Category: Uncategorized

BOOK REVIEW: Memoirs of a Geisha

Image result for memoirs of a geisha book
Pictured: Book cover

by Arthur Golden

Don’t be confused by the title. The main character Chiyo (also known as Sayuri) is not a real geisha, not a real person even. This is historical fiction, not a real memoir. Nevertheless, the history is here, exquisitely told.

At age 9, Chiyo was sold by her father and plucked from a remote fishing village to a geisha house (okiya) in western Japan. There she is subjected to intense and often brutal training to become a Japanese geisha. Her housing and training as well as the initial costs of her being purchased are expenses that she will someday have to repay – expenses that continue to accrue – thus enslaving her. She must prove herself worthy of that repayment and only her work as a successful geisha would suffice. If she fails, she will be a maid forevermore – and then only if she is not first turned out on the streets.

Success means an exhausting life as an entertainer in tea houses, at corporate functions, and such – in short, as playthings of the rich. Chiyo does well, under the tutelage of Mameha, one of the most successful geisha in Kyoto. Chiyo becomes Mameha’s “younger sister” and when she transitions from apprentice to geisha she is given the name of Sayuri.

Sayuri continues her geisha duties while remaining in the okiya and the okiya does well financially by receiving a hefty percentage of Sayuri’s income.

However, Sayuri’s story is one of unrequited love. Her heart belongs to the Chairman (a wealthy businessman), a relationship that is complicated by other relationships and entanglements. (Miss Shapin would love this story!)

After 18 years, things change. Eighteen? This book is written by a student of Japanese history and culture, not a descendant. He writes about the dependence of  geisha upon an almanac, (a calendar of auspicious days) which geisha consult for their daily activities. Perhaps Chai is also present.

This has been a journey to another time and place, a culture so different from what I know. Slavery in the land of enchantment, and I was mesmerized.

Related image
 
Pictured: The 18th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, chai, symbol of life.
 

_____________________________

Available through BARD and bookshare. 

 

You Must See This

Do you see what I see?  Can you see what you can’t see?  What is it, and how do you know?

Visual impairment is a spectrum.  It is seeing something between all and nothing.

The following video gives first hand information about what some blind and visually impaired people see.

What do you see?

Go back

Your message has been sent

Listen to This

What is NLS and How Do I Sign Up

I have been getting a lot of questions through email and facebook about the National Library Service.  So here is some information to help you understand and get started.  And for those of you who would like to sit back and just listen to me speak about the National Library Service, click on the audio player.  For your reading pleasure, the full transcript follows below.

First of all, the National Library Service – also known as the NLS, is a branch of the Library of Congress. They were created for the blind and physically handicapped with the mission “that all may read.”  It is a FREE library service for all eligible Americans.

There are 2 main parts to the National Library Service:

First, there is BARD, B-A-R-D.  BARD is an acronym for Braille and Audio Reading Download.  As a member of the NLS, you can go to the password-protected BARD website and download audiobooks.  They have a huge collection, including current bestsellers and magazines, and they add to the collection continually.   All of their books are always instantly available.  There is no return; keep them forever.  Download as many as you like, whenever you like; there are no limits. No charges, no fees, no limits, no string attached!  Through BARD, you can also download digital braille books in what is known as the BRF, or– braille ready format.  Your computer or device cannot read these files as they are, so they will be blank to you UNLESS you have a braille display. But a braille display is a story for another day.  So if you do not have a braille display, you will not be able to download braille reading material from BARD – or anywhere, for that matter.

But, do not fret!  You can get physical braille books through the NLS.

The NLS will hook you up with your state’s Talking Books Library.  The Talking Books Library will send you braille books in the mail at no cost to you.  They will ask that you return those books and they will send return mailers.   They give you lots of time.  Some local Talking Book Libraries offer digital downloads, some offer videos on DVD or download, and all offer audiobooks on specially designed digital cartridges that you get through the mail.

Finally, the NLS provides a portable, fully accessible, digital player for you to use.  It is a black machine, about 6 inches wide, 9 inches long, and less than 2 inches high.  It has a white pull-out carry handle.  On the top surface are a series of big,, color-coded buttons that are tactile which include white rewind and fast forward arrow-shaped buttons with a big green square PLAY/PAUSE button in between.  There are 2 yellow arrow-shaped buttons on the right side for volume up and volume down.  You can speed up the playback and slow it down.  There is even a sleep button to automatically turn off the player at a given time, for those of us who like to listen to a good book while we fall asleep.  Some models have a few additional buttons and features.  A 2” by 4” green plastic digital cartridge contains the audio reading material and it slides into a slot at the front of the player.  The whole thing is really easy to use.  The rechargeable battery will play for an amazing 29 hours on one full charge.  If you run out of charge, you can listen to the audiobook with the player plugged into an outlet and you can listen while the player charges.

By the way, the books you get from the NLS are encoded so that they will only play on their special player and on privately-owned players with special software easily installed.  That is because all books are specially formatted and free just for members and not the general public.  However, if you would like to listen to commercial audiobooks that you buy or borrow elsewhere, that also is possible.

The NLS not only provides the player, they also maintain it.  If you ever have a problem – sticky buttons, weak battery, or whatever – just contact them and they will get you a free replacement.  And fast, too!

So, who is eligible?  From their website:

“Any resident of the United States or American citizen living abroad who is unable to read or use normal print materials as a result of temporary or permanent visual or physical limitations may receive service through NLS.  This includes those who are blind, have a visual disability that prevents them from reading normal print, or have a physical disability that keeps them from being able to hold a book.”

For more information about National Library Service, or to apply online, click on the link and fill out their online form:

NLS – Click here to get started

You can email the NLS at:   nls@loc.gov.

Or call them at:  1-888-NLS-READ (1-888-657-7323) and follow the prompts.

Do it today!  You have nothing to lose and so much to gain!

If you know of others who might be interested in the National Library Service, click on the SHARE button below.

Click on COMMENTS below to ask any questions or leave a comment, or contact me on the form below.  Either way, I will respond.

 

____________________________

Talk to me!  I would love to hear from you.

Crochet a Towel Holder

A crochet kitchen towel holder is a simple project that works up quickly.  Scrap yarn can be used.  Because it is for the kitchen (or bath), 100% cotton is recommended, but any yarn will work.

Scrap yarn, quick, easy.  That is a crochet project that is hard to beat!

The kitchen towel holder is comprised of a ring to hold the towel and a loop to hang over the oven door handle (or dishwasher door handle or refrigerator door handle).  It will work on a clothes closet rod or bathroom towel bar, as well.  The loop folds over the bar or handle and is held in place by a large decorative button.  It is washable and dryable, as long as you pick a washable and dryable yarn, of course.

tOWEL hOLDER WHITE
Pictured:  Basic crocheted kitchen towel holder, white.

The pattern is given in the links below.  Please note that the pattern is provided in both longhand for beginners or those who do not know how to read crochet patterns or for screen readers that do not interpret the pattern well.  The pattern is also provided as a traditional shorthand crochet pattern.

Click here for longhand pattern.

Click here for crochet shorthand pattern.

Embellished
Pictured: Two crocheted kitchen towel holders with embellishment for more advanced crocheters.  Left: A red towel holder with white V-stitch border around the red ring and similar style white “flower” under the button.  Right:  A simpler red towel holder with white edging.
Twel on Holder
Pictured:  A red and white crocheted towel holder hanging on dishwasher handle holding a kitchen towel with a multi-color print design.

Learn in a Flash

flashcards - braille
Pictured:  Three custom flashcards, one with the word WINK written with bold marker and braille at bottom of card, a second with the word SMILE, and a third with CLAP.

Are you planning to travel to a place where a foreign language is spoken? Do you have young kids just learning to read? Are you learning braille? These are just a few ways flashcards could prove very helpful.

It is easy to make your own flashcards, flashcards that are designed to meet your needs. Flashcards can be created not only with the specific content you want to learn, but also using bold markers or colors that help you to see what is on them. You can even add braille to your flashcards so that a sighted person, a blind person, and a visually impaired person can work together or separately using the same set of cards. Oh, the flexibility!

Laminated (or dry erase) index cards add yet another dimension to your flashcard project. Blank laminated index cards are inexpensive. Their benefit is that once the content is learned, the cards can be wiped clean to be used again with new learning material. With the laminated cards, I do recommend wet erase markers because these will stay fresh on each card until wiped clean with a moistened cloth. Dry erase markers, on the other hand, wipe away too easily, even accidentally, and so the lifespan of a laminated flashcard with dry erase marker can be quite short. If adding braille, however, plain index cards are best because the braille cannot be easily erased for reuse.

Some suggested activities for flashcards:

  1.  Arrange selected cards in a row on a table to create words or sentences, patterns, or designs.

  2. Review the content of the cards, one at a time, from a pile.

  3. Use them to create games, such as drawing a card for pantomime or timed challenges (in a group, who reads it correctly first?).

  4. With the laminated cards, copy or trace the written material using a dry erase marker right on the card. Studies show that writing new words helps to preserve them in memory. Great for penmanship practice too.

  5. Create a set of activity cards. For young children learning to read, sight words such as RUN, HOP, SKIP, JUMP, HUM, SMILE, CRY, etc., can promote learning new words and test comprehension at the same time by asking the child to read and then perform each word. This also works for learning a foreign language or even braille.

  6. Arrange pairs of flashcards face down on a table or floor and play the matching game. Find pairs. The winner is the player who has found the most pairs.

  7. Place a series of instructions on separate cards, like recipes, knit and crochet patterns, etc.  As you complete each step, move that card to the bottom of the pile. In this way, you will not lose your place. (Remember to number your cards.)

Flashcards can be fun!  Do you have some helpful ideas to add?

_______________________________

Links to items mentioned:

_______________________________

Make a Note of This

Whiteboards
Pictured:   Whiteboards of various types, sizes, and shapes. Shown are large and small whiteboards with markers and eraser, two whiteboard notebooks, and three laminated (whiteboard) index cards with Spanish words written on them: CUANDO, DONDE, and COMO.

I own no pens nor pencils, for what would be their purpose? The scratches they make on paper are not legible, even my own. I use markers, markers with nibs of various sizes, thicknesses, and shapes. Markers of different colors and styles. Markers of different types.

What about devices? There are so many apps for jotting down reminders and lists and even essays.

​I have no patience for accessing apps just to jot down an idea or a reminder. There are too many steps,too much time, and it all requires a charge which sometimes is not there, and then there is finding the darn thing. Where did I put it?​

I prefer whiteboards.

A simple child’s whiteboard is just so handy and easy to use. I write big and bold and my words are saved.

​I use dry erase markers for those things I need only briefly. A tissue or cloth (and sometimes a sleeve) will remove the writing easily and cleanly. If I need to keep those words or pictures a bit longer without them being accidentally erased, I use wet erase markers. A moistened cloth will clean up the space nicely. And for long-term preservation, I use a Sharpie or other permanent marker. But even that can be wiped away with just a little rubbing alcohol.

​Whiteboards come in all shapes and sizes too. I keep a small whiteboard spiral-bound notebook in my purse along with a wet erase marker. There are even white erase index cards available. It is easy to make your own whiteboard for the creative people.

Whiteboards or devices? What do you use?

 
 
Links to items discussed in this article for information only:. Please note that whiteboard and dry erase are synonymous.

Can We Talk?

Do you see what I see?  Can you see what you can’t see?  What is it, and how do you know?

​Assistive devices for vision impairment can be very helpful, and very expensive.  CCTVs, braille writers, magnifiers, and audiobook players cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars, to name just a few things that could help blind and visually impaired people.  Even audiobooks can be beyond our budget.  Too often, even tools that can help us with our daily activities and special needs are not even made available for us to try, or even know about.  And then, can we afford them?  We must rely on word of mouth, and even then the results can be disappointing.  It is not like I see what you see, or that you see what someone else sees.  With vision impairment, we all see (or don’t see) the same things differently.

Talking about different devices can often lead to success.  Even better, there are so many common household items and stationery supplies, and even things we never gave much thought to that provide so much benefit.  Sometimes we just have to think outside the box.

For example, did you know you can cook perfect bacon in the oven instead of a fry pan and avoid all the hot oil spatter?  Did you know a child’s whiteboard can be the perfect tool for your notes and reminders?  Did you know you can easily connect your tablet to your computer screen or TV so you can benefit from greatly enlarged print and images?  Did you know there is an online group that gives away used audiobooks and braille books, magnifiers, and more?

We have a lot to talk about.  So let’s explore together.

Thanks for joining me on this journey.

 

Talk to me.  I would love to hear from you!

Go back

Your message has been sent