At one time getting the car ready for a summer trip might be the most important thing you could do. Still important? Ok, sure. You know to check tires, service radiators, check the fan belts and hoses, and the car probably needs a tune up. Got it.
So you would head to the dealer, a Firestone store, Walmart or whatever wonderful service center you knew about or lived closest to. You drove in, told them what you think you needed and they quietly smirked to themselves. Then you signed the work order, headed to the waiting area and hung out until they found you and told you what you really needed. Rarely, if ever, did the two match.
That was the primary vacation preparations then. Now? Now it’s update apps, update software, and purchase whatever it is you think you need to make travel more fun and entertaining.
Need a new phone? No. But this is as good an excuse as any to get one.
Then add:
Selfie Stick
Bluetooth headset
Phone stand
Mobile security program
Wireless router
Battery backup
Solar charger
Duplicate cords
Oooooohhhhhh!! Don’t forget:
Yes, that was a purely self-serving action. That said, look at the link to the right. Okay, that was purely self-serving too. Sorry.
There are things we need to tell our kids – these are a few of them
Parents always worry that their kids aren’t learning all the things that they will need to know to plow through this life with a modicum of happiness, security, and peace. In the interest of saving the planet from the unknowing, I have come up with a short, partial list of just such things. It’s not a complete list, or even a good one but it’s the one I have at the moment. And in case you’re wondering what this has to do with the topic of this blog, go back and look at the title. It’s just all of us.
Things your kids should absolutely, positively know
Okay, there you have a few things that every parent should tell their kids; important, worthwhile, crucial things. And it’s even better if you tell them while you’re with them, having fun.
Cue fireworks: Disabled Literature by Wendy Chung, Alijandra Mogilner, Svetlana Zakinova and, yes, yours truly, is now available. Twenty years in the research and writing, Disabled Literature examines how authors have used characters with disabilities to elicit emotional reactions in readers; additionally, how writers use disabilities to present individuals as “the other” rather than simply as people. Finally, the book discusses how literature has changed, or is changing, with regards to its presentation of those with a disability.
Is this news? Probably not; we all know evil Captain Hook in Peter Pan with the hook in place of a hand. We know Tiny Tim with the crutches. We know Forrest Gump and we certainly know Raymond in Rain Man. We get it, we understand being manipulated but agree to it so we can feel the fear, feel the pity, feel something while we read and are entertained. Isn’t feeling something from literature one of the points? Unfortunately, depending on the character, on the plot, the setting, sometimes we lose something. Sometimes we lose just a bit of humanity.
Disabled Literature is now available from these retailers:
Amazon:
Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/disabled-literature-miles-beauchamp/1122161660?ean=9781627345309
Universal Publishers:
http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1627345302
Yes, it took a great deal of time to write Disabled Literature. Yes, we thought we’d go crazy sometimes through all the research. Would we do it again? In a flat minute.