Category: Let's talk
So I have a question for everyone. I've been trying to find a way to get my
creativity out instead of just writing short stories I never show anyone. I
thought that I might start a blog, but about what? Well, I've heard a lot of blind
people complaining that a lot of instructions and things like that on amazon and
other places aren't good for the blind. Like fashion, what matches who and
when for why? Not a lot of resources are dedicated to the blind and cover that
kind of topic. So I thought I might start one, since I love doing that sort of
thing. So here's my question, would you read it, and what kind of thing would
you want to find on a blog like that? What would you want covered?
the ideas I've had so far are grooming, fashion, accessories, cooking and
kitchen gadgetry. Does anyone have any other ideas?
I'd really appreciate some feedback on this. Thanks.
Ah a daily living blog. Well, obviously you need to write about what you know so I guess you would be blogging from your perspective? I guess one good topic would be hygeen. It's never covered but it is so important! Just a thought.
Basically, and yes, hygene would be very important.
I assume you would somehow want to make money off this blog? Or would this just be to put yourself out there?
Hi! I think something like this would be great. You may also want to consider partnering up with some potential guest bloggers who could do some posts on makeup application techniques for blind women, while also getting across the importance of such things in the professional world.
As for money, I wouldn't mind making money off of it, but I wouldn't want to
charge someone to read it. That would defeat the purpose for me. Its no good
putting out articles to teach people how to do something, or give them ideas,
and then prevent them from reading it. However, being paid to do reviews or
something like that would be fun.
As for guest bloggers, absolutely. I already have a few ideas of who to ask to
do some writing for any blog I start.
it's a great idea. you need to decide a couple things. what age group are you targeting? I mean what you consider fashionable as a 20 something might leave someone say a little older cold. also, there are plenty of blogs like this related to women. men need help!!!! you can provide it. you have a sharp mind and the ability to delve to the heart of an issue. also as a guy, you would only be rebroadcasting third party information. what I've read from you about men's fashions is totally on target. you have a unique style. go for it!!!!!
Well, I would try to do something that applies to as many ages as I can. Like,
suits, those can apply equally to all ages.
I don't think I'd be regurgitating information though. For example, I wrote a
board post on here somewhere about how to do a wet shave as a blind person.
I'd do a blog post similar to that, but more detailed and with less spelling
mistakes. It would be directly targeted at blind guys who want to learn how to
do a wet shave, and in a way no sighted person would be able to do.
And, to be clear, i don't only want to do fashion and grooming. I'd love to do a
blog post on how to cook a steak, which could be used by women and men.
How to use a french press, or a morter and pestle. How to buy fragrances, stuff
like that. Stuff that would work for both genders.
I personally think that this sounds like a great idea. While I probably
wouldn't be terribly interested in every single topic that you are considering
covering, there are definitely some that I would love to see someone
cover--cooking from a blind perspective especially; it seems that's a very
rare topic to delve into for some reason. I imagine that my interest in that
would probably transfer over to the rest of your blog though, so I could
definitely see myself reading something like this.
As for ideas of what other things I'd like to see covered in this kind of
thing, I honestly can't think of many. The only thing that really comes to
mind is when you were talking about guest bloggers, I immediately thought
of Burnadetta haha. I'm sure that she could come up with something that
she could write about if she wanted to, but if not, I think it would be
fascinating if she wrote from the perspective of being a blind mother--
which she is, of course. I think that a lot of people could benefit from that,
and that it would provide a lot of insite to the rest of us in general.
I wish you luck on your venture, if you decide to get it going!
Haha, she was number one on my list Kassy.
Good idea. Guest writers would give you a wider range too.
Sorry, I didn't mention the cooking aspect. Something like that would really be amazingly helpful to a lot of people. I had to learn to cook completely on my own with Google as my only source of assistance. To be honest, it didn't even occur to me to check if there were any cooking blogs specifically for new blind cooks. But since learning to cook at least semi-respectably and developing my own technique along the way, I've spoken to some blind people who are absolutely terrified of cooking. Even some very basic posts would be helpful for the new cook. For example, how to cook a pound of ground beef. Of course there are instructions for that all over that aren't tailored to blind cooks, but for some, the perspective of another blind person might give them that extra bit of confidence they need in the kitchen.
I really hope you do this, and can find a way to circulate its existence.
Oh yes cooking should be covered. I think it would be good if grilling could be covered. Now grilling while blind would really see popularity.
Hmm, grilling while blind would be a challenge in some ways. I'll have to look in
to that one.
Cody, it will be easier than you think. Lots of blind people either grill blind, currently, or have done so.
I do think a blog like this would be useful. As others have stated, there has been a lot of content created about this stuff for women, but less so for men.
I also think there have been a lot of blindness blogs created to tackle more philosophical issues relating to blindness/blind life/blind experience.
Seeing someone branch out into practical application of life skills would provide the community a resource its currently lacking.
Oh I know people do it, but the only people I know who do it use propain. I
was thinking charcoal, but I don't know how to make sure its lit evenly, but I
bet their a way to do it. I've just gotta find it.
First of all, yes, you're a great writer so I'd be interested in reading your blog.
Secondly, I grill with charcoal. I could try to write something about it that might even make sense. lol Clearly, you'd want to proof it for spelling and punctuation as I admit I do both about as well as the average 3rd grader. *shrug*
Third, you mentioned perhaps getting paid to write reviews. You might look into becoming a reviewer from Amazon. I have no idea how to get into that but I've seen several reviewers lately make the disclaimer that they received a discount in exchange for the review.
Whenever I buy something that my fellow blind folks might find useful, I always write the review with that in mind. Usually, I write the product review and then put a ***NOTE FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED CUSTOMERS*** beneath my initial review and then continue with the review from our perspective, i.e. describing button layouts, etc.
Good luck with your blogging venture. You're a great writer so I know you'll do well.
This is a great idea. As someone else said, there's a wealth of blogs about the more abstract side of blindness, and even those are generally geared totally or partially toward sighted readers. It'd be nice to have a practical blog by a blind person for blind people (designed with the blind in mind, you might say). There's your cringe-worthy sentiment for today. You're welcome.
Go for it Cody. Fashion for men is definitely needed, and other women can help you with the make-up part and stuff.
This blog is really going to be great!
Aw, thanks you guys. I'm truly touched.
silver lightning, please let us know when you publish it. cooking for guys is wonderful and needed. fragrances, suits, etc., eetc., bring it on. coming from a male perspective, I'm sure that other men would read and accept it better than from a woman. you know we have that nagging reputation. as for the grilling, my husband did it with charcoal for years. the queen of the bbq as far as I'm concerned, and this is not prejudice at all, is my daughter. my son who has ormal vision says he can't do as well as does she and where he comes from, he's regarded as some kind of pit master. domestic goddess is a great writer and I bet she'd do a super job but if you needed something on say smoking, I bet my gal would do it. as my favorite current cliché goes "the longest journey begins with a single step." take yours soon!!! I'm so excited to read your blog!!!
Cody, go for it!! It seems like it's something you're passionate about, so why the hell not?
As for suggestions, to add something that's not been mentioned here: how about for variety's sake, you talk about music, and how you listen to music differently than most people do? Or maybe you don't do that, but I for one have learned to listen to music much differently than I used to. Meaning, I used to only listen to the lyrical content, but nowadays I listen to the band's sound first. Anyway, like I said, I'm not sure if that even strikes you as worthy or interesting, but I at least threw it out there.
Love all the suggestions so far, especially for me, fassion and what colours go with others.
Lol Chelsea, I was and still am totally opposite to you; I use to listen to the melody before the lyricks. I am trying to change this.
I don't know if I could write a how to on listening to music though. its kind of
a personal thing, you do what you think sounds good. But thanks for the vote of
confidence. I'll definitely let you guys know when I have ti all sorted out.
I can grille with charcoal, and gas, or even a wood fire.
So, maybe collect tips, try them yourself, then write about your experiences.
A blind person just need be aware of the location of the heat sourfe, but after that, it is all the same.
Maybe this is too much, but what about vlogging for youtube when it comes to cooking especially?
You mean making youtube videos Lakeria?
Rachael, I think you are mistaken--you said you are the opposite of me. I used to listen to song lyrics first. Now I do the opposite: I listen to the actual music, rather than the words. If the beat catches me, I'm all in.
Oh, sorry, my bad. Lol
I'd read it. I'm open to anything you feel like sharing, though would probably just skim over fashion oriented stuff if I'm honest. Cooking, fixing stuff around the house, travel advice...all stuff I'd probably be interested in. Maybe make a few initial posts and see where it takes you. I think you already have some readers here basically.
Yep Cody.
This is a tremendous idea. I’d also suggest some tech-related posts. Like, how to fix this or that particular problem with your computer using whatever screenreader you have. Sometimes the smallest problems, for instance, can be the most annoying to fix. Also, if you’re well-versed in one kind of screenreader but not another, you could use guest bloggers for things you’re less familiar with. If you’re into playing with new software or websites, I could see some interest in reviews on how accessible they might be. I think you’ve got something here.
Well, on the fashion and clothing side of things, for women, not only makeup tips would be helpful, but also descriptions of specific clothing items. What's popular? What kinds of things are people wearing now, and what is this or that garment called, how does it fit, and what other garment or shoe type do you wear it with? ... if that made sense! I don't know about anyone else, but I tend to avoid new styles and unfamiliar garment types, and stick with what I have worn for years, if I can still find it. But if I had more confidence because I could envision new styles and how they're supposed to fit, I might branch out a little with my wardrobe. It's rather embarrassing to have some sighted friend say, oh, you should wear this, and to have to say I have no clue what that is!
Perhaps this is simpler for men, fewer options, and all. I don't know.
Cooking and cleaning tips would be great, for a lot of people too. I hope you have many guest bloggers volunteer, because this sounds like a project that could become a full time job! LOL It's an excellent idea.
I would definitely have to get guest bloggers to do the tech posts. I know
nothing about technology. Which is why this blog isn't up yet. I'm still
researching the best way to do it. But I am working on it.
I'm trying to think of a name for it. Any ideas?
I would be willing to do the tech portion.
I'd be interested in reading about cooking, cleaning and travel-related topics. More generally I'd read about practical, low-tech stuff that I just never learned to do for some reason. Also, what about hobbies like home brewing? I just googled "blind home brewing" and got results like "will bad home brews make me go blind?" Not exactly helpful.
Well, you do gotta stay away from that bathtub gin.
I'm going to be meeting with a stylist person soon, so maybe if I learn a great deal, I could write on my experience, and get ideas from other people on how to dress as women. I'm painfully still learning myself, and stuff, so...
haha, if I do write about home brewing, which would be pretty easy according
to everything I've ever seen on the subject, I will be sure to avoid teaching
people how to make bathtub gin.
Actually I’ve become quite intrigued recently with the whole home-brewing thing. I love me some micro-brews, and when I was in Minnnesota, I got to sample a few. Plus, in my area of upstate New York, we’re starting to get pretty big into those; we even have a pretty sizable craft brewery, I think, in Richfield Springs, if I’m not mistaken. The German dark beers are my favorite, so I have this fantasy of emulating them. So, I’d love to know how to do something like that. Anyone interested in a Kaiser brew? (Sorry, Dad, I’m betraying my Polish heritage.)
Well likewise, I would skip over the cooking posts and other house chaws, but fashion and what colour goes with what has always confused me.
Cody, I thought about something else last week for this blog, but it's gone right out of my head, so will work on remembering it. Lol
Style is not easier for the well dressed man.
It is about the same in difficulty as for women.
How much a person is willing to put in to it makes it more involved.
To be basicly dressed decent doesn't take much. To get involved will require more.
It is up to the person.
Meeting with a stylist is a great idea.
I remember telling Cody to go to a store and ask some of the sales clerks to give him ideas.
Some people go overboard. My step brother, for instance, needs to have his watch match his clothes and his shoes, well forget it!
someone once said we can only do a few things well. mostly these are what interest us. cody, put your laser like intelligence and writing style toward two or three of these excellent suggestions. see haow it goes and branch out from there. or not... just saying...
Lol, your watch should match your belt, which should always match your
shoes. Assuming the watch is leather. if its silver, it should ideally match the
buckle on your belt and whatever other metal you are wearing. But usually your
watch color doesn't matter. And that's why I want to write this blog.
As to shoes and clothes we have an old, but interesting concept returning.
I would say it never went away, just that shoes are a focus point again.
The trend is to wear shoes that stand out from your outfit.
If you are wearing black, you’ll want to wear white, blue, and brown. Anything but shoes that are black.
Sneakers are many times multi colored, so you match one color in the shoe with your outfit, or a couple.
But, you can’t ever go wrong with just black or brown shoes, so.
Men can and are wearing red shoes again, or other shades other than burgundy.
I always try to keep the same or general color of my man bag with my shoes as well just like women do.
If I’m carrying a brown leather, I wear some shade of brown leather shoes.
I have brown, tan, black, and a natural reddish leather in bags, so I can pretty much do this.
If all else goes, I take the brown, or natural leather colored.
For example, if I wear my blue Red Wing boots, the brown does best.
I don't like fake miterials, so would never have a blue bag. I also don't guess I'd want a blue. To difficult to match.
If I were a woman, I'd have all sorts.
All interesting.
silver lightning,
you have made my day. as a woman, this is not important to me, but it is interesting how times have changed. I didn't know the thing about belts matching shoes and watchbands had reappeared. whenever my dad saw a guy like that he'd laugh like crazy and say "dinosaur." one of the accusations I get is that I'm too "matchy match." so your description of this trend makes me happy. thanks.
haha, I'm glad I could make your day.
I thought belts and shoes had to match. You're saying that isn't been the case? Guess that shouldn't surprise me, I know people tend to be sloppy in their dress, these days.
My partner and I went to a classical concert a few months ago, and in line for the tickets, a woman expressed some shock that we were dressed up. Seems a given to me that you'd dress for something like that, but apparently not anymore. My partner was annoyed; he enjoys nice clothes, and doesn't like that people often act as though dressing decently is some eccentricity.
Depends on the concert.
People still dress for some.
But, if you like to dress, dress.
Your belt should always match your shoes if its a dress belt. Casual belt its
less important, and the belt can be used as an accent piece. But if you're
dressing up, belt matches shoes, always always always. Now, the watch band
you can get away with it not matching if you only own one. and if you're
dressing up for a really big dinner or something, you can forgo the watch
altogether. But, basically, match as many accessories as you can, for men at
least. For women the rules are a little different.
violet blue,
here in the northwest cornerof wasahington state, people rarely dress up. at least here in Bellingham I am told that is so. a dear friend of my husband's recently had to go to a funeral. his wife adamantly insisted that he wear a coat and tie. he was the only, and I mean only, guy in the room with one on.
that's more a testament to the shameful dressing of the other attendees than
anything else. Funerals call for somber attire. You should wear a suit, and it
should be black if at all possible. Unless there are cultural traditions to be
upheld.
Black, or gray actually. Gray is acceptable.
I'd ask though. Even funerals are changing.
I've seen them all white, or as the poster stated, casual.
For me personally, I don't get all hung up on fashion--before anyone jumps down my throat, I am not saying anything about what others choose to do.
Take shoes, for example. Since I wear leg braces, there is not much out there that is made fashionable, much less in terms of variety, for people who wear them. That being said, I have decided to make that a fashion statement in itself. Meaning, my braces are all different kinds of colors, and I will be getting different colored shoes than the usual black ones that are popular right now.
I bring this up to say that something like that may be an interesting topic to blog about, if for nothing else than to bring awareness to the fact that sometimes we just don't have a choice whether our shoes match what we're wearing or not. Although in my case, I am choosing to get something different than black, I am more touching on the lack of style choices that are available for those who wear leg braces.
Also, Cody, a good sight to blog at is dreamwidth.org. It's much like the LiveJournal layout, if you're familiar with that. It's easily accessible, whereas other sites like BlogSpot, for instance, tend to be less accessible and more frustration-inducing in my opinion.
Hope that helps.
Thanks Chelsea. I hadn't considered the whole leg braces thing, because I
have exactly zero experience with them. But I was thinking of things one could
do with a cane to snaz it up. After all, there's no rule that says a cane has to be
white, just that it has to have a reflective tip. so why not fancy it up and show
some personality, right?
Cody, if you are ever interested and get the blog up and running, I'd be happy to write a guest post about having leg braces and how in some ways, I don't have choices about certain things. For the record though, I understand that this is not everyone's fascination, but I just thought I would offer because there may be others in my situation who may think it's good to bring awareness to it but are too shy to follow through.
Also, I don't think this has been mentioned yet, but how about doing restaurant reviews?
on a similar topic to fancying up canes, my guide dog has pink nails which she has done at the groomers. the polish is nontoxic. they are bright Barbie doll or bubble gum pink. she also wears bandanas appropriate to holidays themes or whatever I feel like putting on her. the nails are because since she's a black lab, everyone thinks she's a male dog. 90% of blind and sighted people like what I do. of course, the usual no funners say "I am demeaning the purpose of a guide dog." joh well...
I don't see how that is doing anything to the purpose of a guide dog. Unless
you put the bandana over her eyes. Which, if you do, that is very cruel and you
shouldn't do that.
Well I met a guy with a bicycle horn on his cane. Talk about personality.
The restaurant review thing is a really good idea. I’m a bit of a foodie, so I’d volunteer for that. As for bicycle horns on canes, I thought of getting one of those really loud boat or fishing horns. Little terrorist that I was when I was about seven, I blew off one of those in my cousin’s ear. He got me back though by doing the same to me.
Aww, Turricane. I like the pink polish idea. I'm going to ask about it, next time my girl is groomed. She's a black lab too. I wouldn't like a bandanna on her--I always take them off at the first possible instant, when the groomer's put them on, but a little colorful nail polish can't hurt.
I was going to get my pup a pearl collar to wear at my wedding, back in February this year, (it would've matched my pearls! Haha) but the wedding was agreed on and arranged in about three weeks, total, so I didn't have enough time to search out something decorative for her, too, by the time I thought of it. I barely managed to find a dress for myself! This would have been the one instance in which I relaxed my rules about such things... she wouldn't have been working in it, and only wearing it, supervised, for about an hour. Ah well.
Restaurant reviews might be something I do. But the reviews I would love to
do are city reviews. I've done a lot of looking around for moves and such, and
the one thing I kept wishing was that there was a website or something I could
go to where blind people who lived somewhere laid out what made a specific
city good or bad. Like, to have someone who lives in, say, Boston, say, "Ok, the
transportation works this way. The Subway is easy to use, or impossible to use.
You get free tickets here here and here. The streets are confusing in these
neighborhoods. So on and so forth." That way, if someone was thinking of
moving, or even just visiting somewhere, they could be like, "ah, I need to
prepare for this this and this." What do you guys think?
That's a great idea.
I could do Manhattan from memory, at least a large portion of it. Minneapolis as well, since I lived in both places for years. I'd love to go back to Manhattan to see if I still got it.