Traveling To Harrisburg For The State Convention
As I mentioned in an episode in January, I wanted to travel more in 2019. I don’t think I ever would have guessed how much more I’d actually do it. With the exception of June and August, I’ve spent at least one night in a city that I don’t call home. I’ve been to Johnstown, PA, Las Vegas, along with Harrisburg, PA for the first time in my life. I’ve been to Washington, DC, Baltimore, and New York City multiple times each. Please, from July through early September, I was probably in NYC 15 times alone (thanks, Jane!) The only place I didn’t get to go to in 2019 was the beach.
I was really excited to go to Harrisburg and this years National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania’s State Convention not just because I had never been to Harrisburg or that I would see (lets not get hung up over the blind guy using the word see) friends from around the State who I only get to see at events like this or the National Convention. I was most excited to go, because I was asked to speak to the attendees. And, I got to do it twice! My Saturday morning talk was for business, about NFB-NEWSLINE®. I put on a suit and everything. In the afternoon, I was one of three to speak about our first time at the NFB National Convention. Since that was after lunch and more for pleasure, I changed from my suit into jeans and a flannel shirt. I did this before lunch, since I was goinng to wear the suit again for the banquet that night. I have a pretty poor track record of dropping food and didn’t want to go to the banquet with food stains on my clothes.
I was also looking forward to getting items for the auction to help raise money for the affiliate. Last year I wanted to get items from the Philly sports teams, but started too late. This year, I contacted them in August, more than two months before I needed to receive the items to take them with me to Harrisburg. I was disappointed when I received nothing. The Flyers said they were going to send an autographed puck, but as of this writing (which is a week after I left for the convention) I haven’t received it. The Sixers and Eagles acknowledged that they received my request, but nothing from them either. It is not the first time these teams have let me down and I would bet it all that it won’t be the last.