Christmas cheer!

Of course I have been waiting all year to decorate my processor covers for the Christmas season. My friends and family who know how much I love Christmas would have been completely disappointed me in me if I didn’t spread some Christmas cheer come the 1st December.

Now I haven’t yet written a single card (getting there, getting there), and my tree isn’t up because our bed is in the lounge room (more renovations, almost there), but the one thing I did have ready by the 1st December: my processor covers! 

The calm before the storm

Tap tap tap. Tuh-tuh-tuh-tap. Tuh-tuh-tuh-tap. Tuh-tuh-tuh-tap.

Ignore that, if you can. Or give me A Look, whatever. That’s what Jase does. It’s the sound of me tapping my fingers on the table and I’m told it’s Annoying. Why am I tapping? Because I’m waiting.

Adam Hills – better (three years) late than never

A pretty cool thing happened to me a few weeks ago. Have been meaning to blog about it.

You see, I’ve always been a big fan of comedy. (Surprised? Seriously. It’s true!) Every year in April, we celebrate the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. From the age of 17, I was a regular patron. And not just a regular patron. An obsessed one. I used to pore over the guide in The Age on the day it was released. Circle everything I wanted to go to. A few years later, public liability insurance brought the prices of the tickets higher so I had to be more selective. But I always made sure I at least saw my two regulars – Wil Anderson and Adam Hills. Why? They went to the effort of writing new material every year. And they are funny.

My new favourite sound

OK, people keep asking me … yep, I’ve heard the baby’s heartbeat now! A sweet little sound that I’ve burned into the memory but can’t wait to hear again.

Inspired by David Helfgott!

When it comes to playing the piano, no living person inspires me more than David Helfgott. So what a treat to see and hear him perform live in a solo piano recital at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Friday night.

I’d never been to this venue before – it opened while I was deaf. I used to walk past it a bit sadly, wishing it had opened during the years I had normal hearing. I never thought I’d be lucky enough to be able to attend and hear a performance there. (Insert spontaneous applause for the miracle of cochlear implants!)

Bionic Ear Institute – the television interview! As promised!

A few blogs ago, I mentioned our meeting at the Bionic Ear Institute had been partially filmed by the ABC, for a program called ‘Art Nation’.

I’ve mentioned the concert project plenty of times, but in case I have new readers ... the Bionic Ear Institute have teamed up with a group of composers, lead by Robin Fox. The composers are learning all about cochlear implants and are trying to create pieces of music that people with cochlear implants can enjoy. The pieces of music will be performed at a concert in Melbourne, in February next year. It will hopefully be recorded so we can share the experience with cochlear implant recipients around the globe.

The first meeting between composers and CI recipients took place in early October. The film crew from the ABC were present for part of it. Aside from filming part of the meeting, they also spoke to a few cochlear implant recipients afterwards, myself included.

What being pregnant 'sounds like' so far

Just thought I’d share with you the 10 most common sounds I’m hearing during the pregnancy so far, in no particular order. (And the morning sickness sounds aren’t frequent enough to make it to this list, thank goodness.)

Why did I do it?

‘A cochlear implant?’, I thought to myself. ‘A piece of metal drilled into my skull? Electrodes in the inner ear? And an eternal reliance on a piece of computer hardware never sending me back into the depths of oblivion like Algernon and Charlie? I don’t think so.’

Some people think the decision to get a cochlear implant is a simple one. To hear or not to hear, right? For me, and probably most others, it was a roller coaster of emotions. I had ‘yes days’, when I was all for the surgery, and ‘no days’ when I was dead against it.

Music updates … and other activities

Can you believe it’s October already? My cochlear implants have been activated for six months now, and life is so amazing. Better than it was before because I’ve had the chance to meet so many wonderful people, and explore things I’d never be able to otherwise.

The Nutcracker ballet

Do I have self control?

Sure!

I wait until we get to double digits before I start counting down to Christmas. That’s September 17, everyone. 99 sleeps.

OK … so I’ve kind of been banned from counting down any earlier than that, so maybe ‘self control’ is the wrong terms.

You may as well know now (if you don’t already) that I’m one of Those People who adores Christmas.  Jase has had to enforce a rule in our house. No counting down until we get to double digits, or it’s Just Ridiculous.

Sometimes I get around this rule by counting down to the day that I can start counting down. ;-)

But no need for that any longer! We’re in double digits!

And how did I choose to celebrate?

By going to The Nutcracker ballet, of course.

Note to self

Next time you decide to sing from The Beach Boys Golden Hits at the top of your lungs while you’re preparing dinner, you might want to check that the front door is shut, first. Else those musical sounds might suddenly be accompanied by the door bell, a loud cough (which I’m willing to bet was actually a chuckle), and your own voice saying ‘oh crap’.

Winter sounds

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a lover of sounds. I’ve just been having a lot of trouble finding a favourite winter sound to blog about.

Some people like the sound of rain against the window. They find it soothing. I have nothing against the sound of rain. I just don’t particularly like rain. And I know it’s Not Politically Correct to say that in a drought-stricken place where it doesn’t rain nearly enough, but there. I said it. Sorry. I’m not a winter person. If sunshine had a sound, then I’d be sure to love that sound.

The 2000th Cochlear Implant Celebration - Melbourne

I do love balloons. So when I got an invitation to attend a balloon release, to celebrate the 2000th cochlear implant surgery in Melbourne, I was like a kid at Christmas.

I’d been sent a name tag and was asked to write on the back, in 25 words or less, what having a cochlear implant means to me. That tag would then be attached to a balloon and released at an afternoon tea on the 26th August, during Hearing Awareness Week here in Australia.

I spent that entire weekend writing and rewriting my message on scrap pieces of paper. Actually, it wasn’t scrap paper – it was Jason’s heavy-duty graphic arts notebook. Sorry Jase. I have to write wherever the inspiration takes me. Even if that means later taking you back to the stationery store for another notebook. :-P

My speech for the '2000th Cochlear Implant Celebration'

For the family and friends who wanted to know what my speech was. And for anybody at the event who couldn't hear it properly. Here it is ...

My first musical: West Side Story

So I went and saw West Side Story on Saturday night, my ‘mildly ambitious’ event of the year!

Couldn’t seem to get any sound from the telecoil though – turns out our seats weren’t in the hearing loop after all. Either that, or they hadn’t switched it on.

Given that was the case, I fared better than I could have hoped.

West Side story – my 'Mildly Ambitious' event

In my second-ever blog on this site, I pointed out that I'd booked tickets to West Side Story. The full blog is here (http://back-in-the-loop.blogspot.com/2010/03/theres-mildly-ambitious-far-too.html) but the part I'm talking about is this:



Shh … I’m booking tickets for musical events taking place later this year. If my audiologist finds out, I fear she’ll send me for a pre-implant psychological assessment, quick smart, to quash those Unrealistic Expectations.


Let’s start with Mildly Ambitious, scheduled for around 4.5 months after switch-on. (August 2010)

I am really, really excited about this one! Last night, I took advantage of an internet pre-sale and booked tickets to a theatrical production of West Side Story for August this year. I have always wanted to see this performed – am such a huge fan of the movie! And the best thing is, I had the good fortune of discovering this one in my ‘hearing years’, so I know the soundtrack very well. I plan to watch the movie (captions on!) many times before the show, to refresh my knowledge of the story. The music is a strong feature of this one, but there’ll be plenty of dialogue to break it up, and I also know the lyrics to the songs already. I’ll be sitting in the loop so I can make full use of the telecoil. So I think it’s safe to call this ambitious, but mildly so.

"Cochlear music" – the ABC Radio National interview

Very happy to take part in a national radio interview to spread further awareness about the work the Bionic Ear Institute are doing here in Melbourne.

Can I just point out the not-so-obvious but overwhelmingly amazing fact that this interview was conducted over the phone? Imagine that! Only five months ago, I'd pick up the phone and not even hear a dial tone. For about 14 months prior to that, I couldn't understand speech well enough to use a phone.

The Impostor

I promise you, I'm not a creepy Bird Lady. Honest.

But the mean, mean café owner* has scared away my sparrows with none other than a statue of an owl. It's about 40 cm high and it guards the table near the front entrance of the café. The sparrows no longer come inside. They are completely freaked out by its, well, owlish eyes.

And to be honest? So am I. :-(

A moment of deafness

'Would it be OK if I check your processors, please? '


'Both of them?' I felt my heartbeat quicken.


He nodded.


I was at the Cochlear office, in the waiting area. I'd stopped in to help out with some research. The technician wanted to make sure the processors were in full working order before we got started, which made perfect sense and seemed a logical, professional thing to do.


But I was amazed at the feelings of panic it stirred up. I'd only be in silence for about five minutes. I spend a longer time in silence every day, whenever I shower. Six minutes. OK, seven minutes. Alright, alright. (I'm hearing Jase's voice in my head.) About 10 minutes. ;-)


But this moment was different because I was out in public. Near strangers. As I handed him my processors and sadly watched him walk away, I felt immediately vulnerable. All the emotions I used to feel came rushing back.

A plea for Tony and Julia

I had been hoping for a little more, you see?

I was rather hearing impaired during the last federal election, and so I was really looking forward to being able to hear what’s going on in this one. You know, listening to you speak in interviews instead of reading the transcripts in the papers afterwards.

I’ve heard the sound of your voices, that’s true. Cochlear implants don’t exempt me from hearing the sugar-coated words versus the cold, authoritative ones. The stuttering that comes in any sentence that includes the word ‘policy’. The anger. The accusatory tones. The defiant retorts.

And yet there are silences. How fascinating. The long pauses that follow a question. The lack of coherent responses. Actual answers at all, really.

For the first time since switch-on, I’m inclined to admit that being able to hear in this situation is making, well, very little difference.

Won’t you please provide some answers my brain can actually comprehend? Before I call Cochlear’s customer service department? (Seriously, are these things on?)  

Inspired!

I’ve been haunted by Rachmaninoff’s third concerto over the past few days, since discovering it for the first time while watching Shine on Saturday night. This piece has me completely captivated, from start to finish. I’ve never heard anything like it. How I didn’t know about it in my days of natural hearing is beyond me, but, never mind, I know it now. And I can’t let it rest.

I’ve been listening to it over and over again on the iPod. The more I hear it, the more I want to play it.

Red, red wine

Clunk. Clunk.

I smiled.

Such wonderful sounds to enjoy while being a passenger in the car.

Clunk. Clunk.

This one was a new one!

Clunk. Clunk.

Jase gave me A Look.

‘You didn’t put those wine bottles in the boot, did you?’

‘Er … yeah?’

Surround sound

One of the first pieces of advice my hearing aid audiologist gave me was 'go into the settings on your TV and change it from "stereo" to "mono"'.

I'll admit, I never did that. I thought life had been hard enough on Jase as it was!

But his words did stay in my mind and, as a kind of compromise, I stopped using the home theatre system while I wore the hearing aid.

Being a friendly neighbour

There wasn’t much light, OK? That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

It was early evening. Pretty dim outside. I went out the front to get the mail and saw a shape across the road. My neighbour walking his dog.

I smiled nervously.

Three-month evaluation

I certainly didn't need formal testing to confirm I made the right choice in dropping the Prednisone and opting for cochlear implants instead.


But it sure is mind-blowing when you see the results formalised on paper.

Triple J radio publicity

And the media publicity for the Bionic Ear Institute's 'concert project' continues ...!  

I'm so honoured to be able to help them out with this. What an incredible way of overlapping the arts with the sciences! And anybody who knows the importance of making music FUN is going to get my firm seal of approval. ;-) 

Here's a link to the Triple J interview played earlier this week: http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hack/stories/s2953719.htm  

Piano video, as requested ;-)

(Note: Flash player required)

Have been asked by a couple of my CI buddies to post a video of myself playing the piano, so here I am, playing Debussy's Clair de Lune. This was my concert piece last year, but there are still parts I hope to improve. Hope you enjoy it.

PS: I don't know much about video. Apologies for the poor resolution. And if you hear a hissing sound in the background, it is not your sound processor it's the cheap microphone in our (clearly overpriced) camera. :-D

PPS: This is Clair de Lune. Yes. Debussy. It is not: 'The Twilight Song'. (!)

Interview: BEI concert project for cochlear implantees

Jase chuckled at the first line.

I waved the newspaper at him and said, 'you see! It's official! I don't like to complain! The newspaper says so! That means it's true!'

He shook his head and gave me the 'oh-if-only-they-knew' kind of grin.

OK, so I might be the Complaining Type when it comes to stuff around the house. Mostly temperature-related stuff. (‘It’s too hot in here’ … ‘it’s too cold in here’ … ‘how long has the heating made that whistling sound?’ … ‘how long has the air-conditioning made that groaning sound?’) Seriously. Room temperature is supposed to be 22 degrees, right, not 18? Back me up here. (You see, I’m complaining right now.)

But it is true that you will not hear me complain about my cochlear implants. Though I might (Ever-So-Meekly) admit that music could be better … if there’s a chance I think admitting it might help others.

Where did she go?

Investigative reporters have been forced to go on a search around Melbourne for that ever elusive blogger known simply as ‘Daniela’, after questions concerning her whereabouts grew to an all-time high last week. (Well, to some she’s ‘Daniela’. To others, she’s ‘the strange Aussie one with a fascination for cuckoo clocks’.) We pocketed the following clues about her recent habits. 

Enjoying orchestra

In the early days of CI activation, I remember hearing a radio stunt asking listeners to call in and sing the tune of the most annoying song of all time.



We got the ‘Super Mario Brothers’ theme song. (It is in my head as I type this.)


We got ‘This is the song that never ends’.


We got '500 Miles' by The Proclaimers.


But I fail to understand how we didn’t get … (drumroll) … the VB (Victoria Bitter) music. Groan.


OK, it might have more to do with the fact that this beer has the least class of all Australian beers so the song also has a certain stigma attached. But it’s also the song, OK? It’s the song. It’s just an annoying little piece of music that won’t get out of my head.


This is because Jase started whistling it ever since we bought tickets to see a performance by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.


Apparently connecting a beer commercial (*shudders*) with the dignified Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was perfectly acceptable because 1) they were going to be performing ‘sporting scores’ and the VB music features heavily during cricket season so they Just Might Play It and, 2) because the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra were responsible for producing a (pretty clever, I’ll admit) version of this song played with no other instruments than the beer bottles themselves. (You can view it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUru7nSyKxQ)


The little melody was annoying all right. But I was so thrilled that Jase agreed to come and listen to the orchestra in the first place that I decided against threatening to mute him if he continued to whistle it. Besides, I could block it out with the Super Mario theme in the meantime. :-)

Pod People

Just so you know, I can't sew to save myself.

My stitches are crooked. I sew snags into all my fabrics. And ten thimbles couldn't stop me accidentally pricking a finger with the sewing needle.

It must have been deeply disappointing for my mum, who had a talent for dressmaking and design, but I just get no enjoyment from sewing whatsoever.

Which is why I find it so very entertaining that, as of today, my new best friend is a 'quick-unpick'.

My bionic friends who use iPods or MP3 players ... do you know what I'm talking about?

That's right.

It's not for a sewing emergency. Not to undo the latest sewing damage I've inflicted on my clothes.

It's to help me plug my audio cable into the sound processors.

Conquering the work phone

OK, I’ve been really lucky in being able to use the telephone again, I know, but part of my success is from being in a position where I can pick which phone I use.

The landline at home is great. It has a volume switch that can be boosted up quite a bit, and also has a telecoil.

The cordless at home is not so good. No telecoil, and voices sound really muffled. (Cordless phones in general are tricky, I think. If the person on the other end is using a cordless, their voices sound really distant.)

The mobile phone is brilliant. It’s an iPhone – doesn’t have a telecoil but is so unbelievably clear. I even prefer it over the landline.

That leaves one other phone in my life …

The work phone.

Splash!

Introducing another metallic surface for my CI magnet to play with:

The kitchen sink.

Being a fridge magnet

Have I tried sticking things to my head yet?

Of course.

Those little magnets that came with the Doodle sketcher. They were the first to go on. (They fell off.)

Why not have a little fun, eh?

(Jase, if you are reading this, that does not mean I’ve warmed to the idea of you sticking a bottle opener on my head. Sorry. )

My buddy doesn’t care

Friendship.

When times are rough, it is something that can be realised, discovered or lost.

One friend, my dancing buddy, has been most forgiving of the silence.

Colouring-in for grown-ups

A while back I mentioned changing my zebra stripe Nucleus 5 processor covers to tiger stripes, by colouring in with a waterproof marker.

Last weekend, my waterproof markers got another work-out.

Save the last dance

I tend not to blog about the things I’m disappointed about, as I try to stay positive and put them behind me.

It’s why there was never a blog about the group anniversary dinner I went to a week and a half after switch-on.

I had a great night, and coped OK with most of the group discussion, even though the restaurant was very loud.

What I'd been disappointed about was the music.

Music improvement for CI users (the Bionic Ear Institute)

I never used to know East Melbourne all that well, but I seem to be spending more and more time there!

The little pocket I'm spending lots of time in is known as Melbourne's 'hearing precinct'. It includes the Eye and Ear Hospital, the Melbourne office of Cochlear and the Bionic Ear Institute. There's more to it than that – it also includes the offices of my surgeon, and nearby is the hospital where I had my operation. There are probably a zillion other 'hearing' connections I haven't discovered yet, but these are the ones I know of so far.

It sounds really corny but I get so excited when I see the street sign for Bionic Ear Lane! I peer down it excitedly, half expecting Professor Graeme Clark himself to come scuttling along, deeply focused on another amazing brainwave of his. 

Stranger danger!

‘Don’t talk to strangers!’

They drilled that into us as kids, didn’t they? Our parents, teachers, older siblings … I still hear their voices in my head.

As we became adults, we developed the instincts that let us choose which strangers were OK to talk to. And then we were able to go one step further and decide which strangers we wanted to talk to.

Waiting for Godot!

Over the weekend, Jase and I went and saw Waiting for Godot, the two-act play famously described as one 'where nothing happens – twice'.

I studied this play at university and it remained a favourite of mine for much the same reasons as everyone else – you can read into it what you will, and apply its symbolism to your own life. (Let's describe it as a high-brow version of Dr Seuss' Waiting Place, for those unfamiliar with it!)

Piano score

One of my favourite all-time quotes is by Victor Hugo. He said:
"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent."


I've been very silent on this blog about what music actually means to me. And should I tell you my complete musical 'story', you'd be reading for days. ;-)


Let me just say that there are some childhood dreams we leave behind, and others we are tied to for some inexplicable reason. For me, one of the dreams I couldn't leave behind was my desire to pursue the piano.

Elevator capades

My dearest work colleagues, and anybody else who works in my building … did you ever see me 'texting' somebody while in the lift, or fumbling around with some settings on my mobile phone?

Sorry to say, but I was bluffing.

Hunger for sound

The office I work at is far too quiet.

It’s not, really. I mean, all the sounds I heard today, on my first day back after the six-week journey, were amazing. It wasn’t so long ago that I was longing for these simple sounds. Elevator commentary. Kitchen chats. Bluff-free conversations with my colleagues. Problem-solving via face-to-face chats instead of carefully drafted emails.

I heard all that today.

Deer Pheebs

Dear Pheebs (the cat),

Please accept my sincerest apologies for this morning’s rude awakening.

I realise I encouraged you to hop up on the bed yesterday evening, but I truly did not expect you to stay there all night. (I guess you were trapped by the same Furry Lump that stopped me from rolling over also. Did you find yourself on the very edge of the bed this morning too? And is your back sore like mine? Do you feel like your entire body has been in traction all night? No? Maybe it’s just me.)

Ring, ring!

The sound of the phone ringing could always spark so many emotions.

Annoyance, if I’d just sat down to dinner and it was likely to be a telemarketer.

Hopefulness, when I was waiting on news of a job offer.

Anxiety.

Curiosity.

Happiness.

Excitement.

Fun, fun, fun … Chuck Berry style

OK. I’ll admit it. It’s true.

I have become Quite The Little Show-off lately. It seems I sometimes take that need to announce my presence just one step too far in a move that has me rapidly progressing from Cute … to Obnoxious.

Take this for example.

Tigers lost … but the sound wasn’t

So the Tigers lost again. Thought I called in a favour with those guys, but I guess it fell on deaf ears. (Groan!)

But even though I didn’t get to hear 40 odd thousand voices singing ‘Tigerland’ in victory, on Sunday, I did get a better auditory experience than I could have hoped for.

When hated sounds become loved ones (well, 'liked' ones)

On Sunday morning, when our car pulled out onto High Street, we noticed some police lights flashing up ahead. Hmm. I couldn’t hear the siren, despite the fact that it looked like the car was moving – that was strange, and a bit disconcerting. But as we got closer, we realised there was no siren, only flashing lights. Phew! There were several police cars escorting a marching band of soldiers, coming up on the other side of the street with various instruments in tow. Jase wound down the car window so I could hear the music better. It was the local RSL club, playing the most beautiful music. I smiled in delight at the bugles I thought I was hearing.

‘Ohhhh,’ I said, in awe. It sounded so nice!

Then we got close enough for me to realise that they weren’t playing bugles at all. They were bagpipes. Uh oh. But I hate bagpipes!

A drive to the library … and a rundown on MAP # 2

Yesterday, with car battery nicely charged again, I decided to drive to my local library and pick up some new audio books to listen to.

The first thing I heard, when I turned the key in the ignition, was the familiar hum of the engine running (only it was more of a bellowing hum than a quiet hum).

The second thing I heard?

Squeeeeeak.

Oh the brakes! Not good! I bet that’s the first time I’ve ever smiled at that noise though!

Don't care for Cher

Cher. In high definition. Prancing about in fishnet stockings on a 3 x 2 metre television screen. Stereo sound.

            Babies crying. Kids shrieking. (Did that have anything to do with Cher? Quite possibly.)

            Phones ringing. Names being called out.

            This is the scene I was met with at the doctor’s waiting room on Monday.

There's no place like home

Well, after three years of adjustments in our house (mainly on Jason’s part, I’ll admit), we are now entering a new phase where some of our previous household rules no longer apply.

So, here’s a new set of eight rules to help us all along.*

Day 6 post-activation

It was a hallucination that I knew would come to an end.

For the last year, in particular, I’ve been fortunate enough to drive a luxury car. You know the ones. Where you feel the engine instead of hear it because it purrs so quietly. Where you don’t notice the roar of the other traffic because the door seals are just That Good.

Today, with sound processors on, I prepared myself for reality: it’s a 10-year-old Mitsubishi, not a brand new Mercedes, and it’s going to be LOUD.

Day 3 post-activation

Some random audio observations and milestones from me, at the three-day mark.

The cuckoo clock

I can now decipher the two melodies well enough to recognise which one is playing! I can hear the cuckoo clock from any room in the house, even when there is background noise (eg a television) turned on!

A long time ago in a galaxy (not so) far away ...

A new planet is born. It’s a cosmic sort of place. One where R2-D2 commands authority over all sounds. Where chipmunk voices are often heard. Where males sound like females, and females sound like children. 

It’s a place where coffee grinders sound like helicopters landing overhead. Where a human blowing their nose sounds like several pigs in a pen. Where the shake of a water bottle produces tinkling sleigh balls! (Note to self: yes, it’s a rather lovely sound, but do not repeat that with the soft drinks. People still haven’t let you live down the ceiling mishap with the Coke last year.)

It’s a place where plastic bags sound like hailstones on a window. Acoustic pianos sound like xylophones.

Where pendulums tick. Even at night. When there’s supposed to be silence.

Switch-on!

Well it was ‘Activation Day’ today and I’m grinning from CI to CI, but before I tell you about it, please welcome a little friend of mine who is staying with me at the moment. The friend’s name is R2-D2 and you might know him (it?) from those Star Wars movies way back when. Yeah. Not sure how long he’ll be staying with me, but he’s punctuating every word, every sound, with those cute little characteristic beeps of his. My new shadow. Or is that echo? ;-)

Grand slam success results in Easter abuse

Visitors arrived to a devastating scene at Jason and Daniela’s house on Saturday 3rd April, where it was discovered a beloved Easter egg had tragically been destroyed before its time.

          ‘It’s my fault,’ said Daniela, sniffling. ‘I’ve developed this habit of slamming things over the last few weeks and, well … look.’

A tribute to Dr Seuss ... Live from the Waiting Place

Five sleeps to go!

(I've behaved, from here in 

but it turns out my patience

is starting to thin.)

A late afternoon lap around a silent house

The screen door clangs shut behind me. I shuffle down the front steps carefully as my sandals lightly plod on each step. Bees busily buzz away in the smelly unidentified bush beside the porch. (Jasmine?) A car edges its way into the court and the tyres grip the road with a whirr as it completes its u-turn. The driver’s window is down and a radio advertisement escapes. (Actually, scratch that. It’s a loud offensive drumbeat of some sort.) Some twigs crunch beneath its wheels as it drives away.

The sounds of time

Last year, we purchased a cuckoo clock in Germany. It was not an easy purchase to pre-approve with Jase. I spent months convincing my sceptical husband that it would be a delightful little addition to our lives.  What a lovely lifelong hourly (and half-hourly!) reminder that we didn’t just dream our entire trip! But apparently my having a readily available ‘mute’ button rendered me Unqualified to argue that a cuckoo clock is Not Annoying.

The noisy silence

Over the last three years, I’ve come to treasure sounds. Most sounds. Not bagpipes. Don’t miss them, sorry. ;-) But I have tried to embrace all other sounds, even the badly distorted ones. No surprises there.

Since the silence following CI surgery? Sure. There are (temporarily) fewer sounds to treasure (told you about the cupboard slamming, right?). But I’ve started to discover some new sounds. That I can even reproduce. And I’m learning that the sounds I ‘treasure’ are, well, just Plain Annoying to my hearing family and friends. ;-)

Take these scenarios …

Tiger stripes: earned!

Fear not, my fellow Tigers supporters! I’ve called in a favour. You won’t be hearing Tigerland until at least Round 4 … when I can hear it. ;-)

And on the eighth day … there were cherries

Yesterday I told you about the smell of smoke and petrol. Today I’m sitting here enjoying the smell of cherries! The fruit? No. My shampoo! Aaaah … I made it to the one-week mark and was allowed to wash my hair. So now, every time I swish it around (and I’m doing that a lot), I’m greeted with the scent of fragrant cherries. Mmmm.


Today was my one-week follow-up appointment with my surgeon, Dr Robert Briggs. (Has it already been a week since the operation??!) I was a bit embarrassed about seeing my surgeon because, well … during the week I recalled something that I’d said to him in my drowsy post-operative state.

(Temporary) silence is thy friend

Yesterday I discovered that if I slammed one particular cupboard door, I could hear it! I then felt compelled to slam it again. So, armed with a stupid grin on my face, I did just that. Several times in a row. Then I tried some other cupboards. Nope. Nothing. So why that one? Turns out I’m hearing it slam against some misaligned coffee mugs, so the sound is higher pitched. I probably have no coffee cup handles left. But it‘s been fun. :-)

Every one of my visitors has asked me how I’m coping with the silence and it is, after all, a potential deal-breaker for people thinking of getting two ears implanted in the same operation, so I’ve decided to report on how it’s going.

The 5:22 am brainwave

Well they say that when the portion of the brain devoted to hearing is no longer in use, the dispensable brain cells reallocate their attention. I can confidently say that my brain, in the last couple of days, has devoted these neglected cells to finding a comfortable sleep solution. And at 5:22 am, it did me proud.

To sleep, or not to sleep?

I woke up feeling so good yesterday that I was alarmed when I saw my husband staring at me with a look of horror on his face.

“Are you OK??” his lips worded.

I was totally confused. Must be my face – maybe some bruising or further swelling had shown up. I started patting my cheeks and he nodded, indicating I was onto something.

Nope … no swelling … but one of my cheeks felt a bit warm.

I got up and looked in the mirror and burst out laughing. It looked as though I’d been slapped – hard – in my right cheek!

A new side effect of CI surgery? Not quite. Rather, a side effect of what I call Sleeping (Dis)comfort From CI Surgery.

Allow me to share with you.

Good omens … and April Fool’s Day

I’m not usually a superstitious person, but there are some things that I see a pattern in.

On the day of my surgery, I had three good omens that all would go well.

The First:

For the last couple of months, I’ve been playing a game called ‘Spot the CI wearer’. The only rule to this game is that the CI wearer can’t be in the CI clinic waiting room or foyer – that doesn’t count. Up until the morning of the surgery, I was sitting on a score of ‘zero’.

Post-op reflections

Happy New Year! Seems a rather fitting welcome for my “new ears”, even though the comment is actually inspired by the noises I heard in my head when I munched on my first post-op Vita Wheat biscuit. (Hard foods are still a 'no go'! When I munch it sounds like firecrackers going off in my head!)

Well I am home from the hospital, and up and about for the moment. Every few hours or so I go and lie down for another nap though.

Surgery went well – I got the thumbs up sign from Dr Briggs, as I lay in my post-op recovery daze. He said all the electrodes test-fired well, both ears, so hopefully that’s a good sign for switch-on.

I’m managing well with a blend of lipreading and written messages, so far. The silence is not as hard as I thought it would be, but then, it’s only Day 2.

The truth hurts ... my Mii

The Wii quite regularly gives me this cheery assessment: 

My husband smirked when he first saw it, and said I've always been 'Unbalanced'.

This particular score here came about after a rather intensive left-to-right balance-shifting session. I had to use my balance to hit virtual soccer balls being thrown at my on-screen character's head, and artfully dodge the random sneakers and, er, panda heads, also coming my way. Do you know the Wii Fit balance game I'm talking about? It's called 'Soccer heading'. You can watch a video of it here: http://www.wiifit.com/training/balance-games.html

(As another shoe hits my onscreen character, my 'Mii', square in the forehead, even my cat gives me A Look. I can only assume my Mii has squealed, and I'm suddenly rather grateful that I can't hear the pain I'm inflicting.)

'Are you seriously trying to hit the shoes?' said my husband when I first started playing this game, shaking his head in disbelief. (He likens it to the uncanny talent I have for steering my car over a piece of foreign road debris when I am actually trying to go around it.)