Emily Ladau 0:00
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Kyle Khachadurian 0:03
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Emily Ladau 0:15
Hi, I’m Emily Ladau.
Kyle Khachadurian 0:18
and I’m Kyle Khachadurian.
Emily Ladau 0:20
And you’re listening to another episode of The Accessible Stall.
Kyle Khachadurian 0:23
Emily, I have a question.
Emily Ladau 0:24
Yes. Why didn’t you introduce yourself as blind beard the pirate? That’s a very, very good question, because that is what I am today.
Kyle Khachadurian 0:34
It’s a storytime episode.
Emily Ladau 0:37
Oh my god. Okay, but somehow this is going to bring us around to a point about disability simulations. Because everyone needs a moral right. That’s what we need for me the episodes. Yep. So here’s what happened. And I’m going to try to keep this I guess somewhat short. And also, oh my god, if you find I stuff to be disgusting. This is not the episode for you.
Kyle Khachadurian 1:07
Trigger warning. Eye stuff.
Emily Ladau 1:09
So anyway, on Friday night, my I was really bothering me. So I was rubbing on it like a maniac. And then on Saturday morning, it was swollen shut. And so I went to urgent care. Are you already laughing? I mean,
Kyle Khachadurian 1:27
How do you itch your eye swollen shut?!
Emily Ladau 1:30
I don’t know something nefarious was at play.
Kyle Khachadurian 1:30
Just if anyone’s listening to this. Have you ever done that? Have you ever heard of anyone doing that mean either? Okay, go on.
Emily Ladau 1:30
I would just rubbing it really, really hard. so it was swollen shut when I woke up in the morning, but it wasn’t really hurting. It was just swollen. So we went to urgent care. And I met urgent care. And they’re like, Oh, yeah, you probably have a sty. And like, Okay, what do I do? So she gave me antibiotic ointment for my eyeball. Right?
I don’t know something nefarious with that play?
Kyle Khachadurian 1:33
Just if anyone’s listening to this. Have you ever done that? Have you ever heard of anyone doing that mean either? Okay, go on.
Emily Ladau 1:39
I would just rubbing it really, really hard. so swollen shut when I woke up in the morning, but it wasn’t really hurting. It was just swollen. So we went to urgent care. And I met urgent care. And they’re like, Oh, yeah, you probably have a sty? And like, Okay, what do I do? So she gave me antibiotic ointment for my eyeball, right?
So then I’m like,
home for a little while, and all of a sudden, my eyes start turning worse. So we’re putting compresses on it and we’re trying to calm down whatever was going on. And then it gets so bad that it feels like somebody has a knife in my eyeball repeatedly. So we go to the emergency room
and we’re at the emergency room, and they’re doing all this crap to my eye and they’re all like, looking at it and poking at it with q-tips and stuff. So they’re like yeah, we don’t know what’s wrong with you, but you’re fine go home, say go home, and it’s still in miserable, terrible pain. Anyway, we went to the ophthalmologist today turns out I have a corneal abrasion. God only knows how, probably did it to myself.
Unknown Speaker 3:06
somehow interconnected, at least in that when I moved my good eye it still hurts my bad eye right now. So, long story short, I’ve been blind for the weekend.
Kyle Khachadurian 3:06
I have a question How did a team of ER professionals miss a scratch on your cornea?
Unknown Speaker 3:06
Well, you see, I don’t know.
Kyle Khachadurian 3:06
I see, you don’t!
Emily Ladau 3:06
All right, correct. Sorry.
Kyle Khachadurian 3:06
Yeah.
Emily Ladau 3:06
Right. Oh, the jokes. Um, I wish I knew because I’m really annoyed because that screwed my whole weekend. Well, I mean, it’s not really their fault.
Kyle Khachadurian 3:06
Yeah, I hate when I temporarily go blind over the weekend. It really ruins things.
Emily Ladau 3:08
somehow interconnected, at least in that when I moved my good I it still hurts my bad i right now. So long story short, I’ve been blind for the weekend.
Kyle Khachadurian 3:20
I have a question. How did a team of er professionals Miss scratching your cornea?
Emily Ladau 3:25
Well, you see, I don’t know. I see. You don’t all right. Correct. Sorry. Yeah, right. Oh, the jokes. Um, I wish I knew because I’m really annoyed because that screwed my whole weekend. Well, I mean, it’s not really their fault.
Kyle Khachadurian 3:39
Yeah, I hate when I temporarily go blind over the weekend, it really ruins.
Emily Ladau 3:44
But it got me thinking as everything in my life always does about disability. And I was thinking about how this was basically, and still is some kind of forced
And the moral of that story is that I am still not in support of simulations because honestly, I have learned nothing from this about what it is really like to be blind. And I feel like this is just lending further proof to my beliefs that simulation accomplished nothing. Because all weekend I have just felt so helpless and useless and I can’t do things for myself.
Kyle Khachadurian 3:59
Also, I mean, I agree with you i think the emphasize exercises are really stupid and simulation exercises are also really stupid. But I… I think there’s a difference between like voluntarily signing up for one and being thrust into one because you scratch your corneas.
Emily that has nothing to do with your blindness that’s because you’re disabled also.
Emily Ladau 3:59
simulation. And the moral of that story is that I am still not in support of simulations, because honestly, I have learned nothing from this about what it is really like to be blind. And I feel like this is just lending further proof to my beliefs that simulation accomplished nothing. Because all weekend, I have just felt so helpless and useless. And I can’t do things for myself,
Kyle Khachadurian 4:30
Emily, that has nothing to do with your blindness. That’s because you’re disabled also. All also, I mean, I agree with you. I think the emphasize exercises are really stupid. And simulation exercises are also really stupid. But I I think there’s a difference between like voluntarily signing up for one and being thrust into one because you scratch your corneas.
Emily Ladau 4:51
Oh, totally. But this is as close as I’m going to get because I don’t believe in doing them in the first place. And all I know is that I
idea what it’s actually like to be a blind person because I haven’t been adapting, I’ve just been whining like a little b**** this weekend.
Oh, totally but this is as close as I’m going to get because I don’t believe in doing them in the first place. And all I know is that I have no
Kyle Khachadurian 5:07
I mean, I don’t know, either, but I feel like if you spontaneously lost your sight, you’d be doing that for a day or two.
Emily Ladau 5:13
For more than a day or two Sure, like I, you know, I think it just made me realize that,
Like, if someone breaks their leg, and they have to use the wheelchair, like a short amount of time is not enough time to adapt and figure out the emotional nuances and complexity. It’s enough to put you in an incredibly bad mood, and be all was me and learn absolutely nothing about the real day to day experiences of someone who has a particular type of disability that you are temporarily experiencing.
Kyle Khachadurian 5:49
I was gonna say the same thing, I think I mean, I’ve never done one of these, but I would assume that it would make you kind of pissed off and angry. And you come out of it
Huh, the world is inaccessible. You come out of it like, Huh, I’m glad that’s over, f*** those guys.
Emily Ladau 5:59
Honestly, yeah. And this is not me being ableist.
like, if someone breaks their leg and they have to use the wheelchair, like, a short amount of time is not enough time to adapt and figure out the emotional nuances and complexity. It’s enough to put you in an incredibly bad mood, and be all woe is me and learn absolutely nothing about the real day to day experiences of someone who has a particular type of disability that you are temporarily experiencing.
Kyle Khachadurian 5:59
I was gonna say the same thing, I think, I mean, I’ve never done one of these, but I would assume that it would make you kind of pissed off and angry, and you come out of it. Not being like
I’m not being funny either. Like, I really think that’s what’s going to happen if you do it for like less than I don’t know some really long amount of time that no one would want to do it.
Unknown Speaker 5:59
Yeah, it’s just ugh, God. But the point is I’m not pretending over here, but this really sucks. And I can’t go around being like, Oh yeah, I was blind for a weekend so I get it. No, I’m just cranky and annoying. I don’t actually understand what your experiences are like.
Kyle Khachadurian 5:59
being like, hmm, the world is inaccessible. You come out of it like, Huh, I’m glad that’s over those guys.
Emily Ladau 6:07
Honestly, yeah. And not me being able.
Kyle Khachadurian 6:11
I’m not being funny either. Like, I really think that’s what’s going to happen. If you do it for like less than I don’t know, some really long amount of time that no one want to do it.
Emily Ladau 6:19
Yeah, it’s just God. But the point is, I’m not pretending over here. But this really sucks. And I can’t go around being like, Oh, yeah, I was blind for a weekend. So I get it. No, I’m just cranky and annoying. I don’t actually understand what your experiences are like,
Kyle Khachadurian 6:36
I don’t understand what you’re experiencing right now either because cranky and annoyed is your default state.
Emily Ladau 6:41
Right? But like
Right, but like, extra cranky and annoyed
Kyle Khachadurian 6:42
Jesus.
I don’t understand what you’re experiencing right now either because cranky and annoyed is your default state.
Emily Ladau 6:42
Take my default state and quadruple it.
extra for a team, my boss dating quite true. But
Kyle Khachadurian 6:51
Jesus.
Emily Ladau 6:53
All I’m saying is, this is unintentionally reaffirming my belief that simulate
They’re terrible idea because you’re just never going to actually understand a person’s life experience. And if you’re in a wheelchair for a weekend, you ain’t gonna understand mine. If I’m struggling to see for a weekend, I ain’t understand yours, it just doesn’t work.
Kyle Khachadurian 7:15
Not for that amount of time. I think like, hypothetically, if you gave a person a long enough time scale, that they could sort of begin to understand what it would be like I don’t know what that amount of time would be, but certainly not over a weekend.
Not for that amount of time. I think like hypothetically, if you gave a person a long enough time scale, that they could sort of begin to understand what it would be like I don’t know what that amount of time would be, but certainly not over a weekend.
Emily Ladau 7:29
Yeah, like I had a friend who had a project in college where she had to use a wheelchair for a day and try to get around on public transportation. And she told me she got so fed up trying to get on the Washington DC Metro, that she stood up and lifted the chair over the gap.
Kyle Khachadurian 7:48
Wait, the Washington DC Metro is like the most ideal place to do that.
Wait, the Washington DC Metro is like the most ideal place to do that.
Emily Ladau 7:52
Yep, yep. Yeah.
And I was like, you’re annoyed?! Try living my life. And then I was like,
And I was like, you’re annoyed. Try living my life. And then I was like, Yeah, I see. You’re not getting the point here. Because first of all, I don’t want you to feel bad for me. I just want you to be mad at the system.
Kyle Khachadurian 8:07
I have a friend who occasionally like just as a joke, not a joke, like it’s a serious thing. But in jest, hosts these blind movie nights, she’s blind, that that I say that I have a friend who’s blind who occasionally posts who occasionally hosts these blind movie nights where like, they’ll watch a movie. And like, as soon as it starts, you have to put a blindfold on if you can see. And then you can’t take it off until after the credits are over, even if you have to pee. And she does that, just to show people the importance of audio description. Um, but it ends up being funny for everyone who can see. And meanwhile she’s the one getting the last laugh, but I something like that, to me wouldn’t necessarily count as an exercise so much as it is, you know, jokes amongst friends, I don’t really know how useful that would be is like a practical application of what it is to be blind.
Emily Ladau 8:58
I mean, it’s kind of making you think of bird box. And now everyone was doing the bird box challenge.
Kyle Khachadurian 9:03
Okay, that challenge was stupid. But that movie was great. Fight me.
Emily Ladau 9:06
I actually haven’t seen it. So I have no idea.
Kyle Khachadurian 9:06
I don’t think… I don’t think you’d like it. It’s not your kind of movie. I was mainly talking to the people.
Emily Ladau 9:06
I mean, and now I feel like I’m gonna have people come after me and be like, are now you’re an expert on simulations, because you were blind for a weekend. And it’s like, no, that’s really not my point here.
Kyle Khachadurian 9:06
No, but I think I think that there’s some validity to that, because that’s how long a simulation would last anyway. I mean, you’d have to do a few of them. But I would say after a few of them. You are an expert and why simulations are bad.
Emily Ladau 9:06
Yeah, it’s not like I’m saying I’m an expert in blindness.
Kyle Khachadurian 9:06
But there’s a point isn’t it?
Emily Ladau 9:53
Yeah, I just I have always wanted to talk about simulations on the podcast anyway, because I feel really strongly against them. And I always have. And this just sort of unintentionally is affirming the fact that rather than a feeling of empathy, it’s just evoked this feeling of helplessness because like, I was eating a bowl of pasta, and then I realized there were only a few pieces of pasta left, but I couldn’t find them with my fork. So I had to ask my dad to help me find the pasta. And I was like, I just feel like a helpless blob. And that’s not how blind people are.
Kyle Khachadurian 10:34
You are though that you are not you are a helpless blob, whether or not you’re blind.
Emily Ladau 10:34
And it’s the same thing with like, being in a chair, where it’s like you’re in a chair for a weekend. You know, I’m not suddenly a helpless blob because I’m sitting down. I’m a helpless blob because I’m lazy, but, you know,
Kyle Khachadurian 10:34
Disability be damned, that has nothing to do with it!
Emily Ladau 10:34
I just gah! Simulations annoy me. And I think leave it to me to take a random one and a gazillion chance of scratching my own eyeball out to turn it into a podcast episode. But you know me everything’s about disability.
Kyle Khachadurian 11:25
How do I know you didn’t do this on purpose for that sweet, sweet content?
Emily Ladau 11:29
You’re right. I did. I do a lot of things for the content. Like injure myself miserably.
Kyle Khachadurian 11:36
How did you even… how itchy was your eye?
Emily Ladau 11:36
I think maybe there was an eyelash in it or something. And then I just rubbed my eye into oblivion. Yep. Going through life with one eye open. Except neither eyes opened right now. I realized podcasting is the thing I can do without seeing.
Kyle Khachadurian 11:36
You really couldn’t put that together before?
Emily Ladau 11:36
Nope.
That’s where we’re at!
Kyle Khachadurian 11:36
Maybe you did need the simulation exercise!
Emily Ladau 11:36
This should not be called simulation. I think this should be called Emily’s life is a mess.
Kyle Khachadurian 11:36
I’m calling it Story Time 4 for which is probably much better than Toy Story 4 which I haven’t seen yet. But I heard it was bad.
Emily Ladau 11:36
Terrible. It was not good. Let’s just put it this way. We had an eight year old with us, my eight year old neighbor. And she kept standing up every like five minutes and being like how much minutes is left? How much minutes is left?
Kyle Khachadurian 12:41
Oh, wow. That doesn’t bode well.
Emily Ladau 12:44
Yeah, yeah. It’s like you know, it’s bad if
you’re exact intended audience is like, this is weird.
Although speaking of disability stuff, man, my mom was not happy with Toy Story 4 she was so not happy you within that she tweeted about it all by herself.
Kyle Khachadurian 12:47
What on earth, do I even want to know?
Emily Ladau 13:06
So apparently, and I agree with her, she thinks that it sends the message that if you’re defective, no one will love you. Because there’s this whole premise with a toy that has a broken little voice box. And she believes that that’s the reason why no one has taken her off the shelf because her voice box doesn’t work.
Kyle Khachadurian 13:29
Then they already do that with the penguin and Toy Story 2? They really are running out of ideas.
Emily Ladau 13:29
They shouldn’t have made a fourth one. But anyway, my mom was so salty. She do eat it all by herself. That’s really
Kyle Khachadurian 13:29
That’s really funny
Emily Ladau 13:29
Just to complain that Toy Story for perpetuating the message that you can’t be loved if you’re defective, which honestly not a great message. But then somebody got real real mad at her on Twitter and was like, No, it’s sending a message that organ donation is a good thing.
Kyle Khachadurian 13:29
I don’t think it’s… I haven’t seen it yet. So I might be completely wrong, but that seems a little bit too weird for Pixar.
Emily Ladau 13:29
It is because a bunch of creepy dolls corner Woody and knock him out and steal his voice box. But Yep, organ donation.
Kyle Khachadurian 14:19
Spoilers! Jesus.
Emily Ladau 14:21
Okay, other content warning Toy Story 4 spoilers.
Kyle Khachadurian 14:21
We really have to like, put that up there. Um,
Emily Ladau 14:21
It’s not a good movie doesn’t matter!
Kyle Khachadurian 14:21
Yeah. Well, I don’t know. But, Emily, I just got to tell you. I’m like, this is the funniest thing I’ve heard all month.
Emily Ladau 14:41
Oh, you’re welcome.
Kyle Khachadurian 14:42
Yeah, thank you for scratching your cornea is it really means a lot to me.
Emily Ladau 14:46
I’m in so much pain. I’m glad you enjoy it.
Kyle Khachadurian 14:48
No, I don’t, I don’t like that. I don’t even like the fact that you’re blind. I just like all the stuff that are that is happening to you because of at all.
Yeah, yeah.
Emily Ladau 15:06
Yeah, I’ve just been knocking things over and spilling things and being a general mass didn’t realize I do that when I can see. So
Not much is different.
Kyle Khachadurian 15:06
Except it’s a lot darker in here. We have a lot of blind fans, they’re gonna be pissed at us?
Emily Ladau 15:15
I hope that they know that this is all in jest. And that honestly, it’s more just me recounting and experience.
Kyle Khachadurian 15:23
I’m sure, they’re all decent people.
Emily Ladau 15:26
And if they do get mad at me, then I sincerely apologize.
Kyle Khachadurian 15:31
She’s just not used to this.
Emily Ladau 15:34
Right. But then again, like somebody using a wheelchair, or who wears noise cancelling headphones, and earplugs for a weekend is also not used to it, and it’s not going to get anything practical or useful out of it. The only simulation exercise that I think ever really proved a point to me, was drunk driving.
Kyle Khachadurian 15:57
Oh see, I was gonna say smoking where they make you like breathe through a straw.
Emily Ladau 15:57
What I’ve never had to do that.
Kyle Khachadurian 15:57
Have to? you don’t have to.
Emily Ladau 15:57
Like I never had to do that in like a health class or anything.
Kyle Khachadurian 15:57
Oh, they made us do it. It was like I mean, I never ever wanted to smoke cigarettes or pretty much anything else. But like that would. That would have made me change my mind. I think if I was one of those kids that really wanted to do that.
Emily Ladau 15:57
Although is that then… Even though it’s supposed to be about smoking, ableist, in a sense, because there are people who do have breathing disabilities that have nothing to do with smoking.
Kyle Khachadurian 15:57
I mean, technically,
I suppose. But I think it’s different. Because this is something where it’s like, Look, if you do this, you will end up this way. Whereas if it’s a disability, it’s probably something that you either were born with or have had for a while. So it’s, I don’t think it’s in the same… I think the context matters, but yeah, I suppose you’re technically correct. Sure.
Emily Ladau 15:57
Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s… emphysema
Kyle Khachadurian
Oh, that’s a good one. That’s that’s the Instagram clip for this.
Emily Ladau
You shouldn’t let me talk when I’m in pain, you really shouldn’t.
Kyle Khachadurian 15:57
Well, it was your idea to do this episode, Emily.
Emily Ladau 15:57
Yep, you’re right. It was.
Kyle Khachadurian 15:57
Oh, my goodness,
Emily Ladau 15:57
Al that talk of smoking made me thirsty. Anyway.
Kyle Khachadurian 15:57
Yeah, that’s a normal reaction,
Emily Ladau 15:57
drunk driving simulation. So I think I did that when I was in health class in middle school, I may give you the goggles,
Kyle Khachadurian 15:57
Right.
Emily Ladau 15:57
To simulate drunk night driving. And I was using my Walker at the time. And I tried to get my Walker in between like a pole in the classroom, and the teachers desk, and I smashed right into the pole. And I was like, This is why you don’t drive drunk.
Kyle Khachadurian 15:57
That is…
Emily Ladau 15:57
and that was like, very effective.
Kyle Khachadurian 15:57
Yeah, that would do it.
Emily Ladau 15:57
I feel like that’s maybe the only useful simulation I can really think of.
Kyle Khachadurian 15:57
But I feel like, okay, so I’m not going to defend them. Because I don’t like them either. But like, for all I know, sitting in a wheelchair for a weekend, or I mean, I don’t think that’s enough time at all. But like, for all I know, that could have an effect on someone that the drunk driving thing had on you. Except in that situation, I would say… I mean, I’m imagining it not sending the message that this isn’t how you want to live your life. And instead of being optimistic, and assuming that somebody realizes how inaccessible the world is, but for all that, you know, for all anyone knows, that could maybe have touched the person at some point. I don’t know. I still don’t like them though.
Emily Ladau 18:41
Okay, I have thought about that. And I do know that sometimes, that is the takeaway. What are you going to do with that takeaway is my question.
Kyle Khachadurian 18:52
Yeah. But I mean, that’s not really up to you. It’s up to the person.
What do we want time travel? What do we want? It doesn’t matter! I see your point. I do. But like, if you’re someone… I think what you’re talking about works for a certain kind of people. I think the people who need empathy exercises and simulation exercises and all that stuff that we all like that we’re all hating on right now. Those people are so far removed from your mere existence, that they literally can’t comprehend how someone like you might live, so to say, Oh, I don’t need you to be aware of me. I need access to like, Yeah, that’s true. But the people who need those exercises aren’t people who can give you access because they don’t even know about you. And I don’t mean you, Emily. I mean, like people like us at all. So those for those people, I think awareness is very important. But also, I would say there’s a bajillion in one ways to do to do awareness better than Hey, sit in this wheelchair for weekend. So…
Emily Ladau 24:38
Right, but I’m saying, What are you hoping to accomplish? What are simulation exercises both to accomplish, because they’re often meant to accomplish empathy. But the thing is, I don’t want empathy. I want access. And I suppose best case scenario for simulation exercise would be if you were simulating a particular disability while being accompanied by someone who actually had that disability. And you sort of learned some of the ins and outs of where they hit access issues. And maybe when you’re done let’s say, You’re like a business owner or something, you use it to sort of fix those pain points around your business. So then I can see that being practical. But I feel like if anything is just evokes this reaction of man, I feel bad for that person. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
Yeah, I mean, simulation, the simulation exercises that you that you’ve described in the one that I described to with the smoking like, those are all meant to deter you from doing the thing that they’re demonstrating. Yeah, what does it say, if like you’re doing that, you know, if your version of that is wearing a blindfold, or plugging your ears or sitting in a wheelchair?
Emily Ladau 24:39
Exactly, it’s just been some kind of a message that this is bad. And I remember back in college, when I really started to become uncomfortable with the idea of simulations. Um, one thing that really got me was a girl who was a Resident Advisor in my dorm, asked if she could borrow my wheelchair for simulation exercise. For like an obstacle course. I was like, Oh, you want to borrow my very expensive piece of medical equipment to do your little exercise? No.
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
See, to me, though, see, that’s the kind of person that like needs it, right, because that person is so dense that they don’t even realize that that’s your, that’s your method of ambulation, your or of mobility, not ambulation,
Emily Ladau 24:39
I told her to go to health services and use one of their wheelchairs or whatever. But then I thought about it some more. And I realized that I don’t want people doing an obstacle course to try to understand what my life is like, because that’s a very limited and not an all nuanced understanding of my experience.
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
Your life is totally an obstacle course.
Emily Ladau 24:39
Of course it is. But like they don’t need to know that.
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
But they would if they did it!
See this is what it is, it has nothing to do with like or dislike, you just don’t want them to know that this is an accurate representation of what it’s like to be you.
Emily Ladau 24:39
You’re right, I want them to live with an air of mystery around me. But it also bothered me, I remember. I guess this kind of harkens back to the drunk driving simulation. So uh, at my college Disability Awareness Week was juxtaposed with Alcoholism Awareness Week. So like, there was Alcoholism Awareness Week on the calendar, and then the week after with Disability Awareness Week, and I’ve talked to a couple people who do consider alcoholism a disability. So I’ve kind of had to think through my argument about this a little bit. But, um, the larger point that I wanted people to realize is that disability is not something that you need to go have fixed, or that is a problem in the same way that alcoholism is. And I was not comfortable, like that juxtaposition.
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
Me neither. That’s a little bit weird. And by a little bit, I mean extreme. Like, that’s one of those things where it’s like, it’s sort of like subconscious, like not in the literal sense, but like, you’re sort of like oh, so what they’re just two weeks next to each other, right? But like, you don’t know what kind of impression seeing that. If you’re someone who’s like, impressionable, and young would think, who knows?
Emily Ladau 24:39
Not to mention, I don’t want you to be aware of me. I mean, I do? But not like that?
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
What do you want?
Emily Ladau 24:39
access? When do you want it? Now!
Yeah, like, I don’t know, maybe have an actual conversation with me
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
No, they can’t do that. Don’t be ridiculous.
Emily Ladau 24:39
You’re right. That’s that was a silly suggestion. Have we really never talked about this before on the podcast?
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
No. But you know what? Nothing like going blind to spark up a good old brainstorming meeting.
Emily Ladau 24:39
Ugh, this is honestly like the most distracted I’ve been from the pain pretty much all weekend. So I’m grateful for it. Even if people think this is just a hot mess of an episode.
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
I you know,
I don’t think it’s a hot mess of episode just like a mess like a Marie Kondo situation needs to happen. But that’s what editing is for.
Emily Ladau 24:39
I mean, the thing about Marie Kondo is that you’re supposed to decide if it sparks joy. And this episode sparks joy.
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
But does your corneal scratch spark joy?
Emily Ladau 24:39
Nope.
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
Well,
Emily Ladau 24:39
And neither does our garbage trash health care system. Because…
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
Where did that come from?!
Emily Ladau 24:39
How did urgent care and the emergency room miss this?
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
I mean, maybe they have corneal screatches too! I have no idea. Yeah, I went there. I made a disability joke.
Emily Ladau 24:39
Oh, man. Yeah. Healthcare is terrible. Everything’s terrible. My eyeball hurts. Do you have any stories you’d like to share?
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
Which which which eye is it?
Emily Ladau 24:39
it’s the left eye.
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
I don’t don’t know why, it doesn’t matter
Emily Ladau 24:39
Left Eye Lopez right with that person.
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
Yeah, is she dead?
Emily Ladau 24:39
Lisa Left Eye Lopez Is that it? She was on NSYNC song.
Kyle Khachadurian 24:39
Yeah, she was. That’s exactly the only reason I know her. I don’t even remember the song. I just remember what a ridiculous name that is.
Emily Ladau 26:45
Space Cowboy.
Kyle Khachadurian 26:47
Oh.
Yeah.
Emily Ladau 26:51
Which is a great song actually.
Kyle Khachadurian 26:53
Yeah.
No, I I actually don’t have any story. At least not one to compete with that.
Emily Ladau 27:04
Why not? Why am I always the one who has all the story? That’s not true.
Kyle Khachadurian 27:08
Yeah. It’s not true, but…
Today you are. I’ve never scratch my corneas.
Emily Ladau 27:16
I don’t recommend it.
Kyle Khachadurian 27:20
Based on
Emily Ladau 27:21
It really hurts
Kyle Khachadurian 27:21
Based on what you’ve told me it sounds like a bad time.
Emily Ladau 27:24
would not recommend
at all.
Kyle Khachadurian 27:31
Oh just so you know, just so you know, I mean, you guys can’t see us, pun fully intended. But Emily is sitting in a completely, what looks to me like a pitch dark room. And I am not. So just
Emily Ladau 27:47
Oh yeah.
Kyle Khachadurian 27:47
Her her injury is real. Allegedly.
Emily Ladau 27:52
It’s real allegedly? Thanks, Kyle.
Kyle Khachadurian 27:54
Well, I mean, I don’t know for all I know, you could be sitting there in the dark, just like oh, yeah, my cornea’s scratched. Sure it is, is I just didn’t, I forgot to turn the light switch on.
Emily Ladau 28:02
Oh, would you like my medical records?
Kyle Khachadurian 28:04
No, I don’t know. No, no, I don’t need your medical records your mom came in earlier. I know. It’s real.
Please.
Emily Ladau 28:13
My poor parents have been at my beck and call all weekend and I feel terrible. I don’t know that anybody else is gonna listen to this episode, but it was very therapeutic for me.
Kyle Khachadurian 28:25
I don’t know. I thought I think it was pretty funny.
Emily Ladau 28:29
Um, do we have final takeaways for this nonsense?
Kyle Khachadurian 28:35
Yeah, I’m gonna try really hard not to scratch my corneas
Emily Ladau 28:37
Oh my god. Yes. Safety first everyone. Wait, I can’t see the screen. How long have we been going?
Kyle Khachadurian 28:42
Just about long enough? 33 minutes?
Emily Ladau 28:45
What we’ve been talking for
30 minutes?
Kyle Khachadurian 28:49
Yeah.
How long did it feel like?
Emily Ladau 28:53
I truly have no concept of time right now.
Kyle Khachadurian 28:57
My God, you lose your sight for five minutes. And you can’t even it’s only been five minutes. You know that right? You scratched your cornea five minutes ago.
Emily Ladau 29:04
Yeah.
Kyle Khachadurian 29:05
And you don’t even know how long a half hour is! What is wrong with you?!
Emily Ladau 29:13
I’ve been sitting with my headphones plugged into my phone, listening to Bon Appetit videos on YouTube all day And alternately waking up and falling asleep.
Kyle Khachadurian 29:24
It’s either been five minutes or five years. I mean, because these corneas I really can’t tell you which one.
Emily Ladau 29:32
No, I mean, I’m being very dramatic. Like I’ve been able to open my eyes for like, a hot minute just to get a glimpse at something
Kyle Khachadurian 29:42
Is one of your eyes gross looking right now? Like is there like a…?
Emily Ladau 29:44
Yeah, it’s really… it looks like a red spider web.
Kyle Khachadurian 29:47
Oh, that’s awesome. That is so great.
Emily Ladau 29:55
I would like to thank the good people out in the land of the internet for adults this episode.
Kyle Khachadurian 30:02
I would like to thank Emily for being a good sport.
Emily Ladau 30:10
I would also like to say that my final takeaway is stop it with the simulations. They don’t make any sense. They don’t work. I don’t know a damn thing about being blind.
Kyle Khachadurian 30:21
Anyway, my final takeaway is Yeah, empathy exercises suck. I mean, I’m sure you all knew that. But like, it’s about time we did an episode on those. And uh…
Emily Ladau 30:31
Yeah, don’t do it
Kyle Khachadurian 30:32
Try not to scratch your cornea.
Emily Ladau 30:34
Yeah. Oh my god. Please take care of your eyeballs.
Kyle Khachadurian 30:38
You only got two of them. Unless you don’t, in which case you only have as many as you have. Good night, everybody.
Emily Ladau 30:45
Thanks for listening.
Kyle Khachadurian 30:47
And might we say you look good today. Actually, I have no idea how Emily looks today today, because I can’t see her. And she can’t see me either.
So…
But, you know what? One thing’s for sure though. You definitely look good today.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai