Back in the good old days, wheelchairs were good

My first power wheelchair had some issues, but the battery was great -- never failed -- and the port for the charger was really easy to use.

My second power chair -- my previous one -- had a lot of issues. But, as I was reminded this week when I had to use it for a few days, it does have redeeming qualities, too. For instance, it had like an automatic transmission.

Power chairs don't stop running when you stop pushing the joystick. The acceleration stops, but the momentum keeps pushing the chair forward a bit. This is really noticeable in my current chair. I can roll down our ramp backward if I push the joystick forward for a second. It goes forward, then goes into neutral and the ramp causes it to slide backward, like pushing in the clutch in a car on a hill.

My previous chair had a neutral time, but it was real slight. The wheelchair guy said all new chairs have extended neutral times. The new chair is also not as good as rolling up bumps.

It is like newer chairs are worse ... on purpose.

Where do I go from here?

I have a good bit of vacation time built up, and Mom and I spent some time looking at possible trips.

Almost anything I would do would cost double -- places don't give an aide a free pass. And while some give discounts, they are pretty minor -- 10% or so.

I guess the cost in't really the issue. The question: Is it worth it? And that is a question I am really unsure of.

Travel anywhere is not easy, and it is nice to sleep late.

It's neither exciting nor stimulating, though. Am I that boring?

Funny?

I am trying to decide if I am becoming a grumpy crank regarding jokes about wheelchairs. Not from my friends or family.

Earlier this week, I watched The Big Bang Theory. Leonard was on his way to a boat in the North Sea with Stephen Hawking's team to research some science thing. But Penny was concerned, Won't Professor Hawking just roll off?

Really, is she that dumb? Wheelchairs have brakes, and boats have railings. Plus,   Hawking wasn't going; his team was.

It seemed like a silly and lazy joke. So I tried to come up with another line that would work. It wasn't easy. The only thing I could come with is

• "What if his wheelchair rusts?"
• "Won't it be hard to use his voice thing if he is wearing gloves?"

But the second suggests that the North Sea is real cold, but it is not.

I still can't decide if it was a funny joke.

I did laugh at Modern Family's joke involving a wheelchair the other day, but that was not so much about the chair.

Haley was mocking a community college brochure's standard diversity photo and said, wow, that guy in the wheelchair is really cracking them up.

So I just don't know.

Anyone want a wheelchair?

I had to call my sister for help the other morning because I slid off the bed when I was getting up.

I wasn't hurt and probably could have gotten up eventually, but in the interest of time I figured I needed help.

I know people will yell at me for this, but I was thinking that was the first time in a while I fell. I must be getting better. No doubt, soon I will be able to toss out my wheelchair.

Sleeping under the chair

My sister makes fun of Claren for being scared of the new puppy. And it's true, Claren is. Service dogs need to be extra-passive, and Claren is even more than usual.

She is not, however, stupid enough to lie down under my chair. Unlike certain puppies.