Day 23-Monkey Pox is the new pandemic

Finally made it to the beach today…

8/26/22. Friday

Let’s start with a positive affirmation and see if it sticks: I am going to the beach today.

6:00-L. leaves early to pick up Collin Two-Hatchet from the Burbank Airport. I hear her leave but go back to sleep. I won’t see L. for the rest of the weekend.

8:30-8:45-The dog wakes me up so we go downstairs to go potty. I take her outside, wait for her to do her business, and we return inside. Coffee for me; cheese for her. Every day is sooo hot - it’s depressing.

8:45-10:00-I lock the dog in the house then go outside, water all my plants and soak the beds while I drink my coffee. I also sweep the patio as it’s likely L. will bring Collin Two-Hatchet by so I can meet him.

10:00-10:30-I pack a lunch bag, check my beach bag, and start a load of laundry.

10:30-11:30-Shower. I sit in the shower, ice my eyes, and continue drinking my coffee. Lotion. I fix one of the inserts in my bikini top, then hang my clothes from the washing machine and transfer underwear and socks to the drier. I add a sweater and yoga pants to my beach bag.

11:30-12:00-I bring everything downstairs and load the car.

12:00-1:00-I check email at both colleges, respond to students, and wrap up some school business while eating my overnight oats. I leave.

1:15-2:30-En route to Harbor Cove.

2:30-6:30-I arrive at the beach, lug all of my equipment to a nice spot, and change into my sweater and yoga pants because it’s cold. The weather is less than ideal, but I made it to the beach.

I call Yuja [NOT the IT Dept. at College No. 1] and speak with a customer service agent named Druv, at an India call center. I explain my dilemma regarding submitting my Audio lectures for transcription - how do I do this? Also, the Yuja website states that AI [Artificial Intelligence] transcription is not ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] compatible so what am I supposed to do?

Druv is the most knowledgeable, helpful person I’ve interacted with thus far about this issue. He confirms that College No. 1 has a contract with Yuja, but ONLY with their AI service so the transcription will not reflect the actual Audio Lecture AT ALL. Druv confides that the only way to obtain a truly accurate transcribed Audio file is via a HUMAN transcriptionist and that Yuja uses Rev.com when AI won’t work (which is NEVER). Coincidentally, this is the same company where I emailed Audio Lecture-Chapter 2 for transcription and it cost me $118. Strangely, College No. 1 will not pay for the human transcription service even though they know Yuja’s AI service is NOT ADA compatible.

When I ask Druv what I’m supposed to do about the fact that AI does not provide an accurate transciption, he says I have to edit the transcription myself! What?! I don’t think so. If College No. 1 is going to assert that they provide transcription services for Instructors and then provide me with a sub-par service, then they’re going to get sub-par transcription. I won’t get sued; College No. 1 will.

I am NOT editing the AI transcription because I shouldn’t have to! This is why AP will not respond to my requests/questions with regard to accessing Yuja; AP is hoping that I give up [remember? TWENTY-NINE tutorials?] and simply transcribe the shit myself. That’s not going to happen.

To be clear, dear reader, here’s what’s happening: In order to receive federal funding and adhere to the law under the ADA, College No. 1 is asserting that they provide transcription for our disabled students…but they don’t. This is a lie. College No. 1 also asserts that transcription is provided via the Yuja platform…but it’s not. This is also a lie. Because College No. 1 is too cheap to upgrade to Rev.com, the human transcription service [which is ADA compatible], the only contract they have with Yuja is via Artificial Intelligence transcription, which, as Yuja says on their own website, is not ADA compatible and also indecipherable.

As you know, I hate that crazy OSD bitch so who gives a f—k whether the AI transcription makes sense for her. BUT, what about our legitimate deaf students who need the service? I’ve had a handful of deaf students over the years, all of whom I’ve liked and respected, and they’re not getting the services required by law under the ADA…College No. 1 is lying in order to get that federal funding and pretend that they’re in compliance with the ADA - they’re doing nothing to help the deaf kids. They won’t even upgrade to ADA compatible transcription with Rev.com. This is unacceptable!

I’m about to become a whistleblower…watch me as I. Burn. It. Down.

For now, I just want to know how to submit my Audio Lectures for transcription to the Yuja platform [AP never told me how to do this, even though I emailed repeated requests]. Druv walks me thru the steps and I write everything down. I think I’ve got it, but won’t be able to do a trial run until I get home. This is encouraging but a lot of work for me.

As soon as I’m finished talking to Druv, I instantly fall asleep on my beach blanket. Around 5:00, I move to my car and watch two high school girls playing volleyball with their coach. I read Tell Me Everything and eat my leftover Burger Salad dish.

6:30-7:30-I drive home - traffic is okay.

7:30-8:15-I go to Cold Stone and order a small Strawberry Blonde ice cream. Then, I walk across the street to Peet’s Coffee, where it’s less crowded, and finish it at an outdoor tables.

8:15-8:45-Return home and I unpack everything.

9:00-10:30-I watch The Rental, a referral from B. I fall asleep a couple of times and end up rewinding, but the movie is pretty good.

-L. texts that she and Collin Two-Hatchet will be staying at The Dream Hotel in Hollywood. I ask for his “specs”, as well as his DOB, so police have a place to start if L. goes missing.

10:30-11:30-I check personal email then click on various Apple websites trying to figure out how to convert an Apple file into a Word document, so I can post my blog entries to the Square Space website. Nothing works so I give up.

11:30-12:00-I do more troubleshooting to establish WHY my IPhone and Ipad cannot access my personal email. After 30 minutes of research, it looks like this issue may have occurred because I changed my Apple password last month.

-I check the Placerita Canyon Event Calendar to make sure the Botany Nature Hike is still scheduled.

12:00-1:00-I manually upload a blog post to the Square Space website.

1:00-1:30-I log onto College No. 1 and pull the Home Page from my Core Class so I can compare it to the Canvas shell that I’m currently working on at College No. 2.

-I start updating the Canvas due dates for my Core Class quizzes at College No. 2.

1:30-2:45-I accidentally fall asleep.

2:50-3:00-I update a few more quiz due dates; then

3:00-3:30-I check headlines.

3:30-4:15-Nighttime routine. Sunless tanning. Bed