Most of us can recognize these things instantly. Some of us even know that they're there to help the visually impaired know that they're about to walk out into the street.
They're called truncated domes, in case you were wondering. And they've had an oddly complicated past that you can read about in the Americans with Disabilities Act's report. (The gist being that they were required, then studies showed that people who are blind or visually impaired have been using other cues to come to the conclusion that they were crossing the street and therefore these were not really effective and were no longer required, but are now required again because the ADA has made it so). In theory, these things are wonderful. They add an extra sense of awareness to your day. Even if people who can hardly see don't really need them because they had their own methods of not walking in front of moving traffic before the ADA intervened in the early 1990s (hmm, imagine that), I happen to like these truncated domes as a pedestrian because I don't always pay attention.
This is me we're talking about. The guy who spent over an hour looking for his car keys when they were in his jacket pocket - the jacket that he was wearing the entire time he was looking for them? Yeah. I'm not always paying attention to what I'm doing. I've got my other stuff to worry about, like whether or not I'll get accepted into a graduate school, if there'll be any form of social security for me when I retire, and why that guy I just walked past was wearing stripes with plaids (I truly believe it's a guy's way of saying "I'm single, and clearly available"). Those truncated domes are a reminder for me to pay attention and make sure no cars are coming before I cross the street. But on a longboard, these things are a completely different story.
On wheels, truncated domes act like brakes. One time they stopped my longboard dead in its tracks while I, still coursing with momentum, was propelled out into the middle of the street, (thank God nothing was coming, or else I would have made the news - "Safety Measure Kills Amateur Skateboarder". My mother would not have been pleased.) so, they're quite dangerous to the right kind of crowd.
The same could be said about life, you know. When you come to the end of an era, you relish the fact that it will all be over soon. The warning signs, the transition phase, the truncated domes are there to say "hey, pay attention; some things are about to change here." But sometimes, you don't want the warning. The warning is an inevitable notice that the way things were going before is about to come to an end. This can really work against you sometimes.
That is where I am now. School is almost over for me, and I am standing on those truncated domes about to cross the street into something new. Will there be a job waiting out there for me? Will I find a graduate school that will take me? Will some Volkswagen run me over on its way to the Strawberry Festival?
I don't know. I can't say. But change is definitely in the air tonight. Oh Lord.
-Andy
Awesome analogy. These domes are not only a nuisance but more of a safety hazard to us skaters then it is a safety tool to those who are blind. I can't remember the last time i saw a blind person taking a leisurely stroll through the city. These things have always baffled me, thanks for shedding some light on the situation :D
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this paragraph,
ReplyDelete"The same could be said about life, you know. When you come to the end of an era, you relish the fact that it will all be over soon. The warning signs, the transition phase, the truncated domes are there to say "hey, pay attention; some things are about to change here." But sometimes, you don't want the warning. The warning is an inevitable notice that the way things were going before is about to come to an end. This can really work against you sometimes."
The warning sign for me every year is my birthday, it's always around this time (May 25th) that I begin to stress out about whether or not I have accomplished enough in life. Am I far enough along in school? Am I at my correct weight? How can I earn more money? Am I missing out out on something? I'm only twenty-one but sometimes I want to be seventeen again and start this adult thing all over. But here comes that warning sign and the end of another school year.
The biggest questions always come at the end, but if you believe in yourself and improve yourself God will give you what you want.
ReplyDelete