With my finger function the opening of envelopes is really trying my patience. I simply can’t open the
envelopes
uninjured, undamaged or prompt. My shredder is usually not far away!!!
If you put a nail file in the
cutlery holder (see older blogpost)
it turns into an
excellent letter opener.
Let’s take it for granted that you can use the
nail file
in the cutlery holder coincidentally for
manicure
as well.
Translator BL
As self-confessed hobbit with 1,38 m total height forehead top sitting in the wheelchair you have to confess every now and then that the upward reach is a little limited.
My well-tried
suddenly have a perceived height of 2,10 m after my accident.
If you aren’t a friend of the fishing sport then taking down the keys turns out to be a bit tedious and can be dangerous.
The usage of safety glasses and helmet is mandatory.
The
Yellow North European Furniture Elks
are offering a
magnet holder for kitchen knives,
which I have declared as
Watch out, there are two types.
One of the holders just succeeds to prevent a paper clip from falling down. 
Translator BL
In winter or rainy weather, almost all pedestrians take off their shoes in front of their door and sneak in socks over the laminate.
I absolutely appreciate that this makes sense when you have estimated 2 kg snow on the soles of your shoes
and you don’t like to go sledging in your flat.
You won’t believe how much snow or rain water can stick to a wheelchair.
Even the wiping of the wheelchair tyres with discarded towels is rather difficult if you are not a Paralympian or contortionist.
To counteract the spring tide in your flat
I have purchased a carpet as it is usually lying e.g. at the entrance of department stores and positioned it outside of my door in the staircase.
These carpets absorb up to 6 liters of water per m².
With its size of 230 cm x 120 cm my
could actually absorb more than 16 liters rain water.
Before I roll into the flat I am doing two laps on the carpet in the staircase, and the wheelchair tyres are clean and dry.
Up to now the maximum “filling capacity” was not reached yet.
Translator BL
It is always a little difficult to switch on and off electric devices sitting in a wheelchair.
There are always missing the commonly known 2 cm.
Not 1 cm, or 5 cm?
There are always 2 cm.
I have the theory that this results from mass inertia, momentum and black holes.
Here is the solution:
A remote-controlled Christmas Tree lighting is quite nice.
Radio coverage allegedly until 25 m. (Probably only at full moon on April 1st).
You can get regularly special offers for a pack of 4!
(15 €, not much more.)
If you buy the pack of 4 twice from the same manufacturer, you should change the radio frequency with the little DIP switches, (in German) also known as
.
It might happen otherwise that the toilet light is switched on together with the coffee machine.
Well, maybe not so bad after all… let’s think about it again…
It is not complicated to change the switches.
Every quadriplegic who manages it should get a piece of cake or two from his occupational therapist.
Serious safety instruction:
Please always consider the max. switching power, around 1000 watt.
Never connect an electric heater, around 2000 watt!!!
The switches get hot and might start burning.
I have experimentally connected an electric heater, the electrical socket didn’t survive!!!
Should there be any difficulties with playing the keys (setting the switches) I am at your disposal as professional ”piano tutor” .
Have fun with the piano lesson.
Translator BL
After the usual administrative chaos caused by all those who can cut a piece of paper gets currently out of hand, I feel a bit like the “Hauptmann von Köpenick” (synonym from German literature for a catch-22; without residence no work, without work no residence), and I have decided to take 3-4 valium more and turn again towards my
passion,
the technical aids for quadriplegics. What a sentence, the blue things are helping already, I am suddenly missing the fullstopslll
Knife, fork, scissors, flames, have no place in quadriplegic’s gamesl
That’s about true 
To cut paper with a scissor is not funny,
especially when you like me can’t even press a clothespin.
If
scissor-type silhouettes
aren’t going to be the new hobby I can highly recommend a
Paper Guillotine,
one-arm-usage guaranteed “fullstop”.
The blue pills are ttzzzzzzzzz
Translator BL
The personal enemy of the quadri-(aka tetra-)plegic is, hardly to believe, the:
Tetra Pak beverage carton
These things are so smooth that it is hardly possible to decently pour something into a glass.
I was owning this
metal holder for Tetra Paks
already a couple of years before my accident.
It was revitalised from my
kitchenware graveyard
and does a good job for me now.
If somebody knows the source of supply of this extremely useful equipment, please send a short e-mail to me.
Have a look on to your kitchenware graveyard, maybe 10-15 pieces are lying around there which you have in excess?
Translator BL
As wheeler out in the wild you are not really noticed by the pedestrians.
This is getting extreme in bigger crowds like sports events or festivals.
It is quite funny if at a street fair the girls take a seat on your lap because you have been again overlooked. But the whole thing gradually gets a little irritating when the number of “hitchhikers” increases towards evening in the dark.
My tip is a
Ideally a blinking one.
These things are simply great.
The pedestrians see the light between their legs, are totally confused, and a gap is formed as if Moses had parted the sea.
Because H4 spotlights on a wheelchair are quite rare such a head light is very recommendable for nightly excursions.
With it each pothole is seen and can now be driven around, depending on the condition of the wheeler.
Not only alcohol but also the taking of pills can reduce the fitness to drive. Opium for the people. Drive slooooowly!!
Translator BL
It was used already in the mid of the 1980’s:
The 512 kB USB Stick Version Tetra 1.0 with tie wrap
Each quadriplegic manages to pull out this USB stick. 
Translator BL
I received this photo a couple of days ago.
Look closely,
the plumber didn’t have 2,5 per mill blood alcohol level and mounted the clamp incorrectly.
With this hose clamp you can easily regulate the thermostat.
Great idea!!!
Security advice:
If possible you should upgrade it with a child safety feature in form of a cork.
A wrong grasp could end painfully.
Translator BL
The transport of items of all kind is horror for us wheelers, especially if they are round!
Thighs are completely unsuitable for carrying pomaceous fruit.
The high art of German engineering has brought it to light after years of research:
the plum transport box for wheelers
The resemblance with an egg carton is misleading!
Translator BL
I dare to state globally that there are no
in Germany.
Due to this fact the program is probably that bad. I confess myself guilty as program Grinch.
Never mind.
We quadriplegics probably don’t pay any TV licensing fee just because we don’t manage it anyway to hold such a high gloss TV guide, let alone to pick the magazine up. Therefore it happens again and again that due to lack of knowledge we are watching a
on private TV, instead of
The love life of grapevine snails
on the documentary channel.
With a big
binder clip
from the stationery shop around the corner, the basic right for
TV program knowledge
should be provided again.
Alternatively I can offer a do-it-yourself course with a hole puncher and a key chain.
Now you shouldn’t miss the next episode of Mc Gyver again.
Translator BL
I am user of a
which I can’t do without.
I have cushioned it with the common sanitary rubber foam for water pipes from the do-it-yourself store.
This tip is an “old hat“.
If you then additionally fix a super-strong round
to the bars and hang the monkey bar on to it, it doesn’t
dangle around
in front of your face any more.
Translator BL
Everybody who once had a plaster cast knows this
It you wrap it around things like e.g. a bottle this virtually sticks to the hand.
For me who constantly drops things due to the paralysis of my fingers this tape is just brilliant!
For those who don’t like blue the tape is available in red as well
Translator BL
Everybody who knew me before my accident knows that I have been a rather
”spiritual” person.
In the hospital I wasn‘t able any more to open a bottle of
hop blossom ice tea
(cold beer) due to lack of power.
My colleagues had sympathy with my situation and constructed this special opener type:
ASIFLENGHTISNOTIMPORTANT!
The opener is also excellently suitable as extension for Allen wrenches if the screws on the wheelchair are lose again.
Translator BL
lose sind.
That we quadriplegics are fixing key rings, tie wraps and tapes to each and everything is nothing new, but you probably haven’t seen this before
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Translator BL
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