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.