Disabled? How To Get Ready For A Road Trip

Modern version of "Continental Tire", on rear of a fullsize Dodge Ram Van (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Any road trip can make a most thrilling and fun vacation–maybe even educational. However, if you have mechanical or other car problems, it can completely ruin the experience, and make for one expensive trip back home.  This is especially troublesome for those who have a disability. Be prepared in the event of a breakdown, and you will have no concerns in the back of your mind when you set off for your trip.

Before departing on your road trip ask yourself if you should have your car serviced by your most trusted mechanic? When was the last time it had a tune up and a check up that paid particular attention to the belts and hoses? Is it making any unusual sounds or vibrations at highway speeds? Is something just not right? The last thing you need is a major mechanical issue during your vacation, especially in the middle of nowhere, miles away from any reputable service station! For those of us with mobility or health concerns, this become an even greater concern.

It’s a good idea to take your car in and have an experienced mechanic determine whether or not your car will be sound for the duration of your trip.  It’s far better to sacrifice a little time before your trip than lots of time and money when you are far away from home.

Check all the fluid levels in your vehicle. Make sure the oil, coolant, transmission, and brake fluid are all close to their optimal levels–and that those fluids are fresh in order to perform their functions efficiently. When it comes to tire pressure make sure to keep it at the manufacturer’s recommendation, as this will be safer, and even save you on fuel costs. Driving with under-inflated tires can cause damage and over-heating of the tires; over-inflating can reduce your riding comfort.

Different vehicles and engine types have their own unique oil change requirements. For example, a hybrid only needs its oil changed once every ten thousand miles. If you are taking a hybrid, you may not need an oil change for the duration of your trip. However, if you’re taking a standard vehicle you may need to stop along the way for an oil change, especially if you are driving more than 5000 miles (or 8000 kilometers).

If you will be driving a lot, it would be a good idea for you take a GPS or at the very least a good atlas or map set. This will help you get to your destinations in a more timelier and less costly manner.

If you happen to get a flat tire do you know how to change a tire? Are you physically capable of each of the parts of the process, such as lifting the spare from the trunk. If you are capable, you may want to review your owners manual to make sure that the procedure is clear to you. If you are not able to meet the physical demands, it would be a good idea to join a travel club that can provide such emergency services.

Also be certain that your spare is good. Some spares end up sitting in the trunk for years on end unchecked, have no pressure, and sometimes are even punctured. Ensure your spare tire is usable before you leave, so that you are ready should you get a flat.

Make sure you have a tool kit that contains any emergency supplies you may need.  This is a good idea even if you are not capable of using the tools yourself. You never know when a kind motorist might stop to assist you who may not have his or her own tools to accomplish what is needed. Equipment to make minor mechanical fixes, a tire iron, some water and food for a few days, and a simple first aid kit, should keep you sane should the worst happen. Of course, depending upon your own mobility or health requirements, you may need to also carry along extra medicine, batteries or other supplies.

Road trips can be great fun, but if something bad happens the fun is overshadowed by the problems. In order to be certain that the fun can continue, you need to be prepared for the worst, so that you will have the peace of mind that permits an enjoyable and safe trip.

Related articles

• Preparing My Car for a Road-Trip (alaskagirlatheart.com)
• How do I prep a car for a long road trip (ask.metafilter.com)

Travel With Oxygen

I use supplemental oxygen 24 hours per day. Consequently, when I leave my home at any time, I must make sure that my oxygen needs are met–in the car, train or on a bus; in a hotel room or in a restaurant.  Around my own town, I simply kept an emergency bottle of oxygen in the car so I that I always knew that I could get back to my house and my oxygen concentrator. When I ventured farther, however, I felt insecure.

Oxygen Tanks

If you are like me, when you travel out of the range of your usual oxygen supplier, you need to make sure that you either have sufficient oxygen available in your baggage for your trip or that you have previously arranged a supplier in your destination area.  You must make sure that the supplier at the destination has a copy of your prescription in advance. (Believe me, it is not easy to connect your supplier and your physician on a Sunday!)

Last summer, I was going to be away from home for an extended period.  I bought my own concentrator for my destination, but it was hard to predict how long I might need portable oxygen (for trips to the grocery, restaurants, sight-seeing and other outings). I just guessed at the number of bottles that I might need. Eventually, I convinced my supplier that I needed 26 portable tanks for the journey.

Long Distance Travelers Can’t Use Tanks

Those oxygen tanks made for very heavy luggage, but at least they met my needs. Unfortunately, I later learned that this solution would not work if I needed to use commercial airlines or cruise ships during a vacation. Airlines do not allow oxygen tanks in aircraft cabins. Ships refuse to handle oxygen, which meant that I would have to carry all of my supplies. That is simply impossible for me, since the supplies would have been in excess of 200 pounds (about 91 kilograms).

My Supplementary Oxygen Solution

I own my own oxygen concentrator, which I bought online for less than $800. (To check this out, click here–it will open in a new window.) It is perfect for a hotel room or a cruise ship cabin. It weighs just 32 pounds and can be checked as luggage, so that you don’t have to handle it.  As long as there is AC power, you have oxygen. It is important to have an alternative concentrator or tanks for any time that the power fails, of course.

I also invested in an Evergo Portable Oxygen Concentrator. That ten pound item was a significant cost (under $4000), but I decided to buy it because it actually gave me to ability to take it onto commercial aircraft and cruise ships. Now I don’t have to carry any oxygen tanks with me, and I can be assured of all the oxygen that I need when I am away from my home, my cruise stateroom or my hotel room.  Yes, it cost as much as a nice vacation, but now I can actually take a true vacation–over and over again.

Is America forming into a Nazi country?

Do you think so?

# Hitler outlawed school prayer in Germany. In 1962, The U.S. Supreme Court did the same for us.
# Hitler eliminated Christian holidays in the schools first by calling Christmas “Yuletide.” Most American public schools now call Christmas vacation a “winter break.”
# Hitler took Easter out of schools and instead honored that time of year as the beginning of spring. It has likewise become common for schools in America to refer to time off at Easter as “spring break.”
# Hitler controlled the church using intimidation and threats. A half-century ago, U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Baines Johnson, promoted a bill that included an amendment to use the Internal Revenue Service to remove the non-profit status of a church that speaks against the election of any specific political candidate.
# Hitler enticed thousands of pastors to promote paganism in their congregations. Neopaganism is one of the fastest growing religions in America, doubling every 18 months according to a June 2008 article in The Denver Post. Many American church-goers practice paganism such as “Christian” yoga, contemplative prayer, and walking a labyrinth. As evidence that church doors continue to open further to aberrant beliefs, a 2008 survey found that 57% of evangelicals do not believe Jesus Christ is the only way to God.
# Hitler was an environmentalist and vegetarian. Marriages performed by the Nazi state frequently included blessings of “Mother Earth” and “Father Sky.” Today Americans increasingly accept radical environmentalism, pantheism, and the celebration of Earth Day.
# Hitler was fascinated by eastern mysticism. Today an increasing number of American pastors encourage their followers to become “mystic warriors”.
# Hitler believed in reincarnation. He even convinced SS officers that by murdering millions of Jews and other “undesirables” they were allowing them to get on with the reincarnation process and come back more quickly in an advanced status. Americans increasingly accept the idea of reincarnation as well as good and bad karma.
# Hitler’s holocaust killed between 8 and 11 million Jews and non-Jews. Americans have killed an estimated 50 million babies since abortion was legalized through the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973. According to a July 7, 2008 article on worldnetdaily.com “An abortionist who claims to have destroyed more than 20,000 unborn children and who once was Hillary Clinton’s OB-GYN says he is doing ‘God’s work’ when he terminates a pregnancy…He admits that abortion kills a human soul.”
# Hitler killed 270,000 handicapped people through active euthanasia.[1] America and the courts are rushing toward the same with the murder of individuals such as Terri Schiavo. Oregon voters passed their Death with Dignity Act in 1994 and re-affirmed it in 1997. Washington state voters legalized doctor-assisted suicide on November 4, 2008. In December 2008, a Montana judge ruled terminally ill residents of that state have the right to physician-assisted suicide, and “death with dignity” is gaining acceptance in other states as well.
# Private schools were abolished by Hitler and all education placed under Nazi control. There is constant pressure from federal and many state education authorities to require that Christian schools use state-mandated, humanistic textbooks. The Home School Legal Defense Association is fighting numerous battles at any given time to prevent parents from loosing the right to educate their children as they see fit. In August 2008, a federal district court ruled that the state of California university system may choose not to recognize the diplomas-and thereby deny college entrance to-students who attended a school using textbooks that express a Biblical worldview in the areas of history and science (i.e., Christian schools).
# Hitler prevented dissenters from using radio to challenge his worldview. Many powerful liberals in America have made clear their intent to reintroduce the “Fairness Doctrine” that would require conservative and religious radio stations to offer equal time to anti-Christian, anti-conservative worldviews.
# Pastors who spoke against Hitler’s worldview and his murderous regime found themselves on trial and frequently imprisoned for “Abuse of Pulpit.” In America, hate-crime legislation has the potential to criminalize Christians and pastors who speak out against the homosexual agenda.
# Many Christians in Germany justified their allegiance to Hitler through a belief that “Their duty to God was spiritual; their duty to the state was political.”[2] Many American Christians now have bought the lie that their worldview can be divided between the secular and the sacred-the politician has one area of responsibility, the pastor another, and never shall the two meet. Yet the Bible teaches that a

Yes, another one of these questions . Help?

Alright, so I’m looking for a job, but I’m not old enough to be hired, unfortunately, and I really would not be able to get to a local job, anyhow. So i’ve turned to the one option left – Babysitting.

I have taken (and passed – yes, there is a test.) a babysitting course, and I can say that I’m able to babysit. In the past 3 years, i’ve often been left home alone with my sister, who though is a year younger than me, isn’t very mature. I take care of her, and am left home alone with her, and I also have a mentally challenged/handicapped brother who I take care of sometimes. I also used to care for my baby cousin, before he grew older, changing his diaper, feeding/playing with him, etc …

Now it’s time for me to earn money, hence the babysitting. I believe that I’m experienced with my family, though never with anyone else’s children. My question is – how would I begin ?

My neighbourhood is a cul-de-sac, right beside a major road, on the other side of which is another neighbourhood. I know many people around here, as well as older kids, though there are hardly any children. How would I go about finding clientele, or children to babysit? I’m very shy, so going from door to door and talking to people would not really be preferable, though I will if I absolutely have to. In addition, posting a flyer on a telephone pole would be a too public.

I’m not bad with kids, but I’m not the greatest, though I do like them, and am willing to learn. (: A friend has offered to come along whenever she’s avaliable and help me out, completely free of charge, and she’s also completed a babysitting course.

Back to my question: How would you go about first getting clientele, advertising, and then organizing your schedule + caring for the children?

***Note; I’ll haven’t yet decided if I’ll start babysitting once school rolls around, as from Tuesday, August 3rd – Thursday, August 12th I’m completely free, yet I have a vacation from the 16th to the 21st, and nothing afterwards.

I’m afraid my boss will Harass me once she finds out I’m pregnant…What can I do?

I work at a large medical office and the site manager is my direct manager. I am a registration secretary and there are about six of us working directly under her, the rest have doctors or department heads to turn to. The manager has been in this building for about two years she worked for the same practice prior to that just in a differnet building. I have worked here for a year and a half. In that time there have been two other people who worked under her that got pregnant, needless to say they are no longer here. The first one she continualy harrassed and called into the office about things like wearing to much perfume (no office policy regarding perfume) parking in a handicapped spot (the spot was not handicapped) and wrote her up continueoulsy for taking time off (she had a doctors note) this woman went to HR but they said there was nothingthey could do and so the woman quite. The second woman woman worked beside me and I watched her get called in to the managers office daily and get repremanded for everything from being 4 minutes late (morning sickness in the parking lot) to not smiling enough, she even called her in the office and said “I didnt get you pregnant, so why wont you smile when I go downstairs” then called me in the office to tell me she said it. One day she came down and whipped a box of gloves on our desk and it hit the woman and she was so stressed she got rushed to the ER that same day. She went on Intermittant FMLA and our manager even harrased her about that calling her in everytime and saying she needed notes (not required under FMLA) and telling her all kinds of things wernt covered under the FMLA (that were) This woman stuck it out and at the end of her maternity leave she was two days late coming back (the manager never discussed maternity leave with her, she said she wasnt getting involved) because her doctor was on vacation and she needed certain papers signed. Well the manager said “I have a bussiness to run so I have to let you go” She then called her continuously for the next few days asking for a letter of resignation, the woman refused and when they got to the unemployment hearing the HR lady said we never fired you, we wouldnt fire some one for that, and well you should have quite if the situation was that bad. There still in a appeal process.

So here I am, I am not my bosses favorite by any means (my son has bad Asthma and I am on intermittant FMLA for that) she hates anybody that calls out excpecially for your children, pets on the otherhand thats fine!, so I just found out I’m pregnant (to be honest once my maternity leaves over I probably wont be back) but I want to stay working through my pregnancy because the $$$ will pay of any debts and get us ready for the baby. Is there any advise on how I should handle this situation with my boss? I was thinking about contacting HR before I even tell her to open the lines of communications so that maybe they would see I wasnt playing around. I’m just not sure which direction to go

(my manager is a 50 something year old woman with no children)

The whole office prettymuch see’s how the manager is and how she doesnt do anything besides focus on her employess personal lives and make gossip, but people complain and nothing get changed.

Should I charge my mother for gas?

She lives with her husband but before that she lived temporarily overseas completing a cosmetology degree. I consider myself a good son. I used to send her an allowance for 2 years. I’ve recently taken her along with my family on a family vacation and always cover her expenses when we’re out. She is partially handicapped and yet managed to land a job as a hair stylist.

She is not making much $ right now as she just started & has few clients but she has asked me to take her to work 5 times a week (@ 20 mi. per roundtrip which equals 1 gallon gas).

I explained to her last night that I have no problem driving her to work but I explained to her that I will definitely need her to pitch in for gas which should be approx. $4 per ride to work. I explained to her that I have a budget of $50 a week for gas which barely covers my 40 mile daily commute and 80 mile weekend allowance.

She didnt take it too well as she said ‘don’t bother me now, let’s talk later about it’….
Answerer 9: My finances are ok and savings are ok as well but only because of me and my wife sticking to our budget… on the other hand my mom has ok savings and she mainly works for little things as her husband covers her housing, food, bills, etc.