Today, I heard.......
a bird twittering outside...through a closed window! I am amazed...I haven't EVER heard that well before!!
I was in the bathroom, and I heard a tiny tweeting sound...and thought, "That sounds like a bird, but it can't be...the window's closed." I listened some more, and thought, "That just HAS to be a bird...that's what it sounds like!" So I opened the window, and sure enough...that's what it was! I was tickled pink over that discovery! Noisy little bird! Considering the fact that my higher frequencies are still lower than the rest, I am amazed that I'm hearing those little chirps so well!
I've been listening to them a lot lately...our air conditioner isn't working just right and it's been getting a good bit warmer, so we've been leaving the windows open occasionally for a little air. The first time I sat in the bed with the laptop and heard the birds outside, I was just enthralled...I couldn't believe they were so clear. Of course, the spell was broken a few minutes later by a horrible sound that I had to think on for a few minutes before I ascertained that it was my son dragging the garbage cans down our gravel driveway to the road for pickup. It wasn't a pleasant sound, necessarily...but I could hear it and identify it...which was a big deal :).
I was in the bedroom today and heard the TV in the living room...the announcer was saying "blah blah blah AT EIGHT, SEVEN CENTRAL, RIGHT HERE ON DISNEY CHANNEL". I was tickled that I heard it and understood it all the way back in the bedroom...although, now that I think about it, that may be a sign that our TV's too loud. My girls are all gonna be deaf in a few years!
I have noticed lately, though, that I seem to be losing my lip-reading ability a bit! I used to be a pro at it...I estimate that I could probably pick up around 90% of what was said just by lipreading alone, if the lighting was good. I had one particularly memorable conversation with my son last week, though, while I was enjoying a "quiet day" without my CI. The conversation consisted of him rattling on and on for about a minute and a half, and then me saying, "I didn't get a word of that...you'll have to wait until I've got my ear on." Good grief! I know that part of it might be attributed to the fact that I'm hearing so well that nobody takes pains to speak carefully and enunciate clearly anymore...but it's getting harder to do...no two ways about it! Oy! As long as I have my CI, though, I won't worry too much about it...I don't miss much with that :)
OK...I know that a lot of you visit over at Abbie's blog, and I know that what I'm about to tell you won't be news to many of you, but when she posted a while back about the Sprint Web Cap Tel, I'll be honest with you, I didn't even pay attention. I have had captioned phones (which I stubbornly refused to use even one time...aren't I awful?) and I have also used online relay services. I thought that the Sprint Web CapTel fell into the latter category, and I'd been there, done that, didn't care much about it one way or another, so I just went on to the next post in my Google Reader. Well, tonight I was pestering Abbie on the IM and we got to talking about my phone phobia. I have gotten relatively (relatively being the key word here) comfortable talking to SOME people on the phone...but I am VERY particular about who I talk to...unless it's really important, I will only talk to family. I have called to make my own doctor appointments before (and done OK with that) and even called a woman about fund-raising (that also went well)...yet still I get sweaty palms when I think about making those phone calls. Years of phone conversations gone wrong have left me shaky, even though my hearing is light years better than it's ever been. PLUS...in the past couple of years, I've amassed quite a few awesome CI friends...and I would LOVE to talk to them on the phone, personally...but am nervous...will they be able to understand me? Will I be able to understand them? Will we muddle our way through a conversation and finally hang up in frustration? I've threatened to call Laurie several times, but we've never actually done it...I'm too chicken to call her.
Well...no more...Abbie set the record straight for me! Sprint's Web CapTel is a completely different animal...you use your own phone...just talk back and forth like regular ol' hearing folks...and your conversation is captioned right there on your web browser! I don't know if it's something I'd ALWAYS want to do, but it would be a great way to get started with a new phone conversant...just to see how difficult the conversation will be. I have found that after I listen to someone's voice for a little while I don't have much trouble understanding the words...it's just the first few initial conversations that are the hardest. I can see this being an awesome tool! Check it out here :) Abbie and I are planning a phone conversation VERY soon so she can walk me through it...I can hardly wait!! :D
***Side note: If you're a fan of Abbie's...check THIS OUT! You won't be sorry!!!
Keep David in your thoughts and prayers for a few days...he's joining us in Cyborg-Land on Tuesday!! I'm SO excited for him!!!!!
OK...headed to bed...two more days of work ahead, then a very special trip coming up...stay tuned! :)
I was in the bathroom, and I heard a tiny tweeting sound...and thought, "That sounds like a bird, but it can't be...the window's closed." I listened some more, and thought, "That just HAS to be a bird...that's what it sounds like!" So I opened the window, and sure enough...that's what it was! I was tickled pink over that discovery! Noisy little bird! Considering the fact that my higher frequencies are still lower than the rest, I am amazed that I'm hearing those little chirps so well!
I've been listening to them a lot lately...our air conditioner isn't working just right and it's been getting a good bit warmer, so we've been leaving the windows open occasionally for a little air. The first time I sat in the bed with the laptop and heard the birds outside, I was just enthralled...I couldn't believe they were so clear. Of course, the spell was broken a few minutes later by a horrible sound that I had to think on for a few minutes before I ascertained that it was my son dragging the garbage cans down our gravel driveway to the road for pickup. It wasn't a pleasant sound, necessarily...but I could hear it and identify it...which was a big deal :).
I was in the bedroom today and heard the TV in the living room...the announcer was saying "blah blah blah AT EIGHT, SEVEN CENTRAL, RIGHT HERE ON DISNEY CHANNEL". I was tickled that I heard it and understood it all the way back in the bedroom...although, now that I think about it, that may be a sign that our TV's too loud. My girls are all gonna be deaf in a few years!
I have noticed lately, though, that I seem to be losing my lip-reading ability a bit! I used to be a pro at it...I estimate that I could probably pick up around 90% of what was said just by lipreading alone, if the lighting was good. I had one particularly memorable conversation with my son last week, though, while I was enjoying a "quiet day" without my CI. The conversation consisted of him rattling on and on for about a minute and a half, and then me saying, "I didn't get a word of that...you'll have to wait until I've got my ear on." Good grief! I know that part of it might be attributed to the fact that I'm hearing so well that nobody takes pains to speak carefully and enunciate clearly anymore...but it's getting harder to do...no two ways about it! Oy! As long as I have my CI, though, I won't worry too much about it...I don't miss much with that :)
OK...I know that a lot of you visit over at Abbie's blog, and I know that what I'm about to tell you won't be news to many of you, but when she posted a while back about the Sprint Web Cap Tel, I'll be honest with you, I didn't even pay attention. I have had captioned phones (which I stubbornly refused to use even one time...aren't I awful?) and I have also used online relay services. I thought that the Sprint Web CapTel fell into the latter category, and I'd been there, done that, didn't care much about it one way or another, so I just went on to the next post in my Google Reader. Well, tonight I was pestering Abbie on the IM and we got to talking about my phone phobia. I have gotten relatively (relatively being the key word here) comfortable talking to SOME people on the phone...but I am VERY particular about who I talk to...unless it's really important, I will only talk to family. I have called to make my own doctor appointments before (and done OK with that) and even called a woman about fund-raising (that also went well)...yet still I get sweaty palms when I think about making those phone calls. Years of phone conversations gone wrong have left me shaky, even though my hearing is light years better than it's ever been. PLUS...in the past couple of years, I've amassed quite a few awesome CI friends...and I would LOVE to talk to them on the phone, personally...but am nervous...will they be able to understand me? Will I be able to understand them? Will we muddle our way through a conversation and finally hang up in frustration? I've threatened to call Laurie several times, but we've never actually done it...I'm too chicken to call her.
Well...no more...Abbie set the record straight for me! Sprint's Web CapTel is a completely different animal...you use your own phone...just talk back and forth like regular ol' hearing folks...and your conversation is captioned right there on your web browser! I don't know if it's something I'd ALWAYS want to do, but it would be a great way to get started with a new phone conversant...just to see how difficult the conversation will be. I have found that after I listen to someone's voice for a little while I don't have much trouble understanding the words...it's just the first few initial conversations that are the hardest. I can see this being an awesome tool! Check it out here :) Abbie and I are planning a phone conversation VERY soon so she can walk me through it...I can hardly wait!! :D
***Side note: If you're a fan of Abbie's...check THIS OUT! You won't be sorry!!!
Keep David in your thoughts and prayers for a few days...he's joining us in Cyborg-Land on Tuesday!! I'm SO excited for him!!!!!
OK...headed to bed...two more days of work ahead, then a very special trip coming up...stay tuned! :)
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