In late January [2023] I was accepted to speak at the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) conference in July. Location: New Orleans. My fiancé Paul and I decided to go on a three-week road trip to get there. There was no reason to hurry since Paul was off work the entire month of July and I was now self-employed. We wanted to take our time and simply wander, letting each day unfold new mysteries, to start driving each morning with no real agenda.

When my high school boyfriend and first love reappeared in my life after an absence of 33 years and asked if I wanted to reconnect, I had no idea that Paul had developed an obsession while we were apart. Tender readers, do not judge him harshly when I tell you that he loves, of all things, street tacos.

The trouble with National Disability Independence Day.

What? I ran across this on the nationaltoday.com calendar of days and thought it was a joke … kind of like May the 4th being Star Wars Day. But, no.  July 26th is the day that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law in 1990, and somebody decided to call it National Disability Independence Day.

I am a semi-nerdy/geeky girl. I like pop culture, random trivia, and other cultures. I have studied brain anatomy, wheelchairs, computers, and all kinds of assistive technologies. I can practically recite “The Princess Bride” and act out scenes from “Young Frankenstein” …. “Put ze candle back!” Although I’m not completely immersed in my fandoms, I consider myself a Firefly Browncoat and a Whovian. When things are good, they are “Shiny, Captain!” I love it when River Song says, “Hello Sweetie” and have actually said “Oh, you clever boy” to my fiancé who smiled because he knows the reference.