Air Travel

So I am going to Alaska in a couple of weeks for some work training.  They are sending my husband with me to assist, which is super nice and so greatly appreciated!  However, I have not been on a plane since I was two.  I am so paranoid that they are going to damage or lose my wheelchair!

We always hear stories about people losing their luggage.  We had one friend who went to San Diego for a week and didn't get his suitcase until it was time to go home.  What if the airlines lose my chair?!  What will I do? 

Also, I understand that they have an aisle sized chair to get on and off the plane.  What if I need to use the restroom while I'm there?  Will my husband have to pick me up and take me?  The restrooms are tiny on a plane....  Do they have handicapped restrooms and does that aisle chair come with the plane just in case?

These are all the questions running through my mind.  If anyone has answers, let me know!  I will update after the trip:)

Steering a Wheelchair with Your Tongue?!

Yep.  New technology is allowing people with spinal chord injuries to use a magnetic tongue piercing to control an electric wheelchair.  The user has to wear a headset to detect the movement.  Apparently the idea is that the tongue is not easily tired and not generally affected by spinal chord injuries because it has a direct connection to the brain via a cranial nerve.  Check out this article for more!

Less expensive car repairs

Let me start by saying that our van is 10 years old and has seen many better days.  With that being said, we have had a chronic problem with the automatic sliding door since day one.  Had I known what I do now, I would have turned it in for Lemon Laws, if that were an option.

For the second time in as many years, the plastic chain that runs along the bottom of the door track has broken into about 5 different pieces.  I have made many a phone call and I found that the local conversion place wanted to charge me $130 for the part plus labor totaling about FIVE HUNDRED dollars!  What?!  I asked why so much for the labor?  I was told that it would be roughly three hours worth because they would have to remove the door panel in order to install the piece.

OK, so the panel has to be removed.  Never mind the fact that this part looks like it just plugs in on both ends and "voila" it should be finished.  That means that I am now being charged $123 per hour for labor!  Again - What?!  

My personal mechanic (for non conversion repairs) naturally tells me that this is ridiculous.  Even the local Mercedes dealership only charges about $90, according to him.  So I took the car in to my local body shop.  Guess what?  He only charges $40 per hour for labor.  Guess what else?  The part is a Chrysler part - not a conversion part: and for the record, it is $130.  

So to make a long story short, I have now just saved myself $250 (if it really does take three hours of labor).  Thankfully, my part is on order and I am hoping to get the repair next week.

The moral of the story is: Check with your local mechanic (or body shop) before going to your conversion shop. You may save yourself a ton!