It wasn't a lifestyle choice; I was born bi-visual (pt. 2)

In the second installment, I talk about getting my cane.

So, to pick up where I left off, I was feeling anxious and angsty about not going outside, and I googled and found my blog and it just made a meta-mess in my head. So I texted Mike asking if my new cane had come yet. I don't get packages sent to our house because of this ridiculous UPS injunction that was put there in response to a previous tenant, where they ALWAYS required a signature upon delivery. And we can't lift it. Even though we own the damn house. Anyway... Mike texted back Probably? A package for you from the blind something or other came and I was like !!!!!!!!!! NEW CANE.

When he got home he gave me the package and suddenly I had my doubts. It weighed nothing. Like when you are expecting your new laptop and Apple sends you this laptop-sized box but all it contains is the paperwork for your extended AppleCare warranty. I was like ... this is paperwork for my cane? A slip to say it's out of stock? It didn't help that the outside of the box said FREE MATTER FOR THE BLIND OR HANDICAPPED. In retrospect, maybe they get a discount postal rate or something if they put that on the outside. When I opened it up, I found MY NEW CANE. And a very brief instructional sheet labeled Shipping Type: Free Matter.

So, first of all, the new cane comes in a velvet case. Like something you might to cradle a small musical instrument... like a piccolo maybe? And it really does weigh nothing. Though the new cane is six inches longer, it weighs a little over 3 oz. The old cane weighed 9 oz.  Here are some pictures of the new cane. It's quite sophisticated looking. 

In the first one, you can see how long it is but also the clean design scheme. It looks like the tuxedo of canes. In the second, I'm trying to get a close-up of the words on the first section. It says Designed by Chris Park, Carbon Fiber, and gives the NFB address. 

And lastly, I like this detail: The little icon depicts the action of the blind person using the cane as one of elegance and grace. I appreciate this gesture, as I don't often feel elegant.

When I tried to use the cane, however, I felt quite less elegant and wanted to request an immediate in-service with Mr. or Ms. Park. This cane is gorgeous, ultra-light, and elegant-looking, but the telescoping aspect is going to be difficult to master. Also, I worry that the supremely broken sidewalks of my neighborhood are gonna reduce this baby to a bent length of awkwardness in about two minutes. 

See how cute the new cane is? With the elegant tip on the end? Much nicer looking than my old canes' "pencil tip." The picture below shows what a pencil tip looks like (except my tips were narrower, more like the diameter of the cane itself). Thanks to The Carroll Center for the Blind for "letting" me borrow their image. The cane below more-or-less looks like my old cane(s) except mine were made from aluminum and I'd decoupaged the handles so they weren't so ugly.

Anyway, that pencil tip was rugged. And see how thick the overall cane body is? My cane(s) took a beating. I'm really concerned that this new one is a bit of a hothouse flower. Now, on to the concept of telescoping. The instruction sheet reads:

YOUR NEW TELESCOPING CANE

We hope that your new telescoping cane will serve you well. Here are some tips for extending the longevity of the this cane.

Correctly Extending and Collapsing a Telescoping Cane

To extend the cane, pull out each section fully; then twist it with the section above it to tighten the connection.  To collapse the cane, untwist each section to loosen the connection.

NOTE: Do NOT attempt to collapse the cane by banging the cane straight down on the ground, [I admit I thought about this within the first five seconds of deploying the cane before reading the instructions] as the pressure may damage the cap! Always untwist the sections to loosen them! 

At this time we do not have replacement caps available for most types of telescoping canes. However, replacement tips are available. 

I had to read the last sentence several times because at first I thought it was directly contradicting itself. I still haven't figured out the difference between a cap and a tip. And after practicing with the cane so that I wouldn't look like a megadork in the field, so to speak, I'm still either tightening those sections too tightly, so that when I need to put it away, I'm standing there trying to un-tighten the sections for whole minutes OR I don't tighten them enough and the little lowest section collapses as I try to use it. I seem to have more of a problem with the former (over-tighten) than the latter (under-tighten), but internet searches reveal that some people have a chronic problem with this type of cane collapsing as they are using it.

I may wait on Part 3 of this entry (where I finally talk about Cathy Kudlick and her epiphanic DSQ article) because my eyes are really tired after doing these two. I may just go upstairs and watch some tv while practicing the tightening / untightening thing again. I searched for videos on precisely how to do this, but nay. 

Do they mean give it a little twist or really screw it in there? 

Are the insides of the sections in fact threaded or do they achieve tension by some other means? 

Have I, in fact, completely lost my ability to perform so simple a task as righty-tighty-lefty-loosey? 

Let's just hope the box doesn't end up being the best part.

(That's Ruskin, my oldest. Don't disturb him in his new bed.)