Who am I?

This snowball could be for you!

Ok, but remember you chose to come to this page and I'm sure your Browser has a 'Back' key which will allow you to escape at any time.

Well to be honest, I'm still determining who exactly I am so you'll have to accept a work in progress definition. It kind of goes with the theme of the web page. My vital statistics will tell you that I'm a young 19 years of age (for the twelfth time). I reside in Nashua, NH in a home that I lease. I've been a fair hand at filling my life with experiences both common and unique which have helped develop me. Whether to the better or the worse I'll let others judge. I'm happy with who I am today despite that I haven't achieved many of my lifes goals. To some extent I buy into Hemmingway's "Pursuit as Happiness" philosophy but by no means do I intend to not achieve my goals.

I have many faults but an equal number of admirable characteristics. Some might find that statement arrogant and perhaps their is some arrogance within me. I like to believe that I'm a bit of a realist and I know that I've worked hard at learning who I am. Introspection is perhaps my greatest hobby and yet as I've said, I am still learning who I am.

Getting back on to the more empirical track. I consider my home town to be Colebrook, NH. This small community located on the border for Vermont and Canada is still the home of my boyhood heart and memories. It was somewhere in the wilderness of the north that the romantic spirit born within me took a back seat to the cynical realist of the present day. I left Colebrook to spend my final high school year in Nashua at Nashua High School. From a school of 240 students to a class of 950, you might say that I experienced a bit of culture shock. I then spent the next four years at the University of New Hampshire developing a degree in Electrical Engineering. Digital Equipment was my summer employment and they became my mainstay upon graduation.

I worked in the Network and Communications field doing mostly support engineering for Local Area Networks. Early in my employment I became the beneficiary (yeah right) of a unique medical condition. My optic nerves began to die for an as of yet undiagnosed reason. The process was quick and fortunately not thorough. By August of 1989 I was completely blind in my right eye and had severe 'tunnel' vision in my left eye. The result was legal blindness, the loss of my driving ability and a significant impact upon my life. I struggled for a time but those days are behind me and I'm stronger by far for the experience. I think in many ways it made me a better person.

As a result of the vision, I no longer work directly for Digital Equipment. I receive Long Term Disability Benefits and fill my time with various pursuits. One of these pursuits is working for the Adult Learning Center as a vollunteer tutor. I work with English as a Second Language (ESL) and also with basic General Education Degree (GED) requirements.

You aren't taking that picture!?!

Well returning to the update I can tell you that things have changed yet again in my life. In late October of this year I experienced a relapse of the optic condition. The result was the loss of a significant portion of my remaining vision. Over the last seven years I became practiced enough at handling my legal blindness that a fair portion of folks had no idea that I even had a visual problem. That unfortunately will no longer be the case. While my spirits are still as high as ever, this change will be far more apparent. No doubt my extensive athletic drive will be seeking a few new venues for the coming years. Still, I am quite certain that my basic personality will remain quite unchanged.

So for the current time I've discontinued my work with the Adult Learning Center and I'm working on adapting to my situation. I full well intend to be back at the many vollunteer organizations once I have adjusted to the new conditions. In that aspect my internet use are greatly decreased until that time in which my speach software is fully installed and running. For the present I am effectively unable to read anything -how very fortunate that my typing skills are in a workable range! More to come later!

Modi & I

So the speach software is fully up and running, I use J.A.W.S. and DECTalk along with a new toy: Voice Pilot. While all of these are excellent programs, I have full appreciation for some prior approaches to reading and net use! Still I'm able to do most things that I desire on the net and I'm exceedingly greatful for the vision which has remained to me (knocking heavily on wood). Similarly my life off of the computer has adapted quite well and aside from the askance glance of a few folks who choose to find my Cane an oddity, I'm doing excellently at life adjustments. Despite the astounding dog above, the next step is to pursue a Guide Dog to help me address a few problematic concerns. Being 6'3" and not seeing well opens up a host of new objects to head butt. The white stuff, Snow people - snow, also makes these sidewalks a tad difficult for cane use. So be prepared for updates in that area in the near future.

ttfn

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