I am becoming a normal human being. well a least a normal woman in her twenties. I realised as i was surrounded by 16 and 17 year olds taking my driving test (written), I skipped a few steps in the development process and now must retrace. In making my childhood home my hermitage for the past few months I realised I had been travelling somewhat consistently since 15, coming home for no more than several weeks. While I am absolutely sure that leaving at 15 and all the travels have been the best thing for me, i now need to catch up on things i didn't do. Top of the list sits driving. I find it quite hilarious that after jumping out of planes, riding death cabs all over the world and zip lining with little more than a bed sheet, ha i am scared shitless o drive.
I suppose it is because i must now rely solely upon my somewhat temperamental body to control a vehicle that could very well kill me or others. Now I've done some very stupid, life threatening things in my life (a record of them is on this blog hahah) but it seems in those instances that i could rationalise it to where if i was injured in a riot in Nepal or in he mountains of Peru there was a slight cool factor, but injuring myself by rear ending a car on a grass valley roadway. not so romantic.
At any rate, the public shall not fear as after my lesson with the adaptive driver rainer, i discovered I'm a surprisingly good and safe driver.
On another note, as i left my town eagerly and was no exactly ino he high school scene, i know very few people my age. But i also realised tha as i am so accustomed to travelling every few months I have very little practice in having those normal, daily relationships (romantic or otherwise). Funnily i realised i could always use "Well, is been nice but I'm leaving the country next week". I'm actually not THAT bad but it's the same kind of sentiment, that i am now having to look a prospecive relationships as long term ones that require work and effort. At any rate, despite being jobless and having friends in a variety of timezones I am content to start my cozy hibernation in my forest enclosed mountain house with the lovely cool gray weather.

Living in Grass Valley/Nevada City is very interesting, and not a good interesting at the momentI find it incredible that 20 years after the ADA law was passed in the US that these towns, particularly Nevada City remains for the most part inaccessible. Last week I was carried into a sushi restaurant by a good Samaritan, who by the time we got to the table almost passed out from the strain. Being royally pissed off by the time we sat down at the indignity of the situation, in addition to the possible heart attack given to the poor fellow, I complained to my aunt and the waitress. Both seemed quite indifferent to the situation and my aunt even defended the restaurant by saying its very expensive and a lot of work for the owner. Needless to say my blood pressure went dangerously high and I attempted to channel my Buddha nature. In actuality, all the restaurant needed was a small plywood board with a few bricks for support costing all of perhaps $5.00. I chose to write on this topic today, as I am sitting in this cafe that I had to go around the back, move the garbage cans from the pathway , have a nice man help me over cracked pavement and another patron go into the café to bring out a waiter. This is utterly unacceptable in the US, but people don’t understand it as blatant discrimination. The majority view it as the poor disabled girl needing assistance. But having an inaccessible building is as good as posting a sign saying “Physically Disabled Not Allowed”. People hate to view it this way as it is reminiscent of signs 40 years ago which read “Colored Not Allowed”, but having inaccessible buildings means just that. Popular excuses use expense as the main factor in not providing ramps and taking other accessibility measures, which is absurd. As aforementioned, one can purchase a piece of plywood for as much as a cup of coffee. Funnily enough, the waiter wanted to give me the cup of tea I ordered for free, as he felt guilty for the trouble I went through, and I cannot imagine how much money they have lost to guilt, that could have been put towards an accessible entrance.

I am so sick of having to smile and be effusively thankful in order to be helped into an inaccessible building that has absolutely no excuse to be so.

I shall be posting “Disabled People not Allowed” on every inaccessible building. See if people question taking their business there.