of getting things clicked on and staying clicked, to for example drag and drop.

You don't realize just how much you drag and drop things to make daily computer activity happen until you can't. There are ways around this of course. I've taken to copying things by command line rather than dragging and dropping them from one folder to the next. Sure it takes a few more taps 0f the keyboard but results in infinitely less frustration and is much quicker for me to do. I have found that trying to turn on the sticky keys type feature for the drag and drop of the trackpad is in fact more problematic rather than less. I end up inadvertently dragging things around when I mean to click on something instead. I realise the longterm solution is to learn the motor skills needed to drag and drop things on this style of trackpad where I cannot have my thumb on the button while I use my index or middle finger to drag something around the screen.

I have experienced no end to the frustration of knowing exactly what I need to do to take care of this and yet not having the ability to master the skill needed to make it happen. I feel like i'm back in first grade trying to learn how to write all over again. I have no problems using a mouse either of the traditional variety or of the trackball variety(my preference actually). I am throughoutly embarrassed as a person who repairs PC's all day long that I cannot work on my own computer. I am reduced to controlling my computer via hot keys, command line, and plugging in a usb mouse which is not very conducive to being on the go with a laptop.
If I ever want to own another mac with the direction they are taking the computers I will need to learn how to deal with multitouch trackpads in order to be functional other wise I'll probably be headed back to Linux.

This probably sounds all sounds a little nuts to someone not stuck inside a body that refuses to respond to fine motor skill learning in a normal fashion. I know the steps and can't make them happen. This is frustrating and will reduce me to tears on occasion. Welcome to my life. I appologize that this has been a bit of a whiney/rant post. I realize that in the grand scheme of accessibility computer challenges this is relatively minor and I do count my blessings. I do have other things to blog about soon-ish as well that should be less rage-ish.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

New Year time to get off my ***

So 2011 was more or less uneventful-ish. I walk/ran/swam/erg'd 1100km that I remembered to log on daily mile. Did a few races including my first triathlon(super short sprint). My asthma and allergies were pretty much stable. Same meds, same jabs at various frequencies with allergens. No prednisone, ER visits, or epipens used! New diagnosis: PCOS. Same admonishments to loose weight and get in shape.

I admit to being inconsistent at doing goals and stuff and sticking to them. But here's some hopes/dreams/goals whatever you want to call them for 2012:

  1. Get the heck off symbicort or at least on less symbicort(Dr. B said if the winter goes well he'd consider changing my asthma meds but didn't elaborate)I'd like my voice back to normal
  2. Finish a Marathon.(I'm hoping for the St. Louis Rock & Roll marathon in October)
  3. Reach the top of the Rock Climbing Wall(I just learned to belay about a month and a half ago)
  4. Weigh less than 80kg/175lbs (would put me out of the "obese" bmi range)
  5. Faster time at the same Sprint Triathlon.
  6. Finish rowing/erging my million meters.
  7. Finish Half Marathon (Looking at the Go Girl! Run in Mid Missouri in May) Corollary to #2.
  8. Do the fitness ladder workout daily.
  9. Get a "real" adult job.
  10. Significantly reduce the amount of soda/sugared soft drinks I consume.

I'm going to endeavor to accomplish these things I hope my list isn't too long however, I feel like it helps that most of the goals overlap. Here's to a fitter 2012.