It's been a long month where the days are long but the weeks are flying by.
Over 800,000 cases in the US, over 44,000 deaths in the US. 888 cases in Maine, 5716 in Rhode Island where my parents live.
Although the stores continue to remain well-stocked there will be meat shortages as meat processing plants continue to close. I have 8 cans of chicken and 6 cans of salmon. I even picked up 3 cans of corned beef hash. I also bought a lot of beans and 3 pounds of quinoa. Cleaning supplies are hit or miss. I can't believe I found a 12 pack of Cottonelle toilet paper on Sunday afternoon at Walgreens. I haven't seen toilet paper at a store in so long I forgot that's how I used to buy it.
Starting to see some strange stuff on Amazon. Since I have two disabled children I never liked going to stores and prefer shopping online. Amazon has been my goto for years. I bought Seventh Generation free and clear dishsoap but what arrived was two open, leaking bottles filled with weird opaque liquid that had dripped all over the bottles and into the box. I am still waiting on a refund. Fearing a food supply chain disruption, I bought a canned ham from Amazon pantry. It is April 22 and the sell-by date of the date was Feb 24. The can was bulging. I did get a refund for the ham. My biggest fear today is someone will find the weird liquid and the expired ham and think they are worth using.
A few weeks ago we had a snowstorm that knocked out power. We lost power at 11:30 pm and the outside temp was in the high 20s. The next morning the house was freezing so I made the kids lay under their covers in bed, hoping to keep them warm. Thankfully, the power came on at around 8 am. We didn't have any food spoil. Some people in Maine were without power for 4.5 days. It was so cold and everyone had filled their freezers with food that was rendered inedible.
The BHPs can still come because they are essential workers. I only have a handful of bleach wipes and two bottles of 70% rubbing alcohol but I sanitize the doorknobs, light switches, commonly touched surfaces, cabinet handles, and the area that they work with the kids before they come and after they leave. I was able to buy some anti-bacterial bathroom cleanser from grove.com that I use twice or three times daily.
I still don't have a face mask because my friend who is making them doesn't have any elastic. She said she should hopefully have them soon. A lot of people are donating masks for healthcare workers and I am 100% fine with the materials for a mask for me going to a frontline worker. I did buy a dozen bandannas from Amazon along with some coffee filters so I can make no-sew masks. Today NPR released a study that nylon pantyhose slipped over homemade masks render them almost as useful as medical masks so I bought 6 pairs of Just My Size hose on Amazon that will be here early next week.
My 6 year old ASD son has been struggling. His interfering behaviors have increased to the point that he is eating his fecal matter when I leave the room. After speaking to his teacher and the BCBA of the school district, I decided to physically remove the opportunity. I bought two girl's dance leotards from Amazon for $10 each. The "special needs one piece onsie" available on Amazon sell for $30 each. Problem solved although going to the potty is now a little more difficult.
My daughter is having manic episodes which are disturbing. She has telehealth with her teacher once a day which helps a lot.
We still have it really good. There is still food in the stores, you can still find household cleansers and paper products if you look around. No one has discussed going to the zoo to harvest the animals yet. There are still stray animals in cities and towns. We are not living during the Blitz. This is not late 1930s Poland. We are not living like the Frank family in the attic forced to be quiet all day. We just have to stay home and stay safe. Yes, it is really hard with children, but it is doable. In this house we have a trampoline, two balance balls, a peanut, crayons, markers, paint, stickers, paper, dry erase markers, a white board, and paper. We have books. We have a Roku and WiFi. My family is low income so we don't have a ton of extras so I get it but we are making the best out of everyday.
If we do run out of toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins there are alternatives. Vinegar makes a cheap all purpose cleanser. We can make it through this.
This is not a conspiracy, there is a deadly virus that is easily transmitted from person to person. Its not just about if we get it, its keeping other people safe and virus free.
Friday, April 24, 2020
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Picard Review I wrote for Altwire.net
I'm so excited to be writing for a pop culture website. It's worth a look. They are posting new articles on a semi-daily basis.
https://www.altwire.net/2020/03/25/picard-season-1-episode-9-et-in-arcadia-ego/
https://www.altwire.net/2020/03/25/picard-season-1-episode-9-et-in-arcadia-ego/
Quarantine Diary March 25
Maine now has 149 positive cases.
Prince Charles has tested positive.
Angela Merkle has put herself in self-quarantine.
Idris Elba has had to defend himself by saying he is asymptomatic, not being paid to say he has tested positive.
My daughter's extremely patient BHP came today. She started the session by not only washing her hands but by bringing my daughter to wash her hands. I notice she has brought her own hand sanitizer and hand soap. Our apartment has two floors. The first floor has the kitchen, then a small room that most would use as a dining room but I use it as a book room, then the living room. Upstairs are the bedrooms and bathroom. I bought a small toddler-sized table and chair set for the kitchen and put Lego table and plastic chair in the bookroom as places for the BHPs to do activities months ago. Now I am glad I have because we can social distance when they come. I try to keep my son sequestered in the living room. When it's lunchtime I wash my hands and prepare my daughter's lunch and place it on her little table. Then, I tell the BHP and they come in. I apologize that I am trying to give them space but it's hard in the close space. She tells me that it's ok. Before she leaves, she hands me a new policy from the company. They have a new policy due to the coronavirus. I agree with the policy which is mostly about sanitation and notifying the company immediately if a family member becomes sick. I normally spray all the surfaces they work at with a vinegar solution when they are done and tell her I will continue to do so. I also don't touch the materials they use because they mostly belong to the company. I tell the BHP I will continue to not touch their materials.
The hardest behavior my daughter is exhibiting is that she is extremely clingy. If I leave her sight she cries and yells "WHERE DID MOMMA GO?". When the BHP came she started crying and said she didn't want to work, she wanted to color. I told her she can color with the BHP. My daughter said in a very tearful voice "I want to color with you." My heart broke. She also cannot leave any room without three Minnie Mouse dolls that she has to eat with and sleep with. Anxiety is common with children with autism when their routines get disrupted. This has to be incredibly hard for her because she is extremely social and has friends at school. I can't explain any of this to her. She is too much in her own thoughts to understand that other people are getting really sick and we don't want to get sick or spread bad germs to other people. All she knows is school stopped, going to stores stopped, going to the indoor sensory gym stopped. Life stopped. Everything stopped. The only thing in her world that hasn't gone away are me and her brother.
My son's teacher called. She explained how the programming works. She told me that to use the token board, since its a school thing and not a mom thing, that I should give him a token after completing a small task, like putting one puzzle piece in the right spot. That way he will get his reward quicker and eventually I can space things out a bit. I told her its hard to do this on my own so we are exploring outside the box learning activities like flashcards and books. We also watch Sesame Street and sing a lot of nursery rhyme and preschool songs. She said that's honestly ok. I tell her that I have a newfound appreciation for educators and Ed Techs. I always thought I could teach and I learned that I cannot. She said she will post more videos and call once a week. The teachers basically had a frantic day or two to prepare their classrooms for an indefinite time without a clear plan of what the future would hold.
There were so many bright spots today! My parents finally found toilet paper in Rhode Island!
Want to hear Captian Picard read you Shakespeare every day? You can here: https://www.instagram.com/sirpatstew/?utm_source=ig_embed
Do you want a daily free opera from The Met? In this topsy-turvey world we have that now! https://www.metopera.org/
My daughter's school will be pairing with telehealth and we will have speech therapy, PT and OT again!!
It pays to stay positive.
Prince Charles has tested positive.
Angela Merkle has put herself in self-quarantine.
Idris Elba has had to defend himself by saying he is asymptomatic, not being paid to say he has tested positive.
My daughter's extremely patient BHP came today. She started the session by not only washing her hands but by bringing my daughter to wash her hands. I notice she has brought her own hand sanitizer and hand soap. Our apartment has two floors. The first floor has the kitchen, then a small room that most would use as a dining room but I use it as a book room, then the living room. Upstairs are the bedrooms and bathroom. I bought a small toddler-sized table and chair set for the kitchen and put Lego table and plastic chair in the bookroom as places for the BHPs to do activities months ago. Now I am glad I have because we can social distance when they come. I try to keep my son sequestered in the living room. When it's lunchtime I wash my hands and prepare my daughter's lunch and place it on her little table. Then, I tell the BHP and they come in. I apologize that I am trying to give them space but it's hard in the close space. She tells me that it's ok. Before she leaves, she hands me a new policy from the company. They have a new policy due to the coronavirus. I agree with the policy which is mostly about sanitation and notifying the company immediately if a family member becomes sick. I normally spray all the surfaces they work at with a vinegar solution when they are done and tell her I will continue to do so. I also don't touch the materials they use because they mostly belong to the company. I tell the BHP I will continue to not touch their materials.
The hardest behavior my daughter is exhibiting is that she is extremely clingy. If I leave her sight she cries and yells "WHERE DID MOMMA GO?". When the BHP came she started crying and said she didn't want to work, she wanted to color. I told her she can color with the BHP. My daughter said in a very tearful voice "I want to color with you." My heart broke. She also cannot leave any room without three Minnie Mouse dolls that she has to eat with and sleep with. Anxiety is common with children with autism when their routines get disrupted. This has to be incredibly hard for her because she is extremely social and has friends at school. I can't explain any of this to her. She is too much in her own thoughts to understand that other people are getting really sick and we don't want to get sick or spread bad germs to other people. All she knows is school stopped, going to stores stopped, going to the indoor sensory gym stopped. Life stopped. Everything stopped. The only thing in her world that hasn't gone away are me and her brother.
My son's teacher called. She explained how the programming works. She told me that to use the token board, since its a school thing and not a mom thing, that I should give him a token after completing a small task, like putting one puzzle piece in the right spot. That way he will get his reward quicker and eventually I can space things out a bit. I told her its hard to do this on my own so we are exploring outside the box learning activities like flashcards and books. We also watch Sesame Street and sing a lot of nursery rhyme and preschool songs. She said that's honestly ok. I tell her that I have a newfound appreciation for educators and Ed Techs. I always thought I could teach and I learned that I cannot. She said she will post more videos and call once a week. The teachers basically had a frantic day or two to prepare their classrooms for an indefinite time without a clear plan of what the future would hold.
There were so many bright spots today! My parents finally found toilet paper in Rhode Island!
Want to hear Captian Picard read you Shakespeare every day? You can here: https://www.instagram.com/sirpatstew/?utm_source=ig_embed
Do you want a daily free opera from The Met? In this topsy-turvey world we have that now! https://www.metopera.org/
My daughter's school will be pairing with telehealth and we will have speech therapy, PT and OT again!!
It pays to stay positive.
Quarantine Diary March 24
Today the number of recovered in Maine is 7, the total active cases is 118. The governor shut down all non-essential businesses closed. Our version of Job Lot or Olly's is called Marden's and they have closed until further notice.
The US experienced it's deadliest day from the virus.
My son woke up at 4 am today so I'm kinda drained.
On my way to get the kid's lunches today, I was again struck by the lack of vehicles on the road. One car drove past me going about 70 mph which was concerning because the speed limit is 25. That car was the only one I saw on the walk there.
It snowed last night in central Maine and we got about a foot. It is going to be a high of 50 and right now its in the upper 30s. The snow is melting and its a brisk day. The van driver sees me coming and unlocks the back of the van when I am about 50 feet away. He left the van running with the door wide open. One of the things I love about living in Maine is even in these crazy times people are still incredibly trusting. I cannot imagine in RI anyone would have done that. I thank him for the kid's meals and start walking back home. The only vehicle I see is a Fed Ex truck that is running with the driver nowhere to be seen. Now I know how those Amazon trucks of toilet paper got stolen.
As I get close to the house, I see we have boxes on the porch. My son gets pull ups through insurance because he is incontinent and they have arrived. It's comforting to know that even with everything going on we are still getting the things we need.
Once inside, I sort out the bags. The kids got pancakes and frozen strawberry syrup, chocolate milk, regular milk, two apples, two baggies of carrots, and two chicken salad sandwiches along with two small bags of pretzel-shaped goldfish. Some of the food came in quart-sized freezer bags which almost went in the trash when I realized I'm freezing an awful lot of food lately. I clean the bags inside and out with vinegar. They were also packed in paper bags which I also almost throw out before I realize I don't have paper towels and these might help in a pinch. I was raised by my Grandparents who lived through the Depression. I used to tease them for not throwing away bread bags and other things I thought were trash. In this moment I get it. I really leave the house anymore. When I do go to the store it is to get stuff like bananas and milk. I know where I am headed and I don't walk around and look like I used to. I never really know what I'm going to need or when I can go get it. It took about a week for me to change my mind about how I grew up. Don't get it wrong, I am not saving apple seeds or drying out used napkins. But maybe it might not hurt to save some of this stuff for the days ahead. If nothing else, my daughter will have extra paper for coloring.
My son's teacher posted a video of her reading a book online. I am so touched. She has her own kids and other family that she is homeschooling and she took the time to think about her class. I think my son will enjoy seeing her. When I play the video on my phone he grins, then grabs my phone only to toss it to the floor. My son loves school. He loves school so much that on weekends he tries to go outside to look for the van. Now suddenly, the van isn't coming, he isn't going to school, he isn't seeing his Ed Tech or his teacher. He isn't seeing the kids he has grown accustomed to. I hope he doesn't think he did something wrong or that his teacher doesn't want him anymore. I can't get him to do any work, but it could be because he woke up at 4 am. He's restless until around 2 pm when he agrees to nap. His teacher emails me to see how everything is going. I told her things are rocky and I'm not sure how to run my son's programs. She will call me tomorrow to tell me what to do.
My daughter's Ed Techs are also posting videos online. She would not look at them. What she did want was to color. I bought Water Wow pads and she spent the whole afternoon coloring and telling me what she saw when the picture was revealed.
I was particularly proud of supper tonight. Usually, it's a struggle to get both kids to eat. I heated up the rotisserie chicken and served it with baked sweet potatoes. I steamed the broccoli they got in their lunches yesterday. Both kids wanted seconds. Maybe when I go for groceries next I can get another rotisserie chicken.
Tomorrow will be a new day.
The US experienced it's deadliest day from the virus.
My son woke up at 4 am today so I'm kinda drained.
On my way to get the kid's lunches today, I was again struck by the lack of vehicles on the road. One car drove past me going about 70 mph which was concerning because the speed limit is 25. That car was the only one I saw on the walk there.
It snowed last night in central Maine and we got about a foot. It is going to be a high of 50 and right now its in the upper 30s. The snow is melting and its a brisk day. The van driver sees me coming and unlocks the back of the van when I am about 50 feet away. He left the van running with the door wide open. One of the things I love about living in Maine is even in these crazy times people are still incredibly trusting. I cannot imagine in RI anyone would have done that. I thank him for the kid's meals and start walking back home. The only vehicle I see is a Fed Ex truck that is running with the driver nowhere to be seen. Now I know how those Amazon trucks of toilet paper got stolen.
As I get close to the house, I see we have boxes on the porch. My son gets pull ups through insurance because he is incontinent and they have arrived. It's comforting to know that even with everything going on we are still getting the things we need.
Once inside, I sort out the bags. The kids got pancakes and frozen strawberry syrup, chocolate milk, regular milk, two apples, two baggies of carrots, and two chicken salad sandwiches along with two small bags of pretzel-shaped goldfish. Some of the food came in quart-sized freezer bags which almost went in the trash when I realized I'm freezing an awful lot of food lately. I clean the bags inside and out with vinegar. They were also packed in paper bags which I also almost throw out before I realize I don't have paper towels and these might help in a pinch. I was raised by my Grandparents who lived through the Depression. I used to tease them for not throwing away bread bags and other things I thought were trash. In this moment I get it. I really leave the house anymore. When I do go to the store it is to get stuff like bananas and milk. I know where I am headed and I don't walk around and look like I used to. I never really know what I'm going to need or when I can go get it. It took about a week for me to change my mind about how I grew up. Don't get it wrong, I am not saving apple seeds or drying out used napkins. But maybe it might not hurt to save some of this stuff for the days ahead. If nothing else, my daughter will have extra paper for coloring.
My son's teacher posted a video of her reading a book online. I am so touched. She has her own kids and other family that she is homeschooling and she took the time to think about her class. I think my son will enjoy seeing her. When I play the video on my phone he grins, then grabs my phone only to toss it to the floor. My son loves school. He loves school so much that on weekends he tries to go outside to look for the van. Now suddenly, the van isn't coming, he isn't going to school, he isn't seeing his Ed Tech or his teacher. He isn't seeing the kids he has grown accustomed to. I hope he doesn't think he did something wrong or that his teacher doesn't want him anymore. I can't get him to do any work, but it could be because he woke up at 4 am. He's restless until around 2 pm when he agrees to nap. His teacher emails me to see how everything is going. I told her things are rocky and I'm not sure how to run my son's programs. She will call me tomorrow to tell me what to do.
My daughter's Ed Techs are also posting videos online. She would not look at them. What she did want was to color. I bought Water Wow pads and she spent the whole afternoon coloring and telling me what she saw when the picture was revealed.
I was particularly proud of supper tonight. Usually, it's a struggle to get both kids to eat. I heated up the rotisserie chicken and served it with baked sweet potatoes. I steamed the broccoli they got in their lunches yesterday. Both kids wanted seconds. Maybe when I go for groceries next I can get another rotisserie chicken.
Tomorrow will be a new day.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Quarantine Diary of an Autism Family
MARCH 13
Little did I know this would be the last day of school for my kids. My son, 6, is non-verbal and was happy because the weekend was starting. My daughter, 3, was happy because we watch a Disney movie after school. This was our last normal day.
MARCH 14
Notification that my son won't have school for two weeks. I can handle two weeks. When he first got diagnosed with autism, he was home all the time. When we lived in RI he was home all summer. We have flashcards, books, a trampoline, a peanut, and places to walk to when it is warm. Besides my daughter has school, so we got this. Missing two weeks of speech, pt, and ot won't cause too much of a regression. I also knew my son's extremely dedicated teacher would have a plan.
MARCH 15
My daughter's school has been closed until further notice. Pt/ot canceled until further notice. Speech therapy canceled until further notice. She goes to a preschool for special needs children and the bulk of her therapy is off-campus. She engages in echoing and scripting so she really needs these services.
My son is still not fully potty trained and can take up to 40 minutes in the bathroom, which is upstairs. She is extremely clingy and will be upset. How am I going to care for them? At least we have 5 BHPs that come 5 times a week and often together. I can get chores done and shower then.
MARCH 16
We will be having 3 BHPS coming to limit exposure.
The world is going crazy. I'm watching news reports of food and supply shortages. One of the Altwire writers shares with us a picture of a store that looks like locusts ate the paper goods aisle.
My son's teacher calls. She sounds exhausted. She had to put together a packet of work which was hard because my son can't read or write and is a visual learner. He has an IEP so he has goals he is working on. She explains she has three kids of her own she has to care for and was told at the last minute she had to create packets for her students. She said that given the short notice, she thinks she did a good job. I told her that any guidance she can give me will help. I don't think she understands how much I appreciate her.
My daughter's school sent word on Facebook that they are compiling a list of links to help the kids learn.
MARCH 17
The schools are providing free meals if you pick them up at select locations between 9 am and 11 am.
Please send help.
The BHPs are coming during the day now. This is helpful because the kids are upset their routine is off-kilter and want to go to bed at 6 pm.
I had placed an order on Walmart Grocery. Fifteen items are unavailable, mostly frozen veggies and rice. As long as we have bread and peanut butter we will be fine. Got an email that the peanut butter is unavailable.
MARCH 21
I have no idea where the last few days went.
Congress is proposing a remote learning bill but it will not accommodate children with an IEP.
I decided I need some homeschooling supplies and go to Walgreens because there should be fewer people there. I get kinetic sand, a ream of paper, and pads that reveal images when you "paint" over them with water. I walk around the store to see what they have. They are fully stocked with necessities. The only sign something is different is the floor is marked with blue tape to show where six feet away from the cash register is. The clerk is wearing latex gloves that she is not changing between customers. I suppress the urge to tell her that's not how to use them properly because I realize there may not be a lot of gloves and she has to make them last.
I call my parents in Rhode Island. My mom who is 67 cannot find toilet paper, meat, eggs, milk, pasta, rice, frozen or fresh vegetables, tuna, lunch meat, bread, paper towels, napkins, rubbing alcohol or bleach. She also can't find bottled water which they have used as the town water is high in chlorine for over twenty years. She says she might have to start rationing. She spoke to her brother who is in his 70s and lives in Arizona with his wife who has COPD and had a kidney transplant. My aunt has not left the house in weeks. They have three rolls of toilet paper left. They can't find the same food items my mother can't. My uncle who is a major sports fan is upset because since he can't go out, this is the perfect time to binge on sports. My uncle has never seen anything like this.
I call a friend in Rhode Island who lives in subsidized housing. He relies on public transportation and there is none anymore. He has no soap and is low on food. Offer to buy him some soap and some food to hopefully tide him over a few days.
MARCH 22
Why did I offer to buy food and soap for a friend? I went into Hannafords which looked like the stores you see on the news that were picked clean.
I feel bad that my friend doesn't have a working computer because one can only watch so much tv. I decide to buy him a word search magazine to help keep him busy. Oddly, the magazine section is overflowing. Next to the magazines is a wire rack with books. Being a bibliophile, I have to look. Then, I take a step back, disgusted. Someone has placed a used tissue on top of the books. Why? Seriously just why? Even during normal times that's a health hazard.
I begin walking the aisles looking for food that will be easy to ship. As I head down the pasta aisle I hear a woman screaming into a phone. There are some boxes on the shelf, but more empty space than anything else. She is looking for a certain brand or shape but they didn't have it. She sounds like she is about to have a breakdown because she has to settle. I wanted to tell her she should be happy she has options but when she sees me coming, she throws herself against the shelf and claws for the remaining boxes while giving me an angry look. All over the store, when people see me glance at a shelf they are near, they grab as much as they can and run away. There really isn't a call for that. If you believe this is the end of days is that how you want to be remembered? "I saw a woman coming who probably has children but I snatched all the pasta shells even though seven boxes will last me a week and that family didn't get any food." If everyone just takes what they need, the stores would have enough to feed us all, like they always do.
My friend wanted Ivory soap but there wasn't any. The only bar soap he would probably use was Dove for Men. I hoped that would suffice.
He also wanted ginger. When I walked into the produce section, the usual rainbow array for fresh fruits and veggies greeted me like an old friend. No one was eating the fresh food but they were hoarding everything else.
I felt like the food selection I got wasn't great so I went to Shaw's. I should have just gone to Shaw's because other than there being no paper products, the store was as stocked as it ever has been. No one was panicking, no one was racing and grabbing food. I even got a rotisserie chicken for supper. I was able to get my friend a can of chicken breast, a can of tuna, as well as cans of green beans, corn, and baked beans. I got him chicken soup, two Lara bars, a pound of ginger, the soap, and a pouch of microwavable rice. I also sent him 7 Dove dark chocolate squares from my supply at home.
MARCH 23
We will not be getting BHP services for my son. His BHP may have been exposed. My daughter's BHP will be coming three times a week for four hours at a time.
I thought my daughter was doing ok with not going to school, but she was looking at a Pete the Cat book which showed Pete at school. She started echoing "Pete the Cat at school, Pete the Cat loves school." I told her teacher who will try to make videos of the staff reading.
I talked to my mom who said people are now hoarding ketchup. She was not looking for ketchup, she was just looking. Three grocery stores in her area have been cleaned out of their ketchup supply.
My son's teacher will begin posting videos online soon.
School in our town will begin hopefully on April 27. I could cry. It took 3 hours to get my son to do 15 minutes of work.
At 10 am I left to get the kid's food bags. I walked down my normally busy street and two cars passed me. No one else was walking. As I approached the van, the driver waved at me. When I was about twenty feet away, he got out and asked me how many meals I needed. I replied that I had 2 kids. At 10 feet away, he unlocked the back of the van. I had an insulated bag and he counted out four single cartons of milk, two breakfast bags, and two lunch bags and placed them into my insulated bag to avoid my hands. I said thank you and started walking home. He waited till I was about ten feet away, locked the back, and then went to the cab again. When I got home I sorted the bags. Cereal, grapes, broccoli, ham and cheese sandwiches, apples, graham cracker cookies. I froze the grapes and broccoli and stashed away the cereal and cookies for another day. We have some snacks already opened and the kids have been eating from a big container of yogurt for breakfast. I felt as if I lived in post WWII Europe and got my food rations for the day.
I went to Shaw's and got a pound of brown rice and quinoa. I also got a box of pasta and a can of tuna. I have kale and cheese sauce. We can have mac and cheese later this week. I am not going back to the store for a week, or until we need bananas, milk, and bread.
Maine now has over a hundred positive cases of covid-19. I don't want to be on the list of positive cases so we will continue to stay at home.
These are weird times.
Little did I know this would be the last day of school for my kids. My son, 6, is non-verbal and was happy because the weekend was starting. My daughter, 3, was happy because we watch a Disney movie after school. This was our last normal day.
MARCH 14
Notification that my son won't have school for two weeks. I can handle two weeks. When he first got diagnosed with autism, he was home all the time. When we lived in RI he was home all summer. We have flashcards, books, a trampoline, a peanut, and places to walk to when it is warm. Besides my daughter has school, so we got this. Missing two weeks of speech, pt, and ot won't cause too much of a regression. I also knew my son's extremely dedicated teacher would have a plan.
MARCH 15
My daughter's school has been closed until further notice. Pt/ot canceled until further notice. Speech therapy canceled until further notice. She goes to a preschool for special needs children and the bulk of her therapy is off-campus. She engages in echoing and scripting so she really needs these services.
My son is still not fully potty trained and can take up to 40 minutes in the bathroom, which is upstairs. She is extremely clingy and will be upset. How am I going to care for them? At least we have 5 BHPs that come 5 times a week and often together. I can get chores done and shower then.
MARCH 16
We will be having 3 BHPS coming to limit exposure.
The world is going crazy. I'm watching news reports of food and supply shortages. One of the Altwire writers shares with us a picture of a store that looks like locusts ate the paper goods aisle.
My son's teacher calls. She sounds exhausted. She had to put together a packet of work which was hard because my son can't read or write and is a visual learner. He has an IEP so he has goals he is working on. She explains she has three kids of her own she has to care for and was told at the last minute she had to create packets for her students. She said that given the short notice, she thinks she did a good job. I told her that any guidance she can give me will help. I don't think she understands how much I appreciate her.
My daughter's school sent word on Facebook that they are compiling a list of links to help the kids learn.
MARCH 17
The schools are providing free meals if you pick them up at select locations between 9 am and 11 am.
Please send help.
The BHPs are coming during the day now. This is helpful because the kids are upset their routine is off-kilter and want to go to bed at 6 pm.
I had placed an order on Walmart Grocery. Fifteen items are unavailable, mostly frozen veggies and rice. As long as we have bread and peanut butter we will be fine. Got an email that the peanut butter is unavailable.
MARCH 21
I have no idea where the last few days went.
Congress is proposing a remote learning bill but it will not accommodate children with an IEP.
I decided I need some homeschooling supplies and go to Walgreens because there should be fewer people there. I get kinetic sand, a ream of paper, and pads that reveal images when you "paint" over them with water. I walk around the store to see what they have. They are fully stocked with necessities. The only sign something is different is the floor is marked with blue tape to show where six feet away from the cash register is. The clerk is wearing latex gloves that she is not changing between customers. I suppress the urge to tell her that's not how to use them properly because I realize there may not be a lot of gloves and she has to make them last.
I call my parents in Rhode Island. My mom who is 67 cannot find toilet paper, meat, eggs, milk, pasta, rice, frozen or fresh vegetables, tuna, lunch meat, bread, paper towels, napkins, rubbing alcohol or bleach. She also can't find bottled water which they have used as the town water is high in chlorine for over twenty years. She says she might have to start rationing. She spoke to her brother who is in his 70s and lives in Arizona with his wife who has COPD and had a kidney transplant. My aunt has not left the house in weeks. They have three rolls of toilet paper left. They can't find the same food items my mother can't. My uncle who is a major sports fan is upset because since he can't go out, this is the perfect time to binge on sports. My uncle has never seen anything like this.
I call a friend in Rhode Island who lives in subsidized housing. He relies on public transportation and there is none anymore. He has no soap and is low on food. Offer to buy him some soap and some food to hopefully tide him over a few days.
MARCH 22
Why did I offer to buy food and soap for a friend? I went into Hannafords which looked like the stores you see on the news that were picked clean.
I feel bad that my friend doesn't have a working computer because one can only watch so much tv. I decide to buy him a word search magazine to help keep him busy. Oddly, the magazine section is overflowing. Next to the magazines is a wire rack with books. Being a bibliophile, I have to look. Then, I take a step back, disgusted. Someone has placed a used tissue on top of the books. Why? Seriously just why? Even during normal times that's a health hazard.
I begin walking the aisles looking for food that will be easy to ship. As I head down the pasta aisle I hear a woman screaming into a phone. There are some boxes on the shelf, but more empty space than anything else. She is looking for a certain brand or shape but they didn't have it. She sounds like she is about to have a breakdown because she has to settle. I wanted to tell her she should be happy she has options but when she sees me coming, she throws herself against the shelf and claws for the remaining boxes while giving me an angry look. All over the store, when people see me glance at a shelf they are near, they grab as much as they can and run away. There really isn't a call for that. If you believe this is the end of days is that how you want to be remembered? "I saw a woman coming who probably has children but I snatched all the pasta shells even though seven boxes will last me a week and that family didn't get any food." If everyone just takes what they need, the stores would have enough to feed us all, like they always do.
My friend wanted Ivory soap but there wasn't any. The only bar soap he would probably use was Dove for Men. I hoped that would suffice.
He also wanted ginger. When I walked into the produce section, the usual rainbow array for fresh fruits and veggies greeted me like an old friend. No one was eating the fresh food but they were hoarding everything else.
I felt like the food selection I got wasn't great so I went to Shaw's. I should have just gone to Shaw's because other than there being no paper products, the store was as stocked as it ever has been. No one was panicking, no one was racing and grabbing food. I even got a rotisserie chicken for supper. I was able to get my friend a can of chicken breast, a can of tuna, as well as cans of green beans, corn, and baked beans. I got him chicken soup, two Lara bars, a pound of ginger, the soap, and a pouch of microwavable rice. I also sent him 7 Dove dark chocolate squares from my supply at home.
MARCH 23
We will not be getting BHP services for my son. His BHP may have been exposed. My daughter's BHP will be coming three times a week for four hours at a time.
I thought my daughter was doing ok with not going to school, but she was looking at a Pete the Cat book which showed Pete at school. She started echoing "Pete the Cat at school, Pete the Cat loves school." I told her teacher who will try to make videos of the staff reading.
I talked to my mom who said people are now hoarding ketchup. She was not looking for ketchup, she was just looking. Three grocery stores in her area have been cleaned out of their ketchup supply.
My son's teacher will begin posting videos online soon.
School in our town will begin hopefully on April 27. I could cry. It took 3 hours to get my son to do 15 minutes of work.
At 10 am I left to get the kid's food bags. I walked down my normally busy street and two cars passed me. No one else was walking. As I approached the van, the driver waved at me. When I was about twenty feet away, he got out and asked me how many meals I needed. I replied that I had 2 kids. At 10 feet away, he unlocked the back of the van. I had an insulated bag and he counted out four single cartons of milk, two breakfast bags, and two lunch bags and placed them into my insulated bag to avoid my hands. I said thank you and started walking home. He waited till I was about ten feet away, locked the back, and then went to the cab again. When I got home I sorted the bags. Cereal, grapes, broccoli, ham and cheese sandwiches, apples, graham cracker cookies. I froze the grapes and broccoli and stashed away the cereal and cookies for another day. We have some snacks already opened and the kids have been eating from a big container of yogurt for breakfast. I felt as if I lived in post WWII Europe and got my food rations for the day.
I went to Shaw's and got a pound of brown rice and quinoa. I also got a box of pasta and a can of tuna. I have kale and cheese sauce. We can have mac and cheese later this week. I am not going back to the store for a week, or until we need bananas, milk, and bread.
Maine now has over a hundred positive cases of covid-19. I don't want to be on the list of positive cases so we will continue to stay at home.
These are weird times.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Altwire article
I met Al Gibson, am extremely creative guy, who asked me if I wanted to write an article for Altwire.net.
I sure did and it can be found here : https://www.altwire.net/2020/03/10/picard-season-1-episode-7-nepenthe-review/?fbclid=IwAR3sf0AqD070JsLz5krwv0eIcJBjaqEt5pKrsfL6NqAGf0c8_4YXMw8yWOM
I sure did and it can be found here : https://www.altwire.net/2020/03/10/picard-season-1-episode-7-nepenthe-review/?fbclid=IwAR3sf0AqD070JsLz5krwv0eIcJBjaqEt5pKrsfL6NqAGf0c8_4YXMw8yWOM
Sunday, November 17, 2019
An Autism Mom's Personal Highlights from Kids Con Portland 2019
This convention was the most fun I've had in a while. It was well put together and everyone involved went out of their way to make sure the families had a day to remember.
Because my littles have sensory sensitivities we tried to maximize our day. We wanted to see as many superheroes as we could. The highlight of our day was going to be Princess Story and Song time at 1 pm so we planned accordingly. The event started at 10 but we arrived at noon to allow time to walk around but not have too much empty time on our hands.
My fangirl in training wanted to wear her "pretty dress" which is a fairy costume that she mostly wears around the house. My son has extreme sensitivities when it comes to clothing so I put him in an autism awareness tee shirt. I wore the Martha Jones clothes I wore a few weeks ago to the Rhode Island Comic-Con.
When we came in we were greeted by Hawkgirl and Flash. There were countless superheroes walking around. Everyone was in character and more than willing to talk to the kids.
Over the top of some children, I saw a blue book titled "Some Days I Flip My Lid" with an illustration of a child in full meltdown. It sounds over the top, but I got glossy-eyed. The author, Kellie Baliey, smiled and asked if I wanted to hear about the book she wrote with Hannah Bailey. I absolutely had to have this book, so I said of course. She then told me that children sometimes get overwhelmed with feelings and they cannot handle them. Since she works in a local school district as a speech pathologist, she wanted to write a book for children to help them find words for what happens when they get overwhelmed. She also wanted to describe to a child how to relax. She tells the story of Max who tells his Mom how he feels at school. Mom helps Max come up with breathing exercises to help him control his emotions. I told her that what grabbed my attention was the title. I then told her about my two special kids and we could absolutely use a book like this. This was the only book we purchased, and there were some amazing children's books there. If you would like more information, the book is listed on Amazon.
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There were some amazing looking children's books. Some that stood out where:
A Moose With a Uke by Aaron Risi. Aaron was one of the friendliest and down to earth authors there. I learned he tours schools here in Maine. This book is on my Amazon wishlist.
The Secret Galaxy by Fran Hodgkins with amazing photos from NASA and Mike Taylor. This visually stunning book is filled with beautiful pictures of space. This is a book I will be purchasing when the kids are a little older.
The Alan the Wrench books by Joseph Paragona, Jr.
The next book that grabbed our attention is The Cows Go Moo! by Jim Petipas. My son was drawn to his table by a friendly-looking cow who had a sign on his neck proclaiming "FREE HUGS!". Jim was nice enough to let him play with Beaker. We also got to read the book. My son loves the illustrations which reminded me of Sandra Boynton's books. My daughter loves that it is a book full of "moos". The book is full of delightful Easter Eggs that will amuse parents as they read the book to their littles. The book has a song written out across its pages and you can download the song for free from Jim's website. When I get my next paycheck, we are buying this book. I hope there are additional books in this series because they are delightfully imaginative. My son got his own Beaker to bring home after winning a raffle hosted by the author.
We made sure to stop by and say hello to legendary artist Jim Lawson before going to explore the rest of the rooms.
On our second pass through the room, we saw a Dalek ring toss game. My son tried to play but could not grasp that he had to let go of the ring to make it stay on the post. I told the young man at the table that my son has autism and gets confused sometimes. The young man smiled and said, "It's ok, I have autism, too!" I had to look away. Then I told my autism warrior "Look, he's a superhero like you are!" I told the young man at the TARDIS that I appreciate him being there. At that moment, out of all the comic cons I have been to, I met someone I can truly admire. Sensory sensitivity can be overwhelming and this young man is out talking to people describing how him and his family built the TARDIS. I asked him how his day was going and he said he loves making people laugh. He consented to us taking his picture.
Like George Costanza, I have learned that you always go out on a high note so we got ready to leave. We were only there for a few hours, but we avoided meltdowns.
The event was well put together. There were calm zones for kids that got overwhelmed which was a nice touch. We had a wonderful day. Thank you to everyone behind the scenes who provided a fun, magical day to the children of Maine and their families. We hope to return next year.
Saturday, November 9, 2019
My Day With Nichelle Nichols, or I got to meet Uhura!!
Special thank you to Tom M. and to Kyle. Without both of you, the day would not have been possible.
Since moving to Maine life has taken a different track. I am still working on my book which I really hope to now finish by the spring. I got to go to the Stephen King house in Bangor but other than that I have not done much other than work and raise the kids. The programs available to special needs children up here are more widely available than in Rhode Island and the kids have made incredible progress.
When the 2019 RI Comic Con was announced I was excited as always but I knew going would be hard, if not impossible. I followed the Facebook page and knew who the guests would be. I really didn't think about the convention other than that until the fall when my friend and former co-worker Tom M. called me and told me that he was working on Nichelle Nichol's Facebook page at the request of her son Kyle. The page, http://uhura.com/, is still under construction but it is having more content added every day. I told Tom that is fantastic news. Tom has experience doing PR for the original cast as he was one of the people behind Walter Keoning's Walk of Fame star, he helped run a convention, and he worked on both Star Trek Of Gods and Men and was a co-producer of Star Trek Renegades. As always I was jealous and proud of Tom because I have been a fan of Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek since I was four years old. There were not many women on TV who looked like me. There were certainly not many women in older movies who were not in servitude or were stereotypes. Nichelle Nichols is a talented singer, dancer, and actress. I know a lot of people are not Star Trek fans but Nichelle Nichols is so much more than a woman who was on a tv show about aliens, especially to the African-American community. She sang with Duke Ellington at the beginning of her career, long before informing Captain Kirk hailing frequencies were open. Because of how she was treated by the studio while on Star Trek she wanted to quit. An extremely influential person told her not to and why and if you do not know about what happened, I encourage you to read about when Nichelle met Martin Luther King, Jr. As an adult knowing she faced the same pressures I have faced (even at my current job) but she stuck with it makes an even bigger impact. She has positively affected so many people in ways that cannot be described.
Tom called me a few weeks before Comic-Con to tell me that he would be helping to set up Nichelle Nichol's booth and in effect be part of her entourage. Tom said he knew a life long dream of mine is to meet Nichelle and that if I could get tickets that he would ask Kyle if I could have a minute of her time to just tell her that I admire and respect her and all that she has done and possibly get a picture with her. Of course, he added, there was no guarantee that could happen because there would be a lot of variables to consider. I just stood in my apartment holding my phone next to my face with a look of total shock. I could not actually reply. I stammered some incoherent semi-words and then asked if he was serious. He laughed and said of course he was. He said I would never have this chance again and we are friends and he knew how much it would mean to me. As soon as I was capable of coherent thought I bought my tickets.
I spent the next few weeks telling everyone with a set of ears that I was going to Rhode Island Comic Con and if all worked out as planned I'd be meeting a living legend. Since I no longer live in RI, I needed a place to stay. I called my mom and step-father and asked if I could spend the weekend of Comic-Con in their RV. They saw no problems with that. My mom and I chatted about how George Takei and Nichelle Nichols are both instrumental figures of civil rights and all they have symbolized as well as accomplished. Of course, life had completely other plans for me. Comic-Con would be November 1-3. On the morning of October 24, I woke up to red, itchy hands covered in a rash that burned. I work as a patient service representative in a Dr.'s office and I asked one of my coworkers who has seen a lot in her 10 plus years in medicine. She said it would probably be fine but if the blisters got worse the next day maybe I should go get it checked out. I agreed. Then she asked me if I did any yard work lately. I laughed and said I am an indoor girl. She told me several of our patients had encounters with browntail moth caterpillars and the rash can be quite bad. I asked one of the RNs in the practice but she also said to just watch it and if it got worse the next day to see my regular Dr. I started working when another coworker said her son and husband had hand, foot, and mouth and it burned and left a red rash. I jumped out of my chair and asked our Nurse Practioner if she could identify HFM by sight. She looked and my hands and asked if I had a sore throat and fever. I replied I did indeed have a sore throat when I woke up but I just thought it was fall in New England so that was why. She asked one of the Drs in the practice his opinion and he agreed in full with her. I was then told I was contagious and could not work until this viral infection cleared up. After meeting with my regular Dr. I found out this viral infection can last 7 to 10 days in an adult. This was not what I wanted to hear at all! Comic-Con was 10 days away! I spent the next 8 days avoiding civilization and watching the rash spread. During this time I took pictures of the rash and emailed them to Tom. I told him there was no way I could go to Comic-Con until this plague cleared up. He told me just to play it by ear and not to worry. He said if I really could not go he would ask Kyle if Nichelle could Facetime me. I had to go to Employee Health in order to be cleared to return to work. I was declared to be no longer patient zero and sent back to work. This was the news I wanted to hear. I was no longer contagious and would be able to go in public again.
As I was emailing Tom to tell him I would be there, my step-father called me. His niece, my cousin, who has been sick for years had an unexpected setback with her health and was in the ICU. He said it looked better than it had at first but ultimately no one was sure of her condition. Comic-con was in 3 days. Due to what had happened, I decided it would not be fair to my family to add stress to them by coming to stay with them. They would be in and out all day going to the hospital, plus they would have my two autistic kiddos running around. It just would not be fair to them. I called Tom and told him it was going to be a washout that weekend for me. My tickets were given away to a friend in RI. I was so upset but it was for the greater good, and Spock would have agreed that the needs of the many outweigh the wants of the few or the one.
Feeling more nervous than I ever have, I walked to the Omni Hotel and promptly pulled on the wrong doors. Shaking, I texted Tom that I was coming into the hotel. I had no badge and thought I would be stopped by security immediately. Tom told me to wait on the sky bridge connecting to the Convention Center. It has been 3 years since I lived in Rhode Island and the last time I was in the Convention Center I was 13 or 14 so I lied and told him I definitely knew where that was. The last time I was in the Omni Hotel was never so I just walked around with my head up looking not lost and anxious. Tom texted again for me to just wait and he would be a few minutes. I stood awkwardly trying to not look like a lost puppy. This was it, it was a lie, why would I think I would actually get a guest pass to work at Comic-Con for a few hours and other extremely negative thoughts went through my head. I heard a voice call out "Oh there you are" and there was Tom with a guest pass in his hands. He said we had to go because "she" was on her way down from her hotel room and we would have to meet her at the elevators. We walked over to the elevators and it was like being in a surreal dreamland. Cosplayers and celebrities were milling around. As were standing making small talk, George Takei came around the corner with his husband, Brad. I looked at Tom and said, "Holy cow, that's The George Takei!" Tom said, "Well yeah." I felt like I was going to pass out. The man who as a young man lived in an internment camp, the man who played Sulu, the man who is currently killing it on Twitter was going to walk past me. I flashed up a Vulcan salute and he returned the gesture. Then him and Brad were whooshed away by an elevator. A handful of other celebrities trickled past us. All of a sudden everything started going slow motion. It felt like the area got quieter. The elevator doors opened and there she was. Nichelle Nichols was in her wheelchair with her son behind her. My jaw dropped and I forgot how to talk and think. She's absolutely beautiful and elegant. Tom said "Nichelle this is my friend, Alana. She's going to help us today.......oh and she's shy." I stuck my hand out and she smiled and said, "It's ok. I'm shy, too." Her voice was very soft but very strong. Then we were off. Tom led the way directing people out of our path and we were flying down hallways flanked by security. We whipped around a corner and to add to the surrealism, I almost collided with Duffman. I said "Duffman loves to party!" and he yelled back "Duffman!"
I had one more fast stop to make. I promised my daughter I would meet Big Bird. Unfortunately, Carol Spinney was away from his table. But I got some pictures of her friends.
I took a few minutes to sneak away to say hello to Alex Kingston. My mother is a fan of hers, not that she knows of River song, but my nurse mom really enjoyed ER, or has she calls it Emergency. Thank you Alex, my mom really appreciates the picture.
Shortly before it was time to start packing up, my husband's friend John and his wife got in line. They were the lucky recipients of my original tickets. John wanted to talk to Nichelle but he felt nervous. When the line was empty I turned and looked at Kyle and said John was my friend and he had a question for Nichelle.
I am so very happy that he got to speak to her. She was extremely kind to him.
The day was winding down when Tom said "Hey check out BB-8. That's cute."
As Kyle was deciding to call it a day, we had one more person come up to the table. It was one more moment that was a huge payoff for a fangirl.
That is me taking a picture of Tom taking a promotional picture for Nichelle's website. Again, I don't know what I did to be here, but I was beyond happy that this happened. If you had told me at any point prior to this day that literally any of this was going to happen I would have laughed and thought you were crazy.
After this picture was taken, Kyle started packing up the table. I turned to Nichelle and said "Thank you for letting me work with you today. I enjoyed you in Star Trek and I have been a fan of yours my whole life. Thank you for not quitting the show and being an inspiration for little girls who look like me."
She gave me a big smile and said, "No, thank you." And she shook my hand.
Kyle and Tom got everything packed and all the signs taken down. The spell was breaking just a little as the room became just a room and not a dream factory.
Tom asked me to wait in the hallway with Nichelle which I did. As we hurried through the secret hallways one last time I tried to commit every detail to memory. As we walked past the janitorial staff and security there were lots of excited whispers, "That's her!", "Is that really her?" "Hey, it's her!". Nichelle, this is what you mean to us. From the cast of Family Matters, to a fangirl in Maine, to janitors and security guards, we all love you. We walked through one last security check on our way over the sky bridge to the hotel. The security guard had a big happy smile and asked if he could have a moment of Nichelle's time. He told her how happy he was to meet her and to thank her for all she's done for us. We ended up back at the elevators and I waved goodbye to Nichelle and Kyle. The security guard with us waved me into the elevator but I said: "Oh, I don't think I go up there." Tom looked at me and said, "Come on! Get in." I got in and thanked Kyle for the opportunity and smiled and said thank you. We got up to the hotel rooms and an exhausted Nichelle took a big sigh of relief. Kyle and Tom had some small talk with Nichelle and I stood being quietly thankful while thinking "I AM IN NICHELLE NICHOL'S HOTEL ROOM." As Tom and I turned to leave I held my hand out to Kyle and said, "Seriously thank you very much for the chance to work with your mom today." He smiled and said, "We are all friends here." Then took a deep breath and said way more confidently than I felt "Thank you, Nichelle. It was nice to meet you." She smiled at me and said, "No thank you." Then she pulled me close and gave me a kiss on my cheek.
It was an amazing day and I will never forget it. Nichelle, Kyle, Tom: You all are the best and thank you all for the best day a nerdy girl could have.
Since moving to Maine life has taken a different track. I am still working on my book which I really hope to now finish by the spring. I got to go to the Stephen King house in Bangor but other than that I have not done much other than work and raise the kids. The programs available to special needs children up here are more widely available than in Rhode Island and the kids have made incredible progress.
When the 2019 RI Comic Con was announced I was excited as always but I knew going would be hard, if not impossible. I followed the Facebook page and knew who the guests would be. I really didn't think about the convention other than that until the fall when my friend and former co-worker Tom M. called me and told me that he was working on Nichelle Nichol's Facebook page at the request of her son Kyle. The page, http://uhura.com/, is still under construction but it is having more content added every day. I told Tom that is fantastic news. Tom has experience doing PR for the original cast as he was one of the people behind Walter Keoning's Walk of Fame star, he helped run a convention, and he worked on both Star Trek Of Gods and Men and was a co-producer of Star Trek Renegades. As always I was jealous and proud of Tom because I have been a fan of Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek since I was four years old. There were not many women on TV who looked like me. There were certainly not many women in older movies who were not in servitude or were stereotypes. Nichelle Nichols is a talented singer, dancer, and actress. I know a lot of people are not Star Trek fans but Nichelle Nichols is so much more than a woman who was on a tv show about aliens, especially to the African-American community. She sang with Duke Ellington at the beginning of her career, long before informing Captain Kirk hailing frequencies were open. Because of how she was treated by the studio while on Star Trek she wanted to quit. An extremely influential person told her not to and why and if you do not know about what happened, I encourage you to read about when Nichelle met Martin Luther King, Jr. As an adult knowing she faced the same pressures I have faced (even at my current job) but she stuck with it makes an even bigger impact. She has positively affected so many people in ways that cannot be described.
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| A great read. I might own a *few* Star Trek books. |
Tom called me a few weeks before Comic-Con to tell me that he would be helping to set up Nichelle Nichol's booth and in effect be part of her entourage. Tom said he knew a life long dream of mine is to meet Nichelle and that if I could get tickets that he would ask Kyle if I could have a minute of her time to just tell her that I admire and respect her and all that she has done and possibly get a picture with her. Of course, he added, there was no guarantee that could happen because there would be a lot of variables to consider. I just stood in my apartment holding my phone next to my face with a look of total shock. I could not actually reply. I stammered some incoherent semi-words and then asked if he was serious. He laughed and said of course he was. He said I would never have this chance again and we are friends and he knew how much it would mean to me. As soon as I was capable of coherent thought I bought my tickets.
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| I've got a golden ticket! |
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| Watching ST: TNG in Batman sweats with a friend. |
Friday, November 1, the first day of Comic-Con my phone rang. I was getting a Facetime call from Tom. I answered and he said he had a surprise for me. His phone turned around and it was HER! It was Nichelle Nichols! She waved and said hi to me and I burst into tears. Tom told her I was a friend of his who could not go but wanted to be there. I just cried and cried. Tom sent me pictures of Catherine Tate, Alex Kingston, George Takei, and so many other celebrities who were in the green room.
On Saturday I sent Tom a text asking him to sneak me in and he said if I could get down on Sunday he would. He told me I would have to work once I got there. I told him that would not be a problem. I honestly thought this was some cruel joke, that I would drive 4 hours and then be stopped by security and be told to leave.
Sunday, the big day was here. Being a Whovian as well as a Trekkie, and a cosplayer, I dressed like Martha Jones and headed on down to RI.
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| At the Omni Hotel sky bridge not convinced I wasn't dreaming. |
Feeling more nervous than I ever have, I walked to the Omni Hotel and promptly pulled on the wrong doors. Shaking, I texted Tom that I was coming into the hotel. I had no badge and thought I would be stopped by security immediately. Tom told me to wait on the sky bridge connecting to the Convention Center. It has been 3 years since I lived in Rhode Island and the last time I was in the Convention Center I was 13 or 14 so I lied and told him I definitely knew where that was. The last time I was in the Omni Hotel was never so I just walked around with my head up looking not lost and anxious. Tom texted again for me to just wait and he would be a few minutes. I stood awkwardly trying to not look like a lost puppy. This was it, it was a lie, why would I think I would actually get a guest pass to work at Comic-Con for a few hours and other extremely negative thoughts went through my head. I heard a voice call out "Oh there you are" and there was Tom with a guest pass in his hands. He said we had to go because "she" was on her way down from her hotel room and we would have to meet her at the elevators. We walked over to the elevators and it was like being in a surreal dreamland. Cosplayers and celebrities were milling around. As were standing making small talk, George Takei came around the corner with his husband, Brad. I looked at Tom and said, "Holy cow, that's The George Takei!" Tom said, "Well yeah." I felt like I was going to pass out. The man who as a young man lived in an internment camp, the man who played Sulu, the man who is currently killing it on Twitter was going to walk past me. I flashed up a Vulcan salute and he returned the gesture. Then him and Brad were whooshed away by an elevator. A handful of other celebrities trickled past us. All of a sudden everything started going slow motion. It felt like the area got quieter. The elevator doors opened and there she was. Nichelle Nichols was in her wheelchair with her son behind her. My jaw dropped and I forgot how to talk and think. She's absolutely beautiful and elegant. Tom said "Nichelle this is my friend, Alana. She's going to help us today.......oh and she's shy." I stuck my hand out and she smiled and said, "It's ok. I'm shy, too." Her voice was very soft but very strong. Then we were off. Tom led the way directing people out of our path and we were flying down hallways flanked by security. We whipped around a corner and to add to the surrealism, I almost collided with Duffman. I said "Duffman loves to party!" and he yelled back "Duffman!"
We walked into the ballroom and I had to pause. I was face to face with Scott Ian. Since we were still walking quite fast, I was almost past the cast of Family Matters before I realized they were there.
Tom lead us past all the tables and to a door in the back of the room. He said Kyle would have to set up so this was a good place to wait. I stood in stunned silence when the doors popped open. Cat, who was a Comic-Con employee introduced herself as a tall man with a blue shirt was walking by. He looked familiar but I didn't think he was that tall.
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| Dr. Alexi! And I am so not cool. |
Alec Utgoff was extremely nice and took a picture with me and I was trying hard to not have a panic attack.
Nichelle made small talk with Tom and I still had no idea why I was there or how this happened. After Kyle got the table set up, Tom told me to wait with Nichelle and he went and spoke with Kyle. After they spoke Kyle looked at me, seeing me for the first time and waved and smiled. This was it, I was part of today's crew. I spent the next few hours taking pictures of fans with Nichelle using their phones and cameras. Nichelle genuinely loves her fans and it was extremely evident on her face. She joked around and smiled and talked to everyone who came up to her.
The next extremely surreal moment was when Super Dog walked by. The blue tape was supposed to be guides for fans to form a line with. It was a good attempt but it was not followed.
The next extremely surreal moment was when Super Dog walked by. The blue tape was supposed to be guides for fans to form a line with. It was a good attempt but it was not followed.
I was diagonal from John Barrowman and he was just as animated all day as I imagined.
The highlight of my morning came when Tom asked if I wanted to walk around. I definitely did. Catherine Tate's table was close and I wanted to see if I could say hi to her and tell her how much I like her comedy and admire her work with The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust. As I approached her table security asked if I was in line for Alex Kingston or Catherine Tate. I replied Catherine Tate and he pointed to a woman with long red hair writing in front of the table with her back to me. I said "Hi" and she said "Oh hello sweetheart. Are you Martha Jones today?". I got extremely lightheaded and asked "Oh wow! How did you know? You're the first person today who got that!" She said, "I could tell by your maroon coat and your tank top." I got super flustered and started tearing up. I have been a Doctor Who fan way back when PBS aired reruns in the 80s. I have watched the show since it was brought back in 2005. And now on this day that is certainly a dream and not real, Donna Noble is recognizing me as Martha Jones. I had to walk away because it was too much at that moment. I was blown away by how nice she was and how soft-spoken she was. Tom brought me back later to get a picture with her because I was far too embarrassed to ask her myself.
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| Catherine Tate |
At lunchtime, we headed through hallways that brought us away from the crowds to the cafeteria. There was no conversation. Nichelle was chilly so we were walking quite quickly. Once we got to the cafeteria, I was not sure if I was allowed in. Tom said it was fine, and as soon as I walked in, I saw Benedict Wong eating his lunch. Being a lover of things obscure, I rewatch The IT Crowd a couple of times a year. I was within arm's length of Prime. Oh yeah, and I think he was in some movie with Sherlock. As I tried just being out of the way, Mankind walked by to leave the room. As Nichelle was sitting down, I overheard a conversation at the next table. Ethan Peck and Joonas Suotamo were sitting next to each other talking. Joonas was doing something on his phone, and when I glanced over it he was playing a piano app. Joonas Suotamo is 20 feet tall just in case if you were wondering. I am 5 foot flat and when he stood, I got dizzy looking up at him. I turned around and in walked Sean Pertwee and David Mazouz. David Mazouz had an adorable dog in his arms. My head started spinning. Tom walked by a dark-haired man who was sitting down and said hi to him. The dark-haired man looked up at me and in a very familiar baritone said: "Hi, I'm Patrick." My voice worked faster than my brain and I said: "I know you, Patrick, from Dave's World." He laughed and said that it was a long time ago. We had a brief conversation and I turned around to get out of everyone's way and I was face to face with Darius McCrary. He pointed to Nichelle and told me he is her biggest fan. It took a few minutes to realize he was talking to me, and he initiated the conversation. He told me that if it wasn't for her he would never be where he is today, and she paved the way for him. I really wanted to tell him I am a patient service representative at a Dr's office in the country and I feel she paved the way for me and I also wanted to tell him as far as fans go I won the fan lottery today. We had a brief conversation and I noticed his shirt. It was a vintage-looking Karate Kid tee shirt and it was easily the coolest shirt worn by any guest at Comic-Con. I said, "I love your shirt." He got a big goofy grin and said, "I was feelin' it today!" As I turned to let him eat, a tall muscular man wearing a grey shirt strode into the room. Henry Simmons sat down and took out his phone. I turned around again and a person in a giant inflatable Pikachu costume was coming through the door. I told Tom this was too much, I had to get some air and he said to not leave as we had to bring Nichelle down for a photo op. As we left the cafeteria, I almost accidentally bumped into a young woman wearing a white shirt. I apologized to Gabby Pizzolo and then was face to face with Gaten Matarazzo. He has Cleidocranial dysplasia and raises awareness about it. Of course, I admire that. I tried to tell him that I appreciate what he does for his fans but I got tongue-tied and awkward. The mom in me kicked in because when watching Stranger Things, I can't get over how much my little autism warrior looks like him and in person, it was so much more so. As we were leaving, a cake topped with a Big Bird was pushed in the door. I have read accounts of what it was like to work at MGM in the 30s and 40s when it was time to eat in the commissary. At one table, there was Judy Garland dressed as Dorothy, and at the next table, you could see Southern Belles from Gone With The Wind and how dreamlike it was. I have also read what it's like to work at Disneyland and enter the cafeteria to see Snow White eating with janitors. I often wondered if that would be a heady experience, and yes, it is incredibly dreamlike to be eating a cold turkey club sandwich while drinking Poland Springs water and hear Ethan Peck say "Oh, I play the new Spock in a show."
As we walked down a maze of hallways to get to the photo op area I felt like I was watching a behind the scenes documentary of how a fan found herself tagging along with her childhood idol at Comic-Con. Backstage at the photo op, it was a maze of black curtains. Agents and handlers were moving their clients around and I was walking past people I have only seen on tv shows and in movies. I almost walked into Shawn Harrison and in front of Nichelle, I saw Kellie Shanygne Williams. Somehow my pocketbook was on Nichelle's wheelchair and she picked it up and said: "This is a nice bag." Tom said it was mine and she said again it was a really nice bag. The bag in question can be seen in the top picture. It was a $20 Walmart bag purchased only because it was a crossbody and would easily hold anything I put in it. I was blown away that this classy lady said my Walmart bag was nice.
In the photo op area, Tom told me where to stand so as not to be in people's pictures. A pretty blonde woman standing next to me said hi and asked me who I was with. I pointed to Tom and said I am the assistant to the assistant of Nichelle. I then laughed and said I was kinda the Dwight Schrute of the group. The woman laughed and said she liked that. Tom whispered, "That's George's agent." I somehow found myself getting a picture with Nichelle and the fans started pouring in. They filed out as quickly as they came in, appearing through one curtain and disappearing through another. After the last fan left, Brad Takei walked in followed by George Takei. I found myself between Sulu and Uhura and George looked at me and said: "We are going to preserve this moment forever." I swear my knees buckled. As a lifelong fan of Star Trek, I could not believe any of this was real. I live in the middle of the woods in Maine. I am from the middle of nowhere Rhode Island. I am a special needs mom who struggles daily to just not through my hands up and walk away. And here I was in the middle of a day with these amazing people.
As we walked down a maze of hallways to get to the photo op area I felt like I was watching a behind the scenes documentary of how a fan found herself tagging along with her childhood idol at Comic-Con. Backstage at the photo op, it was a maze of black curtains. Agents and handlers were moving their clients around and I was walking past people I have only seen on tv shows and in movies. I almost walked into Shawn Harrison and in front of Nichelle, I saw Kellie Shanygne Williams. Somehow my pocketbook was on Nichelle's wheelchair and she picked it up and said: "This is a nice bag." Tom said it was mine and she said again it was a really nice bag. The bag in question can be seen in the top picture. It was a $20 Walmart bag purchased only because it was a crossbody and would easily hold anything I put in it. I was blown away that this classy lady said my Walmart bag was nice.
In the photo op area, Tom told me where to stand so as not to be in people's pictures. A pretty blonde woman standing next to me said hi and asked me who I was with. I pointed to Tom and said I am the assistant to the assistant of Nichelle. I then laughed and said I was kinda the Dwight Schrute of the group. The woman laughed and said she liked that. Tom whispered, "That's George's agent." I somehow found myself getting a picture with Nichelle and the fans started pouring in. They filed out as quickly as they came in, appearing through one curtain and disappearing through another. After the last fan left, Brad Takei walked in followed by George Takei. I found myself between Sulu and Uhura and George looked at me and said: "We are going to preserve this moment forever." I swear my knees buckled. As a lifelong fan of Star Trek, I could not believe any of this was real. I live in the middle of the woods in Maine. I am from the middle of nowhere Rhode Island. I am a special needs mom who struggles daily to just not through my hands up and walk away. And here I was in the middle of a day with these amazing people.
I told Tom I really needed to clear my head and I got to walk around the floor a bit and geek out a bit. The lights were bright and it still felt surreal. I saw someone waving at me and I waved back before I realized it was Devon Hughes. I headed over to the Civic Center looking for the Alex & Ani display when Tom texted me that I head to back NOW.
I started my walk back and I saw the 501st. I knew I had to hurry but I had to check them out. I was happy I did.
I started my walk back and I saw the 501st. I knew I had to hurry but I had to check them out. I was happy I did.
I had one more fast stop to make. I promised my daughter I would meet Big Bird. Unfortunately, Carol Spinney was away from his table. But I got some pictures of her friends.
After I got back to the table, I got to see more delighted fans, and an equally delighted Nichelle take pictures and make memories. I saw little girls with giant smiles who were excited to recognize Uhura and saw Nichelle smile back at them with even bigger smiles. I saw a completely red-faced, breathless mother run-up to the table and say she could not believe it was Nichelle, that was really, really her. She had a young boy with her and she said that she really wanted her son to meet her because of how important she is. I almost cried with her. I wanted to tell that woman that I felt the same way all day. When I took her pictures with Nichelle, I took a few extra because I understood how she felt.
As the day wound down I realized Bonnie Wright was at the table next to us. I have never seen the Harry Potter movies but my mom loves them. I got a picture for her. Thank you, Bonnie, she loved it. My mom wants you to know that was very nice of you to do.
As the day wound down I realized Bonnie Wright was at the table next to us. I have never seen the Harry Potter movies but my mom loves them. I got a picture for her. Thank you, Bonnie, she loved it. My mom wants you to know that was very nice of you to do.
I took a few minutes to sneak away to say hello to Alex Kingston. My mother is a fan of hers, not that she knows of River song, but my nurse mom really enjoyed ER, or has she calls it Emergency. Thank you Alex, my mom really appreciates the picture.
Shortly before it was time to start packing up, my husband's friend John and his wife got in line. They were the lucky recipients of my original tickets. John wanted to talk to Nichelle but he felt nervous. When the line was empty I turned and looked at Kyle and said John was my friend and he had a question for Nichelle.
I am so very happy that he got to speak to her. She was extremely kind to him.
The day was winding down when Tom said "Hey check out BB-8. That's cute."
As Kyle was deciding to call it a day, we had one more person come up to the table. It was one more moment that was a huge payoff for a fangirl.
After this picture was taken, Kyle started packing up the table. I turned to Nichelle and said "Thank you for letting me work with you today. I enjoyed you in Star Trek and I have been a fan of yours my whole life. Thank you for not quitting the show and being an inspiration for little girls who look like me."
She gave me a big smile and said, "No, thank you." And she shook my hand.
Kyle and Tom got everything packed and all the signs taken down. The spell was breaking just a little as the room became just a room and not a dream factory.
Tom asked me to wait in the hallway with Nichelle which I did. As we hurried through the secret hallways one last time I tried to commit every detail to memory. As we walked past the janitorial staff and security there were lots of excited whispers, "That's her!", "Is that really her?" "Hey, it's her!". Nichelle, this is what you mean to us. From the cast of Family Matters, to a fangirl in Maine, to janitors and security guards, we all love you. We walked through one last security check on our way over the sky bridge to the hotel. The security guard had a big happy smile and asked if he could have a moment of Nichelle's time. He told her how happy he was to meet her and to thank her for all she's done for us. We ended up back at the elevators and I waved goodbye to Nichelle and Kyle. The security guard with us waved me into the elevator but I said: "Oh, I don't think I go up there." Tom looked at me and said, "Come on! Get in." I got in and thanked Kyle for the opportunity and smiled and said thank you. We got up to the hotel rooms and an exhausted Nichelle took a big sigh of relief. Kyle and Tom had some small talk with Nichelle and I stood being quietly thankful while thinking "I AM IN NICHELLE NICHOL'S HOTEL ROOM." As Tom and I turned to leave I held my hand out to Kyle and said, "Seriously thank you very much for the chance to work with your mom today." He smiled and said, "We are all friends here." Then took a deep breath and said way more confidently than I felt "Thank you, Nichelle. It was nice to meet you." She smiled at me and said, "No thank you." Then she pulled me close and gave me a kiss on my cheek.
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| The view from the floor Nichelle's room was on. |
It was an amazing day and I will never forget it. Nichelle, Kyle, Tom: You all are the best and thank you all for the best day a nerdy girl could have.
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