BlindTime

I work for an over-80-year-old completely blind man who has entirely too much money and energy on his hands. I will tell you about it.

So, my blind guy, he's not much taller than me (a whopping 5'4"). He's squat and middle-heavy, like a toad, with tiny legs and arms, huge belly, no ass. Like your typical short old man. Like the commercial peanut M&M guy. He employs an educated vocabulary, but often relapses into his North Texan drawl and uses lots of really cute/totally annoying phrases like "Oh you're just whistlin' into a rain barrel." Shit like that.

Right now, he's in the kitchen, filling his pipe with vanilla tobacco. He just came running in, grinning from ear to ear, saying "I'm gonna' go sit outside and sin for a little bit." His guide dogs ran after him, and I am alone in the house. It is rare to be alone - it is rare not to be busy. With this gig, I've been more busy than at any other job.

I started as a part-time clerical assistant, but that quickly turned into full-time personal assistant. Thankfully, I don't have to dress him or assist him in the ways of the bathroom - he's very capable. He's a wily old thing, with good ears and a healthy body. He's not going anywhere for a while. Anyway, what began as simple computer work has developed into basically running his life on a day-to-day basis. It's tiring and hilarious, but only if I've had enough sleep the night before.

I'll keep posting on the happenings here in the house, working with a blind guy, a solely Spanish-speaking housekeeper, and the many, many other individuals we all encounter every day.