Patrick Lenihan

Christy Brown’s “Down All The Days” and “My Left Foot”

Ben Mattlin’s “Miracle Boy Grows Up” and “In Sickness and in Health”

Some of my podcast recommendations are WTF with Marc Maron, The Moth, The Splendid Table, My Dad Wrote a Porno, Quirks and Quarks, Car Talk, Radiolab, Snap Judgement, American Masters, Stuff You Missed in History Class, and Ouch.

Las Vegas is one of the most accessible cities I have been to. It is not really my type of city but their is a lot to do there and I can see why people like going there. I love Victoria B.C. . It has the feel of an old European city but accessibility is quite good. Curb cuts are plentiful. The public transit is accessible and there are many…[Read more]

Once when I was leaving a restaurant, a very expensive car was parked in the curb cut next to the disabled parking spot making it impossible for me to safely get to my car. Now for the record, let me make clear that I would never encourage people to take the law into their own hands. Vandalism and vigilantism is wrong but…. I may have had my…[Read more]

I was a DJ at my University’s radio station. I wrote and performed stand up comedy for 20 years. I still write material but I haven’t performed in many years. I used to shoot black and white photos and later hand color the black and white prints. Over the last ten years my primary creative outlet has been playing harmonica.

My entire family and some of my closest friends live on the east coast and I live thousands of miles away on the west coast. I use phone calls, messaging and Facebook to keep in touch with them.

I give them rides on the footrests of my wheelchair. When it snows I have tied a sled to the back of my wheelchair and pulled them around the yard. I talk to them about things they like. I read to them. I play games with them.

I love my smart home devices and the ones I have are worth the investment. I control most of the lights in my house with my Echo devices using Alexa compatible smart bulbs and smart plugs. In my bathroom I have a motion detecting faucet attachment on my sink (the iTouchless EZ Faucet Pro Automatic Sensor Faucet Adapter). It costs about 37 dollars…[Read more]

This might be the most important post I have read on this forum. If one’s parents, family members or spouse are their primary caregivers one must have a plan to deal with inevitable day when they are too old to do the job or when they pass away. I live thousands of miles away from my family and my parents are elderly so I already have a support…[Read more]

I have an ActionHeat battery powered heated vest that I love. They also make heated base layers and jackets. The thing  that I like about ActionHeat vests and base layers is that you can power them with any 5 volt usb power bank. The power bank that came with the vest only last about 2 hours but I purchased a 30000 mAh power bank that powers the…[Read more]

I have a 4 year old high energy lab so staying in isn’t really an option. I often walk him or go with my s/o to watch her exercise him at the dog park or in the bay. I like to hang out in the yard with my s/o as she works in the garden. I like to go to our local deli and our weekly farmers market.  I love going to many of the local breweries and…[Read more]

I wear IZ Adaptive’s jeans, chinos and sweat pants.  I love them but I  have had to replace the zippers on a couple of the pairs after a couple of years. I tend to purchase base layer shirts with thumb holes so that when I put on a jacket or top layer my sleeves stay down. I tend to go with whatever brand happens to be on clearance at REI, LL B…[Read more]

Adding bone broth and or collagen to soups will increase the protein. Lentils and chick peas are high in protein and can be blenderized and turned  into dal and hummis respectively to make them easier swallow. Fresh soft cheeses like chevre and burrata and ripe runny cheeses like brie and triple creme cheeses are also easier to swallow sources of protein.

The reason smoke alarms are on ceilings is because smoke rises.  It only spreads out when it can’t rise anymore. If the smoke detector is low, it won’t sense the smoke until the room is full of smoke. Fire safety officials recommend changing smoke detector batteries every time you change the clocks.

I spend a lot of time outdoors in the spring, summer and fall. If the temperature is 60º or higher I am comfortable with just a base layer and a long sleeve shirt. I can handle mid 50’s without bundling up if it is sunny and there is no wind. In the summer I love kite flying, going to Farmers’ Market, enjoying the produce and flowers from my…[Read more]

I have 2006 Buick Terraza with a Braun conversion. It is cool that you have an MV1. That is quite a sweet rig. I remember reading about those when they first came out. They were initially being marketed to cab companies in NYC and to public transit authorities in smaller communities as a more affordable alternative to larger paratransit buses but…[Read more]

I have a Roho and a Synergy Solutions foam and gel combo cushion. I prefer the Synergy Solutions cushion because it is a bit firmer and that enables me to shift and adjust myself in the chair a little easier.

I use a combination of agencies and I.P.’s . I have 6 people total working with me every week. I have some body come in for a couple of hours every morning to get me up, showered and dressed. They also prep my breakfast, do some light housework and prep my lunch if I am eating at home. My s/o of 20 years makes my dinner and puts me to bed most…[Read more]

I have flown a lot. While I would be more comfortable flying in my own chair it isn’t a deal breaker for me. The most difficult part of flying for me is dehydrating myself before the flight so I won’t have to use the bathroom while in the air. I would love it if the bathroom was at least aisle chair accessible. I did have an airline lose my chair…[Read more]