Even while worsened eyesight and the latest leg crisis combine with other responsibilities to keep me away from my writing, including this blog, the international spammers have kept passing but constant attention to the blog. Real readers wouldn’t notice, because most of my actions have been to delete the link spam posted as comments.
The spam is obvious to me on so many levels. I’m not pounded soft by the empty and insincere compliments to how well written an article is or how I must be an authority on "this topic." I’m not taken in by compliments to the appearance or layout and do not feel the need to give free coaching to people asking what software I use to create the blog. I’m not even going to address the people who post with the advice that the blog needs "more" pictures. This is a blog by and mostly for blind people.
Most of the link spam is posted anonymously. It makes me think back to an online conversation I had with fellow writer Brandon Bell when he was being harassed by someone posting anonymously to his blog. There have been a couple friends or readers who posted legitimately, and I do not want to limit them. I also believe that limited comments in any way can inadvertently lay a foundation for censorship. No one has to agree with me, we just need to disagree respectfully.
Censorship opposition aside, the idea of this blog is to force myself to communicate the experiences of vision loss and diabetes and the other problems that arise. Most of the questions friends and acquaintances have but feel impolite to ask can be answered here. Judging from search engine hits, many other people have gotten useful information among these posts. It’s not a commercial site. If I am not even trying to make money off of it, I see no reason to allow people across the world to post a pasted comments on my blog along with who knows how many other, just so they can end with a link to their commercial sites that hawk things like trick teas, rascally raspberries, gimmicks for overall weight loss or specific weight gain solely to the penis, supplements and non-American approved drugs, cosmetics, prostitution, and the worst among others, boner pills. Do these assholes really think I will allow boner pill links when I have maintained the most frequent label tag as "Cialis = Blindness"?
The spam filters here work very well, and what garbage they do miss, I am quick to delete.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Feelings of Abandonment
I have not abandoned this blog, despite the lack of a new post since April. (Forthcoming case in point, no sooner did I write that one line on June 4th when I was distracted away and unable to get back.)
Now it’s July 6th and I believe I can finish a hasty missive.
2013 has left me with an overwhelming sense of loss. On top of reduced capabilities and an attrition of friends, over the time since the eye problems began, I started the year with poor feelings for having sold my car. I can accept the inability to drive more than no longer owning a vehicle.
As the year progressed, I had an eye procedure that brought complication and less result than anyone had hoped. My father passed away, I noticed that the Crow boot-bound leg is losing muscle mass and even routine things took more effort. Even further reduced exertion was more than I found I could handle. I’ve had to give up more, especially when "over" exertion inflamed the tendon in my leg, which re-triggered the Charcot Foot inflammation and ended up ulcerating the ankle. The hole was larger than a silver dollar. More than three months later, it’s about the size of a penny or nickel.
I suffered the worsened by moving prized possessions to a venue for their sale. Despite the pride in ownership, this stuff is heavy and bulky and useless to a blind guy. Removal became critical because the fact that my apartment–in a house I own–is no longer livable for me, even before the reduced eyesight and worsened leg. There’s 34 steps between the street and my apartment; 48 between the street and my bedroom. It’s hard enough getting in the house empty handed. Groceries are outright burdensome.
The eyesight, particularly effects of and adjustment to changes in light, is worse. This limits everything, including functional computer time. Work on fiction projects has stagnated as much as the blog while I try to close out responsibilities and roll with the changes.
Things are looking less bleak. My guardian angels may be masochists, but they are on the job!
Now it’s July 6th and I believe I can finish a hasty missive.
2013 has left me with an overwhelming sense of loss. On top of reduced capabilities and an attrition of friends, over the time since the eye problems began, I started the year with poor feelings for having sold my car. I can accept the inability to drive more than no longer owning a vehicle.
As the year progressed, I had an eye procedure that brought complication and less result than anyone had hoped. My father passed away, I noticed that the Crow boot-bound leg is losing muscle mass and even routine things took more effort. Even further reduced exertion was more than I found I could handle. I’ve had to give up more, especially when "over" exertion inflamed the tendon in my leg, which re-triggered the Charcot Foot inflammation and ended up ulcerating the ankle. The hole was larger than a silver dollar. More than three months later, it’s about the size of a penny or nickel.
I suffered the worsened by moving prized possessions to a venue for their sale. Despite the pride in ownership, this stuff is heavy and bulky and useless to a blind guy. Removal became critical because the fact that my apartment–in a house I own–is no longer livable for me, even before the reduced eyesight and worsened leg. There’s 34 steps between the street and my apartment; 48 between the street and my bedroom. It’s hard enough getting in the house empty handed. Groceries are outright burdensome.
The eyesight, particularly effects of and adjustment to changes in light, is worse. This limits everything, including functional computer time. Work on fiction projects has stagnated as much as the blog while I try to close out responsibilities and roll with the changes.
Things are looking less bleak. My guardian angels may be masochists, but they are on the job!
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