DJ Omega Weapon

The day started innocently enough with my friends and I going shopping for everything while getting ready fro the concert.  We decided to match and to look amazing for the concert.  We got out of the house at about noon to go shop for shirts, makeup, fabric, and shoes.  We all wanted to make sure that everything was perfect, so we grabbed our stuff together to go.  

The first stop was at Target to get matching shirts for the occation.  Then we moved on to SAS fabrics to get colored fabrics for our shirts and then to finally get shoes, makeup, and put it all together.  All in all it took about 4 hours to get everything done and taken care of easily enough.  Makeup took another two hours to apply to everyone since we only had one person who was doing it while the rest of us sat around watching tv and getting ready.  

All in all, we looked amazing and were ready to go to the concert.  Parking was a pain but we finally got there and were ready to go inside to get to our spots.  We had purchased floor tickets and were ready to stand on the floor to enjoy the concert.  We get to the turn style, and since I couldnt' fit, I had to go through the disability access.  Not a problem, so I get there and they tell me that I need an escort... this is where the problem began.  

When I went to get my escort, they told me they asked me if I was going to be standing the entire time.  Of course I laughed at that comment and told them no.  Well, at this point, the lady looks at me and tell me that they do not allow wheelchairs onto the floor so there was no way I am going to see the concert...  

Of course I'm shocked at this point.  I looked at her square in the face and asked if she was kidding.  Not a funny joke, I informed her.  She looked at me and told me that she was quite serious.  With a quick smile, she said sorry and went back to doing her own duties.  Frustrated, I asked to speak to her supervisor, who was standing right next to us.  The supervisor told me the same thing and said that all she could do was to put me on a waiting list to see if any accessible seats would be available.  Upset and frustrated, I reluctantly gave her my number and I left.  

By this point, I was sobbing.  I rolled into a corner and started crying my eyes out.  I have never felt more disabled, more discriminated against, and treated so poorly in my life.  I have overcome tons of obsticles in my way to get to where I am in life and for this one thing to be put right in front of me... seemed to destroy everything I had worked for.  With a quick txt to my friend to tell them to enjoy the concert, I sat, waiting... depressed.  Even with all the people around... I felt alone in a sad dark place absolutely hopeless.  

My friends at this point came up to see what was wrong.  Carrying the beer they bought for me wanting to see what was going on.  I explained the situation and we went back to the office to discuss it in detail with everyone.  Of course, the same thing was reiterated again and again, and it seemed like we were going nowhere.  Finally we asked to speak with the manager incharge to discuss this matter further.  It was at this point that my friend Josh sent out a tweet that read "Help @LadyGaga, my friend is in a wheelchair and they won't let him onto the floor!"  I had not known but this was the start of turning things around.  

The tweet had been picked up by a few people and retweeted several times.  Radio stations had begun to retweet it and eventually it made it all the way up the chain to the road crew for Lady Gaga herself!  Well, during this time, the manager came and it turned out to be a friend of one of my friends who was with me.  She told us that it was a security issue and that she would asked security for us and go by what they said.  So all the pieces began to fit together and when she finished, she was told that security approved as long as I stayed by the mixers, and that I was able to enjoy the concert.  

After all this, we were escorted to the floor where we took our locations and began to enjoy the concert that I had fought so hard to attend.  I missed most of Scissor Sisters, but got to see Lady Gaga and enjoyed her show.  She was amazing in her entire performance and the concert was spectacular!  

Overall, despite the awful proceedings of the night, I would have to say that I enjoyed it all.  I enjoyed the concert, the dinner after, and the sleep after that.  I should let people know that if they truly are upset with something, they should try to fix the situation.  Don't stand idley by and wait for something to happen, take charge and try to find the best solution.  

For as long as I can remember, I have been considered the fat kid.  My cousins used to call me Chunky, and I once acted in a small made for TV movie as the roll of Chubby.  I have always struggled with weight for the better part of my life.  Disability or not, keeping weight off is just such a difficult thing to do in certain times.  So, today I started on my first serious plan to lose weight and keep it off. 

My weight used to hover around the 180 range throughout high school and into early college.  I then put on 20 lbs. and stayed around the 200 range for two years.  It wasn't until after everything happened that I put on a massive amount of weight.  I rose to 250 lbs. within a year and have maintained it the entire time.  I currently am at my heaviest at 250 lbs. and have hovered around there for sometime now. I know my body wants to stay around the 180 to 200 range and for my size and frame, it would be best to keep in that range, so I've decided to try to drop 50 lbs. to meet my goal. 

Weight loss for the average person, while not easy, is simpler than weight loss for anyone with a disability.  For one, I cannot do a lot of the cario that most people work on.  I cannot run on a treadmill, use the elipticals, or even pedal a bike.  Instead, I am limited as to what I can do which include swimming, or sitting aerobics.  Because of this, I have to compensate and try to work on other anaerobic exercises to build up my fat-free mass which increases my basal metabolic rate. 

The other serious factor to consider for me is the fact that I am on some medications that cause me to retain water and gain weight.  So asside from the fact that my cardio choices are limited, I also have the added pressure of the meds that I take for my leg spasms and nerve pain. 

So, with that, I have decided to pursue a weight loss plan.  To drop 50 lbs. I am going to watch my food intake and eat less than 2000 calories a day.  I have also started going to the gym 4 times a week for 2 hours a day and drinking more water.  It is also important to note that I have friends to help me out and have consulted a doctor prior to starting this routine.  I have to make sure I don't destroy my back or anything else for that matter while trying to drop weight.

Hopefully, I will be able to drop enough weight to get to my goal of 200 lbs.  From there, i should be able to drop the remaining 20 to get back to my weight of 180.  I think this will help keep me healthier and will also help to be more active in everything I do.  Lifting into and out of the truck will get easier and I will be able to just be a lot healthier in everything I do.  So, with that, I hope you all wish me luck!!

This weekend, I went to the rodeo here in Phoenix to enjoy the company and the sports.  Unfortunately, it was windy and it rained the entire time, so most of the outdoor events were not very fun to watch.  Instead, we stayed indoors and tried to stay warm while the weather froze outside. 

The best part, however, was my outfit that I chose.  Below is me in my cowboy hat and shirt.  I had boots on, but didn't get a picture of them. 

I currently have 210 video games installed on my desktop.  They occupy about 720 GB on one harddrive as well as about 200 GB on another.  Basically, I am a hardcore gamer with a desktop to prove it.  Of course now is the perfect time to plug my desktop LOL:  Core i7 920 overclocked to 4 GHz, 12 GB of RAM, 3 x GTX 280 in Tri SLI mode, 1 x 9800 GT for Physx, EVGA X58 Classified MOBO, and a Thermaltake 1200W PSU.  At the time I built it, it was one of the top 3000 fastest computers in the world.  Of course, I haven't checked it recently, but I know it can hold its own to a lot of systems. 

The purpose of this post is not to talk about how many games I play or how much I love it, but rather about gamers with disabilities.  I have to say that I am extremely fortunate with the fact that I still have complete use of my hands and arms.  My legs may not work, but everything else does.  Holding a controller or typing on a keyboard aren't any problems for me.  Though I am a PC gamer to my core, I still own all the consoles and play all types of games. 

Video games give me a way to get out of my world and to experience something else.  Getting lost in another world and enjoying the scenes while feeling accomplished make me feel really great inside.  In fact, I can be in a game world and do whatever I want without the limitations that I have in everyday life.  But what about those other disabled people who have different or more severe disabilities?  What would I do or anyone do for that matter if I lost the use of my hands like many quadraplegics do, or if I only had one arm and couldn't hold a controller correctly? 

Before my accident, I used to play drums.  I used to have a drum set and everything setup so that I could play.  Music has always been a passion of mine and jamming on the drums was something that I really enjoyed doing.  Since I can't use my legs, drums have become one of those things that I can't do without modifications.  While they do exist, they are either extremely costly, or difficult to come by.  So when games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero come out, I can't help but feel a little down at the fact that I can't even play the drums like I used to in a game setting. The good thing is that I can rock out on the guitar and sing my heart out (though not very well)!!  Even the new Microsoft Kinect doesn't cater well to wheelchair users like myself.  I cannot jump up and down and move around the same way other able body players can.  Don't you think I would love to dance away at Dance Central or fight my way through in other games? 

Fortunately, there are options for people with various disabilties.  Websites and resources are available to all sorts of people with disabilities.  I constalty keep track of http://www.ablegamers.com/ to see just exactly what they say about many current games that are in the market as well as other indie games that I have not had a chance to play with yet.  One feature that I really like is their Mainstream Game of the Year awards which goes to games that already include modifications for disabled gamers. 

This year's award went to Forza Motosport 3.  With the ability to have autobreaking and play the game using only two fingers, it makes it extremely accessible for people of all disabilities.  It also allows for those with visual imparements such as being color blind to experience the game easily and have the queues needed to proceed and still win.  I find that more and more games now are trying to make it easier for people of all abilities to enjoy.  With the advent of the gaming industry on mobile platforms, the need for many buttons has gone away and replaced with a few standard features that still make the game fun. 

Hopefully things will continue to improve in the industry so that many more people can appreciate the complexity of the games with their vast storylines and dazzling graphics.  In time I know that more and more games will start to see that the untapped market for disabled gamers is a great venture to jump on.  For now, I will continue playing my guitar on Guitar Hero, and pounding away at the keyboard in Black Ops. 

This past weekend, I had the privelage of being able to participate in the Arizona Disabled Sports Association's Paralympic Experience.  The purpose of this was to expose new athletes to various sports for those with various disabilities.  The day I participated in revolved around Track, Field, and Archery events.  My main goals for the day were to try archery and see where it lead. 

After waking up at a horrible 7:30 in the morning to get to the track by 8:30, I was ready to start the day.  I pulled into the parking lot and had no idea what to expect.  I got out of my truck like normal and proceeded to get up to the track.  I was greeted by Elena who helps manage the program and who I had spoken to on several occasions.  I met a few other people and we got started right away. 

The first thing we did was get introduced to the various people who were there to help.  The first sport I got introduced to were the track events.  Using either racing chairs or handcycles, the athletes competed in timed trials across various distances.  While handcycles are relatively easy to use and not complicated at all, the racing chairs, on the other hand, were completely different than anything I've ever used.  For one, they are extremely small and difficult to get in.  My knees were pressing right up against my chest and I was in a leaning forward position.  To turn the chair requires a hit of the front steering chamber to rotate around the track as needed.  The handrims were also really interesting because they could destroy your hands if you tried to actually push them like normal.  Instead, it is propelled by a push with special gloves where your arms swing in a circular position while pushing down and around the rim.  This sport was definitely interesting but not something that my body type is designed for.  Those with smaller or lighter frames seem to excel best. 

The next sport I tried were all the field events.  These included shot put, javelin, and discus.  These sports are really interesting because of the adaptive nature of them.  To do shot put and discus, you sit in a special chair that is about 6" taller than my seat.  The chair has a handle that faces the field with a cut on the right or left side of the seat.  To get in, one leg goes through the handle facing front while the other hangs on either the right or left side depending on your dominant hand.  Even though I write with my left hand, I actually have more power in my right, so I play most sports right handed. 

For shot put, you hold onto the handle with your left hand and hold the shot put in the fingers of your right hand while holding it close to your cheek.  To release it, you almost lie down on the chair and pull forward with the left hand.  After you've sat up, you push with your right hand on the shot put and release it like a piston throwing it in the air and hoping it lands straight and far.  My coach said that I had perfect form and because of the level of my disability have a great advantage in this sport. 

To use the discus, you sit the same way but you twist your body around with the discus in your hand.  As you pull up with your left hand, your right hand swirls around and your grip manipulates the disc to cause it to spin in the air.  I tried this only twice and found that my hand just does not get it to spin as well as I would like.  It seems like no matter what I tried, it just wouldn't turn. 

The javelin on the other hand was something extremely interesting to use.  This time both feet are through the handle and strapped back.  To release it, you simply throw it like you normally would except you have to flip your wrist while doing it.  Being the gay that I am, I accomplished this task easily and impressed my coach again. 

The final sport that I participated in was archery.  Now this sport is generally straight forward.  I stay in my own chair and pull right up to the line.  You are seated perpendicular to the target where one front caster and one rear wheel are in front of the line while the other two are behind it.  As you pull back, you have to aim carefully and stead your shot.  This for me was not terribly difficult since I have abs that mostly work and proper posture.  Out of the 6 arrows that I shot, 4 managed to hit the target while the other two hit areas around it.  Even with my poor vision and my tendancy to shake a ton, I still managed to impress myself and others on the field. 

Overall, the day was extremely enjoyable.  I had a great time meeting tons of people with various disabilities all trying to compete in their sports.  I impressed my coach so much that he asked that I return for future training.  He wants me to compete in the Desert Games in May which are the qualifiers for the National Tournament in the summer.  If I were to win at the national tournament, I qualify for a chance to compete in the 2012 Paralympic games in London!  I really had a great time participating and can't wait until next weekend when we start training. 

So one of the things that I feel very strongly about is the issue of people using the disabled parking spots that do not have disabilities.  Now, I understand the theory of a "invisible disability".  I get the fact that there are some people who have a hard time walking but do not show it.  I also know that there are a lot of people who abuse this privelage that a few of us need more than anything.

Yes I drive a huge truck and if you saw me driving, you might not realize that I have a disability, but what people don't know is that usually in the passenger seat is my wheelchair ready for me to pull out.  If you actually look at my hands while driving, you will know that you only see one on the steering wheel while you the other one pushes the hand controls to accelerate or break my truck.  The cell phone is connected via bluetooth so I can answer and make calls if needed without my hands, and I have my audio controls on the steering wheel so that I can change songs or volume with a touch of a button and never removing my hand from control. 

The reason why I need the hash marks next to my truck is so that I can load and unload the wheelchair.  What people don't realize is that I cannot squeeze by and get into my truck like most people do between cars in normal spaces.  Unfortnately my chair is at minimum 24" wide with thin wheels and even larger with the wheels I normally have on it.  That means that I need at a minimum that space just to move around.  The other thing that people don't understand is that it is unsafe for me to move about in a parking lot.  Sitting at only 4' high, I am extremely prone to being hit by a car backing out.  Large vehicles including vans can't see me rolling behind them, so it makes it a bad situation for me to move around in. 

When people abuse the parking spots, they make it difficult and dangerous for me.  They put me at a huge disadvantage apart from the one I am already in because they are lazy or don't want to park far away.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think people should try to think about others around them when trying to use these spots.  They are there for a reason.  If I could walk, I would be thrilled with parking far away, but since I can't, I'm stuck with a few options.