The Lounge thread: Whatever you feel like......... Anything goes! Part XI

[Hear Again]

Hear Again...do u ever wish u can see? Lots of people ask me if I ever wish I could hear...when I was younger, it was all I could wish for but now I dont care anymore. Just curious about about your view?

sometimes i do, but if truth be told, you can't miss what you never had. at the same time, there *are* things i'm curious about in regards to what they look like. also, during this time of year i sometimes end up feeling alot of jealousy towards drivers because i need to trudge along in the snow while they can just hop in their cars and go wherever they need to go (although i understand that winter driving can be a pain too!).

 

[webexplorer]

Yes I live on one of the highest elevations in the city - also one of hardest hit areas in the city - what a bummer!

Isn't it in Tennessee?

 

[shel90]

sometimes i do, but if truth be told, you can't miss what you never had. at the same time, there *are* things i'm curious about in regards to what they look like. also, during this time of year i sometimes end up feeling alot of jealousy towards drivers because i need to trudge along in the snow while they can just hop in their cars and go wherever they need to go (although i understand that winter driving can be a pain too!).

True..driving can be a priviledge. The only thing I get jealous of is being able to call people directly especially to businesses without the fear of getting hung up on.

Yea, I am also curious what it is like to understand someone or a full conversation 100% without lipreading.

 

[webexplorer]

Leak is not in the windows. There are blisters of water forming in the paint above and nowhere near the windows.

Gee. It could be a small leak on your roof. Just check in the attic to see if there is a wet plywood under the roof.

 

[Hear Again]

True..driving can be a priviledge. The only thing I get jealous of is being able to call people directly especially to businesses without the fear of getting hung up on.

Yea, I am also curious what it is like to understand someone or a full conversation 100% without lipreading.

it's an interesting experience not having to use an fm system or tactile sign for communication (when background noise isn't an issue). the first time i could actually *understand* someone, i couldn't believe it and it took awhile before i realized that, yes, i *was* fully capable of understanding others in a quiet, one-on-one situation. it's awesome!

 

[Hear Again]

True..driving can be a priviledge. The only thing I get jealous of is being able to call people directly especially to businesses without the fear of getting hung up on.

Yea, I am also curious what it is like to understand someone or a full conversation 100% without lipreading.

i know what you mean about the fear of getting hung up on. i'm able to use the phone for familiar voices, but not business calls, unfamiliar voices or people who have accents. in those cases, i always use relay. i'm sure at some point i'll be able to use the phone fully, but i *do* need alot of repeats and it's impossible for me to understand people with accents. some people with ci's can, but i think many of them also use lipreading to help them understand what is being said -- something i obviously can't do.

 

[naisho]

sometimes i do, but if truth be told, you can't miss what you never had. at the same time, there *are* things i'm curious about in regards to what they look like. also, during this time of year i sometimes end up feeling alot of jealousy towards drivers because i need to trudge along in the snow while they can just hop in their cars and go wherever they need to go (although i understand that winter driving can be a pain too!).

I used to be that way where I thought driving was always fun. Now time has come and gone, and 8 years since I've got my drivers license, I feel a more conservative approach to driving. Whereas, when I first got my license, I felt like I was "the man", driving around with the sleek sports car. It is likely where I reside that influences my mood in driving, because in S. California, cars are packed to the max. Infamous quote by an anonymous writer:

"Southern California, a land built for automobiles and famously hostile to those who commute by other means."

Call me indifferent, but I actually prefer to walk or bike distances within 15 miles from my house instead of driving there. I know I could save up to 15-30mins by driving, but I'd rather get the workout while paying nothing for the travel except time.

You aren't really missing much really, aside from quicker travel but what am I to say, just giving my opinions. But yes, I can see the snow being a huge factor.. as we never get any of that at the ground level here.

 

[shel90]

it's an interesting experience not having to use an fm system or tactile sign for communication (when background noise isn't an issue). the first time i realized i could actually *understand* someone, i couldn't believe it and it took awhile before i fully realized that, yes, i *was* fully capable of understanding others in a quiet, one-on-one situation. it's awesome!

I am happy for u.

 

[Hear Again]

I used to be that way where I thought driving was always fun. Now time has come and gone, and 8 years since I've got my drivers license, I feel a more conservative approach to driving. Whereas, when I first got my license, I felt like I was "the man", driving around with the sleek sports car. It is likely where I reside that influences my mood in driving, because in S. California, cars are packed to the max. Infamous quote by an anonymous writer:

"Southern California, a land built for automobiles and famously hostile to those who commute by other means."

Call me indifferent, but I actually prefer to walk or bike distances within 15 miles from my house instead of driving there. I know I could save up to 15-30mins by driving, but I'd rather get the workout while paying nothing for the travel except time.

You aren't really missing much really, aside from quicker travel but what am I to say, just giving my opinions. But yes, I can see the snow being a huge factor.. as we never get any of that at the ground level here.

i don't mind walking during the spring, summer and sometimes autumn months (depending on how cold it is), but in the winter i really can't stand it because i need to deal with snow, ice and cold temperatures. the snow can especially be disorienting with a cane or guide dog since many landmarks that are used on the ground are covered up by the snow. snow also muffles the sound of traffic and other enviromental sounds. around here, the month of january can be bitterly cold with temperatures often in the single digits with below zero windchills. when i move to arizona next year, i won't mind walking at all -- not even in triple degree heat (because it's a dry heat which doesn't affect me as long as i keep myself hydrated).

 

[Hear Again]

I am happy for u.

thanks, shel! have you ever thought about getting a ci if just to experience what it would be like to communicate with others without lipreading? after all, if you don't like your ci, you could alway stop wearing it (or use it to hear environmental sounds) and continue signing.

 

[shel90]

i know what you mean about the fear of getting hung up on. i'm able to use the phone for familiar voices, but not business calls, unfamiliar voices or people who have accents. in those cases, i always use relay. i'm sure at some point i'll be able to use the phone fully, but i *do* need alot of repeats and it's impossible for me to understand people with accents. some people with ci's can, but i think many of them also use lipreading to help them understand what is being said -- something i obviously can't do.

Maybe people tell me that I should get a CI so I can hear better. Maybe I will ..maybe I wont but after growing up with people putting so much pressure on me to be "hearing", my motivation to relearn or hear better has totally been shot. I have no desire and it is so nice not to think about my deafness on a daily basis like I did growing up and I am afraid that with the CI, it would be a repeat of what I went thru.

 

[Jiro]

thanks, shel! have you ever thought about getting a ci if just to experience what it would be like to communicate with others without lipreading? after all, if you don't like your ci, you could always refuse to wear it (or use it to hear environmental sounds) and continue signing.

i'm not really too thrill about this whole implant inside my skull. i'm afraid it'll have a bad side effect on me.

 

[shel90]

thanks, shel! have you ever thought about getting a ci if just to experience what it would be like to communicate with others without lipreading? after all, if you don't like your ci, you could always refuse to wear it (or use it to hear environmental sounds) and continue signing.

Just answered your question in another post. I have thought about it but my heart isnt in it. I have absulotely no desire to hear better...nada thanks to all the speech therapists and oralists who constantly criticized me for not "hearing" or speaking better as a child.

 

[shel90]

i'm not really too thrill about this whole implant inside my skull. i'm afraid it'll have a bad side effect on me.

That too...not thrilled with the idea either and I had one very traumatic experience with surgery where the pain meds didnt work at all. I am fearful of going thru something like that again.

 

[Hear Again]

Maybe people tell me that I should get a CI so I can hear better. Maybe I will ..maybe I wont but after growing up with people putting so much pressure on me to be "hearing", my motivation to relearn or hear better has totally been shot. I have no desire and it is so nice not to think about my deafness on a daily basis like I did growing up and I am afraid that with the CI, it would be a repeat of what I went thru.

i can understand that and your reservations to get a ci make perfect sense to me. if i grew up the way you did, i'm not sure i would want that either. i've always been in an oral enviroment (because i had enough hearing to benefit from it), but if i had been in your shoes, i don't know whether or not i'd opt for a ci.

 

[shel90]

i can understand that and your reservations to get a ci make perfect sense to me. if i grew up the way you did, i'm not sure i would want that either. i've always been in an oral enviroment (because i had enough hearing to benefit from it), but if i had been in your shoes, i don't know whether or not i'd opt for a ci.

Grew up 100% oral...I wasnt allowed access to ASL because I was "too smart" for it. My brother was allowed but I wasnt...pretty bad, huh?

 

[Hear Again]

Just answered your question in another post. I have thought about it but my heart isnt in it. I have absulotely no desire to hear better...nada thanks to all the speech therapists and oralists who constantly criticized me for not "hearing" or speaking better as a child.

again, i can understand that. hearing isn't everything. in my case, i primarily chose to receive ci's for my own personal safety as a totally deafblind person. the intent wasn't *completely* on communication -- although part of me was hoping to have the ability to understand some speech given how slow and tedious some of the deafblind communication techniques i used were.

 

[Hear Again]

Grew up 100% oral...I wasnt allowed access to ASL because I was "too smart" for it. My brother was allowed but I wasnt...pretty bad, huh?

oh, wow shel! were the people who said that you were too smart to be an asl user in an oral program? if so, that *really* bites and is a total insult to deaf people. <mad>

 

[shel90]

again, i can understand that. hearing isn't everything. in my case, i primarily chose to receive ci's for my own personal safety as a totally deafblind person. the intent wasn't *completely* on communication -- although part of me was hoping to have the ability to understand some speech given how slow and tedious some of the deafblind communication techniques i used were.

I undy and dont blame u! <smile>

 

[Hear Again]

i'm not really too thrill about this whole implant inside my skull. i'm afraid it'll have a bad side effect on me.

that's a legitimate concern. complications *do* happen and not everyone's body accepts the implant. some people (like travis) also experience migraine headaches because of their ci's, so that's yet another concern.