Car Shopping: 04/05/12

The new year has brought about some new car shopping!  Recently I've been doing weekend overtime at work, my grandfather left us for heaven, and now I'm in the process of  moving this month to a new residence!  Needless to say, I was doing good to get the few test drives in I've already made this year. 


I've gained a wealth of knowledge, but not enough.  Consumer Reports has been a rock.... along with Edmunds.com and KBB.com.  I'm disappointed that the government has yet to release safety ratings on 2012 models.  Until then we must rely solely on the International Highway Safety ratings.  The IHS ratings do not seem as thorough as the Government Safety ratings.


I'm currently trying to decide between a Toyota RAV4 and a Honda Accord.  Visibility out the back, gas mileage, and safety ratings are my number 1 concerns.  I would like to ride higher up, which is why I chose the RAV4, because I feel I can see a little better out and like the sportier look.  I chose the Accord because Consumer Reports has it ranked among vehicles with Best Visibility, not to mention the nice gas milage.  (And they only listed about 6 out of ALL vehicles on the market.)  So what do you think?   I must ask again, because I'm at a standstill for a few weeks.  I'd love to hear your opinions.

My Christmas Gift: I'm Licensed! 12/21/11

One week before Christmas I got an email saying that my trainer suddenly has 3 open days I can drive. As it turns out she chose not to take a week of her vacation.  Since I don't check my personal email until after work, Monday was already over.  I only had 2 days left to try this again. I got on the phone with the DMV the first thing Tuesday morning to schedule my 3rd road test. They had no openings Tuesday, so I asked about Wednesday.  They only had one morning and one afternoon appointment left open. Knowing it was supposed to rain over night and well into the morning I took the 1:45 pm appointment. I called my trainer to let her know what time to get me to the DMV and everything was set. But things would not go as planned.


I awoke Wednesday morning to some torrential rain and a boat load of fog. My bus driver commented that it looked really spooky out that morning. She was right, we passed a two story home decorated for Christmas with candles in the windows.  It did look creepy against the dark rain filled morning sky soaked with thick rolling fog. I was not happy. This was my second to last day of work before Christmas vacation.  I had my plate extremely FULL of things to do that day at work and at home. I tried to not think much about my test, but I did find myself looking at the radar on my breaks. I saw a break in the rain on radar at about 11am. I was by no means excited because I had no clue how long this window of no rain would actually last.  By the time 1:00 came I walked outside and the concrete showed the rain was drying up and the clouds had gotten much lighter.  I was running late, so we drove straight to the DMV with no practice.  I was still shaken from my work day and making stupid mistakes, like turning the car off without putting the car in park and hitting the wrong blinker by accident.  There were just the kind of little things that may cause me to fail yet again.  This kinda of behavior before my test made me doubt myself more.


Once we stepped out of the car at the DMV the clouds all broke, the sun came out and cool clean air swept across the sky like a late October day in the South.  I was elated that now they could not cancel my road test due to rain.  Now I just wondered how the sun would effect my test drive.  The DMV was full of people and teens out of school trying to get their license.  A Department of Corrections officer greeted me, and when she did not know what a bioptic driver was, she called to her supervisor for help.  I've never seen the DMV supervisor before.  She was a lady between 40 to 50 with glasses and a can do attitude that could be addictive.  She read all my documentation, and told me shed come over to do the interview too.  They took yet another photo, asked me the health questions, did the eye test, and had me sign a statement.  After that, it was time to hit the road once again.  I hoped I did not get Mrs. Brown, unless she displayed a more friendly demeanor.  Today since the teens were out of school, the line to get the road test was long.  About 5 cars were ahead of me.  So we waited as my trainer happily worked on her ipad.  It was really cool to witness this one teen and his family interact at the very moment he got his license.  He was with his older teen brother and his father.  He hopped out of the car with the safety officer and high fived his brother as he joyfully claimed his success with a laughter, pride, and a smile that said it all.  I watched as we got closer and closer to the front of the line trying to figure out who was going to test me.  Finally I made it to the front of the line and officer Jones approached my vehicle.


He was the officer who gave me my first road test. Because he had shown interest in my bioptics, and actually talked to my trainer when I failed, I felt like this was a good thing.  He is a no nonsense guy, but that's likely part of his job description.  The other safety officer I tested with the second day was subtly brazen.  So the differences were vast.  My trainer seemed over anxious to exclaim to officer Jones how happy she was we got him again.  I was over there sinking down in my seat thinking, please don't say anything to him that will accidentally jinx this for me.  She had told me not to mention the second test, yet she didn't mind revisiting the first.  He definitely remembered me, a good or bad thing, I don't know.  Regardless, I was now officially nervous when he got in the car.  We again tested signals, emergency break, and horn.  After he put all the data in his electric pad he said to proceed when ready following all the normal rules of the road that I'd follow if I was alone.  He asked if I had any questions.  I asked him if I could creep up after I stop at a stop sign to safely see around corners before jumping out into the road.  He then shocked me a little, because instead of answering me, he turned my one question around on me and said, "What does the State Drivers Handbook say about that?"  My mind spun and I stumbled my way out of my own questions with an acceptable answer.



After that, I put the car in drive and we were off.  He took me on the same exact route.  I nailed the 3 point turn, I nailed backing up the car.  I saw all the stop signs timely.  The sun was shining and this was going fast.  Now on to the road that connected to the stop light that caused me to fail last time.  No 18 wheelers today.  When I approached the light was red, so I had to stop.  I fumbled for my turning signal and turned the wrong one on for a split second, but I very quickly corrected myself hoping he didn't notice.  I told the officer what a long light this was hoping he'd forget if he did happen to see me fumble.  Now I was worried about my slight signal fumble.  Once the light lit up green I wasted no time turning and increased my speed as he reminded me to do on my first test.  Now the trick was to not miss the turn that proved obscure during my first test.  I practiced it, and made sure I had some landmarks in mind so I'd not miss it accidentally.  I made sure to slow down for the turn, but not to a crawl.  I made the turn a little fast, but certainly not dangerously fast like the first time.  At least there was no question I saw it this time.  Now for the final touches.


I crawled to a stop sign trying my best to make sure my vehicle's front end was not a hair past the front of the stop sign.  There was no white line on the road so you must judge your stopping distance by insuring your front end does not stick out further than the pole of the stop sign.  Next I turned my blinker on and then had to judge the traffic flow.  We had traffic coming both ways.  I waited very cautiously until it was clear and turned left.  Almost home.  Next stop was to turn right into this HUGE pothole filled with water.  I mentioned to officer Jones how the drivers must have worn this turn out because I was having to ride a little off the road because the road was crumbled so bad.  I wanted to ensure I didn't hit the vehicle turning out on the lane to the right of me.  I crawled through the pothole and he told me to take my next right, which was the DMV parking lot.  Now I just have to navigate the yellow lines and turn the sharp roundabout without hitting a cone.  He then told me to bring the car to a stop and put the car in park. It was done.  Now for the results.


I had no real expectations after failing it twice and me fumbling my blinker and turning a tad fast.  Any little thing could be detrimental.  He was silent for some painstaking seconds.  He then said "well.....congratulations, you passed."  I went into a silent disbelief/elation.  I tried to play it cool, and just said "thank you".  He went on to tell me I made a 96 score!  I then immediately asked what lowered my score.  He indicated he did not really see me completely yield at the yield sign located at the very beginning of the course.  Next, he said that it may be due to my thick red filters, but he really did not notice a lot of eye movement from mirror to mirror.  And finally the third thing was that when he asked me to come to a quick stop, he did not see me look in my rear view mirror to ensure no one was closely following me.  Aside from that, he said I did exceptionally well.  He told me to take the small score paper inside to the clerk and they would issue my license.  As soon as he opened the car door my trainer who had been anxiously awaiting my return, asked officer Jones how I did.  He told her I passed, she squealed with delight and laughter and he relayed how improved my driving was.  I now felt like a million bucks.  Onward to the clerks desk.


As I approached the desk I realized that just like that teen I saw, no one was going to be able to wipe this huge smile off my face either!  I was beaming with excitement and shock that I finally reached my goal.  The clerk asked what I was there for and I told her I had just passed my test.  She was very nice and congratulated me and asked for the score paper.  Without any prompting she glanced at my score and said, " you did very well, we don't see many scores this high here."  Now she really had me smiling.  I told her thanks and that I had waited around 33 years for this day to come.  She said "well you did it."  She had me fill out some paperwork and after a few computer entries asked me to check all the information on it very carefully and then sign it.  I saw my name, address, date of birth,and license number etc. on it.  This all seemed correct.  With that I signed and then she printed me a paper license and told me the plastic license will arrive in the mail within about 2 weeks.  She said the paper license is just as valid as the plastic one would be.  That meant no delay on me testing my new driving legs!   I was elated.  I thanked her again and with a great caring smile she wished me well.  As I started to walk out my trainer asked to see my license, I showed her.  She told me that we have a problem.  You've got to be kidding me I thought, what now?


She noticed that it did not say "bioptic driver" in a certain area of the back of my license.  She indicated that the state Safety board in Montgomery forced people to pay for a new license when this data was missing to correct this critical error.  My trainer said we should get back to the clerk's desk as quickly as possible to resolve this before someone else was waited on.  I darted through that place like a mad man, and we both skid into her desk.  My trainer did all the talking to explain what was required to be on my license to make the state safety department was happy.  I apologized to the clerk for signing the form when it was incorrect, but told her I just had no way of knowing what the state needed on that card.  She was really patient and said "you've waited this long, I'm sure we can straighten this out, it's not a problem."  She had to redo my photo to redo the computer license.  No way around that apparently.  How many times do you get a do over drivers license photo opportunity? I did my best GQ and anxiously awaited the new printout to sign.  She had to have someone else more familiar with bioptic drivers give her a helping hand in the computer to fill out the miscellaneous boxes to show I'm a bioptic driver.  Once they worked together to straighten that out, I signed the newest license and she printed out the paper version yet again.  After that, I thanked her again for working with me to resolve the unforeseen mistake.  She said she was glad she could take care of it and wished me congratulations again.  With that I was out of the DMV.  And this time, walking out for the first time as a licensed bioptic driver! 


I couldn't wait to tell my family.  None of it was sinking in really.  I was not overly ecstatic because I didn't even think I'd get to test this particular day.  That made it all so much sweeter.  The more I thought about it the happier I got.  I drove all over town with my trainer that day taking in some last minute tips.  We had fun and I enjoyed finally having a reason to celebrate.  My journey to this moment started February 19th, 2009 and my goal was reached December 21st, 2011.  Friends, that's 2 years 10 months and 2 days of blood, sweat and tears!  Don't give up on your dreams.  If you're a bioptic candidate reading this, don't freak out either, lol.  The time from start to finish depends greatly on your eye condition, your prior experience with a car, and your personal support system during training.  None of these 3 elements worked in my favor.  My eye problem was complicated by not only problems seeing at a distance, but by extreme light sensitivity and my color blindness.  I had no experience with a car, because neither of my parents could see well enough to drive.  I had no real home training support system, because I lived away from family and my best friends understandably did not want to risk me wrecking their only means of transportation during practice.  I'm sure they also did not care to have the insurance hiked up if I unexpectedly wrecked their car.  To those few who did take this chance; I profoundly thank you for being brave enough to take a few risk for me!

I had days where I wondered if I should be doing this.  I had days when I thought it would never end.  But I learned to chant this in my head "just put one foot in front of the other."  That's what I've been doing over the last 3 years.  I'm so happy that my work finally paid off!  Let me tell you, driving that car is still scary because of the unknown factor but the fun now greatly outweighs the anxiety factor.  I have so much fun driving.  It's just unexplainable to those who have never really had to experience a substantial period of time without the ability to drive.  So what will I do now?  Well I'm going car shopping of course!  I'm sure you'll be involved in that and I welcome your opinions and financial support. lol  Every little bit helps.  Just kidding.  But man, what a great Christmas!  Thanks for following my journey.  I'll write again as the car search takes shape at the beginning of next year.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Road Test 2: It Doesn't Get Any Greener: 12/07/11

I know, I know, I never told you about road test number 2.  Well honestly there's not much to tell.  You're probably relieved it will be a short blog.  It was a cloudy Wednesday afternoon, which meant I'd be able to see well.  The lady working the reception desk recognized me, after all it's hard to forget a bioptic driver because they see so few of us.  The DMV staff made me go through questioning, a new photo, and the pointless eye test again.  When I told the lady I could not see anything in the viewer, she asked me to look again as if I was not trying hard enough.  I see no reason why they ask you to do any eye test at the DMV, because as a bioptic driver, you've already been tested by your eye care professional using special rules and approved practices.  She said she understood I was a bioptic driver, but had to do it anyways.   I did not want to make waves so did as I was told.  Soon it was time for the road test. 

It was bitter cold when officer Brown approached my vehicle.  She did the pre-trip routine with me, and also asked me a surprise question.  How do you test that your vehicle's emergency break works?  I remember from the first test officer Jones asked me to put the vehicle in neutral.  So I told her I would test the emergency break by putting the car in neutral.  She found that acceptable.  However my research says, you should be on a slight incline, put the car in neutral, let your foot off the regular break.  Then when the car starts to move down the incline put your emergency break with the car in neutral.  So, lessons learned there. 

I practiced with my friends and my cousin a lot over the past two weekends on the actual test course.  I was feeling good about my second road test.  Everything I practiced, I nailed perfectly during my second test.  So what went wrong?  We practiced on one of the wrong connecting roads,  I did not realize I should have practiced on a road with a red light.  I mocked the first test due to lack of real challenges...even though I failed it.  lol  On my 2nd road test day, I turned into a road I had not practiced on.  I saw only a big 18 wheeler in front of me.  When the 18 wheeler turned, I did not follow because I was looking around the whole intersection before proceeding.  However, I finally saw the green light in front of me, but not fast enough for my road test officer.  She said that because I hesitated too long at a green light, she failed me. 

Even more alarming, she did not tell me anything else when the test was over.  She did not give me my score card.  She didn't say when I could take it again, she didn't bother talking to my trainer.  She jumped out of the car.  She didn't even say have a nice day sir.  Whats up with her?  Well, Mrs. Brown came out in a toboggan, gloves, and a heavy jacket.  So my best guess is she really hated doing her job out in the cold that day and may not have been at her best.  We all have bad days though.  Since the staff inside have always been pretty nice to me, I can overlook it.  After all, I should have noticed the light was green as soon as the 18 wheeler got out of my way.  The fact is I didn't see the green light as soon as I should have which can disrupt the flow of traffic.  So I walked out of the DMV shocked I failed it because of one little error, but even more determined that I would get it right the next round.  Then the bad news came.

My trainer told me she had NO opening's until after Christmas and she was about to be off for two weeks vacation so she'd be doing good to get what was already on her plate done.  I was dismayed, because I would love to have this done with by Christmas, but I guess it was not meant to be.  My trainer was disappointed I failed again and I came home rather somber, but by not means defeated.

My Road Test Results: Giving Thanks 11/21/11

I awoke to a mild November cloud covered day, where uncertainty filled my every thought.  Just days before Thanksgiving and I get to reach for one of my dreams I once thought untouchable.  But God had others plans.  So here we are, 3 long years from the time you and I started to travel this journey together.  I'm so grateful for all I've learned and all your unwavering support of me.  I'd not take a second of it back.  So what happened?  It was not what I expected.  Then again, I had no idea what to expect anyways.

I got off work at lunch calling my trainer at every possible number I can find.  I had not heard from her since last week and wanted to ensure she had not forgot about our appointment.  Usually I get a text message, a voicemail, or a email confirming she's coming, but not today.  Total silence.  All these thoughts filled my mind about what could have happened.   To make it worse, her brand new secretary was not answering the phone.  Probably because it was lunch time.  I sent a text, a voicemail, and finally after about 30 agonizing minutes the secretary called me and told me Jennifer was on her way.  What a relief.  I could now study my test notes.

Jennifer arrived early, which was great, so we had a little practice time before the test.  I was already more jittery then usual because I scraped my hands pretty severely in a freak accident earlier this week.  I was hoping my wounds did not draw the attention of the DMV officer.  I had been working feverishly to make sure they heal as quickly as possible.  They are remarkably better since Thursday, but still painful.  I was so happy the clouds hung in for my test.  After about 30 minutes of practice we went to the DMV.  Once inside, I was directed to a second room with a long reception desk.  The lady up front was very polite, but quickly said she wanted all my required documents.  After a quick squabble with Jennifer about her registration receipt, I was given a small piece of paper and told to go between the blue tarps (photo backdrops) and wait.  I waited for the gentleman in front of me to finish being questioned and was then asked to approach the table.  They had a chair, but I was never told to please take a seat.  They seem so rigid down there, it's ridiculous.  But the woman behind the counter managed to smile, even though her job had to be so agonizingly repetitious I don't know how she did it, but the grace of God.  After looking at my paperwork and confirming my info was the same, she asked me about organ donation, and a laundry list of health related questions.  Then the first shocker came.

She told me I had to take the eye test!  I was like. What?   She said to look though the machine so she could get my eye test results.  I explained that I was a bioptic driver and my eye test was already done with my eye care physician.  She then calmly told me I STILL had to take it there.  I was so shocked by this, but did as she said.  She asked me to read line 6.  There was a small illuminated box in the machines peephole.  It was divided in 4 sections.  I told her I couldn't read any line in it.  I was worried now about how she would respond to this.  She just made notes and told me to stand in front of the screen for my photo to be taken.  After that she handed me back all the paperwork and license.  I was told to have my driver move the car to the test area and await the officer.
It was then I realized that I never had the car keys, which had worried me momentarily earlier.  Now I knew it was not time for me to have them anyways, because I was not allowed to move the car.  My trainer had to move the car.  There was already one person parked outside in the road test driver line in front of me.  So i went outside and got hot quickly since the car had to be off while I waited.  My bioptics started to fog up, not wanting to turn on the car until instructed, I rolled the windows down and waited...... and waited.

After what seemed like forever, the same lady that I first met who took my paperwork appeared outside and asked me if anyone had taken my paperwork.  I told her yes.  I assumed she meant the officer that asked me the questions and took my photo.  After a second my trainer ran out to the car window and made it clear to me that this woman and I were not communicating effectively.  She was really asking if anyone OUTSIDE had taken my paperwork.  The answer to that was NO.   I had already made a mistake.  Wow, I felt dumb.  I just waited more.  About 7 minutes later a male officer approached me and asked who I was.  It was funny because he didn't get that I was the one taking the road test, even though I had the bioptics on.  The bioptics should have been as apparent a giveaway as a robot leading a orchestra.  I guess because I was supposed to be in the car he got confused.  Based on my trainers instructions I got out and stood outside the car after the miscommunication.  The officer asked my name, and for my documents.  What was he talking about?  Well, he wanted to see my tiny paper (pictured below) and my learners permit.  I was so worried because the DMV took my permission paperwork from the Department of Public Safety and did not give it back.  I have yet to know if this was an accident or on purpose.  Luckily the DMV officer did not ask to see that.  So now my driving test began.

He asked me to turn the left blinker, right blinker, and brake lights on, in that order.  I got in the car without him and exactly what I was told.  I was thinking.... I hope these brake lights come on all by themselves, because my foot is on the break, but I've never been specifically told to turn my break lights on.  After the officer stood behind the vehicle and monitored my responses, he walked to the front of the vehicle and motioned.    WHAT WAS THIS?   He had his middle and ring finger extended pointing to the right with all over fingers bent back.  He starting rolling the two extended fingers in a circle.  I'm no baseball fan, so I guess I didn't get the memo.   I rolled the window down and asked if he'd like me to pull forward, and he just mouthed something, which I don't read, and kept motioning.  Probably seeing my distress he finally said he wanted me to turn my left blinker on.   FRIENDS.....this is NOT in any handbook.  I don't know where he got this, but I did as I was told.  Then with his other hand he made the same motion for me to turn my right blinker on.  After he assessed my responses, while standing in the front of my vehicle, the guesswork was done.

He got in the car and introduced himself and asked if I had any questions.  I said no.  lol  Golden opportunity number 159 ruined.  haha  (I should know this from doing so many interviews, but my nervousness through logic right out the window.)  He then told me turn on the vehicle and use the emergency break and then turn the car to Neutral.  My mind rattled, .....PRND....PRND....PRND!  No one ever told me to put the car in Neutral, but I did it right anyhow.

Shockingly, he never asked me where my lights were, but I already had them on.  What they don't do is just amazing.  They don't make you park between vehicles or see if you can park in between the lines correctly at all.  They don't make you parallel park.   They never took me to the first stop light.  They don't take you on the freeway.  I don't even recall doing a lane change.  What he did do, was ask to see my bioptics.  He explained he had never seen them before and wanted to look through them.  This personal expression was one of the few made, other then that, it was all business.  I told him how they worked and why I used contacts, carrier lens, bioptic, and red filters together.  He handed them back with no comment or question.  Then he started tapping like crazy on this clip board.  It looked like it had nothing on it to me, just a solid black clipboard.  I was staring at it thinking what in the world is he doing.  This went on for two long minutes.  Then he asked me to put my signature on his clipboard.  When he slid clipboard my way, everything became clear.  He actually was using an electronic pad!  It was like a i-pad and he was tapping my information in it.  It looked black at the angle, but when under your eyes, you could read everything on the pad.  Who knew our state was so advanced.  I had not dreamed they would have this kind of technology, given the sad looks of the decaying building they work out of.  But come to think of it, the written drivers test I took was touch screen.  You can read more about that day by clicking HERE.

The officer told me to follow all road rules as if he was not in the car with me.  He then asked I drive to the stop sign up ahead and take a left.   I did that perfectly.   Next, he asked I park the car and do a three point turn.  I did that perfectly.  Next he asked I back up the car in a straight line.  No problem, but there would have been if I had not practiced this weekend.  Then he asked that I proceed to the next stop sign and make a left.  I did so.  This is where my first mistake was made.   He later told me that my cars front end was past the stop sign.   It didn't look like it to me, but he's the final authority.  The stop sign was on a curb, so I suppose I misjudged it.  There was no line on the ground to use as a guide, so had to depend on my own judgement.  Next I was asked to travel along a long road and take the next right.  We went further then I usually do down this very unfamiliar road.  I struggled to discern the real road to turn on from the business entry, dirt road, real road, or repaved road.  It was all a mess in that run down area of town.  The roads down there are in horrible shape.   After I found the road we got out and I took a right on a 3 lane highway, where he told me to increase my speed.   After a few minutes, he asked me to take my second right.  This is where I made a critical error.

I was traveling fast, not familiar with this road, and misjudged where it was at, almost passing it.  I was able to curve the car into it barely, but I knew at this very second I had just failed for sure.  It was a dangerous curve I took at too fast a speed.  The safest thing to do would have been to pass it.  But what was done, was done.  My inner tension built, as he directed me to the next stop sign to take a left.  Before I knew it, we arrived back at the parking lot.  But this one trick still awaited.

I was able to successfully turn through this little arrowed obstacle course they have setup to get the trainees in line.  You go around a very sharp curve, but must ensure you stay in the correct lane at all times.  No problem there.  With that he asked me to park the car.  Once off, he told me I failed and politely explained the two reasons why:  The front of my vehicle passing the stop sign and almost missing my turn going at too fast a speed.  I was dismayed but not defeated.  He then got out of the car and relayed my errors to my instructor.  He did offer one more personal insight.

The officer said the mistakes I made were mistakes he's seen other new drivers make and he was confident it had nothing to do with me using a bioptic.  That made me feel good.  He kindly offered that I could again re-take the test anytime I feel ready.  There is no required waiting period in my state.  With that, my driving test was completed.  The card they graded me on is shown below.

(DMV Form DL-2C grading sheet above was a tiny 5 x 5.5 inch piece of paper.  Talk about government savings!)

So what do I think about my failing the test?  I am dismayed, but overall, I'm glad to have the fear factor out of the way.  I'm glad to know more about what I should and should not waste time training on.  I'm glad that every DMV person I met today was polite and while not personable, they were very courteous to me.  I'm giving thanks this Thanksgiving for this amazing journey and the possibilities that lie ahead.  Isn't it great to get another chance?  We all deserve another chance.  God has given me more then I deserve, but through His grace, He finds a way to forgive us.  Matthew 18:21-22 says to forgive 77 times.  That's what I'm hoping to take with me from todays experience into this season of thanks.  I'll update you when I setup a new test date.  Until then, thanks for your payers, your letters and your encouragement.  They won't be forgotten.  Have a great Thanksgiving yaw!

Driving Test Day is HERE! : 11/20/11

The last few months have zipped by.  I got to drive a good bit on my September vacation and now I'm scheduled and ready to take the final road test.  Meaning, TOMORROW I could get my drivers license if all goes well!  I haven't driven much in the last month due to my sprained foot and lack of time on my trainers part.  My friends took me out some this weekend, but we mostly stayed off the roads.  Despite all that, I do feel good about it.  I'm hoping the weather cooperates.  I'd love clouds, but no rain.  We'll see.  It's tomorrow at 1:45pm.  At my DMV you can make an appointment to take the test, so no waiting should be involved.  I hope I'm prepared enough, not driving in a vehicle that you own or you are in everyday has it's pitfalls.  I had to download a drivers manual of the test car I train in, just to remember where the emergency brake is, the lights are, and several other basic things I'm sure they will ask me.  

One good thing, even though I'm confident about parallel parking, I know they do not make you do that here to obtain your license.  I'm expecting to do a three point turn, back up in a straight line, park, and whatever else they throw in.  I'm not that excited yet, because I think I'm trying to suppress it in case I don't do as well as I'd like.  Given my lack of practice this past month, that would not be a shocker to me.

So here are some awesome new developments.  Since I completed the bioptic on road training requirements in September, I have had to get the state Department of Public Safety to sign off on my final paperwork.  It took them roughly 3 to 4 weeks to return it to me.  I must have this approval paperwork in order to take my drivers test.  After a quick reminder phone call I made, I had the approved paperwork in my hands in a few days.

I'm hoping to snag a GPS during the black Friday sales, but what I really want to share with you is my brand new speedometer.  Yes I have a speedometer and NO car yet!   i've been trying to research a way to have a digital speedometer without having to be stuck with something like a Honda Civic.  I love the heads up display in it, but the view out the back window is extremely limited and it rides very close to the ground.  Here's my second purchase for my driving experience!  The first one was my bioptics.

  See the photo below of my brand spanking new intellitronix digital speedometer!

This great company called Intellitronix makes it and says you can have it installed on ANY vehicle.  Take a first look HERE at all the colors and lineup that intellitronix.net offers.  Not only does it offer the speed display, but the display itself comes in red, green, blue, and white!  The red is particularly good for me to have when i wear my red filters, because it now jumps out at me.  However, the white was a little brighter than the red, when I looked at it through my red filters.  Long story short, I chose white, and red would be a close second, but since red would be hard to see without my filters, I chose white because i won't be wearing my red filters to drive at night.  Besides the great color options, you also get a circular display that gives you a second indication of how fast you are going!  I'm so excited about this and the many vehicle buying options it opened up for me.  I couldn't wait to share it with you!  


I also know several more things about what I want in a vehicle.  I want a four door.  I want something high off the ground, because I feel I can see the road better, not to mention get in and out easier.  I also would like good gas mileage and something with a small build so it's easy to park.  I don't ask for much.  Any ideas?  Let me know.  I'm off to get some rest before the test.  I'll blog as soon as I find out something either way.

Nearing The Finish Line 09/22/11

The past few weeks have been filled with interesting driving news.  One major thing that happened over the last few months was that my Rehabilitation specialist gave me a deadline upon which all my driving lessons would cease.  They were no longer interested in my learning, but seemed to want to pull the rug out from under me due to business pressures and budget constraints.   The deadline was August 31st.  So a few weeks ago, I received a "urgent' email from my Rehabilitation specialist asking me to call immediately.  I did so expecting to get the axe.  Instead, I was shocked to hear the opposite; they had arranged for me to complete my lessons with my current driving trainer.  Even better, they were working on a new way to expedite lessons by using a different set of trainers.  I was elated that I was not being cut off.  One anxious email turned into a real blessing.  I was so relieved, because I know this whole situation is out of my hands. 

My driving instructor and the Rehabilitation office have continued a internal dispute that could very well effect their clients.  While I'm thrilled I'm not yet a casualty in their war, I'm praying no other innocent person is either.  It seems to me the current debt our state and country is in, has really brought out the worst in people.  You just never know what's around the corner, so you better live for today.

This week has brought around a great opportunity for me to drive!  A week off work!  I'm elated.  Yesterday was my first day out in over a month and let me tell you it was a "gully washer" as the old folks say.  So I got in some excellent drive time and experience in the rain.  The rain made the yellow and orange lines harder to see, but hey, lets face it, they were already about worn off the pavement in certain parts of town anyways.  I loved the ease of using the windshield wipers on our new training vehicle.  The cloudy day proved a easy drive for me.  Then I heard some words come out of Jennifer's mouth that made me sit back and pause.

She said, "If you do well this week, what do you think about getting your license?"  I personally think it's time, but hearing her actually say it outloud was music to my ears.  Then some doubt hit me and I thought to myself....is this enough?  Will it ever be enough?  I'm not 100% confident yet....so should I really be driving alone now?  I guess these are legitimate questions, but oddly enough even thought I want my training to end, I had not really thought about NOW as being a true ending to my training.  I guess it's went on so long I stopped looking for an ending so my hopes would not get dashed.  Then I couldn't help but wonder if this had to do with me or with my driving trainer's dispute with my friends at Rehabilitation.   Hmmmm.....it could be both!  Regardless, at some point you have to spread  your wings and fly, and make your own mistakes and learn from them.....hopefully without breaking or damaging yourself or your vehicle.  :)  So my mind has started racing with ALL the things that I will need to do AFTER I get my license and where I'll get THE MONEY to pay for it.  lol 

Today's drive had it's good and bad things.  Let me tell you the bad stuff first,  I went form a two way to a four way street and turned into the wrong lane.  I got confused some about what "outermost" is.  Why should we still have to use such a antiquated word anyway?  Who says that?  Pierce Morgan?  Anyways, this happened not once, but twice in a area I normally have no problem with.  I think it's simply because it's been so long since I've traveled there I have forgot what turns I previously had memorized.  Well enough of the bad stuff, now on to the good stuff.

My trainer asked me to practice parallel parking today, which I think we've only done once, maybe even twice before.  Today we drove to downtown, she pointed out a spot, and man I nailed it the VERY FIRST TRY!!!  I was so elated I told her I had to get out and see it.  She made fun of me because my mirrors should have been proof enough.  But the mirror distortions don't offer me the satisfaction I wanted to see.  So I got out the car and examined my handy-work.  WOW  Just amazing, I probably couldn't do it again that easily with anyone else....but here's hoping.  haha

The second thing I did was work on my 3 point turns.  This is a piece of cake to me now, almost a joke.  Nothing to work on really and that made me and my trainer happy.  But along today's journey two other notable things happened.  First of all, when I was downtown, not one but two pedestrians on two separate occasions walked out in front of my moving vehicle even though I had a green light.  Now what exactly is this all about?  Death wish?  Ignorance?  Dysfunctional "do not walk" signs.  I don't know, but it's a good thing they scurried backwards and realized the error of their ways, because this foolishness had nothing to do with my driving at all.  In addition to this added surprise element, there was new work being done on the sewer just a few blocks up from my residence.  Oh the joys of this interesting dilemma.

Let me paint you a picture.  The road I'm traveling on is a two way road and of course I'm traveling North on the right side of the road, when all of the sudden a see a diamond sign indicating road work ahead and to exercise extreme caution.  So I slowed down and notice the cones got closer to me.  Soon I man holding  a "STOP" sign came into view.  So I obeyed his sign.  He motioned for the other traffic to continue to flow through on my left.  Then after what seemed like forever, he switched his hand held sign around to say "SLOW" on the other side.  So i went into the incoming traffic lane to my left to follow his direction around all the sewage work until I got back in my normal lane safely.  Don't you just love these unexpected surprises?  It was a small inconvenience that we went through twice for training purposes.  Usually guys just motioning me forward has been my prior experience with these things.  So naturally, I was delighted to see the use of actual signs.  If you're anything like me you suck at reading lips and looking at questionable hand signals on the road...well not those hand signals!  :) 

So tomorrow will be my last day training this week.  I hope we can iron a few things out, but I feel confident it will go well and I'll be very very close to getting my license in the coming weeks.  How soon I purchase a car, and what I purchase is a WHOLE OTHER story.  I welcome your suggestions on this issue.  Here's a brief rundown of things I'd like.  I know I won't get them all.  Let me know what you think.

1. Excellent view out back window of vehicle.
2. No tint on vehicle (my red filters on top of extra tint make seeing too difficult)
3. I'd love a HUD, heads up display showing digital speed.  (I can't see normal speedometer needles at all hardly, but hear GPS could help in this arena.)
4. I want good gas mileage.
5. I don't want a coupe, I want a four door vehicle. (truck or car or van)
6. I love riding high and feel more in control of the road.
7. I don't want to pay a ton of money for a first vehicle.
8. I want it to have good reviews and safety ratings.

2 Good Weeks of Driving...Check: 08/04/11

The past few weeks have been some of the best continuous driving training times I've had in a long time.  The frequency of my practice has certainly enhanced my driving skills.  Something I'm happy to say is that I finally think I've mastered lane changes on the freeway!  Although, I still don't like it when the lane suddenly ends and you're forced to get over.  If you must come to a complete stop, as I did the other day, you may even have a person behind you honking because you don't feel comfortable pulling out at the moment they would prefer you to.  I'm sure some of you are experts in this arena, so feel free to share.

Some other improvements are in:

1. Three point turns
2. Backing out of spaces
3. Parking between cars.
4. Navigating parking garages
5. Not pushing breaks on freeway (just letting off gas instead)
6. Better understanding of right of way
7. Going through a drive though and car wash.
8. Navigating a round-a-bout.
9. Using mirrors.
10. Turning around to check blind spots, while keeping wheel steady and not slowing speed.

We plan to tackle parallel parking one more time in the near future.  I've done it twice, and I think it's not complicated, it just takes patience, and some skill in turning the care the perfect distance at the perfect moment.

Bioptic Recertification Day: 06/30/11

Today I left work early and went to visit Dr. DeCarlo for my yearly exam for bioptic driving recertification.  The bus was on time and I actually got there early enough to watch two TV shows before my appointment.  It's fun to people watch there because it's in a bustling part of the city.  My doctor's office is in a building that houses a 24 hour seven day a week eye emergency hospital.  Needless to say, the secretaries there have plenty to talk about.  When I walked in my Dr.'s door, she indicated she was delighted to see I was a little early because there was several cancellations that day.  I thought, had I known, I'd been here an hour ago and could have avoided two boring syndicated reruns of Friends.  Too bad they didn't give patients the remote.  


I was glad to get to visit with my Dr. again and yet nervous about the test I must undergo for recertification.  The thing that almost ended my training this time last year was a visual field test I had to take to get re-certified to continue training to drive.  You can read last year's 2 blog posting's about that HERE and HERE.  I'm happy to report I passed today's visual field test with no incidents.  She also did a thorough examination including eye chart testing, dilation, physical eye exam, and color testing.  During my visit, my Dr. and I talked about a few new things based on questions I asked and information she shared with me.


The thing that really shocked me is that she told me that she is basically not 100% happy with my Cone Dystrophy diagnosis.  She told me that I have almost ALL the symptoms of Incomplete Achromatopsia.  Click HERE for more information on what Incomplete Achromatopsia is.  The symptom that I don't have is Nystagmus.  Nystagmus is a small constant small involuntary eye movement.  Basically, your eyes look like they are shaking.  However, some patients diagnosed with Incomplete Achromatopsia don't have nystagmus.  But for now she's sticking with Cone Dystrophy as my diagnosis.  

We also discussed another option I have to help enhance my vision in outdoor activities.  I may have mentioned this before, but red contact lenses are now commonly used to treat Achromatopsia.  My doctor and I agree they could greatly help me perform better at any outdoor activity in bright sunlight.  She mentioned the more economical options of using red filtered sun shades.  I told her, I'd rather invest in contacts, because they would be perscription and in outdoors activites in the South, sweat is a major factor.  I'm sure most of you can agree, in no time your shades will become drenched with humidity and sweat leaving them useless for any decent degree of intense outdoor activity.  She referred to me to another Dr. to get the red contacts made, which I plan to do at a later date.  The photo in this posting shows a photo of what they will look like.  On dark eyes you can't even detect someone is wearing them unless light is shined directly on them.  I'll keep you posted on that.  Maybe work would go smoother if I start wearing red contacts to the job.  This would give a whole new meaning to giving the boss the evil eye!


The final thing that I found interesting was our talk about curing my eye disorder!  Dr. DeCarlo is a avid researcher and indicated we are getting close to one day using gene therapy to cure genetic eye disorders, including mine!  In less than 10 years, with more support of genetic research (yes the kind that they used to clone a sheep)  this could be a reality cure.  That's why you should think twice before voting something like genetic research and gene therapy down. Genetic research can be used for so much good.  Besides, for us believers, we know God is the ONLY one who can create man.  No man will ever be able to create another man.  Click HERE for some exciting news about Gene Therapy and how it's already been used to make blind dogs see again!

Blindsided by Life: 03/09/11

                                   (More about the photo above in the second paragraph)


I regret not writing sooner, but life itself has left me blindsided.  Since a research drive I took in November with cameras pointed at me and a overseas Dr. along for the ride, nothing happened AT ALL with training until today.  Why?  Where do a begin.  Basically, it started out with the training vehicle being wrecked in November.  Shut up, it wasn't me!  lol  Anyways, after that in Dec my training instructor, Jennifer, had to have knee surgery that kept her from road training, because she must be able to use emergency break and not under the influence of drugs.  Then it was Christmas!  Exactly on Jan 1st I began having a sinus problem.  It developed in Jan into a full blown infection and two bouts of pink eye in a row!  This set me back from doing anything because I couldn't wear my contacts to drive with, while having and getting over pink eye.  Late Jan. came and job troubles add to the health issues.  About a week after my sinus infection and pink eye was gone in early Feb. I noticed I had a pain deep in my abdomen.  I did some WebMD research and went to the Urologist who confirmed I had a inguinal hernia that would need surgery.  In 2 weeks time I focused on getting a plan for surgery together back in my hometown and have spent the last 3 weeks in recovery.  What a year it's been gang!  Though it all God has showed his love and brought my church family here, my church family back home, and my own family closer together through several very scary, unexpected, and tragic situations.


The photo above was made possible by PBS and Viewers Like YOU.  Thank you.  Well... not exactly. Really we had a very interesting prank gift time this Christmas, between me, my cousins and their spouses.  This was our first year trying this and it certainly was a overwhelming hit!  Some bright cousin'n'law got the idea that someone else should know that I'm driving and that I happen to be legally blind.  Hence: the above sign was born.  It's actually a functional item in more ways then one.  It is a huge magnet!  So for those of you who needed helping getting those nails out of your lawn, I'm your man.  Aside from warning the public imminent danger (me), Jennifer was so elated over the sign that several people at the driving research clinic have asked for it and a eBay war may ensue.  (not that I'd sell this one)..it's priceless.  :)


I was excited to get to drive the interstate on the way home for surgery.  I drove 3 hours solid and did pretty well.  The only major challenge was when about twenty 18-wheelers boxed me in on this ramp.  That was touch and go, but I just had to stay extremely alert.  All went well.  I learned at home I need more help backing out of driveways straight and to be sure and not over-steer when doing so.


Today Jennifer and I did more research with another Dr from overseas.  She was kind, and enjoyed getting to see my neighborhood up close and personal.  I drove a place we don't often practice but it has lots of little unexpected test within, including this huge construction detour right by my apartments.  I did well except one place I failed to change lans quick enough.  There was a lane change that had to be made on the left and then almost an immediate one to the right was also needed to get where we needed to go.  I did not make it quick enough and was actually forced to stop between two lanes.  But this would not happen if I knew where I was going.  Following others directions on the spur of the moment can lead to this sort of thing.  All in all I think it was not my best drive, but certainly not the worst.  It was a cloudy day which is great my vision while driving!


It seems the two offices helping me to drive are in a battle due to the economy and personality conflicts, which has hampered regularly scheduled training.  When Jennifer today she basically told me she did not want to take anyone driving with the old car, and would rather wait till she got the new one.  (This new car idea they have been throwing around for 6 months.)   Because the other office I work with put a deadline of August 30th on my training, I was not happy at all with this statement of hers, that will further delay my training unnecessarily.  So I plan to do what I can to get the ball rolling somehow, new training car, or no new training car.  I'll let you know how it goes.  Hopefully it won't be such a long hiatus next time between postings.


One shameless plug:  Check out DRIVERS EDGE at www.driversedge.org
They found the email I sent on Sept 22, 2010, in their Spam on 01/12/11 and wrote me!  I begged them to come back and they just posted the 2011 schedule showing a visit here!  Drivers Edge makes rare driving conditions like hydroplaning, unexpected obstacles, and other very dangerous driving scenarios very very real.  Definitely check out the video on their website.  You drive and they show you how to react in the worst case scenario!  Talk about taking the classroom to the pavement.  These guys are awesome!  I just missed their visit last year but I don't plan to miss it this year!

Getaway Car: 09/18/10

The past few weeks have been wild.  My driving instructor has been really swamped and I've been busy with work.  However, the more important delay in practice recently has been the fact the car was wrecked....and not by a bioptic driver.  From what I hear it was the instructors fault.  Just goes to show we ALL make mistakes.  It's what we learn from them that matters.  I recently had the opportunity to get out of the city and drive back in my hometown on some country roads.  While not rocket science, there are several good learning points from my little getaway.

First, I really got a lot of practice at four way stops.  I never realized there were no real red and green lights and intersections I've rode through, as a passenger,  throughout my whole life.  If you ask me 4 way stops are a accident waiting to happen.  If you get to one and didn't know till you drive up it's one and don't know who got there first, it could be a mess.  I especiallly find this a challenge becuase I can't see through car windows.  So when you are motioning people with your hands to stop or go and mouthing verbal consent, just keep in mind anyone with a vision problem who is driving will not have the slightest clue you're doing any of that.  You're wasting your time.  My brother mentioned the unofficial "I'll let you go first" signal is when people blink thier headlights at you.  It's basicly a courtesy call that it's your turn to go.  One of my friends made me think that just meant cops where nearby.  lol  But at 4 way stops it has a different meaning.

I have to stop and say that driving in the town I grew up in my whole life was incredible.  I mean, it was Iike I was in a dream.  An out of body experience.  Of course, just regular driving still seems like an out of body experience to me.  I really could not fathom that I was in control of things.   I drove to church and back, to my grandparents, all over the nearby small towns, the interstate and highway, and of course to Walmart.  Now the Walmart trip brought about a sudden unexpected test that I had not encountered.........a downpour!   We went from sun to a rainstorm in minuites and like they say:  when it rained.....it poured.  I had never had to use windshield wipers, find lights (on this car I've barely driven any) and so on.  You can imagine that I was so relieved my brother was with me when this happened.  But I still must have a licensed driver with me anytime I drive till I get my liscense.  I took in more than any book could tell me.  It's so amazing to me how the streets change when it rains so much that the yellow lines almost disappear under the high gloss water buildup.  I leanred about hydroplaning...NO...I did not try it.  lol  I was told to keep to the side of the road with the least water if at all possible.

Aside from the rain I had a good bit of practice in the sun.  I found that people love to go over the speed limit on country roads.  I also found that when people are caught behind a recycling truck on a two way street they don't mind risking thier life to go around the truck and entering into incoming traffic!  Just a little patience would go a LONG way....maybe a lifetime.  Anyways, I guess i shouldn't open my mouth too wide, I may be the person doing all this one day.  Oh, I also got caught behind a school bus.  I had to be slowed by this school crossing zone during the end of the school day.  All great experiences.

Of course, while on my vacation, my driving instructor calls me and says she has an opening......REALLLY???? When I'm gone way out of town I get this phone call for the FIRST time saying we can practice for the first time in weeks.  Frustrating, but reality.  The good news is the first day back in town we drove.....and the second day!  I think this may be due to a more regular training schedule since some of her clinics have winded down.  What did we do?  Well she asked what I wanted....I told her that we had never parallel parked.  So we went downtown, found a spot to test,  and the rain started just in time.  It was not heavy so we managed.  She talked me through it and I parallel parked perfectly on the FIRST attempt!  WOW!  I must say that the driving manual did not instruct me to parallel park the way I did it.  Anyhow, with that behind me, I can start doing it more frequently so I'll be ready for my drivers test.

I also told her I want practice changing lanes on the interstate in fast moving traffic.  The way lanes suddnely run out of the freeway with little or no warning really concerns me.  There were not always signs wanring you.  So it's scary if no one will let you over when your lane runs out.  If the car comes to a complete stop your chances of getting over at such a slow rate of speed go way down, not to mention your safety level.  Lanes should not run out....thats all there is to it.  Thats my opinion and I'm sticking to it.  :)   Oh, thats another thing I learned on my getaway!  If you are on the freeway and passing a on ramp you should try and more over to the opossing lane so the people coming on won't have you in the way of them.  See if everyone would do that, this lane ending thing would not be a big deal.

Seeing stop signs with the red filters during daylight driving seems to be the most difficult thing to do visually.  That is of course just a day problem, but still important.  I usually just go slow at most intersections I'm unfamiliar with to ensure I'm not about to run a stop sign.  I hope to post a graphic soon of what the differences are between your view of a stop sign and the altered view by red filters.

I've been doing some research to find a basic car care maintenance class.  Instead, I found this past week my city offered a awesome driving event that is done FREE to teach you how to drive during rare severe driving conditions.  Read about it HERE.  The official website is www.driversedge.com  Definitely take a look at how they are mastering what drivers education classes fail to do: Teach hands on defensive driving and hazardous driving skills.

The Green Light: 07/13/10

My usual bus driver was on vacation this morning.  I scheduled a 7 a.m. pickup to be at the Dr. office by 8:30.  Yeah it seems crazy,  but I know who and what I'm dealing with, you don't.  My bus drove up at 6:27 honking.  I scurried to get a to-go breakfast thrown together before they would honk again and agitate my neighbors who don't have to be up when the rooster crows.  I made it to the Low Vision Center about 6:40.  I had 2 hours to kill.  This sounds bad, but it's definitely better then being late for something so important.  The area of town the Low Vision Center is in is a bustling part of the city.  There are buses dropping people off every few minutes across the street.  I saw doctors arriving for work, people jogging, delivery trucks unloading medical equipment, bicyclist, people walking to college classes, people leaving the office from surgery, people being rushed to the ER, and janitors putting the last touches on things.  You name it, it happens in a matter of seconds downtown.  

About 30 minutes before my appointment I went upstairs nearing the lobby of my Dr.'s office.  I used this time to brush up on some handy practical tips I found for taking a Visual Field Test.  Click here to read up on the 10 tips yourself if you're taking the test or know someone who is going to.  I walked into the office signed some papers, payed my copay, and at about 8:37 my Dr. appeared.  To my delight, it was the same Dr. who treated me in December at the neighboring Dr. offices.  She didn't remember me at first, but I think it sank in slowly.  We talked about what happened in my last visit.  I did mention to this Dr. the Dr. I saw last week did not tell me I could wear my contacts while testing until after I failed the test.  When questioned she had indicated it "would not matter either way."  At the same time, she did not offer to test again with my contacts, but instead told me to come back today to go through this again with a different doctor.  Even more shocking to me was the very paperwork she was to fill out from the State Department of Public Safety had specific instructions to measure patient's visual fields using their "carrier lens or its equivalent."  Equivalent in my situation means wearing my contacts.  Hopefully she just made a mistake.  We all do.  I never got the feeling last week she was doing anything intentionally wrong.  So with that off my chest today's Dr. began prepping Humphrey for my visual field test.  Who's that?  Check him out below.

                                          Everyone Meet Humphrey.

I thought he would give me a face tan.  Oh well...  While he didn't talk much he was very useful in taking my Visual Field Test.  First you sit down, the lights are lowered, and you put a patch on one eye.  LOL  It sounds like a date I once had.  :)  You position your chin in the middle of that square you see in the photo, stare into a tiny black hole in the center of the dome, and press a hand held buzzer the second you see a small white light enter your field of vision.  It seems straightforward.  One eye is tested at a time.  To me the patch that must stay on your other eye during testing makes this feel abnormal.  The doctor stands behind Humphrey waving the light in and out of your field of vision while making markings on the visual field graph you see below.  She used a large light at first for me to follow; then made it smaller.  You'll notice the top of my visual field seems more straight across.  The Dr. stated this may be caused by the way my brow is very distinctly protruded, limiting my upper visual fields.  

 Above is my actual Visual Field test results on one eye.  The inner line represents the larger light they shine.  The outer line represents the smaller light they shine.

Well before I knew it, the test was over.  The outcome:  I passed.  I got the green light to continue my bioptic driving training!  My doctor mentioned that she thought me failing last week may just be a fluke because my vision problem is not a physical one that deteriorates.  It's not physical at all.  Click here to read more on my diagnosis: Cone Dystrophy.  So basically everything with my vision in general stays stable aside from the normal vision problems everyone faces with vision as they age. 

Thanks for all your prayers, calls, emails and concern.  This was a easy way for God to close the door on all this for me.  He didn't.  For that I thank Him.  Thus the song you're listening to popped on my radar.  Hope you like it.  I've got a lot more new information I can't wait to share with you in the coming weeks.  Hopefully I will have time to write all the stuff floating around in my head.

Dangerous Curve Ahead: 07/08/10

I'm still practicing with Jennifer about once every other week on average.  The progress seems slow, but steady.  She's pretty pleased with my progress overall.  She even speculated I may be ready to get my license by August!  I'm getting more comfortable changing lanes while moving at a high rate of speed.  I've learned how to do a 3 point turn.  I've conquered parking garages.  I've drove with bicyclist weaving around me.  I've driven through construction zones and conquered 4 way stops when the light was malfunctioning.  And while there's still more to learn I got some news today that was very unsettling and thew me for a curve.

My usual routine when I get home is to check the mail shortly after getting in from work.  Well last week I got a letter that raised my interest.  It was from the Alabama Department of Public Safety in Montgomery.  As it turns out, they needed my doctor to fill our a form showing I was still eligible to be a bioptic driver.  Well, I just went to see the doctor right next door to my low vision specialist in December.  So I called hoping they could sign it, but no, that would be too easy and cheap.  Instead, they told me I'd have to see my low vision bioptic specialist.  Ok, I called down there and found out given the short time frame I had to submit this paperwork, I was going to see some new specialist that works with my regular low vision specialist.  I was dismayed, but the important thing was to get this paperwork completed before I started facing problems with the state.  So I made an appointment for today after work.  I took a taxi to ensure I'd be there on time.


I walked in and did the usual nonsense with showing my insurance card to the same office for the millionth time.  After this, I was escorted to the exam room by the a specialist I've not met before.  She began the usual test of reading the eye chart with and without my bioptic lens.  After that we did the part where she shines lights in my eyes and examines my eyes.  She also used a machine to measure what my prescription was.  I had my contact in and she asked I take them out.  After that, she wanted to do a visual field test on me.  I've done it several times before.  Your face is positioned looking into this plastic bowl for the exact moment the laser light jumps in your field of vision.  They give you a hand held buzzer so you can pinpoint this.  It's kind of like a video game.  Well, she told me I failed the test in my right eye but we'd come back and try it once more after testing the left eye.  After I passed the left eye test, we did the visual field test again on the right eye...I failed again.....not good.


End result:  If I don't pass this test I can't drive.  So with that said I was definitely disappointed and aggravated to say the least.  This Dr. seemed very matter-of-fact-ish, but the doctor was young and at the end of her long day, so maybe that was effecting her attitude and my opinions.  I'm sure I'm a little biased about her given the bad news she gave me.  The good news out of all this is she told me I can try again next week with yet another specialist I've never met.  If I don't pass this test next Tuesday (07/13/10) at 8:30 a.m. it's car lights OUT for my bioptic driving dreams.  Please pray God's will be done with all of this.  I've always said to Him if I will end up hurting myself or someone else due to my vision challenges then He needs to close the door on all this.  It may be time, it may not.  Personally, I'd love to continue.  Even if my driving is extremely limited it is 100% better then no driving.  This turn of events will also force me into making some major life changing decisions.  So I'll keep you posted on what happens and thanks ahead of time for your prayers on Tuesday morning for me.  May His will be done.

The Commute: 03/30/10

Long time no blog update right?  Sorry.  Just nothing to tell.  My trainer's schedule is usually busy.  One day we had tentatively set, we both forgot by the time it arrived.  The next week Jennifer took vacation.  All of this and a lot of rain have led to it being a month between lessons.  So we finally agreed on last Tuesday, 03/30/10.  Before I even met her that day trouble tried to inch its way into my plans.


I was at work, engulfed in my research, yet thinking I wanted to have things better prepared so I did not waste a moments time driving today.  I made sure my bioptics were in working order and clean of dust.  I kept looking at the clock consistently making sure to try and get downstairs a little earlier then my 12:00 appointment.  I made sure to put my contacts on, instead of wearing eye glasses.  I looked at my phone to ensure it was charged and checked for missed calls.  Despite all these efforts a sudden streak of terror ran through my mind.  I realized I left my wallet at home with my drivers permit in it.  I couldn't drive today.  I thought about just not telling Jennifer I left my permit at home.  The repercussions of that lie far outweighed the benefits.  If I wrecked that car with no permit on my person, I may never have a chance to drive again.   I couldn't believe this.  I was going to have to call Jennifer 30 minutes before my oh so belated appointment and tell her that I couldn't go today because of my carelessness!  I sat thinking about calling her and suddenly remembered something.  The day before, I put my wallet in my lunchbox because my pants pockets were so small and shallow.  Could it still be in there?  I swirled my rolling chair around to my lunchbox as fast as I could.  Like a mad man looking for treasure I snatched my lunchbox up off my desk.  Then I glanced into the side zipper pocket.  There sat my wallet with my permit and everything else in tact.  Whew...I did not have to cancel after all.  Shortly thereafter Jennifer called and said she was outside.  She still beat her own appointment time, so I wasn't downstairs yet.  I wanted to do this during my lunch break today so I did not have to take time off work.


Jennifer jumped out of the car after she saw me and got in the passenger seat.  I was a little shocked she was going to make me drive downtown again at the beginning of this trip.  Today, unlike my first drive, was a extremely bright sunny day.  Translation: it was hellacious for me to see outside.  However with the red filters. things really were better, just not as good as a cloudy day would have provided.  I hopped in and remembered to put my seatbelt on, to turn the mirrors so I could see and to put the dark blanket on the dash.  I had memorized the gear order.  I put my left foot back so I would not be tempted to use it at all.  Jennifer was not satisfied with my right leg angle to the break and gas pedals.  She watched me move up closer to the wheel till she was satisfied.  According to the wikiHow website your leg should be at a 120 degree angle when driving.  After Jennifer got done texting, I shifted gears to roll out to the main street.  I had to ask her which way to go.


As soon as I had that out of my mouth she reminded me to turn my blinker on.  I did it wrong.  Those poor confused drivers behind me.  lol  I struggled with remembering if pushing it up was for the left or down was for the right or the opposite.  I need a rhyme to remember them by or something stupid that will stick.  If you have any suggestions please let me know.  We hit the main road and she reminded me of the one way streets.  I made the turn but Jenn held the wheel some to ensure I would not turn into anyone else's lane.  I was doing good seeing the red lights for the most part.  Seeing the stop signs with the red filters proved to be a challenge.  Lucky for me, this particular road showed the word "STOP" painted on the ground which proved most helpful.  Regardless, I was still very observant before crossing ANY street.  Jennifer ended up telling me she was training 5 people.  I''m sitting here wondering how in the world that utilized all of her day unless they are doing much more training then I am.  Anyways, before I knew it we were.....well....'Where are we?"  I laughed out loud.  I was SO busy concentrating on staying in my lane, seeing red and green lights, doing lane changes, turning on the correct blinker, hitting the gas very lightly, and listening to Jennifer's instructions....that I had NO CLUE where we were.  After she told me, I began to pay attention to my surroundings more and figured it out.  We came the back way to my house.  This involved some extremely curvy streets.  I was so excited.  I told her one thing I was thinking.  It seemed much easier for me to stay in my lane then I ever thought it would be.  That was a big difference from what I assumed while observing others drive and actually driving myself.  I always thought it looked so daunting to have to keep moving that wheel left and right.  But it became no biggie for me personally.  Jennifer immediately exclaimed she was glad I was so good at it because she recently had a nightmare about one of her other pupils who veers into other lanes much too often.  Can you imagine how many nightmares you'd have about driving if you took legally blind people out on the road daily?  She's definitely got nerves of steel.  Maybe her keen ability to listen to PRM radio nonstop enhanced that gift.  


Well before I knew it we were coming toward my apartments!  Wow, I had driven myself home.  She instructed me to park and I couldn't even see the lines at all.  They desperately need repainting.  Regardless,  I was lucky enough to pull in to her satisfaction.  Ok, now time to back out.  I started backing out, but turned and looked first.  I was starting to turn the wheel toward where I wanted the car to curve out, but she stopped me.  I was told to pull out straight and then when almost all the way in the street to start to curve the car back.  That seemed easy enough, but there were no cars around to hit either.  I managed to shift the gears correctly back to drive.  Now we were off to work again.  Then the shocker came.


She told me to take the "expressway" back.  OK I barely was comfortable going 30, taking the expressway.....was she crazy!???  It was good to get this experience because near my home there's this really crazy intersection where about 6 streets all meet in one location.  Oh yes, I'm lucky enough to get to navigate that mess every day.  First of all, the traffic was really busy and I had to get the guts up to dart out in front of traffic after being sure I had the all clear in both directions.  There was no light at this juncture.  I did dart out fast...too fast.  Had she not grabbed the wheel I could have darted straight into the ditch.  So onto the expressway we crept.  I approached this huge curve where you merge into expressway traffic.  My foot instinctively let off the gas as I turned the curve.  She told me not to because I had to be moving fast on the freeway.  Ok, be careful what you wish for.  


Before I knew it she had grabbed the wheel acting as my eyes helping me change lanes.  It did seem a little much and she said we'd focus on lane changes later, but for now she'd do all that.  I was kind of in shock at this point because as I glanced to my right I could FEEL this 18 wheeler on the side of us and another car on the left.  I was wedged in.  This all seemed so unreal...even more unreal I WAS THE ONE driving!  I tried my best to keep focused before someone honked because I was going so slow.  We let one person around me.  Then we found a quick route to work.  We did a huge U turn by the hospital and went straight there.  The traffic lights downtown are sideways.  I never seem to see the ones hung sideways going home, just coming to work.  I accidently told Jenn the wrong street my workplace was on.  I keep getting it mixed up because we changed locations recently.  So then some pedestrians cross in front of me.  Crisis avoided, lucky fools.  Then I noticed something else.  The light was green, BUT if I did not stop I was going to hit the car in front of me who had his brake lights on.  I don't know why he had them on.  I think because traffic in front of him moved slowly through the green light.  This made me think that it's more important to look at the car in front of you then the traffic light.  After all the light won't kill you, the cars will.  


We took a right on red and dodged a vendors truck before swerving into my workplace's drop-off area.  I was running late and cut our appointment shorter than Jennifer planned.  She hopped out and agreed to meet me in the coming weeks for more training.  She seemed more comfortable this time.  Hopefully we're building some trust in each other.  My feet hurt after this.  I think I didn't know how to properly rest them WHILE driving.  If you have any tips on this please let me know.  All in all, it was a great trip and as always I learned a lot.  I'm going to need to improve on my blinker knowledge, backing up, and parking abilities before the next drive.  Hopefully I can meet with my boss soon to iron out a driving schedule that can be consistent, yet work for all parties involved.  I'll keep you posted on those developments.