Sifting Through a Long Summer of ’22: Glitches, Rip-offs, and Moving Forward

I survived it. That’s how I feel about the summer of ’22. A bit dramatic, I realize. And there was nothing life threatening going on. There just wasn’t much good going on.

Toasting summer farewell with my
buddy John was a highlight of the
season. (A different John than
the one mentioned in the post.)

For the first time in a while, I didn’t get to go down the shore for a vacation. Certainly, many people don’t get a beach vacation, and I was fortunate to have a few in recent years. But the reason I couldn’t go this year was disability related, which is always frustrating. Between my mobility level and my mom and John getting older, it’s become too difficult for me to go down with them. This year, things just didn’t work out with my brother’s schedule.

I also spent the summer with no sound on my computer. Some time in the spring, I finally asked my mom to help me take down a multi-picture frame from above my desk that needed some updating and to flip-flop the positions of the computer tower and printer on my desk. I’d been wanting to make these changes for a while. My computer was getting old and taking forever to boot up. Moving the tower made it possible for me to hit the power button from my wheelchair (instead of transferring to the desk chair) and more easily go do other things while the computer came on.

It seemed simple enough. And it was almost a relief when it was done. I’m the type of person who finds little things like this going undone rather annoying, probably because I can’t physically do them myself. Then the pictures I’d picked for the frame either didn’t quite fit or didn’t look as nice as I thought they would. More importantly, I lost sound on my desktop. So, I ended up with a nail sticking out of the wall and a computer that was mute.

I still have no idea why I lost the sound. Everything else worked on the computer. I don’t even think we unplugged anything. I’m as techy as a pet rock these days, so my brother came over to try to fix it. Three hours later . . . nothing. (Yes, I felt bad he spent that much time on it!)

SIDEBAR: Word Prediction

I want to detail the little bit I’ve learned about word prediction in Windows 11 for anyone who might be struggling to find the right fit. I think it’s important for people with disabilities to share experiences that might help others avoid some of the pitfalls they’ve experienced. First, my thanks to Delaware County Intermediate Unit Assistive Technology Specialists for their assistance on this issue. I’m currently using the Windows 11 version of word prediction, and it's a great option so far. It’s a touch slower than WordQ, arrowing up and sometimes over to select words versus using a number. But it’s built-in to what I’m already using (read "paying for") and seems to play nicer with certain software/apps, including Explorer. While I was using a free trial of MS Word, I briefly had their text predictions working alongside the Windows 11 predictions. The same was true logging in to Outlook. Unfortunately, so far, I have not gotten it to work with Google docs, and I think you need the Chrome browser to get their predictions. (I’m not sure.)

I had started with the free version of LightKey, which was originally serviceable to ok. Then after a week it simply stopped working. The suggested word or phrase still appeared, but hitting the “tab” key no longer typed the prediction. I learned through LightKey support this was actually how the software was supposed to work—the free version is limited to 1,000 predicted characters a month. Characters, they said, not words. Seriously? I’m embarrassed it took a week.

Feel free to share more information on word prediction in the comments.

I tried just dealing with the lack of sound. Then I realized surfing around YouTube for music on a relaxing night was over and controlling iTunes on the desktop was no more. Videos on social media looked good, but it quickly got pretty frustrating not hearing them. My iPod was a decent replacement for listening to some music, but shuffle mode doesn’t quite cut it sometimes. I even tried using my iPhone for scrolling through social media in case I wanted to go wild and actually hear videos in my feed.

I’m 50 years old with cerebral palsy and have to wear readers to see my iPhone. Using my iPhone is not relaxing.

So, I got over mild sticker shock from the price of a new computer. I even braced myself for the chore of adjusting to all the new and improved ways of doing things that I’ve been doing for years just fine but now have no clue how to do. My favorite part so far, besides being asked if I like the picture I’m shown upon boot up so I can potentially buy it, is how everything is now sold as a subscription.

When did we fall for this? I have to buy the same software at least every year?

I find it more offensive that adaptive software is being sold on a subscription basis. The word prediction software I’ve used for about 15 years, WordQ, now comes with a yearly subscription fee.

Even retreating to the sanctuary of sports became a bit problematic this summer. My reward for watching the Phillies regularly was having a handful of games poached by the streaming services Peacock and AppleTV+.

I get it—we’re a capitalist society. Everyone wants to make money. But making software that is made to stop working in a year or charging more to watch a game simply because you figured out how isn’t ingenuity that you should be rewarded for. It’s a rip-off.

Cracking 7 miles on the exercise bike at the
gym for the first time post-shutdown was worth
a picture of the screen during the “Cool Down.”

Summer wasn’t a total loss. I cracked 7 miles on the bike at the gym. Maybe, just maybe, I can get back to my pre-shutdown level of 12+ miles on level 12. Shifting my upper body workouts from machines at the gym to doing resistance bands at home has been a plus. Getting on and off machines was becoming very time consuming, and there were a few machines that I either couldn’t do as well as I used to or simply couldn’t get on. I think I’m actually getting a better workout at home.

I also did some writing. I’m confident a reboot of Super Crip will happen. I’m just not sure when. I’m doing some things differently to try to make this my best work.

I didn’t get out nearly as much as I would have liked this summer despite my efforts to do so. I definitely need some change in that aspect of my life. I’m just not sure how to make it happen.

A mom original photo
of the ocean.

For now, I’m happy fall is unofficially upon us. I toasted the end of summer over a couple drinks with a good friend, enjoyed a week off from the gym, and I got my new computer somewhat to my liking–music and all! I still haven’t decided whether to buy Word (outright or via subscription) and pay “the man,” or use Google docs and pay with a piece of my soul. At least I’m pretty sure I get to keep the computer without having to buy it again next week.

I think.

I even found a picture to hang over that pesky empty nail.

It’s an original from mom of the ocean. I’ll be able to look up and daydream about sitting in a beach chair in my favorite spot–the edge of the ocean with the waves rolling up to my feet.