Feb 06

You may have seen my recent post about The Blind Man. Well, I heard today on NPR that blind men (and women) will actually have the opportunity to become taxi drives. NO JOKE. Here’s the story from The Daily Telegraph:

Taxi drivers offered their Hackney Carriage licence forms in Braille

Taxi drivers applying for their Hackney Carriage licence are being offered the forms in Braille by a council. 

Taxi Driver Application Available in Braille

Braille ad in Taxi Driver Application form

The document, issued by Portsmouth City Council, makes clear that it is also available in large print or audio format for those with sight problems.

A notice at the end reads: “You can get this Portsmouth City Council information in large print, Braille, audio or in another language….”
 
The council, a member of the Plain English Campaign, defended the forms.

Head of customer services Louise Wilders said: “Obviously, a taxi driver would not need the Braille version, but they might find a foreign language version helpful.

“The form is also for employers to fill in – they could need a Braille version.”

The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write. Braille was devised in 1821 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman.

Each Braille character or cell is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two columns of three dots each.

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Feb 02

As I walked from my car to the office on Friday morning, I passed a van with this message in its window:

At first, I was a little put off by the message. Then I literally took a step back to look at the bigger picture:

I laughed at myself for taking the initial message seriously. In the end, I think this is a very clever and comical marketing message. Best of all, it was probably developed by the Blind Man himself. I wonder if he’s ever been yelled at for being insensitive…

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Oct 02

Toward the end of my senior year of college I took a class in advertising copywriting taught by the late Mel Helitzer. He passed away earlier this year and was an amazing mind. He’ll definitely be missed. I thought of the class and Helitzer last night as I compiled portfolio materials for an interview today. As I put together the compilation, I come to the realization that I’ve really come a long way in the past five years. Made me think of a classic Virginia Slims tagline Helitzer often quoted: You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby.

 Once I printed out my samples and had them bound at Kinko’s (sorry…Fedex Office), I felt very proud of myself. I felt a sense of professional accomplishment for the first time in a few months. It definitely boosted my confidence as I geared up for the interview this morning. I think the interview went well. It’s a tricky situation that should have some resolution in the coming weeks.

But part of me feels like listening to President Obama and making a “change.”

When I first moved to Charlotte in 2004, my intention was to stay here for three to five years. My five-year anniversary was in June and I’m kind of torn on whether or not Charlotte is the place I’d like to spend the next five years of my life. Sure, I definitely enjoy the city, but I feel there are a lot of other places I could be and live happily. I’m lucky in that I don’t have a spouse or children to think about when contemplating a move … just a house. But as a wise former coworker once said, “Houses sell.” I think this still holds true, even in this economy.

As you probably noticed, this is my first post in quite some time. I just haven’t had much to share as of late. But I’m feeling good about the weeks and months ahead. Fall is my favorite season and I know it will bring cooler temperatures, pretty colors and, of course, a new opportunity for me!

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Aug 11

I had my iPod on shuffle this morning and one of the live versions of a Stephen Kellogg song came on. He took a break in the middle of the song to really talk about its meaning:

“You have friends. Then you have Friends with a capital F. People who like you, people who you actually want to pick up their phone call even when you’re in a bad mood. Friends with a capital F; you’ll always pick up their calls, no matter what the hell is going on.”

Not trying to sound weird, but over the course of the past two months, I’ve discovered my true Friends, versus those who are just friends. Don’t get me wrong, friends are still friends and good people. But Friends are a whole different breed. I’ll leave it at that.

As for an update on my life … I’m sorry it’s been so long. I’m still looking for a full-time opportunity. I am doing about 20 hours/week of contract work for a PR firm, which is nice. I’m playing way too much golf, which is also nice. Though I wish my game was doing better.

I’ve found golf to be my saving grace from boredom and (possibly) depression. I’m not sitting around the house as much as I did my first few weeks out of work. I’m actually somewhat busy in my life. Have things to do and a purpose for the day has made this period some much better.

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Jul 20

Howdy folks. I know you’ve missed me SO MUCH since my last post. I wish I had a great reason for not posting in such a long time … like finding an awesome job … or meeting the love of my life … or winning the lottery … or making a mean turkey sandwich. In truth, I have no good reason.I’ve been chillin’ out the past couple of weeks, looking for jobs, playing golf, sleeping in and drinking beer. Not too bad for my summer break / free agency.

I did have a five-hour interview on Friday that (I think!) went well. Also started working in an office again today. Am doing some contract work for a PR firm in town. It’ll get me out of the house for 15 to 20 hours a week for now. Today was good. Decided to use public transportation to get to the firm’s downtown office and it worked out very well. I actually like the bus a lot; was able to read a magazine and relax. No worries about parking or driving or anything. Just me, my magazine and my iPod.

Hope to update you again soon. Maybe I’ll even have some good news!

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