Tonight, I am going to a private art and photography view organised by London Aunt.
I've been going along to support her for several years now and it's usually a great night. It's a great time to catch up with her friends as well and every time I see them, they ask me about my man situation. And every year so far, I've had some great gossip or at least something for them. Except this year... unless I can get a date in the next 8 hours that is!!!!
But actually, don’t they say galleries are the best place to meet people?!
Anyway, I'm a regular visit to the Innocent drinks website, and a fan of the smoothies, too, I like the witty banter that takes place on the site, so when I went on recently and found that the AGM Q&A was all video uploads I was quite disappointed. So I wrote and asked them politely for a transcript. And yesterday, slap bang in the middle of
Deaf Awareness Week, the link to the transcript of this PLUS another interview regarding the sale of a percentage of Innocent to Coca Cola was sent to me.
Hurrah!
And it was a great read – so a big thank you to the person who typed all that up!
I wish the same could be said for subtitled movies on iTunes though! The other day I searched specifically for these and I'm pretty certain there were just 4! One of which had a bizarre title of Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging... Or something along those lines!
So I'm going to write to iTunes/apple/anybody today and remind them that it is Deaf Awareness
week and ask them to fix this!
Hopefully they'll be nice, like Innocent, and do this...
…hopefully!
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Hearing aid jewellery?
Yesterday evening, after coming home from meeting Fab Friend and Flo for a post-climbing drink, I reached under the front seat of my car and my neck seized up on one side.
At the time it was like that urgent cramp you get in your calf sometimes, and I tried to stretch my neck the other way but it hurt... a lot.
And this morning it was no better – so much so that I've put off uploading my blog until now. I feel like a ragdoll whose neck has come unstitched on one side.
I can't look right, tilt my head right or look up without a seering pain, and I don't like it...
*sniff
Not being able to move my head to the right is also going to make lipreading very difficult – my boss sits on my right.
Luckily however, I have s swivel chair so I can always swivel my whole body when she speaks to me.
Anyway, don't know how I missed this news story, but according to Flo, who read it in The Metro, you can now buy jewellery for your hearing aid moulds – or at least you will be able to soon.
A partially deaf audiologist Kate Cross has created, with the help of a jewellery designer the ‘Hearings’ collection – ornate pieces designed to look pretty and mask the fact you’re wearing a hearing aid.
Both Fab Friend and I were intrigued by this, so this morning I got Googling, but not much is on the internet about it, except the original Metro story here.
I’m not utterly convinced I’d want daisies on my hearing aid ear pieces, but then I’ve never been worried about the stigma of wearing them, what really bothers me about my hearing aids is that they don’t really help me.
Would a designer accessory on them make me want to wear them any more? Probably not, but it’s still a quirky innovative idea that I’m looking forward to finding more about.
Guess we’d all better watch this space!
At the time it was like that urgent cramp you get in your calf sometimes, and I tried to stretch my neck the other way but it hurt... a lot.
And this morning it was no better – so much so that I've put off uploading my blog until now. I feel like a ragdoll whose neck has come unstitched on one side.
I can't look right, tilt my head right or look up without a seering pain, and I don't like it...
*sniff
Not being able to move my head to the right is also going to make lipreading very difficult – my boss sits on my right.
Luckily however, I have s swivel chair so I can always swivel my whole body when she speaks to me.
Anyway, don't know how I missed this news story, but according to Flo, who read it in The Metro, you can now buy jewellery for your hearing aid moulds – or at least you will be able to soon.
A partially deaf audiologist Kate Cross has created, with the help of a jewellery designer the ‘Hearings’ collection – ornate pieces designed to look pretty and mask the fact you’re wearing a hearing aid.
Both Fab Friend and I were intrigued by this, so this morning I got Googling, but not much is on the internet about it, except the original Metro story here.
I’m not utterly convinced I’d want daisies on my hearing aid ear pieces, but then I’ve never been worried about the stigma of wearing them, what really bothers me about my hearing aids is that they don’t really help me.
Would a designer accessory on them make me want to wear them any more? Probably not, but it’s still a quirky innovative idea that I’m looking forward to finding more about.
Guess we’d all better watch this space!
Monday, 28 June 2010
Supporting Deaf Awareness Week
Deafinitely Girly’s usual spiel is interrupted today with an advert for Deaf Awareness Week!
People are so judgemental, right?
From what you’re wearing, to the colour, cut and style of your hair. From your interests in life, hobbies to choice of partner and the way you behave.
But so many of the above are personal choices – you choose your haircut, what you wear, what things you like to do and who you go out with. But imagine being judged on something you couldn’t change – something that you yourself struggled with on many occasions…
…your disability.
To be on the receiving end of this kind of judgement can be soul destroying. It’s a battle you can’t win. And, while there are certainly some judgemental people out there, all too often the reason the person judging you is behaving that way is simply because they’re not aware about your disability, or how to deal with it.
That’s why, when the RNID asked me to support Deaf Awareness Week simply by writing about it, I was more than happy to. From my own personal journey as a deaf person to watching Ma struggle with losing her hearing, I can honestly say that a little bit of deaf awareness goes a long way.
As a kid, I was very bull-in-a-china-shop about my deafness – I told people in a ‘Don’t care’ way and often liked the shock factor it caused. I thrived on being the only deaf person in the village and if I’m honest, I don’t think I even knew what ‘deaf awareness’ was.
But then came the realisation that not everyone was so accepting. My teacher made me stand in the corner of the classroom for not wearing my hearing aids and then spoke to me without letting me face her to prove that I couldn’t hear.
At a charity evening one day, I missed my number being called out in a tombola and the man on the microphone asked if I was stupid or something. When I told him I was deaf, he replied, ‘Oh, so you must be stupid then.’
And stupid I may well be, sometimes, but it wasn’t his judgement to make.
So if you do just one thing today, make sure its peruse the RNID’s website – particularly the section on Deaf Awareness Week. There you’ll find simple communication dos and don’ts, with my favourite being up there:
Do repeat yourself. Or rephrase until you're understood.
I can honestly tell you, there’s nothing worse than someone giving up on what they’re trying to say to you! It makes you feel very, very small!
For me, being deaf aware is as much about the little things in life as the big – and it’s also about recognising that everyone has different needs and what works for one person doesn’t work for another. I actually find being tapped on the shoulder makes me jump out of my seat at work and prefer to have my desk tapped.
I know I’ve got lots to learn this Deaf Awareness Week, and maybe you have, too. So why not make a big change with something little and support Deaf Awareness Week.
Oh and one more thing – I can't report back on the T-loop system in my car as when I put my hearing aids in on Friday, I discovered they had no batteries in them. See, I really have still got lots to learn!
*blush!
People are so judgemental, right?
From what you’re wearing, to the colour, cut and style of your hair. From your interests in life, hobbies to choice of partner and the way you behave.
But so many of the above are personal choices – you choose your haircut, what you wear, what things you like to do and who you go out with. But imagine being judged on something you couldn’t change – something that you yourself struggled with on many occasions…
…your disability.
To be on the receiving end of this kind of judgement can be soul destroying. It’s a battle you can’t win. And, while there are certainly some judgemental people out there, all too often the reason the person judging you is behaving that way is simply because they’re not aware about your disability, or how to deal with it.
That’s why, when the RNID asked me to support Deaf Awareness Week simply by writing about it, I was more than happy to. From my own personal journey as a deaf person to watching Ma struggle with losing her hearing, I can honestly say that a little bit of deaf awareness goes a long way.
As a kid, I was very bull-in-a-china-shop about my deafness – I told people in a ‘Don’t care’ way and often liked the shock factor it caused. I thrived on being the only deaf person in the village and if I’m honest, I don’t think I even knew what ‘deaf awareness’ was.
But then came the realisation that not everyone was so accepting. My teacher made me stand in the corner of the classroom for not wearing my hearing aids and then spoke to me without letting me face her to prove that I couldn’t hear.
At a charity evening one day, I missed my number being called out in a tombola and the man on the microphone asked if I was stupid or something. When I told him I was deaf, he replied, ‘Oh, so you must be stupid then.’
And stupid I may well be, sometimes, but it wasn’t his judgement to make.
So if you do just one thing today, make sure its peruse the RNID’s website – particularly the section on Deaf Awareness Week. There you’ll find simple communication dos and don’ts, with my favourite being up there:
Do repeat yourself. Or rephrase until you're understood.
I can honestly tell you, there’s nothing worse than someone giving up on what they’re trying to say to you! It makes you feel very, very small!
For me, being deaf aware is as much about the little things in life as the big – and it’s also about recognising that everyone has different needs and what works for one person doesn’t work for another. I actually find being tapped on the shoulder makes me jump out of my seat at work and prefer to have my desk tapped.
I know I’ve got lots to learn this Deaf Awareness Week, and maybe you have, too. So why not make a big change with something little and support Deaf Awareness Week.
Oh and one more thing – I can't report back on the T-loop system in my car as when I put my hearing aids in on Friday, I discovered they had no batteries in them. See, I really have still got lots to learn!
*blush!
Friday, 25 June 2010
Hearing in my car!
Woohoo it's Friday! Almost the weekend! Two whole days of fun!
Thankful Friday wise, I am thankful for the weather, the weather and the erm... weather!
I love the sunshine!
This weekend I am taking London Cousins 1 and 2 on a road trip to see The Rents. London Aunt is going on a girly weekend away so I offered to look after them.
I love London Cousins 1 and 2 and, at 10 and 8 years old, it's amazing watching how they're growing up and what interests they have and how much they seem to know about everything – way more than I did at that age.
I mean, there I was pondering over what music to play in my car when London Cousin 1 piped up, 'Can we have Capital radio on?' – apparently it plays her favourite music.
As a result, when I was out last night, I tuned my radio into Capital – which at volume 48 on my car stereo isn’t actually that bad, so it's all ready this evening to pick them up.
I am a bit nervous about the journey because I know I won't hear anything they say to me. I should be able to lipread London Cousin 2 in my rear-view mirror if I have to, but I have warned them both that I won't be able to chat to them on the journey up there.
I think I feel sadder about this than they do to be honest. Rather randomly, not hearing in cars is one of the main things that bugs me about my deafness – coming in a close second to not hearing guys talking in my ears in clubs. They always find someone who’s easier to talk to rather than get to grips with letting me lipread them – but that’s a whole other bugbear.
So anyway, after pondering about the not-hearing-in-the-car issue on the bus this morning, I suddenly remembered my portable T-loop system. OK so this doesn't work for me most of the time but what if I rig it up so that if London cousins 1 or 2 want to speak to me, they just grab the microphone part and talk directly down that, so I'll get their voices much louder than the usually are.
This has made me very excited and the T-loop is charging as I type this.
I'll let you know if it worked in Monday's blog.
Thankful Friday wise, I am thankful for the weather, the weather and the erm... weather!
I love the sunshine!
This weekend I am taking London Cousins 1 and 2 on a road trip to see The Rents. London Aunt is going on a girly weekend away so I offered to look after them.
I love London Cousins 1 and 2 and, at 10 and 8 years old, it's amazing watching how they're growing up and what interests they have and how much they seem to know about everything – way more than I did at that age.
I mean, there I was pondering over what music to play in my car when London Cousin 1 piped up, 'Can we have Capital radio on?' – apparently it plays her favourite music.
As a result, when I was out last night, I tuned my radio into Capital – which at volume 48 on my car stereo isn’t actually that bad, so it's all ready this evening to pick them up.
I am a bit nervous about the journey because I know I won't hear anything they say to me. I should be able to lipread London Cousin 2 in my rear-view mirror if I have to, but I have warned them both that I won't be able to chat to them on the journey up there.
I think I feel sadder about this than they do to be honest. Rather randomly, not hearing in cars is one of the main things that bugs me about my deafness – coming in a close second to not hearing guys talking in my ears in clubs. They always find someone who’s easier to talk to rather than get to grips with letting me lipread them – but that’s a whole other bugbear.
So anyway, after pondering about the not-hearing-in-the-car issue on the bus this morning, I suddenly remembered my portable T-loop system. OK so this doesn't work for me most of the time but what if I rig it up so that if London cousins 1 or 2 want to speak to me, they just grab the microphone part and talk directly down that, so I'll get their voices much louder than the usually are.
This has made me very excited and the T-loop is charging as I type this.
I'll let you know if it worked in Monday's blog.
Thursday, 24 June 2010
The off-side rule according to girls
Yesterday, when England were playing football and tumbleweed was blowing through the deserted office, I had the offside rule explained to me by a girl, and here’s how it went:
Imagine you are in Primark, queuing in single file. The girl in front of you doesn’t have her purse and, to your dismay you realise you don’t have yours either. A solution is that your friend towards the back of the queue is offering to throw her purse to you. You can’t queue jump until the purse has been thrown to you, but once the purse has been thrown you can quickly dodge the lass in front then confront the girl on the desk.
And, it seems, when you take condiment bottles out of the equation – the favoured bloke’s way of explaining the off-side rule – I can understand it better!
What’s most amazing about all this, is that this is yet another blog about football – anyone would think I liked this sport or something!
Anyway, I seem to have lost my writing mojo recently – perhaps it’s the World Cup consuming my brain, or perhaps I am just not feeling very inspired. I seem to have writer’s block.
And unfortunately, the only cure I know for this is to write naked with an unlit cigarette in your mouth – something I was taught by my writing tutor at university. I’ve tried it often and it really does work – although perhaps not on the packed London bus that I am travelling on this morning.
So instead, I will leave you with perhaps my finest moment during this World Cup so far…
There I was, sitting in the pub for the first match against USA surrounded by enthusiastic, emotional boys. Halfway through I turned and asked the guy next to me if the goalies were Dutch as they were wearing orange…
Ho-hum!
Imagine you are in Primark, queuing in single file. The girl in front of you doesn’t have her purse and, to your dismay you realise you don’t have yours either. A solution is that your friend towards the back of the queue is offering to throw her purse to you. You can’t queue jump until the purse has been thrown to you, but once the purse has been thrown you can quickly dodge the lass in front then confront the girl on the desk.
And, it seems, when you take condiment bottles out of the equation – the favoured bloke’s way of explaining the off-side rule – I can understand it better!
What’s most amazing about all this, is that this is yet another blog about football – anyone would think I liked this sport or something!
Anyway, I seem to have lost my writing mojo recently – perhaps it’s the World Cup consuming my brain, or perhaps I am just not feeling very inspired. I seem to have writer’s block.
And unfortunately, the only cure I know for this is to write naked with an unlit cigarette in your mouth – something I was taught by my writing tutor at university. I’ve tried it often and it really does work – although perhaps not on the packed London bus that I am travelling on this morning.
So instead, I will leave you with perhaps my finest moment during this World Cup so far…
There I was, sitting in the pub for the first match against USA surrounded by enthusiastic, emotional boys. Halfway through I turned and asked the guy next to me if the goalies were Dutch as they were wearing orange…
Ho-hum!
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
'Bogus' subtitles!
This morning after a news bulletin on BBC breakfast about the BP oil disaster a single word was displayed on the TV screen - bogus! As it followed a sentence about BP hoping to stop the leak by August, I couldn't help wondering if maybe the subtitler knew something we didn't, and as a result, deaf people nationwide now know that the BBC subtitler, electronic or otherwise, thinks BP's claims are bogus...
Well isn't that just food for thought!
What gets me though is the order of the news stories at the moment – everywhere, not just on the BBC. The headlines go: football, football, football; oop Budget doom and gloom; oop oil spill; oop soldiers dying in Afghanistan… now tell me – isn’t there something wrong with that order?
Now, I'm not a football lover, I never have been. And while that doesn't mean I don't recognise the importance of the World Cup for football lovers, I am still left struggling to comprehend just why this takes precedence over important news that’s actually affecting the world!
And so far what I've managed to grasp from my football-orientated friends about the World Cup, is that they'd all quite like to change their nationality to Portuguese...
Anyway, tomorrow is THE match apparently, so it's probably not a good time to try and achieve any work – I’ve even heard some companies are closing up early, and in the ones that aren’t, the Internet connections are going to crash due to the high levels of live screening and oh crap... I've managed to write an entire blog about football.
Maybe it is headline news after all!!
Well isn't that just food for thought!
What gets me though is the order of the news stories at the moment – everywhere, not just on the BBC. The headlines go: football, football, football; oop Budget doom and gloom; oop oil spill; oop soldiers dying in Afghanistan… now tell me – isn’t there something wrong with that order?
Now, I'm not a football lover, I never have been. And while that doesn't mean I don't recognise the importance of the World Cup for football lovers, I am still left struggling to comprehend just why this takes precedence over important news that’s actually affecting the world!
And so far what I've managed to grasp from my football-orientated friends about the World Cup, is that they'd all quite like to change their nationality to Portuguese...
Anyway, tomorrow is THE match apparently, so it's probably not a good time to try and achieve any work – I’ve even heard some companies are closing up early, and in the ones that aren’t, the Internet connections are going to crash due to the high levels of live screening and oh crap... I've managed to write an entire blog about football.
Maybe it is headline news after all!!
Monday, 21 June 2010
Reading along to Calendar Girls
Wow, what an utterly brilliant weekend I had!
So much so, that I didn't want to leave, which resulted in my not getting back to London until gone 10pm last night.
I was in the Wild West erm... Country visiting Jenny M, who's a hotshot theatre director don't you know.
Summer, with it's deluge of open-air plays, and unfortunately rain, is her busiest time, so I thought I'd squeeze in a quick visit before she became too caught up in cider, musketeers and Canterbury tales!!
We also decided last minute to go and watch Calendar Girls, which was showing at a theatre nearby. It wasn't captioned, so I was a bit worried about hearing any of it, but we had amazing seats six rows from the front so was a little bit hopeful might get something, so we took the plunge and bought the tickets.
But then I came to my senses and remembered I was deaf! Deaf! Unable to hear!
And so instead I asked Jenny M to use her excellent contacts and see if she could get me a script to read along to.
She wasn't hopeful as apparently, theatre scripts are closely-guarded things and no one likes to part with theirs – and I remember The Girl That Can't Help Knit saying something similar, too.
But by some miracle, the crew had several non-closely guarded scripts and, as a result were happy to give me one to follow.
And what a difference it made!
OK, so it meant I was looking down more than up most of the time but without it, I would have been asleep in my seat within 10 minutes as a result of the exaggerated Northern accents.
To be fair though, it was still fabulous, funny and all in all, a bit of a tearjerker, with a recognisable, in a don’t-I-know-you-from-somewhere way, cast, including Madge from Neighbours, Inspector Monroe from The Bill, somebody's wife from Only Fools and Horses, Charlie Dimmock from Ground Force and Dennis Waterman's daughter!
And when wandering around backstage afterwards, bumping into them, they all seemed rather lovely, too.
It did get me thinking though, I wonder if other deaf people would be happy to read along to a personal script in the event of subtitles not being available – I know I would always jump at the chance. And if they were, would the theatre companies consider having a couple of scripts spare that, on request could be loaned out with a deposit for the evening?
It would be amazing if this could happen. I could go to the theatre every night, instead of whenever Stagetext is there.
Don't get me wrong though, Stagetext is still royalty to me, but after finding out just how much time and energy goes into Stagetext’s attendances at performances, I'm not surprised it isn't able to do more.
So isn't this a lovely back-up plan?
What do you think?
So much so, that I didn't want to leave, which resulted in my not getting back to London until gone 10pm last night.
I was in the Wild West erm... Country visiting Jenny M, who's a hotshot theatre director don't you know.
Summer, with it's deluge of open-air plays, and unfortunately rain, is her busiest time, so I thought I'd squeeze in a quick visit before she became too caught up in cider, musketeers and Canterbury tales!!
We also decided last minute to go and watch Calendar Girls, which was showing at a theatre nearby. It wasn't captioned, so I was a bit worried about hearing any of it, but we had amazing seats six rows from the front so was a little bit hopeful might get something, so we took the plunge and bought the tickets.
But then I came to my senses and remembered I was deaf! Deaf! Unable to hear!
And so instead I asked Jenny M to use her excellent contacts and see if she could get me a script to read along to.
She wasn't hopeful as apparently, theatre scripts are closely-guarded things and no one likes to part with theirs – and I remember The Girl That Can't Help Knit saying something similar, too.
But by some miracle, the crew had several non-closely guarded scripts and, as a result were happy to give me one to follow.
And what a difference it made!
OK, so it meant I was looking down more than up most of the time but without it, I would have been asleep in my seat within 10 minutes as a result of the exaggerated Northern accents.
To be fair though, it was still fabulous, funny and all in all, a bit of a tearjerker, with a recognisable, in a don’t-I-know-you-from-somewhere way, cast, including Madge from Neighbours, Inspector Monroe from The Bill, somebody's wife from Only Fools and Horses, Charlie Dimmock from Ground Force and Dennis Waterman's daughter!
And when wandering around backstage afterwards, bumping into them, they all seemed rather lovely, too.
It did get me thinking though, I wonder if other deaf people would be happy to read along to a personal script in the event of subtitles not being available – I know I would always jump at the chance. And if they were, would the theatre companies consider having a couple of scripts spare that, on request could be loaned out with a deposit for the evening?
It would be amazing if this could happen. I could go to the theatre every night, instead of whenever Stagetext is there.
Don't get me wrong though, Stagetext is still royalty to me, but after finding out just how much time and energy goes into Stagetext’s attendances at performances, I'm not surprised it isn't able to do more.
So isn't this a lovely back-up plan?
What do you think?
Friday, 18 June 2010
Just a dream… phew!
Before I go info Thankful Friday, I just have to get the hideous nightmare I had last night off my chest. It was so horrible that it actually woke me up as I sat bolt upright in bed with fear.
So there I was on my way to work and the traffic was terrible. I got out to walk the rest of the way, Ma was with me, when all of a sudden we noticed people watching the skyline. London was on fire. What's more, the sky resembled a Space Invaders video game, with rockets, spaceships and planes left right and centre crashing out of the sky.
In my dream, I got out my iPhone and hit Sky News, where it said that London was under attack. Ma and I were running for cover in the park as debris scattered all around us.
And then, as it was a dream, I was magically somehow at work, London was still on fire and Gym Buddy was the only other person in the office.
Suddenly ash started to fall in vast quantities and the room went black as it coated the office windows.
And that is where I woke up. Completely freaked out, praying it really was a dream and not some weird parallel universe.
So this means I have been awake since 6am, which isn't making me very thankful on this Thankful Friday. But what I am thankful about, is that last night really was just a dream, and this morning on my bus to work, London was as it should be – dirty, smelly, clogged up with traffic but utterly fabulous all the same!
So there I was on my way to work and the traffic was terrible. I got out to walk the rest of the way, Ma was with me, when all of a sudden we noticed people watching the skyline. London was on fire. What's more, the sky resembled a Space Invaders video game, with rockets, spaceships and planes left right and centre crashing out of the sky.
In my dream, I got out my iPhone and hit Sky News, where it said that London was under attack. Ma and I were running for cover in the park as debris scattered all around us.
And then, as it was a dream, I was magically somehow at work, London was still on fire and Gym Buddy was the only other person in the office.
Suddenly ash started to fall in vast quantities and the room went black as it coated the office windows.
And that is where I woke up. Completely freaked out, praying it really was a dream and not some weird parallel universe.
So this means I have been awake since 6am, which isn't making me very thankful on this Thankful Friday. But what I am thankful about, is that last night really was just a dream, and this morning on my bus to work, London was as it should be – dirty, smelly, clogged up with traffic but utterly fabulous all the same!
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Missing Fab Friend
Sun shining? Tick
DG wearing a coat? Tick!
I know! Ridiculous huh? I'm surrounded by people in vest tops and cotton skirts and I'm sat here in jeans and a coat and scarf – albeit a lightweight one!
I quite simply just don't get hot – except in direct sunlight, but usually, before I get too hot, I will have passed out from sunstroke instead.
Rarely is there a day when I don't leave the house without at least three layers on! One ex-boyfriend even likened my outfits to a game of pass the parcel!
*blush
I wonder if it's actually that I am afraid of being cold – something maybe to do with being stuck in a car on a mountain in the snow as a child maybe – and therefore I do everything in my power not to be.
I mean take yesterday for example, it was warm in the sun, but there was a bitter wind. Whenever the wind blew, I kept thinking, ‘Oh, I wish I had my down jacket on’ – when it was 21 degrees – whereas the rest of the population was probably thinking, ‘oh, a cool refreshing breeze – how fabulous!’
Anyway, today is the day before the weekend nearly begins, which can only be a good thing. It is also the day before Fab Friend's birthday.
Happy Early Birthday Fab Friend!
I'm missing Fab Friend a lot. But so long as she is happy in the Wild West erm... Country with Country Boy 2, then I am happy, too!
And on that note, I must email her to check how her search for Country Boy 3 is going...
Teehee!
DG wearing a coat? Tick!
I know! Ridiculous huh? I'm surrounded by people in vest tops and cotton skirts and I'm sat here in jeans and a coat and scarf – albeit a lightweight one!
I quite simply just don't get hot – except in direct sunlight, but usually, before I get too hot, I will have passed out from sunstroke instead.
Rarely is there a day when I don't leave the house without at least three layers on! One ex-boyfriend even likened my outfits to a game of pass the parcel!
*blush
I wonder if it's actually that I am afraid of being cold – something maybe to do with being stuck in a car on a mountain in the snow as a child maybe – and therefore I do everything in my power not to be.
I mean take yesterday for example, it was warm in the sun, but there was a bitter wind. Whenever the wind blew, I kept thinking, ‘Oh, I wish I had my down jacket on’ – when it was 21 degrees – whereas the rest of the population was probably thinking, ‘oh, a cool refreshing breeze – how fabulous!’
Anyway, today is the day before the weekend nearly begins, which can only be a good thing. It is also the day before Fab Friend's birthday.
Happy Early Birthday Fab Friend!
I'm missing Fab Friend a lot. But so long as she is happy in the Wild West erm... Country with Country Boy 2, then I am happy, too!
And on that note, I must email her to check how her search for Country Boy 3 is going...
Teehee!
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Subtitled SATC2 – finally!!!!!!!
Last night, with Fab Friend's permission to go without her due to geographical differences, I went to see Sex & The City 2 with subtitles with Friend Who Knows Big Words.
I was very excited, and FWKBW did a noble job of putting up with me bounding along on the way there like an excitable puppy, buying every snack known to man, and getting impatient through the non-subtitled trailers.
You see, the cinema for me is such a rare experience, that I like to do everything related to it. The too-much food that you eat anyway, the drink on the side, etc etc – it's all part of my night out.
So anyway, we sat down in our prime seats and the night began – loudly. During the trailers I turned to FWKBW and asked her if the cinema was usually this loud.
She shook her head and then started laughing at me! 'Maybe you should tell them you’re deaf and that the movie is too loud!' she said chuckling at the prospect.
And the idea of that made me giggle. But it also made me wonder whether they do turn up subtitled films louder with the view that people with a hearing loss might be watching them.
At last night’s screening, I think I was in a deaf minority – most people seemed to need the subtitles because they were foreign, and the girls next to us didn’t even seem to know they were at a subtitled showing until the movie began and the subtitles came up!
Their looks of horror were hilarious.
And what of the long-awaited second Sex & The City? Well, I loved it – apart from the scene in the market where Samantha goes berserk over her Birkin. That had me hiding behind my snacks and wishing the ground would open up and swallow her.
My only gripe? Well, that we don’t get to enjoy all those storylines over an entire series anymore…
I’d have loved to see the nanny storyline developed and Miranda’s work situation explored but with the constraints of a 2-and-a-bit hour-long movie, that was always going to be hard.
For all the SATC sceptics out there who’ve chosen to slate the movie, if you hate it that much why bother to go in the first place? I mean, I hate Star Wars, so if a new movie came out, I just wouldn’t bother to go and see it – simple! And I certainly wouldn’t slate it on those grounds, which is what many of the critics seem to be doing.
SATC doesn’t promise to carry an important message, it doesn’t promise to change your life, it doesn’t promise much except to continue updating SATC fans everywhere on the lives of the four women we came to know and love when it was on TV. If you’re one of those women, they you will probably take the cringesome moments of the movie with a pinch of salt.
If you’re not, then go and see something else, unless you’re deaf of course, and nothing else is subtitled that night!
I was very excited, and FWKBW did a noble job of putting up with me bounding along on the way there like an excitable puppy, buying every snack known to man, and getting impatient through the non-subtitled trailers.
You see, the cinema for me is such a rare experience, that I like to do everything related to it. The too-much food that you eat anyway, the drink on the side, etc etc – it's all part of my night out.
So anyway, we sat down in our prime seats and the night began – loudly. During the trailers I turned to FWKBW and asked her if the cinema was usually this loud.
She shook her head and then started laughing at me! 'Maybe you should tell them you’re deaf and that the movie is too loud!' she said chuckling at the prospect.
And the idea of that made me giggle. But it also made me wonder whether they do turn up subtitled films louder with the view that people with a hearing loss might be watching them.
At last night’s screening, I think I was in a deaf minority – most people seemed to need the subtitles because they were foreign, and the girls next to us didn’t even seem to know they were at a subtitled showing until the movie began and the subtitles came up!
Their looks of horror were hilarious.
And what of the long-awaited second Sex & The City? Well, I loved it – apart from the scene in the market where Samantha goes berserk over her Birkin. That had me hiding behind my snacks and wishing the ground would open up and swallow her.
My only gripe? Well, that we don’t get to enjoy all those storylines over an entire series anymore…
I’d have loved to see the nanny storyline developed and Miranda’s work situation explored but with the constraints of a 2-and-a-bit hour-long movie, that was always going to be hard.
For all the SATC sceptics out there who’ve chosen to slate the movie, if you hate it that much why bother to go in the first place? I mean, I hate Star Wars, so if a new movie came out, I just wouldn’t bother to go and see it – simple! And I certainly wouldn’t slate it on those grounds, which is what many of the critics seem to be doing.
SATC doesn’t promise to carry an important message, it doesn’t promise to change your life, it doesn’t promise much except to continue updating SATC fans everywhere on the lives of the four women we came to know and love when it was on TV. If you’re one of those women, they you will probably take the cringesome moments of the movie with a pinch of salt.
If you’re not, then go and see something else, unless you’re deaf of course, and nothing else is subtitled that night!
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Good erm... vibrations!
Phew, Monday was manic...
So no blog from me!
I hate it when I don't get to blog on the bus in the morning, but yesterday morning, I spent the entire journey deleting 400 emails from my Hotmail account after my iPhone died, had to be restored and then failed to sync properly...
Harumph!
Anyway, this week, I am back to running properly again. I’ve regained the spring in my step – turns out the trick is to go to bed at 10.30 and also some new batteries in my vibrating alarm clock.
Recently, it just hasn’t been doing the wake-up thing as well as it used to. I mean, sure, it’s been shiggling me awake gently but not the full-on erm… earth-moving (no rude thoughts please) vibrations I normally get.
So this morning at 6am, it went off. I flew out of bed thinking the end of the world was coming, before remembering that I had in fact replaced the batteries of my alarm clock, and this meant I had time to go running. What’s more, the adrenaline from the alarm clock episode propelled me around my usual route faster as well.
So this weekend, I am catching up with Jenny M. I haven’t seen her for absolutely ages and so we’re planning lots of fun things, including a trip to the theatre to watch Calendar Girls. It’s not subtitled but I am going to watch the movie to refresh my memory and I am also going to wear my hearing aids and rent one of those audio things from the box office on my way in.
I’ve never found them helpful before, but there’s always a first time.
Now all I’ve got to do is find some hearing-aid batteries in my kitchen drawer that aren’t out of date, so my hearing aids actually work… I’ve also got to find my hearing aids.
Um… time for a trip to the audiology clinic I think!
So no blog from me!
I hate it when I don't get to blog on the bus in the morning, but yesterday morning, I spent the entire journey deleting 400 emails from my Hotmail account after my iPhone died, had to be restored and then failed to sync properly...
Harumph!
Anyway, this week, I am back to running properly again. I’ve regained the spring in my step – turns out the trick is to go to bed at 10.30 and also some new batteries in my vibrating alarm clock.
Recently, it just hasn’t been doing the wake-up thing as well as it used to. I mean, sure, it’s been shiggling me awake gently but not the full-on erm… earth-moving (no rude thoughts please) vibrations I normally get.
So this morning at 6am, it went off. I flew out of bed thinking the end of the world was coming, before remembering that I had in fact replaced the batteries of my alarm clock, and this meant I had time to go running. What’s more, the adrenaline from the alarm clock episode propelled me around my usual route faster as well.
So this weekend, I am catching up with Jenny M. I haven’t seen her for absolutely ages and so we’re planning lots of fun things, including a trip to the theatre to watch Calendar Girls. It’s not subtitled but I am going to watch the movie to refresh my memory and I am also going to wear my hearing aids and rent one of those audio things from the box office on my way in.
I’ve never found them helpful before, but there’s always a first time.
Now all I’ve got to do is find some hearing-aid batteries in my kitchen drawer that aren’t out of date, so my hearing aids actually work… I’ve also got to find my hearing aids.
Um… time for a trip to the audiology clinic I think!
Friday, 11 June 2010
Les Miserables again! Whoop
Hurrah, today is Thankful Friday and I'm thankful that true colours have been revealed this week.
You know when you're on the fence about something, unsure, but you can't put your fingers on what the problem is? Well, now I can! And I'm taking steps to eradicate the negative energy from my life!
Er… anyway, onto more sane topics, I am also thankful that I have a fun weekend planned, starting with seeing Miss K tonight, who I haven't seen for ages.
I will also be seeing The Singing Swede, Gingerbread Man and Friend Who Knows Big Words at some point, too.
And speaking of Friend Who Knows Big Words, I finally booked her 30th birthday present yesterday.
Turns out, she's always wanted to see Les Miserables, one of my favourite musicals, but with no subtitled performance until later in the year, and FWKBW's penchant for travel, I wanted to book it pronto.
So I emailed the box office, explained my deafness and would it be possible to get seats nearer the front to I could lipread and a lovely lady replied that ‘Yes, I could, and that I could have these premium seats for just £20 each!’
Amazing!
It's this kind of thing that makes me realise there are people on your side. People who realise that we do need seats near the front of things but can't afford premium rates – especially if there aren’t many subtitled showings.
It never fails to give me a big grin on my face when something lovely like this happens.
What amazing discounts and deals have you found for deaf people?
Let’s spread the word here!
You know when you're on the fence about something, unsure, but you can't put your fingers on what the problem is? Well, now I can! And I'm taking steps to eradicate the negative energy from my life!
Er… anyway, onto more sane topics, I am also thankful that I have a fun weekend planned, starting with seeing Miss K tonight, who I haven't seen for ages.
I will also be seeing The Singing Swede, Gingerbread Man and Friend Who Knows Big Words at some point, too.
And speaking of Friend Who Knows Big Words, I finally booked her 30th birthday present yesterday.
Turns out, she's always wanted to see Les Miserables, one of my favourite musicals, but with no subtitled performance until later in the year, and FWKBW's penchant for travel, I wanted to book it pronto.
So I emailed the box office, explained my deafness and would it be possible to get seats nearer the front to I could lipread and a lovely lady replied that ‘Yes, I could, and that I could have these premium seats for just £20 each!’
Amazing!
It's this kind of thing that makes me realise there are people on your side. People who realise that we do need seats near the front of things but can't afford premium rates – especially if there aren’t many subtitled showings.
It never fails to give me a big grin on my face when something lovely like this happens.
What amazing discounts and deals have you found for deaf people?
Let’s spread the word here!
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Too deaf for the gym?!
Hurray! Last night we won the pub quiz!
We came joint first with another team and lost on the tie-break question. But I was actually happier with my runner-up prize of a pint glass than I would have been with the free wine.
Anyway, people who follow me on Twitter will know that yesterday I joined a gym with Gym Buddy.
Since our last gym got shut down to make way for the still-non-existent Crossrail, we haven't exactly been gym buddies so we were thrilled at the prospect of this happening again.
On the back of the registration form was a health questionnaire and when it asked if I was deaf or hard of hearing, I naturally ticked the box.
I also checked whether they offered any discounts for deaf people. They did not, which I didn't mind about, but it's always worth asking.
Anyway on returning to work, I had an email from the gym asking me to provide a doctor's note regarding my deafness.
Erm...
So I wrote back and reminded them that deafness is not a physical disability and that I have never even spoken to my current GP about it.
They replied that they needed confirmation from my doctor that as a deaf person it was safe for me to exercise.
I felt annoyed, mildly insulted, and completely inconvenienced, as this means asking one of my friends to call my doctor to request a note, as funnily enough I can't do this myself.
Intrigued as to whether any other deaf people had been asked to do this, I announced the situation on Twitter and the support I got was amazing, proving that I wasn't being difficult about the whole thing and the gym really is being out of order.
So cross was I that I emailed the Equality and Human Rights Commission about it and I’m really hoping I get a reply, as otherwise I can't see any other solution than to ask a GP who doesn't know anything about my hearing to declare me safe to exercise.
I mean last time I saw any GP about my deafness was to ask for a referral so I could get on the list for my local audiology clinic.
The first thing he said was, ‘Now let's just check it's not caused by wax in your ears.’
I was 24! I'd already been deaf for 24 years, eight of them severely...
If wax was the problem, don't you think someone else would have worked that out before.
Oooh, I am just so mad about this whole thing. About the fact that people are so ignorant they think deafness makes it dangerous to exercise.
I can tell you what will make it dangerous for me to exercise at that gym, and that will be my high blood pressure caused by the rage they have sparked within me.
Maybe I should get a doctor's note for that too!
We came joint first with another team and lost on the tie-break question. But I was actually happier with my runner-up prize of a pint glass than I would have been with the free wine.
Anyway, people who follow me on Twitter will know that yesterday I joined a gym with Gym Buddy.
Since our last gym got shut down to make way for the still-non-existent Crossrail, we haven't exactly been gym buddies so we were thrilled at the prospect of this happening again.
On the back of the registration form was a health questionnaire and when it asked if I was deaf or hard of hearing, I naturally ticked the box.
I also checked whether they offered any discounts for deaf people. They did not, which I didn't mind about, but it's always worth asking.
Anyway on returning to work, I had an email from the gym asking me to provide a doctor's note regarding my deafness.
Erm...
So I wrote back and reminded them that deafness is not a physical disability and that I have never even spoken to my current GP about it.
They replied that they needed confirmation from my doctor that as a deaf person it was safe for me to exercise.
I felt annoyed, mildly insulted, and completely inconvenienced, as this means asking one of my friends to call my doctor to request a note, as funnily enough I can't do this myself.
Intrigued as to whether any other deaf people had been asked to do this, I announced the situation on Twitter and the support I got was amazing, proving that I wasn't being difficult about the whole thing and the gym really is being out of order.
So cross was I that I emailed the Equality and Human Rights Commission about it and I’m really hoping I get a reply, as otherwise I can't see any other solution than to ask a GP who doesn't know anything about my hearing to declare me safe to exercise.
I mean last time I saw any GP about my deafness was to ask for a referral so I could get on the list for my local audiology clinic.
The first thing he said was, ‘Now let's just check it's not caused by wax in your ears.’
I was 24! I'd already been deaf for 24 years, eight of them severely...
If wax was the problem, don't you think someone else would have worked that out before.
Oooh, I am just so mad about this whole thing. About the fact that people are so ignorant they think deafness makes it dangerous to exercise.
I can tell you what will make it dangerous for me to exercise at that gym, and that will be my high blood pressure caused by the rage they have sparked within me.
Maybe I should get a doctor's note for that too!
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
A mishearing mishap
Well, this morning I had a fun time getting to work. It was pouring with rain and there was a busload of people at my bus stop with no bus. Literally masses of them.
When public transport stuffs up in London, it really makes you aware of the volume of people who travel in rush hour in the city every day. I mean that's not even taking into account the people on the tube.
Once on the bus, we passed bus stop after bus stop of people all clamouring to squeeze themselves onto the teeniest last available space. It was not great. After a while, my bus driver gave up and just sailed passed the crowd-riddled stops, which actually meant I got to work earlier than usual!
Yay!
So, last night I had a great climb with Flo, who in spite of demonic hay fever came all the way to meet me and climbed brilliantly.
I however, seemed to have left my technique at the door! Seriously, at one point, as I was perched on a ledge in a position resembling that of a can-canning crab, I wondered if I had actually been climbing before!
Flo was great about my sanity lapse and made me redo routes I'd previously stuffed up, to remind me to do what I was meant to do, rather than scrabble up with the elegance of a drunken mountain goat.
Anyway, this morning, after arriving at work early, I got into the lift with two other people. As I was first in, it was my job to press the buttons and I asked them their floors:
Three and Six.
At level three, the doors opened and the woman in the lift said, ‘This isn’t my floor, I asked for two!’ before stomping out and muttering something about walking back down to the second floor.
‘I’m deaf!’ I wanted to scream, but she didn’t give me the chance. So I had an excruciating elevator ride, glowing red right to the tips of my ears, with the guy who was going to the sixth floor. He was probably wondering if he was in the lift with a primitive life form. And if he’d seen me in action at the climbing wall last night, he’d probably have been right!
When public transport stuffs up in London, it really makes you aware of the volume of people who travel in rush hour in the city every day. I mean that's not even taking into account the people on the tube.
Once on the bus, we passed bus stop after bus stop of people all clamouring to squeeze themselves onto the teeniest last available space. It was not great. After a while, my bus driver gave up and just sailed passed the crowd-riddled stops, which actually meant I got to work earlier than usual!
Yay!
So, last night I had a great climb with Flo, who in spite of demonic hay fever came all the way to meet me and climbed brilliantly.
I however, seemed to have left my technique at the door! Seriously, at one point, as I was perched on a ledge in a position resembling that of a can-canning crab, I wondered if I had actually been climbing before!
Flo was great about my sanity lapse and made me redo routes I'd previously stuffed up, to remind me to do what I was meant to do, rather than scrabble up with the elegance of a drunken mountain goat.
Anyway, this morning, after arriving at work early, I got into the lift with two other people. As I was first in, it was my job to press the buttons and I asked them their floors:
Three and Six.
At level three, the doors opened and the woman in the lift said, ‘This isn’t my floor, I asked for two!’ before stomping out and muttering something about walking back down to the second floor.
‘I’m deaf!’ I wanted to scream, but she didn’t give me the chance. So I had an excruciating elevator ride, glowing red right to the tips of my ears, with the guy who was going to the sixth floor. He was probably wondering if he was in the lift with a primitive life form. And if he’d seen me in action at the climbing wall last night, he’d probably have been right!
Monday, 7 June 2010
Meeting Speak Up Librarian!!!!!
After a week off, I'm hoping it won't be too difficult to kickstart my brain into action today. It was smart enough to hit snooze on my alarm clock a bunch of times this morning so hopefully, it'll be smart enough to do what it's paid to do.
Anyway, my lovely week with The Rents went very well – from the ballet at Covent Garden to walks in the sunshine –I think we all had a good time. And, after they left to go home yesterday, I went into town to meet an American in London – a fellow deaf blogger called Speak Up Librarian.
We met last year through our blogs and when she mentioned she was coming on holiday to London with her son, The Chatterbox, I jumped at the chance to meet her.
And it was lovely. We had dinner, chatted about our writing, and she told me about some of the other deaf bloggers she had met up with since she arrived.
I was sad to say goodbye too, especially as she lives so far away, but the great thing is that by reading each other's blogs, we'll know what the other one is up to until the next time we're in the same city.
Anyway, this blog is up somewhat later than usual today because I went on a lunchtime run with my colleague The Triathlete at lunchtime. Honestly, I was dreading it, as my running has somewhat fallen by the wayside recently. But honestly – I loved it!
Four miles later and I felt invigorated and swept out my Monday Grump. Hurray!
We’re going to make a regular thing of it, along with The Lawyer and have vowed to spur each other on.
It’s nice to have my interest in running renewed – just in time for summer to try and shift some of my double-figure figure back into single figures again!
Bring it on!
Anyway, my lovely week with The Rents went very well – from the ballet at Covent Garden to walks in the sunshine –I think we all had a good time. And, after they left to go home yesterday, I went into town to meet an American in London – a fellow deaf blogger called Speak Up Librarian.
We met last year through our blogs and when she mentioned she was coming on holiday to London with her son, The Chatterbox, I jumped at the chance to meet her.
And it was lovely. We had dinner, chatted about our writing, and she told me about some of the other deaf bloggers she had met up with since she arrived.
I was sad to say goodbye too, especially as she lives so far away, but the great thing is that by reading each other's blogs, we'll know what the other one is up to until the next time we're in the same city.
Anyway, this blog is up somewhat later than usual today because I went on a lunchtime run with my colleague The Triathlete at lunchtime. Honestly, I was dreading it, as my running has somewhat fallen by the wayside recently. But honestly – I loved it!
Four miles later and I felt invigorated and swept out my Monday Grump. Hurray!
We’re going to make a regular thing of it, along with The Lawyer and have vowed to spur each other on.
It’s nice to have my interest in running renewed – just in time for summer to try and shift some of my double-figure figure back into single figures again!
Bring it on!
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Making things better for my deaf Ma
Coming home last night in the pouring rain, late, after a brilliant night out with Gym Buddy, I found out that my garden gate is the main route of neighbourhood snails on their evening strolls. And I discovered this because, as I put my hand on the gate to open it, two came off into my palm, while another hit my shoe.
Now, if there's one thing I hate, even more than the subtitles breaking during Top Gear – which is quite something, it's snails.
Indeed, until last night, I'm not sure I'd even touched one in all my life. And now, I had two, in my hand.
It was after midnight and I was conscious that screaming wasn't the wisest of options, so instead, I flailed about wildly, sending my two snails into orbit and sensing some crunching between my jigging feet.
Worse still was the fact that I then had to get up the garden path, which, now my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, resembled the snail equivilent of the M25 in rush hour. And I was probably about to cause the most almighty pile up.
I finally made it inside and washed my hands twice, but even now, just thinking about the whole episode causes my left hand to spasm involuntarily .
But it got me thinking about fears and how bizarre they can be. I mean, let's face it, unless I ate them raw - putting myself at risk of lungworm - there was very little harm those poor snails could have done to me, and yet they had me more panicked than a cat on a hot tin roof.
In contrast, once home and sat on my sofa with a humungous cup of restorative tea – wild life I live – a huge spider popped out from under my TV cabinet and this didn't phase me one bit. And I'm reckoning spiders probably bump off a whole lot more people than snails do on an annual basis.
Anyway, on another note, my Ma is coming to stay for some her half term today. She's going to help me with some DIY and we're going to watch London Cousin 2 play in her tennis tournament. I can't wait.
I'm also going to look at booking my Ma onto some lipreading courses to help her with her deafness.
While Ma going deaf has been tough for her, it has a bizarre experience for me. I have found myself at a loss how to advise her. And it was then I realized how lucky I was to go deaf younger.
I learnt the skill of lipreading automatically, I have an amazing support network of friends ready to make important calls for me, and it's second nature for me to let people know I can't hear.
For Ma, it's not second nature. She can't lipread and she's still expected to make the same phonecalls she always has. And the difference too? She's has 50 years of hearing. I had 6, maybe 7 at a push, so I don't really known what I am missing.
There has to be a way to make this better for my Ma, the same way she tried to find ways to make it better me all those years ago.
So I'm going to find it…
Now, if there's one thing I hate, even more than the subtitles breaking during Top Gear – which is quite something, it's snails.
Indeed, until last night, I'm not sure I'd even touched one in all my life. And now, I had two, in my hand.
It was after midnight and I was conscious that screaming wasn't the wisest of options, so instead, I flailed about wildly, sending my two snails into orbit and sensing some crunching between my jigging feet.
Worse still was the fact that I then had to get up the garden path, which, now my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, resembled the snail equivilent of the M25 in rush hour. And I was probably about to cause the most almighty pile up.
I finally made it inside and washed my hands twice, but even now, just thinking about the whole episode causes my left hand to spasm involuntarily .
But it got me thinking about fears and how bizarre they can be. I mean, let's face it, unless I ate them raw - putting myself at risk of lungworm - there was very little harm those poor snails could have done to me, and yet they had me more panicked than a cat on a hot tin roof.
In contrast, once home and sat on my sofa with a humungous cup of restorative tea – wild life I live – a huge spider popped out from under my TV cabinet and this didn't phase me one bit. And I'm reckoning spiders probably bump off a whole lot more people than snails do on an annual basis.
Anyway, on another note, my Ma is coming to stay for some her half term today. She's going to help me with some DIY and we're going to watch London Cousin 2 play in her tennis tournament. I can't wait.
I'm also going to look at booking my Ma onto some lipreading courses to help her with her deafness.
While Ma going deaf has been tough for her, it has a bizarre experience for me. I have found myself at a loss how to advise her. And it was then I realized how lucky I was to go deaf younger.
I learnt the skill of lipreading automatically, I have an amazing support network of friends ready to make important calls for me, and it's second nature for me to let people know I can't hear.
For Ma, it's not second nature. She can't lipread and she's still expected to make the same phonecalls she always has. And the difference too? She's has 50 years of hearing. I had 6, maybe 7 at a push, so I don't really known what I am missing.
There has to be a way to make this better for my Ma, the same way she tried to find ways to make it better me all those years ago.
So I'm going to find it…
Friday, 28 May 2010
Sex & The City 2 with captions? HA!
Today is Thankful Friday, and aside from the fact that I've chosen to wear a dress that does a Marilyn in even the tiniest gust of wind, I have lots to be thankful for!
Most importantly, and excitedly, I am in the running to be a Superdrug Summer Insider again, after being invited to fight for my title.
Eek!
Am very happy about this, but nervous, too. After being sent a wonderful collection of goodies by the peeps at Superdrug, I put my first blog up yesterday, which you can see here at Superdrugloves.com.
Apparently, there's some Facebook thing on each post where you can ‘like’ my post, and the people with the most 'likes' go through to the Summer Insider 2010 competition.
So if you like my post, be sure to click on the thumbs up picture at the top, please!
Anyway, I got the listings for subtitles for Sex & The City 2 yesterday and I definitely wasn't thankful about them. In London, there are a pitiful amount of evening showings and only 13 cinemas in the whole of the London area in total showing it with subtitles.
Of these, only six are even vaguely convenient for me and of these 1 has an evening showing – and because I HAVE A LIFE, I am not free on this day. I could go to Electric Cinema in Notting Hill at 10am on Tuesday 1 June – except, no wait! I have a mortgage to pay and holiday days that need to be used for holidays not watching a movie that everyone else can see in their free time.
I don't understand!! Are deaf people not supposed to work or something? Is there some Government initiative that gives us the right to take paid time off to attend subtitled cinema screenings?
Well, to my knowledge, the answer is no. So I'd love to know what these cinemas are playing at.
My early readers will know that when the first movie came out, Fab Friend and I had to wait quite a few weeks for subtitles, but at least there was an evening showing. Ah that was great – we met for cocktails and half sobbed, half laughed our way through the entire thing!
I'd so love to do that again with Fab Friend – but it's not looking likely with the current listings.
*sniff
But I can't think about it too much or I'll get so mad I'll combust, and that wouldn't be a very good thing to happen on Thankful Friday.
So I'm going to take action. And at lunchtime I'm going to write to all the cinemas who are showing subtitled SATC 2 and ask them to explain why they don't think we deserve equal treatment.
I'm guessing, maybe a little cynically that money will be a factor here, but I'm not stopping until I get some answers.
I'll keep you posted!
Most importantly, and excitedly, I am in the running to be a Superdrug Summer Insider again, after being invited to fight for my title.
Eek!
Am very happy about this, but nervous, too. After being sent a wonderful collection of goodies by the peeps at Superdrug, I put my first blog up yesterday, which you can see here at Superdrugloves.com.
Apparently, there's some Facebook thing on each post where you can ‘like’ my post, and the people with the most 'likes' go through to the Summer Insider 2010 competition.
So if you like my post, be sure to click on the thumbs up picture at the top, please!
Anyway, I got the listings for subtitles for Sex & The City 2 yesterday and I definitely wasn't thankful about them. In London, there are a pitiful amount of evening showings and only 13 cinemas in the whole of the London area in total showing it with subtitles.
Of these, only six are even vaguely convenient for me and of these 1 has an evening showing – and because I HAVE A LIFE, I am not free on this day. I could go to Electric Cinema in Notting Hill at 10am on Tuesday 1 June – except, no wait! I have a mortgage to pay and holiday days that need to be used for holidays not watching a movie that everyone else can see in their free time.
I don't understand!! Are deaf people not supposed to work or something? Is there some Government initiative that gives us the right to take paid time off to attend subtitled cinema screenings?
Well, to my knowledge, the answer is no. So I'd love to know what these cinemas are playing at.
My early readers will know that when the first movie came out, Fab Friend and I had to wait quite a few weeks for subtitles, but at least there was an evening showing. Ah that was great – we met for cocktails and half sobbed, half laughed our way through the entire thing!
I'd so love to do that again with Fab Friend – but it's not looking likely with the current listings.
*sniff
But I can't think about it too much or I'll get so mad I'll combust, and that wouldn't be a very good thing to happen on Thankful Friday.
So I'm going to take action. And at lunchtime I'm going to write to all the cinemas who are showing subtitled SATC 2 and ask them to explain why they don't think we deserve equal treatment.
I'm guessing, maybe a little cynically that money will be a factor here, but I'm not stopping until I get some answers.
I'll keep you posted!
Thursday, 27 May 2010
My deafness wishlist
This morning on the bus to work, I saw a friend of mine who works for O2. He’s a great guy and always listens to my O2 rants with patience and helpful suggestions. So it was fab to let him know about my recent success with contacting O2 via the press office team on Twitter.
We chatted about technology for a while and this eventually turned into useful apps for my iPhone in terms of my deafness and other things I’d like to make life easier in my Hard-of-Hearing World.
When we were talking though, my mind went quite blank, but now I’ve had a chance to think a little bit more about it, it’s made me resolve to start compiling my Deafness Wishlist – things I want changed or services I’d like to see.
I mean I know I write about them often, but perhaps if I put them all in one place, it’ll make it easier when I bump into VIPs on the bus…
So here we go:
1. Subtitles at all cinemas for more than just one movie, at one time, once a week.
2. Accessibility email addresses for all major companies so we don’t have to call.
3. Email or online booking in all doctors’ surgeries and dentists.
4. Deaf plates for bicycles – they have these in Holland and I have one, although English drivers won’t have a clue what it means.
5. Subtitled announcements in train and tube stations.
6. All tube trains to have subtitled announcements so when stuck in a tunnel, we know what’s going on – the District line already has this.
7. Subtitled options on all movies and TV shows on iTunes.
8. Subtitled on the iPhone BBC iPlayer app.
9. Prettier vibrating alarm clocks.
10. An iPhone app that converts speech to text live – so if you’re in a meeting or at a non-subtitled, play it translates it for you.
11. An internet provider that gives deaf people a discount for their internet even if they don’t take a phone line.
12. All extras on DVDs to be subtitled.
13. Better live subtitles from the BBC. Am sick of reading ‘Urine for a nice sunny day’ when the weather forecast begins.
14. An app that links my iPhone to the unhearable things in my flat – such as the fire alarm, cooker alarm, door alarm, so it’s all in one useful place.
15. Birds that tweet lower! OK, this is one for Mother Nature, but I’d love to hear a robin sing just once.
16. Deaf-aware quiz masters in pubs. Admittedly I am normally very lucky with this, but when they’re bad, they’re very, very bad.
17. Subtitled exercise DVDs! Would love, love, love this as it’s quite hard to lipread someone when you’re bobbing about on the spot.
18. Ways to alter the pitch of the warning noises in my car.
19. More subtitled comedy shows – I know the Soho Theatre did one recently, but I want to be able to see any comedian and for some tech-savvy person to work out a way to subtitle them efficiently.
20. Deaf-friendly store alarms – am sick of setting them off and being pursued down the street by security, completely unaware I’ve done anything!
And that’s just the beginning. Please add you own at the end of this list, or let me know if you know something I don’t, and let’s see how many get ticked off by the end of this year. If just one or two could be achieved, I reckon I could live without a tenor-voiced robin – for now, anyway!!
We chatted about technology for a while and this eventually turned into useful apps for my iPhone in terms of my deafness and other things I’d like to make life easier in my Hard-of-Hearing World.
When we were talking though, my mind went quite blank, but now I’ve had a chance to think a little bit more about it, it’s made me resolve to start compiling my Deafness Wishlist – things I want changed or services I’d like to see.
I mean I know I write about them often, but perhaps if I put them all in one place, it’ll make it easier when I bump into VIPs on the bus…
So here we go:
1. Subtitles at all cinemas for more than just one movie, at one time, once a week.
2. Accessibility email addresses for all major companies so we don’t have to call.
3. Email or online booking in all doctors’ surgeries and dentists.
4. Deaf plates for bicycles – they have these in Holland and I have one, although English drivers won’t have a clue what it means.
5. Subtitled announcements in train and tube stations.
6. All tube trains to have subtitled announcements so when stuck in a tunnel, we know what’s going on – the District line already has this.
7. Subtitled options on all movies and TV shows on iTunes.
8. Subtitled on the iPhone BBC iPlayer app.
9. Prettier vibrating alarm clocks.
10. An iPhone app that converts speech to text live – so if you’re in a meeting or at a non-subtitled, play it translates it for you.
11. An internet provider that gives deaf people a discount for their internet even if they don’t take a phone line.
12. All extras on DVDs to be subtitled.
13. Better live subtitles from the BBC. Am sick of reading ‘Urine for a nice sunny day’ when the weather forecast begins.
14. An app that links my iPhone to the unhearable things in my flat – such as the fire alarm, cooker alarm, door alarm, so it’s all in one useful place.
15. Birds that tweet lower! OK, this is one for Mother Nature, but I’d love to hear a robin sing just once.
16. Deaf-aware quiz masters in pubs. Admittedly I am normally very lucky with this, but when they’re bad, they’re very, very bad.
17. Subtitled exercise DVDs! Would love, love, love this as it’s quite hard to lipread someone when you’re bobbing about on the spot.
18. Ways to alter the pitch of the warning noises in my car.
19. More subtitled comedy shows – I know the Soho Theatre did one recently, but I want to be able to see any comedian and for some tech-savvy person to work out a way to subtitle them efficiently.
20. Deaf-friendly store alarms – am sick of setting them off and being pursued down the street by security, completely unaware I’ve done anything!
And that’s just the beginning. Please add you own at the end of this list, or let me know if you know something I don’t, and let’s see how many get ticked off by the end of this year. If just one or two could be achieved, I reckon I could live without a tenor-voiced robin – for now, anyway!!
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Waking up on the wrong side of my vibrating alarm clock
And it's back to being chilly again!
Gah!
This however provides me with excellent people watching opportunties on my bus to work this morning.
The lady next to me is in full on winter garb, while the woman in front is in a floaty white dress and gladiator sandals. I'm kind of a mix in between, of lots layers that can be removed when I suddenly find myself sat on top of a heater on the bus, like right now! I'm not kidding! It's tropical in here, and the full-on winter garb woman is starting to wilt.
The traffic is terrible as well today. And I know for a fact that the local tube line is stuffed, which means any moment now, there'll be a deluge of tube commuters boarding my bus, with no understanding of bus etiquette, standing on the top deck until the computerized woman has a total meltdown from repeating 'No standing on the upper deck or stairs please' fifty times over!
Phew, do you know, I think I got up on the wrong side of bed this morning. I definitely woke up on the wrong side. Upside down to be precise. Head under my Cath Kidston quilt and vibrating alarm clock between my toes.
Harumph!
I think it's probably just that I'm tired and behind in my household chores, and in need of a holiday, but I miss waking up and throwing on my running gear and embracing the day. Right now the only thing moving at anything faster than snails pace in the morning is my vibrating alarm clock as I hurl it against the wall.
However, on arriving at work, I was helped slightly out of my grump by the arrival of a parcel from Superdrug. I’ve been invited to fight for my Ultimate Summer Insider title over the coming months and can’t wait to get started. Having just had a disaster with the mascara they sent me though, I think I’d better get to work immediately!
Keep a look out at Superdrugloves.com for my latest post.
Gah!
This however provides me with excellent people watching opportunties on my bus to work this morning.
The lady next to me is in full on winter garb, while the woman in front is in a floaty white dress and gladiator sandals. I'm kind of a mix in between, of lots layers that can be removed when I suddenly find myself sat on top of a heater on the bus, like right now! I'm not kidding! It's tropical in here, and the full-on winter garb woman is starting to wilt.
The traffic is terrible as well today. And I know for a fact that the local tube line is stuffed, which means any moment now, there'll be a deluge of tube commuters boarding my bus, with no understanding of bus etiquette, standing on the top deck until the computerized woman has a total meltdown from repeating 'No standing on the upper deck or stairs please' fifty times over!
Phew, do you know, I think I got up on the wrong side of bed this morning. I definitely woke up on the wrong side. Upside down to be precise. Head under my Cath Kidston quilt and vibrating alarm clock between my toes.
Harumph!
I think it's probably just that I'm tired and behind in my household chores, and in need of a holiday, but I miss waking up and throwing on my running gear and embracing the day. Right now the only thing moving at anything faster than snails pace in the morning is my vibrating alarm clock as I hurl it against the wall.
However, on arriving at work, I was helped slightly out of my grump by the arrival of a parcel from Superdrug. I’ve been invited to fight for my Ultimate Summer Insider title over the coming months and can’t wait to get started. Having just had a disaster with the mascara they sent me though, I think I’d better get to work immediately!
Keep a look out at Superdrugloves.com for my latest post.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Subtitles on my iPhone
Phew! What a fabulous weekend of weather we had!
First Ever Friend and her Ma came over from Switzerland to visit, which was great fun. The Rents joined us and we went to Kew Gardens in the baking Sunday heat. It was amazing but very, very hot!
I'm not good in the sun. I require factor-50 sun cream and a big sun hat. If I'm not watered regularly I keel over, too. So Sunday was spent looking like a dessert dweller, shrouded in a lightweight scarf and sheltered by a big straw hat that I bought in the men’s' department at Debenhams.
Anyway, yesterday I booked my first ever cab online. And it didn't go well.
With a BBQ at Gym Buddy's house, we decided to travel there in style rather than throwing ourselves on the hot, rammed, smelly, unreliable tube. It couldn't have been easier to book and I got quite excited about the thought of having this online booking service at my fingertips no matter where I was in London.
So we waited, and a text came through saying the cab was 20 minutes late. We waited for 20 minutes and no cab arrived. So I tried to call them but couldn't hear clearly enough. In the end, Gym Buddy took over and when it became apparent that our car might never turn up, she cancelled it, before securing me a full refund and politely having a go at the clueless woman at the other end!!
It was so frustrating. Like a half-finished convenient service for deaf people.
One thing I am very excited about though is a new application I have discovered for my iPhone called ‘Subtitles’. This allows you to download subtitles for movies and then read along from the screen as the movie plays on the TV. The first thing I did was check if there was subtitles for Withnail And I – London Aunt’s favourite movie – and there was. She has been trying to watch it with me for years and the DVD isn’t subtitled. But now, I have the subtitles downloaded onto my phone so we can finally watch it together.
I’m hoping that the new Sex & The City movie subtitles will be added onto it relatively soon so that I can go to that as soon as possible instead of waiting for a subtitled showing. It would be amazing! Just think, subtitles at the cinema without being at the mercy of the scheduling people.
Subtitles at the cinema and erm…
…a flat iPhone battery!
Ah well – you can’t have everything!
First Ever Friend and her Ma came over from Switzerland to visit, which was great fun. The Rents joined us and we went to Kew Gardens in the baking Sunday heat. It was amazing but very, very hot!
I'm not good in the sun. I require factor-50 sun cream and a big sun hat. If I'm not watered regularly I keel over, too. So Sunday was spent looking like a dessert dweller, shrouded in a lightweight scarf and sheltered by a big straw hat that I bought in the men’s' department at Debenhams.
Anyway, yesterday I booked my first ever cab online. And it didn't go well.
With a BBQ at Gym Buddy's house, we decided to travel there in style rather than throwing ourselves on the hot, rammed, smelly, unreliable tube. It couldn't have been easier to book and I got quite excited about the thought of having this online booking service at my fingertips no matter where I was in London.
So we waited, and a text came through saying the cab was 20 minutes late. We waited for 20 minutes and no cab arrived. So I tried to call them but couldn't hear clearly enough. In the end, Gym Buddy took over and when it became apparent that our car might never turn up, she cancelled it, before securing me a full refund and politely having a go at the clueless woman at the other end!!
It was so frustrating. Like a half-finished convenient service for deaf people.
One thing I am very excited about though is a new application I have discovered for my iPhone called ‘Subtitles’. This allows you to download subtitles for movies and then read along from the screen as the movie plays on the TV. The first thing I did was check if there was subtitles for Withnail And I – London Aunt’s favourite movie – and there was. She has been trying to watch it with me for years and the DVD isn’t subtitled. But now, I have the subtitles downloaded onto my phone so we can finally watch it together.
I’m hoping that the new Sex & The City movie subtitles will be added onto it relatively soon so that I can go to that as soon as possible instead of waiting for a subtitled showing. It would be amazing! Just think, subtitles at the cinema without being at the mercy of the scheduling people.
Subtitles at the cinema and erm…
…a flat iPhone battery!
Ah well – you can’t have everything!
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
I'm lipreading, not staring at you!
So last night was fun!
I went the pub with GBman and The Singing Swede and made an utter idiot of myself!
And I'd also like to add that I was drinking Diet Coke, as I haven't been able to drink alcohol since the Bank Holiday fiasco.
So anyway, it was quiz night and I was late. On arriving I discovered the quiz master not only had a beard, he also had an Irish accent – neither good for lipreading, but I wasn't in the mood for explaining my hearing loss, so I just concentrated really hard, which of course meant staring at him.
And this of course freaked him out until he eventually piped up ‘I'm that goodlookjng aren't I?!’ cue big blushes from me. So then GBman piped up that I was deaf and needed to lipread, and then someone else piped up ‘And you're not good looking.’
Erm... and that someone was me!
*blush
And I have absolutely no idea what on earth possessed me to say that out loud – especially as it wasn't true.
I mean he's not my type but that's no reason to tell the poor bloke he's not good looking. And I can't even blame it on the alcohol.
So a good thing to do at this point would have been to shut right up. But no, I gabbled on, digging a pit so deep I'm sure I saw the lights of Sydney Harbour Bridge at the bottom.
I thought I would never live it down – until GBman tried his hand at breakdancing...
And after that, I felt much, much better!
I went the pub with GBman and The Singing Swede and made an utter idiot of myself!
And I'd also like to add that I was drinking Diet Coke, as I haven't been able to drink alcohol since the Bank Holiday fiasco.
So anyway, it was quiz night and I was late. On arriving I discovered the quiz master not only had a beard, he also had an Irish accent – neither good for lipreading, but I wasn't in the mood for explaining my hearing loss, so I just concentrated really hard, which of course meant staring at him.
And this of course freaked him out until he eventually piped up ‘I'm that goodlookjng aren't I?!’ cue big blushes from me. So then GBman piped up that I was deaf and needed to lipread, and then someone else piped up ‘And you're not good looking.’
Erm... and that someone was me!
*blush
And I have absolutely no idea what on earth possessed me to say that out loud – especially as it wasn't true.
I mean he's not my type but that's no reason to tell the poor bloke he's not good looking. And I can't even blame it on the alcohol.
So a good thing to do at this point would have been to shut right up. But no, I gabbled on, digging a pit so deep I'm sure I saw the lights of Sydney Harbour Bridge at the bottom.
I thought I would never live it down – until GBman tried his hand at breakdancing...
And after that, I felt much, much better!
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Subtitles Tennessee Williams
Last night I went to see a Stagetext captioned performance of Spring Storm by Tennessee Williams, and I enjoyed it so much that I'm still grinning from ear to ear over 12 hours later.
Tennessee Williams is my favourite poet and playwright you see. In my final year at uni, I lived, breathed and even spent all my beer money on that man, ordering rare books from America, soaking up the poignant mix of tragic characters and humorous lines, and generally falling in love with him. He’s even on my dream dinner party list, along with Jeremy Clarkson, Clive James and Katie Fforde.
When I saw there was a performance of one of the few plays of his I hadn't dissected through lengthy study sessions, I jumped at the chance to see some of his work from a fresh perspective.
Now, I'm still quite out of practice at going to the theatre and when I read that the performance was 2 hours and 45 minutes long, I was slightly concerned that I might fall asleep or get bored. But what I was forgetting was that I would be watching it as a hearing person. I would be able to follow every single little thing.
And not only was it magical, it was also the quickest 2 hours and 45 minutes of my life. I didn't want it to end. And even though I know Tennessee rarely gifts his characters with happy endings, I couldn't help hoping that this time he would.
One hilarious moment was when Hertha, the dowdy bookish underdog declares that at 28 she's an old maid. At 29 and 30, and both single, Miss K and I burst out laughing. It was a fascinating perspective of Deep South attitudes of that period, and how one mistake could leave you sat rocking on the porch until the end of your days waiting for your man to come back.
If that's the case, I'd better start looking for a house with a porch! Teehee!
Tennessee Williams is my favourite poet and playwright you see. In my final year at uni, I lived, breathed and even spent all my beer money on that man, ordering rare books from America, soaking up the poignant mix of tragic characters and humorous lines, and generally falling in love with him. He’s even on my dream dinner party list, along with Jeremy Clarkson, Clive James and Katie Fforde.
When I saw there was a performance of one of the few plays of his I hadn't dissected through lengthy study sessions, I jumped at the chance to see some of his work from a fresh perspective.
Now, I'm still quite out of practice at going to the theatre and when I read that the performance was 2 hours and 45 minutes long, I was slightly concerned that I might fall asleep or get bored. But what I was forgetting was that I would be watching it as a hearing person. I would be able to follow every single little thing.
And not only was it magical, it was also the quickest 2 hours and 45 minutes of my life. I didn't want it to end. And even though I know Tennessee rarely gifts his characters with happy endings, I couldn't help hoping that this time he would.
One hilarious moment was when Hertha, the dowdy bookish underdog declares that at 28 she's an old maid. At 29 and 30, and both single, Miss K and I burst out laughing. It was a fascinating perspective of Deep South attitudes of that period, and how one mistake could leave you sat rocking on the porch until the end of your days waiting for your man to come back.
If that's the case, I'd better start looking for a house with a porch! Teehee!
Monday, 17 May 2010
These are a few of my favourite things…
In the light of no post on Friday, today is thankful Monday!
Today I am thankful for the wonderful weekend I had with Penthouse Flatmate and her growing brood. I am godmother to her eldest daughter, and this weekend we celebrated her 4th birthday and her little brother's 2nd birthday, as they were born two years and one day apart.
Penthouse Flatmate had an incredible vision for the birthday cake, so armed with all my baking tools I descended upon her on Saturday morning. First Uni Housemate was also there and together with their husbands we created the fairy castle of all fairy castles. It was great being able to help make this masterpiece, but all credit has to go to Penthouse Flatmate for her incredible idea.
I am also thankful that I got to see Jose Gonzalez live at the Royal Festival Hall on Friday night. He was breathtaking. With his low voice and captivating across-all-octaves guitar playing, I really do forget I am deaf when I listen to him play.
And it's obviously the month for seeing my favourite things, as tonight I am going to see a captioned showing of a Tennessee Williams play. Having done my dissertation on Williams at uni, he will always have a place in my heart and, this is the first captioned performance of one of his plays I have ever seen, which makes it doubly exciting.
Wonder what the favourite thing hat trick is going to be this week...
Looks like we're just gonna have to wait and see!
Today I am thankful for the wonderful weekend I had with Penthouse Flatmate and her growing brood. I am godmother to her eldest daughter, and this weekend we celebrated her 4th birthday and her little brother's 2nd birthday, as they were born two years and one day apart.
Penthouse Flatmate had an incredible vision for the birthday cake, so armed with all my baking tools I descended upon her on Saturday morning. First Uni Housemate was also there and together with their husbands we created the fairy castle of all fairy castles. It was great being able to help make this masterpiece, but all credit has to go to Penthouse Flatmate for her incredible idea.
I am also thankful that I got to see Jose Gonzalez live at the Royal Festival Hall on Friday night. He was breathtaking. With his low voice and captivating across-all-octaves guitar playing, I really do forget I am deaf when I listen to him play.
And it's obviously the month for seeing my favourite things, as tonight I am going to see a captioned showing of a Tennessee Williams play. Having done my dissertation on Williams at uni, he will always have a place in my heart and, this is the first captioned performance of one of his plays I have ever seen, which makes it doubly exciting.
Wonder what the favourite thing hat trick is going to be this week...
Looks like we're just gonna have to wait and see!
Thursday, 13 May 2010
I'm hearing in my dreams
Last year for my birthday, Fab Friend gave me a book called Teach Yourself to Meditate.
In the madness of the move to my new place, it got packed up into a box and then unpacked onto a bookshelf and until now, I haven't felt the urge to get it out.
Until yesterday that is.
You see recently I've kind of been feeling as though I'm on a super-fast roller coaster that I can't get off. This has led to some questionable decisions that haven't pleased me. Plus, I feel exhausted.
So last night I came home and read the introduction before heading out to dinner at Niknak and Country Boy 1's flat. And already I liked the direction it was heading in. The encouragement to slow your thoughts down can only be a good thing after all.
I'm feeling positive I can learn a lot from this book... and that doesn't mean I'm going to turn into some clich̩d, chanting hippy Рalthough I think that look could suit me! I'm just going to utilise the best part of my thought process, not the worst.
Anyway, this week I've been having ‘hearing’ dreams again. No interesting content to report other than the fact that I can hear things in the dreams that I can't normally hear. Things like a whispering in my ear, a group conversation in a noisy pub, and most incredibly, a cat meowing are all audible in my sleep.
Now the latter is what confuses me the most, as I don't think I've heard a cat meow for over 20 years, and even then I certainly don't remember what one sounds like. Although I'm guessing it goes something like meow!
It’s just odd that’s all – but it got me thinking, do blind people see in their dreams? Do hearing people not hear? And are stupid people clever? Something for you to ponder on, as I will be meditating!
In the madness of the move to my new place, it got packed up into a box and then unpacked onto a bookshelf and until now, I haven't felt the urge to get it out.
Until yesterday that is.
You see recently I've kind of been feeling as though I'm on a super-fast roller coaster that I can't get off. This has led to some questionable decisions that haven't pleased me. Plus, I feel exhausted.
So last night I came home and read the introduction before heading out to dinner at Niknak and Country Boy 1's flat. And already I liked the direction it was heading in. The encouragement to slow your thoughts down can only be a good thing after all.
I'm feeling positive I can learn a lot from this book... and that doesn't mean I'm going to turn into some clich̩d, chanting hippy Рalthough I think that look could suit me! I'm just going to utilise the best part of my thought process, not the worst.
Anyway, this week I've been having ‘hearing’ dreams again. No interesting content to report other than the fact that I can hear things in the dreams that I can't normally hear. Things like a whispering in my ear, a group conversation in a noisy pub, and most incredibly, a cat meowing are all audible in my sleep.
Now the latter is what confuses me the most, as I don't think I've heard a cat meow for over 20 years, and even then I certainly don't remember what one sounds like. Although I'm guessing it goes something like meow!
It’s just odd that’s all – but it got me thinking, do blind people see in their dreams? Do hearing people not hear? And are stupid people clever? Something for you to ponder on, as I will be meditating!
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Evolving deaf services
Well, we have a new Prime Minister! And he may look young now, but give him time and soon the curse of the PM will get him and his face will slowly start sliding down his body.
Seriously though, watching all the news, I couldn't help wondering that, if Gordon Brown had come across the way he did during his ‘Bye-Bye’ speech yesterday during his entire time as PM, he might have actually succeeded in gaining enough Labour votes to win this General Election.
There was something rather lovely about him.
Bravo to his speech writer I say.
What’s great for me during all this election stuff is how I’ve been able to catch snippets and thoughts of others that I would usually miss out on in general conversation, through Twitter. It’s given me a new perspective of what’s been happening, especially during live TV broadcasts when the subtitles aren’t that reliable.
And better still, because I choose who I follow on Twitter, it means I have a select narrative forming – much the same as if you’re conversing with friends. It’s great!
It’s things like this that remind me just how much technology has changed for the better for me. I remember when The Rents had to spend over £200 on a video recorder that played and recorded subtitles on the TV. But even then you had to hope that the show was actually subtitled in the first place. I also remember trawling through Blockbuster with my friends trying to find a captioned movie. Sometimes there weren’t any we all wanted to watch, and I’d be left with just the pictures.
And then there’s the theatre – OK so there aren’t many subtitled performances, but there are some, which is a long way from where it was when I was doing English A-level. I remember going to see Macbeth and almost wishing he’d murder me too, as I was so bored of sitting through hours of inaudible Shakespeare! I thought I must be terrible uncultured to be so bored – when really I was just deaf.
And now, this year for the first time, The Globe is captioning things – ‘Bring on Shakespeare’ is now something I can finally say!
I also remember buying Smash Hits and Fast Forward magazines religiously just so I could cut the song lyrics out and learn then to prevent embarrassing and wrong renditions of Kylie songs. Now, I can get lyrics online at the drop of the hat, and have an application on my iPhone that I play my iPod through and the lyrics for each song are automatically brought up!
Amazing!
It’s all this that gives me hope, when I discover things like the iPlayer for the iPhone to be lacking subtitles, or a lack of subtitles on iTunes. Only recently, I discovered a programme you can download that adds subtitles to things – and while it’s all gobbledegook to me now, I fully intend to research it to see how it can help me.
I’m incredibly excited for the day where I can attend the theatre at the drop of the hat and know there’ll be subtitles, see films with subtitles at any time, any day and any week and buy movies for my iPhone safe in the knowledge that I’ll have the same extras as a DVD and be able to switch on captions.
I wonder, sometimes optimistically if there’ll eventually be a day when I come to write my daily blog and realise that I have nothing bad to say about services for deaf and hard of hearing peeps – imagine that?! Which is why I am going to continue to complain to companies like the BBC and O2, who I think could be doing better, until they do, do better. After all, it can’t hurt, can’t it? And maybe if enough of us do, then these companies will eventually take note.
Fingers crossed, eh! Fingers crossed!
Seriously though, watching all the news, I couldn't help wondering that, if Gordon Brown had come across the way he did during his ‘Bye-Bye’ speech yesterday during his entire time as PM, he might have actually succeeded in gaining enough Labour votes to win this General Election.
There was something rather lovely about him.
Bravo to his speech writer I say.
What’s great for me during all this election stuff is how I’ve been able to catch snippets and thoughts of others that I would usually miss out on in general conversation, through Twitter. It’s given me a new perspective of what’s been happening, especially during live TV broadcasts when the subtitles aren’t that reliable.
And better still, because I choose who I follow on Twitter, it means I have a select narrative forming – much the same as if you’re conversing with friends. It’s great!
It’s things like this that remind me just how much technology has changed for the better for me. I remember when The Rents had to spend over £200 on a video recorder that played and recorded subtitles on the TV. But even then you had to hope that the show was actually subtitled in the first place. I also remember trawling through Blockbuster with my friends trying to find a captioned movie. Sometimes there weren’t any we all wanted to watch, and I’d be left with just the pictures.
And then there’s the theatre – OK so there aren’t many subtitled performances, but there are some, which is a long way from where it was when I was doing English A-level. I remember going to see Macbeth and almost wishing he’d murder me too, as I was so bored of sitting through hours of inaudible Shakespeare! I thought I must be terrible uncultured to be so bored – when really I was just deaf.
And now, this year for the first time, The Globe is captioning things – ‘Bring on Shakespeare’ is now something I can finally say!
I also remember buying Smash Hits and Fast Forward magazines religiously just so I could cut the song lyrics out and learn then to prevent embarrassing and wrong renditions of Kylie songs. Now, I can get lyrics online at the drop of the hat, and have an application on my iPhone that I play my iPod through and the lyrics for each song are automatically brought up!
Amazing!
It’s all this that gives me hope, when I discover things like the iPlayer for the iPhone to be lacking subtitles, or a lack of subtitles on iTunes. Only recently, I discovered a programme you can download that adds subtitles to things – and while it’s all gobbledegook to me now, I fully intend to research it to see how it can help me.
I’m incredibly excited for the day where I can attend the theatre at the drop of the hat and know there’ll be subtitles, see films with subtitles at any time, any day and any week and buy movies for my iPhone safe in the knowledge that I’ll have the same extras as a DVD and be able to switch on captions.
I wonder, sometimes optimistically if there’ll eventually be a day when I come to write my daily blog and realise that I have nothing bad to say about services for deaf and hard of hearing peeps – imagine that?! Which is why I am going to continue to complain to companies like the BBC and O2, who I think could be doing better, until they do, do better. After all, it can’t hurt, can’t it? And maybe if enough of us do, then these companies will eventually take note.
Fingers crossed, eh! Fingers crossed!
Monday, 10 May 2010
When train subtitles go wrong
Today's blog comes from the train on the way home from The Rents' house. I had a lovely weekend with them both – although they've both been quite ill recently, Ma with a chest infection, and Pa with pneumonia.
As a result we had a quiet weekend of chilling out, watching cheesy movies and catching up. It was perfick.
This morning though, my train almost gave me a heart attack! After a particularly speedy journey to the station, I was able to just make, by running, the earlier train. I didn't even bother to look at the details of the platform, I just jumped on the train waiting to leave and sat down.
And so it set off. Then, there was a tinny announcement on the tannoy that I couldn’t hear, so I read the subtitles scrolling on the screen and it welcomed me aboard a train going somewhere completely different!
Um...
I sat for a moment contemplating the situation and then decided to ask the guy next door me, who confirmed I was, thankfully on a London-bound train and the subtitles were in fact wrong!
Phew! I’ve never been so pleased in my life that subtitles were actually incorrect!
*teehee!
Anyway, I finally have 3G coverage on my iPhone! Awaiting me at The Rents' was new SIM card from O2, with no instructions whatsoever. It didn't work. So I decided to visit an O2 shop instead. There the staff were lovely and explained that the SIM card probably hadn't been set to my phone. They also did not disagree with my opinions of O2 online customer service and in 15 minutes flat had sorted my new SIM!
Utterly brilliant!
Now I know I have brilliant contacts at the press office, a disabilities email and helpful staff in O2 shops, I feel much more reassured that I will now get the service I am paying for…
Maybe it is easier being deaf after all!
As a result we had a quiet weekend of chilling out, watching cheesy movies and catching up. It was perfick.
This morning though, my train almost gave me a heart attack! After a particularly speedy journey to the station, I was able to just make, by running, the earlier train. I didn't even bother to look at the details of the platform, I just jumped on the train waiting to leave and sat down.
And so it set off. Then, there was a tinny announcement on the tannoy that I couldn’t hear, so I read the subtitles scrolling on the screen and it welcomed me aboard a train going somewhere completely different!
Um...
I sat for a moment contemplating the situation and then decided to ask the guy next door me, who confirmed I was, thankfully on a London-bound train and the subtitles were in fact wrong!
Phew! I’ve never been so pleased in my life that subtitles were actually incorrect!
*teehee!
Anyway, I finally have 3G coverage on my iPhone! Awaiting me at The Rents' was new SIM card from O2, with no instructions whatsoever. It didn't work. So I decided to visit an O2 shop instead. There the staff were lovely and explained that the SIM card probably hadn't been set to my phone. They also did not disagree with my opinions of O2 online customer service and in 15 minutes flat had sorted my new SIM!
Utterly brilliant!
Now I know I have brilliant contacts at the press office, a disabilities email and helpful staff in O2 shops, I feel much more reassured that I will now get the service I am paying for…
Maybe it is easier being deaf after all!
Friday, 7 May 2010
General election gripe
Today is Thankful Friday, and it can't have anything to do with politics. But while I am on the subject of politics, there is something that really riled me when watching the news this morning. And that was voters up in arms that they couldn't vote in time.
These are probably the same people who moan and are surprised about Ikea being busy on a bank holiday Monday!
I mean seriously, the election is every five years. Did they just think they could rock up 45 minutes before and it wouldn't be busy? That's like turning up at the gym just before closing and expecting it to accommodate you while you do your work out and shower.
Plan ahead people! The rest of us did! Dragging our sorry backsides out of bed early to make sure we got our (however worthless) vote in. And if it really wasn't possible to get to the polling place on time, then surely you qualify for a postal vote?!
On the other hand, perhaps there’s something the political peeps can learn here, too – longer voting times? Applying for set voting slots – like parents’ evenings? But the thing is, we all knew the voting times, and we all knew it would be busy and the people who were that worried about their vote made damn sure they voted as soon as possible.
And while I am sure some people were genuinely caught out by the whole thing, I’m betting the majority went home and ate their dinner in front of the TV before going out to vote, instead of joining the queue as soon as they could.
It's like they expect to have their hand held throughout this whole process, never taking responsibility.
And now to me, it feels like the country has just had a raucous sleepover party and now we're all sat here waiting for the adults to arrive and take charge. In fact, one of my favourite authors, Jenny Colgan, tweeted something very similar this morning.
But that's quite enough about silly people at polling stations.
Today I am thankful for erm... ah... well... I'll come back to you on that I think.
These are probably the same people who moan and are surprised about Ikea being busy on a bank holiday Monday!
I mean seriously, the election is every five years. Did they just think they could rock up 45 minutes before and it wouldn't be busy? That's like turning up at the gym just before closing and expecting it to accommodate you while you do your work out and shower.
Plan ahead people! The rest of us did! Dragging our sorry backsides out of bed early to make sure we got our (however worthless) vote in. And if it really wasn't possible to get to the polling place on time, then surely you qualify for a postal vote?!
On the other hand, perhaps there’s something the political peeps can learn here, too – longer voting times? Applying for set voting slots – like parents’ evenings? But the thing is, we all knew the voting times, and we all knew it would be busy and the people who were that worried about their vote made damn sure they voted as soon as possible.
And while I am sure some people were genuinely caught out by the whole thing, I’m betting the majority went home and ate their dinner in front of the TV before going out to vote, instead of joining the queue as soon as they could.
It's like they expect to have their hand held throughout this whole process, never taking responsibility.
And now to me, it feels like the country has just had a raucous sleepover party and now we're all sat here waiting for the adults to arrive and take charge. In fact, one of my favourite authors, Jenny Colgan, tweeted something very similar this morning.
But that's quite enough about silly people at polling stations.
Today I am thankful for erm... ah... well... I'll come back to you on that I think.
Thursday, 6 May 2010
O2 issues resolved
So, today I voted!
And it just goes to show what a little bit of last minute campaigning can do as well! I was teetering on the edge between two parties in my ward and this morning a leaflet dropped though my letterbox and answered my final concern.
Sorted!
But enough about that, as you know I don't really like talking about politics here.
Most importantly, it's time for an O2 update.
Well, all I can say is if you want something sorted, and can't use the phone, then contact the O2 Press Office on Twitter.
They sorted my SIM card issue for me before the day was out, and it's currently in the post!
Whoop! Bring on 3G!
But at the same time, another Twitter peep contacted me with a disability email address for O2 – disabilitycustomercare@O2.com!
Confused as to how, when I had repeatedly asked O2 if something like this existed, only to be sent a link to the Access-for-all page of the website, I wrote an email to the press office. No reply. But within the hour, I had an email from an O2 customer service peep confirming that, yes I could use this email to contact O2.
I am intrigued as to why it’s not obviously placed on the O2 website though – some text along the lines of, ‘If you are unable to use the phone, please email us on disabilitycustomercare@O2.com’ would surely suffice.
But honestly, it doesn’t matter now – I have my contact with O2 sorted, my SIM card is on the way, and I just received news that Cath Kidston does floral iPhone covers – everything is good in the world once more… until the election results come in, that is!
Happy voting.
And it just goes to show what a little bit of last minute campaigning can do as well! I was teetering on the edge between two parties in my ward and this morning a leaflet dropped though my letterbox and answered my final concern.
Sorted!
But enough about that, as you know I don't really like talking about politics here.
Most importantly, it's time for an O2 update.
Well, all I can say is if you want something sorted, and can't use the phone, then contact the O2 Press Office on Twitter.
They sorted my SIM card issue for me before the day was out, and it's currently in the post!
Whoop! Bring on 3G!
But at the same time, another Twitter peep contacted me with a disability email address for O2 – disabilitycustomercare@O2.com!
Confused as to how, when I had repeatedly asked O2 if something like this existed, only to be sent a link to the Access-for-all page of the website, I wrote an email to the press office. No reply. But within the hour, I had an email from an O2 customer service peep confirming that, yes I could use this email to contact O2.
I am intrigued as to why it’s not obviously placed on the O2 website though – some text along the lines of, ‘If you are unable to use the phone, please email us on disabilitycustomercare@O2.com’ would surely suffice.
But honestly, it doesn’t matter now – I have my contact with O2 sorted, my SIM card is on the way, and I just received news that Cath Kidston does floral iPhone covers – everything is good in the world once more… until the election results come in, that is!
Happy voting.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
The problem with deaf customer service
Apologies for my silence this week – I’ve been recovering from my bank holiday weekend, which included my running race.
I completed it slowly and steadily, without stopping, which was quite an achievement as it was pouring with rain and freezing cold. But the camaraderie between the runners was fantastic and Tigger stayed by my side as promised throughout.
Now, I’ve just got work on getting faster – this morning I had a jolly good go at it, but my egg timer failed so I have no idea whether I was quicker or not! Ho hum.
Anyway, I’m back to an old bugbear today.
O2!
As regular readers will know, I have an iPhone, and the recent upgrade procedure – done completely online with no human contact whatsoever – demonstrated that in some areas O2 have got better in making it possible for deaf people to use its services. However, what I didn’t factor in was that, as I have been a loyal – and long-suffering – customer with them for almost 10 years, my SIM card was too old to receive 3G coverage.
I thought it was my iPhone that was the problem, so spent my entire lunch hour queuing at the Apple store only to be told that lack of 3G was due to the fact that my service provider still appears as BT Genie! Remember those days?
So, I went onto O2’s website and had a good hunt around through the FAQs to see if this was fixable online – but it wasn’t. I had a look at the contact us section, which features lots of phone numbers for all sorts of reasons, and one email us section. I even bit the bullet and called O2 – and after 10 minutes of saying pardon, asking the call centre peep to repeat himself, reminding him of my hearing loss and trying to request yes or no answers, I gave up, red faced, conscious of the fact that once again I was hitting a brick wall with what should be a disability-friendly company.
So, counting to 10, I filled in the convoluted email form and sent it off. And guess what? They will endeavour to get back to me within 24 hours. When people on the phone get an instant service. How is that fair?!
It just makes me cross that after years and years of technological developments, O2 does not have a designated email for hard of hearing people – or if it does, it certainly doesn’t advertise it.
Surely there must be someone in O2 thinking, ‘Hang on a minute, this can’t be fair – a crap service for people who can’t use the phone?!’ but then, seeing as they’re a phone company, this is probably not the case.
But what I want companies like O2 to recognise is that it is more than just a phone provider now – and for a deaf person like me, my phone is my lifeline – I can book tickets on the internet, find out train times, send emails, chat on MSN, text, search for traffic issues when I am stuck in a jam, check London travel situations while on the move, and even, when stuck on an overland tube, find out if there are any problems on the line. All this, is invaluable to me – it saves me from trying to communicate, it enables me to build relationships, keep in touch and maintain friendships. And when it goes wrong, I literally feel as though I have lost a large area of my world.
To have no way of contacting O2 quickly to sort this out is a big problem for me.
Now, I know that I could cancel O2 and go elsewhere, but guess what? You need the phone for that. And also, apparently, I can go into an O2 shop and sort things like my SIM card out – even though I am an online customer. And I have done this on occasions, but it reall does seem to depend on the friendliness of the shop staff as to whether they can actually help you. So with the whole SIM card issue, an O2 shop is going to be my next port of call. But I’ve heard a rumour that I may be charged for a new one.
Charged for 10 years of loyalty!?
Well that makes sense, doesn’t it.
But, it shouldn’t be relevant whether or not I can go into an O2 shop for service. I am an O2 online customer. I should be able to get a decent service from my provider. I mean, I certainly pay enough.
It’s not rocket science, I don’t think. O2 need to give deaf people the same service they give hearing people. And if that’s really not possible, then deaf people should get a reduced tariff as an apology for substandard customer service – plenty of other companies offer just that, from theatres to travel.
The 24-hour window of the email response I have been promised by O2 has almost run out – I’m hoping I hear from someone. I’m hoping that they’ll tell me that a new, improved 3G-friendly SIM is in the post to me, free of charge.
I’m also hoping I win the lottery and achieve a 7-minute mile by the end of the month. And right now the latter wishes are looking more feasible.
UPDATE: Oh the power of Twitter! Through it, I contacted O2 and I have been assurred that I can go in store and get a new SIM for free and that I will soon have an email back in reply to the one I sent yesterday. It was so nice to actually have a conversation with a real person from O2, that I got carried away and asked them about an easier way to get in touch with the online peeps. I was forwarded a link about access for all, but it only gives phone options or the email form that I filled in yesterday and have yet to have a reply from. So I am not sure how this helps. So I said that – and it's gone quiet for now. I will keep you posted!
I completed it slowly and steadily, without stopping, which was quite an achievement as it was pouring with rain and freezing cold. But the camaraderie between the runners was fantastic and Tigger stayed by my side as promised throughout.
Now, I’ve just got work on getting faster – this morning I had a jolly good go at it, but my egg timer failed so I have no idea whether I was quicker or not! Ho hum.
Anyway, I’m back to an old bugbear today.
O2!
As regular readers will know, I have an iPhone, and the recent upgrade procedure – done completely online with no human contact whatsoever – demonstrated that in some areas O2 have got better in making it possible for deaf people to use its services. However, what I didn’t factor in was that, as I have been a loyal – and long-suffering – customer with them for almost 10 years, my SIM card was too old to receive 3G coverage.
I thought it was my iPhone that was the problem, so spent my entire lunch hour queuing at the Apple store only to be told that lack of 3G was due to the fact that my service provider still appears as BT Genie! Remember those days?
So, I went onto O2’s website and had a good hunt around through the FAQs to see if this was fixable online – but it wasn’t. I had a look at the contact us section, which features lots of phone numbers for all sorts of reasons, and one email us section. I even bit the bullet and called O2 – and after 10 minutes of saying pardon, asking the call centre peep to repeat himself, reminding him of my hearing loss and trying to request yes or no answers, I gave up, red faced, conscious of the fact that once again I was hitting a brick wall with what should be a disability-friendly company.
So, counting to 10, I filled in the convoluted email form and sent it off. And guess what? They will endeavour to get back to me within 24 hours. When people on the phone get an instant service. How is that fair?!
It just makes me cross that after years and years of technological developments, O2 does not have a designated email for hard of hearing people – or if it does, it certainly doesn’t advertise it.
Surely there must be someone in O2 thinking, ‘Hang on a minute, this can’t be fair – a crap service for people who can’t use the phone?!’ but then, seeing as they’re a phone company, this is probably not the case.
But what I want companies like O2 to recognise is that it is more than just a phone provider now – and for a deaf person like me, my phone is my lifeline – I can book tickets on the internet, find out train times, send emails, chat on MSN, text, search for traffic issues when I am stuck in a jam, check London travel situations while on the move, and even, when stuck on an overland tube, find out if there are any problems on the line. All this, is invaluable to me – it saves me from trying to communicate, it enables me to build relationships, keep in touch and maintain friendships. And when it goes wrong, I literally feel as though I have lost a large area of my world.
To have no way of contacting O2 quickly to sort this out is a big problem for me.
Now, I know that I could cancel O2 and go elsewhere, but guess what? You need the phone for that. And also, apparently, I can go into an O2 shop and sort things like my SIM card out – even though I am an online customer. And I have done this on occasions, but it reall does seem to depend on the friendliness of the shop staff as to whether they can actually help you. So with the whole SIM card issue, an O2 shop is going to be my next port of call. But I’ve heard a rumour that I may be charged for a new one.
Charged for 10 years of loyalty!?
Well that makes sense, doesn’t it.
But, it shouldn’t be relevant whether or not I can go into an O2 shop for service. I am an O2 online customer. I should be able to get a decent service from my provider. I mean, I certainly pay enough.
It’s not rocket science, I don’t think. O2 need to give deaf people the same service they give hearing people. And if that’s really not possible, then deaf people should get a reduced tariff as an apology for substandard customer service – plenty of other companies offer just that, from theatres to travel.
The 24-hour window of the email response I have been promised by O2 has almost run out – I’m hoping I hear from someone. I’m hoping that they’ll tell me that a new, improved 3G-friendly SIM is in the post to me, free of charge.
I’m also hoping I win the lottery and achieve a 7-minute mile by the end of the month. And right now the latter wishes are looking more feasible.
UPDATE: Oh the power of Twitter! Through it, I contacted O2 and I have been assurred that I can go in store and get a new SIM for free and that I will soon have an email back in reply to the one I sent yesterday. It was so nice to actually have a conversation with a real person from O2, that I got carried away and asked them about an easier way to get in touch with the online peeps. I was forwarded a link about access for all, but it only gives phone options or the email form that I filled in yesterday and have yet to have a reply from. So I am not sure how this helps. So I said that – and it's gone quiet for now. I will keep you posted!
Friday, 30 April 2010
Would I hear a burglar?
Today is Thankful Friday and I am extremely thankful that Tigger is coming to stay. I haven't seen him for absolutely ages so it'll be good to catch up. Plus we have our run on Sunday!
What I am not thankful for is Sunday's weather forecast! Rain and wind! Gah, not exactly optimum conditions for my first running race ever.
But it'll be an experience no matter what, I'm sure!
Anyway, isn’t it lovely that we’ve got a nice long weekend coming up, and that it’s payday today. This month has been expensive – I spent £300 on broken things in my flat, which is half the price of a Mulberry handbag. Although now I am a house owner, I should probably stop pricing things against Mulberry handbags, seeing as I will never be able to buy one ever again.
Next on my expenditure list is sorting out my windows. In typical London fashion, I have single-glazed sash windows, which while beautiful, are somewhat on their last legs. Several have broken panes and all of them could do with bits replacing. Ideally I would like wooden ones with double-glazing in, so they’d be energy efficient and safe, too. But I think that’d be several dozen Mulberry handbags, so I might just have to make do with face-lifting the existing ones.
Part of me wanting better windows is a safety thing – you see, sash windows just don’t seem very burglar proof, and after spending vast amounts turning my door into the equivalent of Fort Knox, it seems bizarre that the rest of my house is protected by single glazing and rotting wood.
This all hit home this week when my neighbour emailed me to say she had caught some men with a ladder in our garden. I freaked out, partly because I worry whether, if someone broke into my flat, I would hear them? And once they were in, would they ever be able to get out my Fort Knox of a front door?
I had one sleepless night over it. And then I pulled myself together and reminded myself that I keep my toolbox under my bed – the obvious place for such a thing don’t you think? – and in that toolbox is a very large wooden mallet.
I slept well last night.
What I am not thankful for is Sunday's weather forecast! Rain and wind! Gah, not exactly optimum conditions for my first running race ever.
But it'll be an experience no matter what, I'm sure!
Anyway, isn’t it lovely that we’ve got a nice long weekend coming up, and that it’s payday today. This month has been expensive – I spent £300 on broken things in my flat, which is half the price of a Mulberry handbag. Although now I am a house owner, I should probably stop pricing things against Mulberry handbags, seeing as I will never be able to buy one ever again.
Next on my expenditure list is sorting out my windows. In typical London fashion, I have single-glazed sash windows, which while beautiful, are somewhat on their last legs. Several have broken panes and all of them could do with bits replacing. Ideally I would like wooden ones with double-glazing in, so they’d be energy efficient and safe, too. But I think that’d be several dozen Mulberry handbags, so I might just have to make do with face-lifting the existing ones.
Part of me wanting better windows is a safety thing – you see, sash windows just don’t seem very burglar proof, and after spending vast amounts turning my door into the equivalent of Fort Knox, it seems bizarre that the rest of my house is protected by single glazing and rotting wood.
This all hit home this week when my neighbour emailed me to say she had caught some men with a ladder in our garden. I freaked out, partly because I worry whether, if someone broke into my flat, I would hear them? And once they were in, would they ever be able to get out my Fort Knox of a front door?
I had one sleepless night over it. And then I pulled myself together and reminded myself that I keep my toolbox under my bed – the obvious place for such a thing don’t you think? – and in that toolbox is a very large wooden mallet.
I slept well last night.
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Running with music
So the countdown is almost at an end – my run is almost here!
*eek
Actually, in a weird way, I'm looking forward to seeing if all this training has paid off. This morning's run would imply that it has, as I didn't get tired until right at the end of my 30 minute jaunt, and before I started this running lark, I couldn't even run for a bus without getting uncontrollably out of breath.
It really is amazing, and quite satisfying, too.
Anyway, today I tried something new and different on my run. I tried running with my iPhone playing music. Now, it was quite good, except that I didn’t have a playlist and so hitting shuffle meant that any old song could pop up at any time and these were not always best suited to pounding the pavements.
What I also struggled with was actually hearing it, above the sound of the traffic and general rush-hour din. I never listen to my iPod in public places for this exact reason – for instance, on the bus, I would have to have it on full volume just to get the bass, and I’d be one of those people on the posters being inconsiderate about my music. Except I wouldn’t be being deliberately inconsiderate, I’d just be trying to hear the bloomin’ thing.
So where, was I, erm… yes I didn’t really hear much of it. I’d miss the first minute of the song and then finally get the bass line and realise what I was listening to, and then my head would make up the rest. And because my head was so busy making up music it forgot that it was running and the whole thing flew by.
Not quite the point of running with music, but if it works, I’m not complaining. I do however, need to source some bass-heavy music to run to so that I can actually hear it all the way.
Time to get Pa to dig out his Napalm Death album I think.
*eek
Actually, in a weird way, I'm looking forward to seeing if all this training has paid off. This morning's run would imply that it has, as I didn't get tired until right at the end of my 30 minute jaunt, and before I started this running lark, I couldn't even run for a bus without getting uncontrollably out of breath.
It really is amazing, and quite satisfying, too.
Anyway, today I tried something new and different on my run. I tried running with my iPhone playing music. Now, it was quite good, except that I didn’t have a playlist and so hitting shuffle meant that any old song could pop up at any time and these were not always best suited to pounding the pavements.
What I also struggled with was actually hearing it, above the sound of the traffic and general rush-hour din. I never listen to my iPod in public places for this exact reason – for instance, on the bus, I would have to have it on full volume just to get the bass, and I’d be one of those people on the posters being inconsiderate about my music. Except I wouldn’t be being deliberately inconsiderate, I’d just be trying to hear the bloomin’ thing.
So where, was I, erm… yes I didn’t really hear much of it. I’d miss the first minute of the song and then finally get the bass line and realise what I was listening to, and then my head would make up the rest. And because my head was so busy making up music it forgot that it was running and the whole thing flew by.
Not quite the point of running with music, but if it works, I’m not complaining. I do however, need to source some bass-heavy music to run to so that I can actually hear it all the way.
Time to get Pa to dig out his Napalm Death album I think.
Monday, 26 April 2010
Happy 2nd Birthday to MEEEEEEEEEE (DG)
Guess what?
I forgot my own birthday!
Deafinitely Girly's second birthday to be precise!
It was on Friday, but I was so flustered from sleeping in, I forgot and nattered on about Thankful Friday instead. But then, I had a lovely comment from a reader who reminded me it was my birthday and also said great things about my blog!
*big grin
Looking back, it's hard to believe this of started two years ago, and that I've more or less blogged every week day since 23 April 2008 – give or take hospital visits, hangovers and holidays.
What on earth have I had to say?
Let's have a review shall we!
Well, in the beginning I addressed my past. From going deaf to boy struggles – I recounted the stories that had shaped me, blown my embarrassment factor out of the water and given me something to say in the first place.
Then where was my Down-On-The-BBC era, which lasted a long time and to be fair, was quite justified as the subtitles are often rubbish during important things like the news and Top Gear.
In these two years I've had over 18,000 hits and more if you count the ones through Deaf Read that don't register on my hit counter.
I've also got a column in Hearing Times, which I love writing, and my Superdrugloves.com blog, which has caused my make-up bag to double in size since last summer when I won the competition to be the Ultimate Summer Insider, and has seen me jet of to Barcelona on an amazing 5-star weekend away with London Aunt.
But perhaps the biggest change is me. I feel older and wiser, more proactive about my deafness – ready to fight the battles worth fighting and quietly ignore the ones I’ll never win. I've come to learn over the last two years that some people are not worth the hassle and some people are more than worth the hassle. I now know that some people will never learn about my deafness and some people will actually know more than me, teaching me in their own unique way how to do more than just ‘get by’ and instead get out there and grab every opportunity that arises.
Deafinitely Girly has put me in touch with amazing people from all over the world and reconnected me with people from my past.
But most importantly, she's helped me be me. To get it all out, and put fingers to keyboard about what I'm really thinking. It’s amazingly therapeutic, and when I have sad, bad or mad days, the support that comes flooding in really is overwhelming.
Just last night, I was watching a recording of Young Musician of the Year. It was the strings final and as a kid, I always used to watch this with The Rents. But this time around, I couldn’t hear anything. Nada – not a pip, squeak or scrape for most of the performances, with the exception of some low bits from the harpists.
Now pre-DG, I wouldn’t have known how to deal with this and would have probably felt rather sad for the remainder of the evening. But last night, I simply fast-forwarded the bits I couldn’t hear and enjoyed the interviews with the performers instead.
I dealt with it in a positive manner, and not only got on with it, but enjoyed it, too, rather than dwelling on what I couldn’t have.
And that’s what I’ve learnt from DG in the last two years – she’s made me happy to be me.
Which, really, can only be a good thing.
Now, it’s time to bake that birthday cake I think!
I forgot my own birthday!
Deafinitely Girly's second birthday to be precise!
It was on Friday, but I was so flustered from sleeping in, I forgot and nattered on about Thankful Friday instead. But then, I had a lovely comment from a reader who reminded me it was my birthday and also said great things about my blog!
*big grin
Looking back, it's hard to believe this of started two years ago, and that I've more or less blogged every week day since 23 April 2008 – give or take hospital visits, hangovers and holidays.
What on earth have I had to say?
Let's have a review shall we!
Well, in the beginning I addressed my past. From going deaf to boy struggles – I recounted the stories that had shaped me, blown my embarrassment factor out of the water and given me something to say in the first place.
Then where was my Down-On-The-BBC era, which lasted a long time and to be fair, was quite justified as the subtitles are often rubbish during important things like the news and Top Gear.
In these two years I've had over 18,000 hits and more if you count the ones through Deaf Read that don't register on my hit counter.
I've also got a column in Hearing Times, which I love writing, and my Superdrugloves.com blog, which has caused my make-up bag to double in size since last summer when I won the competition to be the Ultimate Summer Insider, and has seen me jet of to Barcelona on an amazing 5-star weekend away with London Aunt.
But perhaps the biggest change is me. I feel older and wiser, more proactive about my deafness – ready to fight the battles worth fighting and quietly ignore the ones I’ll never win. I've come to learn over the last two years that some people are not worth the hassle and some people are more than worth the hassle. I now know that some people will never learn about my deafness and some people will actually know more than me, teaching me in their own unique way how to do more than just ‘get by’ and instead get out there and grab every opportunity that arises.
Deafinitely Girly has put me in touch with amazing people from all over the world and reconnected me with people from my past.
But most importantly, she's helped me be me. To get it all out, and put fingers to keyboard about what I'm really thinking. It’s amazingly therapeutic, and when I have sad, bad or mad days, the support that comes flooding in really is overwhelming.
Just last night, I was watching a recording of Young Musician of the Year. It was the strings final and as a kid, I always used to watch this with The Rents. But this time around, I couldn’t hear anything. Nada – not a pip, squeak or scrape for most of the performances, with the exception of some low bits from the harpists.
Now pre-DG, I wouldn’t have known how to deal with this and would have probably felt rather sad for the remainder of the evening. But last night, I simply fast-forwarded the bits I couldn’t hear and enjoyed the interviews with the performers instead.
I dealt with it in a positive manner, and not only got on with it, but enjoyed it, too, rather than dwelling on what I couldn’t have.
And that’s what I’ve learnt from DG in the last two years – she’s made me happy to be me.
Which, really, can only be a good thing.
Now, it’s time to bake that birthday cake I think!
Friday, 23 April 2010
Sleeping through my vibrating alarm clock
Today is Thankful Friday and I'm extremely thankful that I woke up at 8.15, just 10 minutes before the latest time I can leave the house for work. Any later and I would have been stuffed, but 10 minutes was enough time to throw on clothes, eat toothpaste and even watch a cat fall out of a tree, but that's a whole other story…
I am quite amazed though, that I managed to sleep through two vibrating alarms without even stirring.0
I must be shattered!
Anyway, today I am also thankful that my toilet is fixed – unfortunately however, my boiler is not.
You see, my foolproof plan of photos and arrows that I sent to the plumbing company, was not so foolproof! The lady who I emailed, ordered the wrong part, in spite of the fact that I checked with her that she had all the information she needed from me.
Gah!
But I'm getting there gradually with this home-fixing lark, and next time I'll just make sure I send detailed descriptions as well as photos, so that people know what I'm talking about.
The plumbing company, to be fair, were lovely about it. They texted me about things instead of calling and were very apologetic. But all that doesn't fix my heating.
*Sniff
But that's quite enough about that.
I'm off to enjoy my Friday. Hope you do, too.
I am quite amazed though, that I managed to sleep through two vibrating alarms without even stirring.0
I must be shattered!
Anyway, today I am also thankful that my toilet is fixed – unfortunately however, my boiler is not.
You see, my foolproof plan of photos and arrows that I sent to the plumbing company, was not so foolproof! The lady who I emailed, ordered the wrong part, in spite of the fact that I checked with her that she had all the information she needed from me.
Gah!
But I'm getting there gradually with this home-fixing lark, and next time I'll just make sure I send detailed descriptions as well as photos, so that people know what I'm talking about.
The plumbing company, to be fair, were lovely about it. They texted me about things instead of calling and were very apologetic. But all that doesn't fix my heating.
*Sniff
But that's quite enough about that.
I'm off to enjoy my Friday. Hope you do, too.
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Deafinitely Girly's political musings
I'm having a weird week for lots of reasons.
It's hard to describe why. I've laughed and cried in equal measures – possible more than any other week this year.
I'm exhausted and exhilarated.
Anyway, I saw Gingerbread Man this week and he commented on the fact that I never talk about politics and the forthcoming General Election on my blog. I pondered as to why this was, and realised, shockingly, that it's because I don't know enough about it to comment in depth.
So yesterday, I sat through a Lib Dem party political broadcast – the one where Nick Clegg is walking in various locations surrounded by hundreds of sheets of paper.
‘Must pay attention,’ I thought to myself, and then I began to wonder whether they cleaned all the paper up afterwards or if they'd done a fancy camera trick to get it there.
‘Focus!’ I chided myself, and began to read the subtitles.
It has to be said that Nick Clegg gave a lovely speech. He uttered inspiring things about tax, education and the banks having to pay for the mess they make.
But then I remembered something Gingerbread Man said about how even if the Lib Dems come 2nd in the election and beat Labour, Labour will still have more seats than the Lib Dems because of way our system works.
And that naturally makes you think, what's the point? And I don’t think I'm alone in having this thought process.
When I read about the political parties' aims if they got into power, I don't believe them anymore. I don't believe that once they'd got in, the stuff that made people vote them in, would get done. And I believe that of all the parties.
Which once again begs the question, what's the point?
But then, even in my political ignorance, I’ve concluded that there is a point, and I will vote for someone and encourage my discouraged friends to put crosses in boxes, too. Because if we don't vote, then there's a chance that other parties, with even less honourable intentions than the three main ones, will gain more say in how this country is run, and that really might not be a good thing.
So that's it. That's my one and only, and quite frankly not very informative political musing.
Now I'm going to go back to wondering just how Nick Clegg cleaned up all that paper in his party political broadcast.
It's hard to describe why. I've laughed and cried in equal measures – possible more than any other week this year.
I'm exhausted and exhilarated.
Anyway, I saw Gingerbread Man this week and he commented on the fact that I never talk about politics and the forthcoming General Election on my blog. I pondered as to why this was, and realised, shockingly, that it's because I don't know enough about it to comment in depth.
So yesterday, I sat through a Lib Dem party political broadcast – the one where Nick Clegg is walking in various locations surrounded by hundreds of sheets of paper.
‘Must pay attention,’ I thought to myself, and then I began to wonder whether they cleaned all the paper up afterwards or if they'd done a fancy camera trick to get it there.
‘Focus!’ I chided myself, and began to read the subtitles.
It has to be said that Nick Clegg gave a lovely speech. He uttered inspiring things about tax, education and the banks having to pay for the mess they make.
But then I remembered something Gingerbread Man said about how even if the Lib Dems come 2nd in the election and beat Labour, Labour will still have more seats than the Lib Dems because of way our system works.
And that naturally makes you think, what's the point? And I don’t think I'm alone in having this thought process.
When I read about the political parties' aims if they got into power, I don't believe them anymore. I don't believe that once they'd got in, the stuff that made people vote them in, would get done. And I believe that of all the parties.
Which once again begs the question, what's the point?
But then, even in my political ignorance, I’ve concluded that there is a point, and I will vote for someone and encourage my discouraged friends to put crosses in boxes, too. Because if we don't vote, then there's a chance that other parties, with even less honourable intentions than the three main ones, will gain more say in how this country is run, and that really might not be a good thing.
So that's it. That's my one and only, and quite frankly not very informative political musing.
Now I'm going to go back to wondering just how Nick Clegg cleaned up all that paper in his party political broadcast.
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Cold showers aren't fun
Phew, boy do I feel invigorated this morning after a cold shower and hair wash! At one point I thought my brain was going to shut down, the water was that cold!
Luckily however, I have a boiler man booked on Thursday to hopefully fix the problem – at great expense...
Plumbers it seems are like supermodels – they don’t get out of bed for less than a set amount.
Oh the joys of flat owning.
Recently however, I've noticed how much better I've been sleeping in my little flat. And I think part of this is to do with lack of worrying when I settle down at night – largely due to my fire alarm system. You see, by having the vibrating pad under my pillow and flashing light by my bed, I am totally prevented from lying awake for a few minutes thinking about whether or not there’ll be a fire and if I'll wake up and if anyone will rescue me before I drown in smoke – like the gruesome TV advert.
Now, I know that this is no longer an issue, so I have one less pre-slumber worry!
Amazing!
So anyway, this week, apart from the cold showers, is going well. This morning I ran 3 ½ miles, just half a mile shy of my race length, and apart from a wavering moment two thirds of the way around, I really enjoyed it.
And the best thing is how I feel afterwards.
Invigorated!
Positive!
Alive!
All great ways to start the day.
Indeed, I was feeling great until that cold shower…
Roll on Thursday!
Luckily however, I have a boiler man booked on Thursday to hopefully fix the problem – at great expense...
Plumbers it seems are like supermodels – they don’t get out of bed for less than a set amount.
Oh the joys of flat owning.
Recently however, I've noticed how much better I've been sleeping in my little flat. And I think part of this is to do with lack of worrying when I settle down at night – largely due to my fire alarm system. You see, by having the vibrating pad under my pillow and flashing light by my bed, I am totally prevented from lying awake for a few minutes thinking about whether or not there’ll be a fire and if I'll wake up and if anyone will rescue me before I drown in smoke – like the gruesome TV advert.
Now, I know that this is no longer an issue, so I have one less pre-slumber worry!
Amazing!
So anyway, this week, apart from the cold showers, is going well. This morning I ran 3 ½ miles, just half a mile shy of my race length, and apart from a wavering moment two thirds of the way around, I really enjoyed it.
And the best thing is how I feel afterwards.
Invigorated!
Positive!
Alive!
All great ways to start the day.
Indeed, I was feeling great until that cold shower…
Roll on Thursday!
Monday, 19 April 2010
The problem with being deaf when things break...
Boiler broken: check
No hot water or heating: check and check
Toilet broken: check
Just as well I’m old enough to own a Mastercard isn’t it!
Seriously though, things breaking in my flat are a nightmare for me, as I can’t just pick up the phone and get it sorted. However, when I first moved in, I found a local plumbing company to service my boiler and was able to arrange the whole thing by email. So this morning, as I was having my cold shower, I resolved to email them as soon as I’d warmed up and sort the whole thing out.
The problem with email is that there’s lots of too-ing and fro-ing with questions that could be answered quickly if I was on the phone. So this time, I thought I would email them with everything I could possibly think of concerning the boiler/toilet issues. So I took pictures of the offending boiler and toilet and photoshopped in arrows and text to illustrate what the problem seems to be.
But on reflection, this probably means that right now, there’s a gaggle of west London plumbers rolling around the floor laughing at the email they’ve received with pictures of a toilet and broken boiler and blonde-girl speak written all over it trying to explain what the problem is.
Maybe I should go to plumber night school so I no longer have these communication problems. And while I’m at it, I’d better go to electrician night school, too. And maybe car mechanics night school. And if I can’t learn how to fix it, perhaps I’ll just have to make lots of plumber/electrician/car mechanic friends who I can text when it all goes wrong!
A fool-proof plan… no?
No hot water or heating: check and check
Toilet broken: check
Just as well I’m old enough to own a Mastercard isn’t it!
Seriously though, things breaking in my flat are a nightmare for me, as I can’t just pick up the phone and get it sorted. However, when I first moved in, I found a local plumbing company to service my boiler and was able to arrange the whole thing by email. So this morning, as I was having my cold shower, I resolved to email them as soon as I’d warmed up and sort the whole thing out.
The problem with email is that there’s lots of too-ing and fro-ing with questions that could be answered quickly if I was on the phone. So this time, I thought I would email them with everything I could possibly think of concerning the boiler/toilet issues. So I took pictures of the offending boiler and toilet and photoshopped in arrows and text to illustrate what the problem seems to be.
But on reflection, this probably means that right now, there’s a gaggle of west London plumbers rolling around the floor laughing at the email they’ve received with pictures of a toilet and broken boiler and blonde-girl speak written all over it trying to explain what the problem is.
Maybe I should go to plumber night school so I no longer have these communication problems. And while I’m at it, I’d better go to electrician night school, too. And maybe car mechanics night school. And if I can’t learn how to fix it, perhaps I’ll just have to make lots of plumber/electrician/car mechanic friends who I can text when it all goes wrong!
A fool-proof plan… no?
Friday, 16 April 2010
A visit from the Godson
Whoop! Today is Thankful Friday and I'm thankful for so many things it's not possible to list them all here.
Firstly though, I'm thankful for my gorgeous godson, and to his mum, Best Friend And Head Girl, for asking me to be godmother.
They live Oop Norf, but yesterday all popped in for dinner along with Friend Who Knows Big Words, as they’re down here on holiday. It was so lovely to see everyone again. Northern Boy is 3 years old now and growing fast. He simply adores Friend Who Knows Big Words, and stuck to her like glue all evening.
My godson is gorgeous – quite gorgeous! At 7 months old, he's smiling, giggling and gurgling and even managed to miss throwing up on my carpet, projecting it onto the kitchen tiles instead! So considerate, don't you think?
Now they’re all gone again, I’m missing them lots.
Anyway, I am also thankful that my running is getting easier. This morning I did 25 minutes without stopping, quite an achievement in my scheme of things. Even better, I wasn't overtaken by anyone, which reassured me that I must have speeded up in the last 8 weeks, too!
The run is drawing nearer.
But I’m feeling ready. And I am also thankful I am not running the Brighton Marathon this weekend. Lots of luck to those who are.
Firstly though, I'm thankful for my gorgeous godson, and to his mum, Best Friend And Head Girl, for asking me to be godmother.
They live Oop Norf, but yesterday all popped in for dinner along with Friend Who Knows Big Words, as they’re down here on holiday. It was so lovely to see everyone again. Northern Boy is 3 years old now and growing fast. He simply adores Friend Who Knows Big Words, and stuck to her like glue all evening.
My godson is gorgeous – quite gorgeous! At 7 months old, he's smiling, giggling and gurgling and even managed to miss throwing up on my carpet, projecting it onto the kitchen tiles instead! So considerate, don't you think?
Now they’re all gone again, I’m missing them lots.
Anyway, I am also thankful that my running is getting easier. This morning I did 25 minutes without stopping, quite an achievement in my scheme of things. Even better, I wasn't overtaken by anyone, which reassured me that I must have speeded up in the last 8 weeks, too!
The run is drawing nearer.
But I’m feeling ready. And I am also thankful I am not running the Brighton Marathon this weekend. Lots of luck to those who are.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
The 'What can I hear?' game
So, no blog yesterday... sorry!
But I have been rather busy lately with the running, my column in Hearing Times – due in Friday – and a few secret projects.
Don't get me wrong, I like it that way, but I do find, if I don't get my sacred bus journey to work for some reason or other, then the blog doesn't get done.
It's Wednesday already, which is great news. Wednesday is my favourite day of the week as by the end of it, the weekend is almost here.
This weekend, I am headed to Pompey to see Penfold and DangerMouse. DangerMouse is in a bike race on Sunday so we're gonna cheer him on, and I may take my running gear and take advantage of the endless sea front.
Anyway, this morning I woke up early. Stupidly early – 5am – knowing that in order to fit in my now 40-minute session on my walk-to-run program, I only had another hour in bed.
Unable to go back to sleep, I played a game that I used to play in my old flat when lying awake at night. It's called 'What can I hear?'. Since moving to the new place, I haven't played it, and it transpires that this was in fact for good reason. I can't hear anything. I mean it's not completely silent, but in the 15 minutes that I lay there listening, I heard maybe two cars... and that was it! In my last flat, I heard two cars a second, and I couldn't hear my TV if the window was open.
It gave me some understanding of just why my new housemates in the last place used to look so traumatised after their first week of living there. To hearing peeps, it must have been dreadful!
I do like the silence in my new place... but now I need a new game for when I'm lying in bed at night unable to sleep...
Perhaps I should just count sheep!
But I have been rather busy lately with the running, my column in Hearing Times – due in Friday – and a few secret projects.
Don't get me wrong, I like it that way, but I do find, if I don't get my sacred bus journey to work for some reason or other, then the blog doesn't get done.
It's Wednesday already, which is great news. Wednesday is my favourite day of the week as by the end of it, the weekend is almost here.
This weekend, I am headed to Pompey to see Penfold and DangerMouse. DangerMouse is in a bike race on Sunday so we're gonna cheer him on, and I may take my running gear and take advantage of the endless sea front.
Anyway, this morning I woke up early. Stupidly early – 5am – knowing that in order to fit in my now 40-minute session on my walk-to-run program, I only had another hour in bed.
Unable to go back to sleep, I played a game that I used to play in my old flat when lying awake at night. It's called 'What can I hear?'. Since moving to the new place, I haven't played it, and it transpires that this was in fact for good reason. I can't hear anything. I mean it's not completely silent, but in the 15 minutes that I lay there listening, I heard maybe two cars... and that was it! In my last flat, I heard two cars a second, and I couldn't hear my TV if the window was open.
It gave me some understanding of just why my new housemates in the last place used to look so traumatised after their first week of living there. To hearing peeps, it must have been dreadful!
I do like the silence in my new place... but now I need a new game for when I'm lying in bed at night unable to sleep...
Perhaps I should just count sheep!
Monday, 12 April 2010
Lipreading Mamma Mia... kinda
This morning, I wrote my blog on the bus and emailed it to myself, as I do every morning. Except this morning, it didn’t arrive. Which means that someone somewhere in my iPhone address book got my unedited blog for Monday… and I got absolutely nothing.
My bleary-eyed state on the bus also means that I can’t actually remember what I wrote, either! Most annoying.
I do know that I wrote about having a marvellous time with Whiskey Cousin. We shopping, ate a lot of food in China Town at a place called Wonky – or Wong Kei as it was actually spelt, and then went to Mamma Mia. Thanks to the lovely box office peeps, we had premium tickets near the front for a fraction of the price, so I was able to follow a little of what was going on, and could even lipread some bits. It was a totally brilliant evening – especially the bit at the end when everyone jumped up from their seats and sang along with the cast.
I think at this point Whiskey Cousin wanted to crawl under her seat with embarrassment as I sang my heart out!
Teehee!
Anyway, yesterday a French man saved my life – OK, alright, he didn’t actually save my life, but he certainly saved my sanity after the tube I was travelling in stopped in a tunnel, for what seemed like an eternity (probably about 2 minutes!).
You see, I had just dropped Whiskey Cousin at the station and it was the fastest, and only route home, given the weekend tube closures. Hating the tube, I was not feeling overly enthusiastic when I got on the train, but I consoled myself that it was only a few stops – pah! A few stops and a long wait (2 minutes) in a tunnel.
So, the train stopped.
I took a deep breath and sat down.
The train didn’t move.
I got out my iPhone and tried to play Scrabble to distract myself.
Still the train stayed put.
I looked up wildly, and asked the man opposite me if there had been any announcements. He looked totally freaked out that someone had actually spoken to him and ignored me.
And that was when the lovely French man stepped in. Seeing my wide-eyed stare, he asked if I was OK and I admitted I hated the underground and asked if he could chat to me until the train started moving again.
And so he did…
In fact, the first thing he did was tell me he had a girlfriend – I’m guessing he must have wondered if I was actually running an elaborate pick-up plan – and then we chatted. I found out he was a PHD student working at a company over here and he was from the Loire Valley but studied in Lyon. He totally cheered me up and distracted me for the eternity (2 minutes) that we were stuck in the tunnel for.
As he walked with me from our station, I marvelled at how nice he had been in my time of need – and at how good looking he was.
Perhaps it should have been an elaborate pick-up plan after all… but then pitching myself as a neurotic, wide-eyed blonde is not perhaps the best idea.
Hmmm… back to the drawing board!
My bleary-eyed state on the bus also means that I can’t actually remember what I wrote, either! Most annoying.
I do know that I wrote about having a marvellous time with Whiskey Cousin. We shopping, ate a lot of food in China Town at a place called Wonky – or Wong Kei as it was actually spelt, and then went to Mamma Mia. Thanks to the lovely box office peeps, we had premium tickets near the front for a fraction of the price, so I was able to follow a little of what was going on, and could even lipread some bits. It was a totally brilliant evening – especially the bit at the end when everyone jumped up from their seats and sang along with the cast.
I think at this point Whiskey Cousin wanted to crawl under her seat with embarrassment as I sang my heart out!
Teehee!
Anyway, yesterday a French man saved my life – OK, alright, he didn’t actually save my life, but he certainly saved my sanity after the tube I was travelling in stopped in a tunnel, for what seemed like an eternity (probably about 2 minutes!).
You see, I had just dropped Whiskey Cousin at the station and it was the fastest, and only route home, given the weekend tube closures. Hating the tube, I was not feeling overly enthusiastic when I got on the train, but I consoled myself that it was only a few stops – pah! A few stops and a long wait (2 minutes) in a tunnel.
So, the train stopped.
I took a deep breath and sat down.
The train didn’t move.
I got out my iPhone and tried to play Scrabble to distract myself.
Still the train stayed put.
I looked up wildly, and asked the man opposite me if there had been any announcements. He looked totally freaked out that someone had actually spoken to him and ignored me.
And that was when the lovely French man stepped in. Seeing my wide-eyed stare, he asked if I was OK and I admitted I hated the underground and asked if he could chat to me until the train started moving again.
And so he did…
In fact, the first thing he did was tell me he had a girlfriend – I’m guessing he must have wondered if I was actually running an elaborate pick-up plan – and then we chatted. I found out he was a PHD student working at a company over here and he was from the Loire Valley but studied in Lyon. He totally cheered me up and distracted me for the eternity (2 minutes) that we were stuck in the tunnel for.
As he walked with me from our station, I marvelled at how nice he had been in my time of need – and at how good looking he was.
Perhaps it should have been an elaborate pick-up plan after all… but then pitching myself as a neurotic, wide-eyed blonde is not perhaps the best idea.
Hmmm… back to the drawing board!
Friday, 9 April 2010
A not very Thankful Friday
Today has not been a very thankful Friday so far. I overslept, had hideous dreams, smashed Friend Who Knows Big Words' favourite glass, cut my finger and shut another one in a door.
*sniff
Not even the sun is cheering me up. I just want to crawl back into bed and pretend today isn't happening.
On a positive note Whiskey Cousin is coming to stay. She's 13 so I've got us tickets to see Mamma Mia – half price on account of my deafness, and premium seats, too. I don’t know if I'll be able to follow much, but the guys in the box office reassured me its very similar to the movie script, so I will watch and memorise that in advance! They also announced that they are looking at doing a captioned production soon. Yay!
I'm also planning to take Whiskey Cousin to Portobello or Camden and maybe the Tate Modern for some cultcha.
Should be fun!
Finally, I do have one more thing to be thankful for... that I managed my jawlk home yesterday. The Runkeeper application on my iPhone said it was 6 miles and I reckon I ran for two thirds of it at least. Running down Oxford Street was not an option, so I walked that bit. I'm still not fabulous at it though, and always seem to get this moment about 1 minute in where I want to give up, but the more I ran, the more I got into it. And without my rucksack, I reckon it would have been a whole lot easier.
Running is getting easier.
And if that's not something to be thankful for, I don't know what is.
*sniff
Not even the sun is cheering me up. I just want to crawl back into bed and pretend today isn't happening.
On a positive note Whiskey Cousin is coming to stay. She's 13 so I've got us tickets to see Mamma Mia – half price on account of my deafness, and premium seats, too. I don’t know if I'll be able to follow much, but the guys in the box office reassured me its very similar to the movie script, so I will watch and memorise that in advance! They also announced that they are looking at doing a captioned production soon. Yay!
I'm also planning to take Whiskey Cousin to Portobello or Camden and maybe the Tate Modern for some cultcha.
Should be fun!
Finally, I do have one more thing to be thankful for... that I managed my jawlk home yesterday. The Runkeeper application on my iPhone said it was 6 miles and I reckon I ran for two thirds of it at least. Running down Oxford Street was not an option, so I walked that bit. I'm still not fabulous at it though, and always seem to get this moment about 1 minute in where I want to give up, but the more I ran, the more I got into it. And without my rucksack, I reckon it would have been a whole lot easier.
Running is getting easier.
And if that's not something to be thankful for, I don't know what is.
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Running or chocolate
Hurrah! More sun!
It's amazing how that big burning ball of fire has the ability to put a spring in my step, even during the most challenging of weeks.
It's fabulous, I love it!
But while I am still in tights and knee-high boots, and at least 4 layers, there is someone on my bus this morning in a floaty skirt and gladiator sandals...
In April!!!!
All I can say is, she must have pretty warm blood because, while it may be sunny, I'd struggle to use any warmer adjectives when waxing lyrical about the weather.
Anyway, today is another planned jawlk home from work as I really need to pull my socks up with this running lark. Tigger runs 10 miles on a bi-daily basis, so our run will be a walk in the park for him, quite literally!!
Most importantly, I have decided to give up chocolate until this run is over because I am totally addicted and it can’t be healthy.
Hmmm, I have a feeling this will be more challenging than the run!
It's amazing how that big burning ball of fire has the ability to put a spring in my step, even during the most challenging of weeks.
It's fabulous, I love it!
But while I am still in tights and knee-high boots, and at least 4 layers, there is someone on my bus this morning in a floaty skirt and gladiator sandals...
In April!!!!
All I can say is, she must have pretty warm blood because, while it may be sunny, I'd struggle to use any warmer adjectives when waxing lyrical about the weather.
Anyway, today is another planned jawlk home from work as I really need to pull my socks up with this running lark. Tigger runs 10 miles on a bi-daily basis, so our run will be a walk in the park for him, quite literally!!
Most importantly, I have decided to give up chocolate until this run is over because I am totally addicted and it can’t be healthy.
Hmmm, I have a feeling this will be more challenging than the run!
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
An unexpected trial of my deaf fire alarm
Last night I nearly got the chance to try out my new vibrating/flashing all-singing-all-dancing fire alarm – except I was out at the pub.
On returning from the pub – where we came second in the quiz and won some lovely cider glasses, the acrid smell I had smelt the time my neighbours actually did burn their flat down, greeted me. It had me in a flap. My heart was racing and my eyes were imagining the strobe light of my alarm before I’d even got through the door.
There, Friend Who Knows Big Words was able to find out from French Boy, who had passed on the pub quiz in favour of watching football, that there had indeed been a fire – a very little one, in the form of a smoking tubigrip bandage.
You see, since he fell down a waterfall in Vietnam and trashed his ankle, poor old French Boy has been limping. To alleviate the pain, he’s been wearing a support and last night, in an attempt to get rid of a loose thread, he burnt the said loose thread and rested the tubigrip bandage on the suitcase in my spare room.
But the tubigrip bandage had other ideas and continued to smolder – burning a hole in itself in the process and melting the suitcase.
‘My carpet?’ I gasped on returning.
‘Unscathed!’ was Friend Who Knows Big Words reassuring reply.
*Phew
‘French Boy?’ I enquired.
‘Thankfully not wearing the bandage at the time of the fire…’ she added.
It was scary though – and made me all the more thankful for my flashing, vibrating fire alarm.
Three cheers for London Fire Brigade I say!
On returning from the pub – where we came second in the quiz and won some lovely cider glasses, the acrid smell I had smelt the time my neighbours actually did burn their flat down, greeted me. It had me in a flap. My heart was racing and my eyes were imagining the strobe light of my alarm before I’d even got through the door.
There, Friend Who Knows Big Words was able to find out from French Boy, who had passed on the pub quiz in favour of watching football, that there had indeed been a fire – a very little one, in the form of a smoking tubigrip bandage.
You see, since he fell down a waterfall in Vietnam and trashed his ankle, poor old French Boy has been limping. To alleviate the pain, he’s been wearing a support and last night, in an attempt to get rid of a loose thread, he burnt the said loose thread and rested the tubigrip bandage on the suitcase in my spare room.
But the tubigrip bandage had other ideas and continued to smolder – burning a hole in itself in the process and melting the suitcase.
‘My carpet?’ I gasped on returning.
‘Unscathed!’ was Friend Who Knows Big Words reassuring reply.
*Phew
‘French Boy?’ I enquired.
‘Thankfully not wearing the bandage at the time of the fire…’ she added.
It was scary though – and made me all the more thankful for my flashing, vibrating fire alarm.
Three cheers for London Fire Brigade I say!
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
As good as new
Well, another Easter is over, chocolate has been consumed and fun has been had, and now it's back to normality.
What's nice about this morning's normality is that the sun is shining and the birds are most very likely to be singing. It's also Tuesday, so we're one step closer to the weekend already.
Anyway as you know, this weekend, my Ma was visiting and she brought her hearing aids with her as they've recently been turned up. She complained that everything was too loud, but looking back, I think she did a lot better than normal, and it was back to me saying pardon most of the time instead of her.
However, it reminded me that while they can help, they're still don't make everything perfect in the same way that glasses do.
I mean, without my glasses, there quite frankly is no world. In some ways, I can't wait for the day that hearing aids are as good at glasses. Then all I'd have to do was sort out my Crohn's and then I'd be as good as new.
Here's hoping eh? Here's hoping.
What's nice about this morning's normality is that the sun is shining and the birds are most very likely to be singing. It's also Tuesday, so we're one step closer to the weekend already.
Anyway as you know, this weekend, my Ma was visiting and she brought her hearing aids with her as they've recently been turned up. She complained that everything was too loud, but looking back, I think she did a lot better than normal, and it was back to me saying pardon most of the time instead of her.
However, it reminded me that while they can help, they're still don't make everything perfect in the same way that glasses do.
I mean, without my glasses, there quite frankly is no world. In some ways, I can't wait for the day that hearing aids are as good at glasses. Then all I'd have to do was sort out my Crohn's and then I'd be as good as new.
Here's hoping eh? Here's hoping.
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
I said, brrr it's cold out there
Today is my Friday as it's my last day of work before the Easter break.
Hurrah!
Today I am thankful and VERY happy because Friend Who Knows Big Words, Gingerbread Man and I finally won the pub quiz last night!
After time after time of coming second to a bunch of alleged Google-cheaters, we finally won!
And even better, I actually knew some of the answers because it didn't centre totally around sport or audio clips – thanks to a new quiz master.
In fact, the whole quiz is deaf friendly, mainly because right from the start of this new guy doing the quiz, I have drummed it into him, and spoken up when he’s been out of sight and I can’t lipread. That means, that I hear everything. It’s therefore the best pub quiz I’ve ever been to – and my friends agree too, as they don’t have to keep relaying the questions to me.
Anyway, blogging from my iPhone is tricky today because my fingers are numb – it is so flipping cold! I know I haven't rabbitted on about the weather for quite some time now – Miss K used to think I was bonkers – but seriously, it's April tomorrow... I want teenage temperatures not preschool ones.
And on that note – I’m just off to sit on the radiator. It’s the only thing for it.
Hurrah!
Today I am thankful and VERY happy because Friend Who Knows Big Words, Gingerbread Man and I finally won the pub quiz last night!
After time after time of coming second to a bunch of alleged Google-cheaters, we finally won!
And even better, I actually knew some of the answers because it didn't centre totally around sport or audio clips – thanks to a new quiz master.
In fact, the whole quiz is deaf friendly, mainly because right from the start of this new guy doing the quiz, I have drummed it into him, and spoken up when he’s been out of sight and I can’t lipread. That means, that I hear everything. It’s therefore the best pub quiz I’ve ever been to – and my friends agree too, as they don’t have to keep relaying the questions to me.
Anyway, blogging from my iPhone is tricky today because my fingers are numb – it is so flipping cold! I know I haven't rabbitted on about the weather for quite some time now – Miss K used to think I was bonkers – but seriously, it's April tomorrow... I want teenage temperatures not preschool ones.
And on that note – I’m just off to sit on the radiator. It’s the only thing for it.
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
The running deaf girl races!
OK, Deafinitely Girly has some very erm… exciting, no wait, that’s the wrong word for it… SHOCKING news!!!!
She is running… in a race!
*pauses and waits for people to get back up off the floor
I know!
I don’t know what came over me, but Tigger inspired me. He’s visiting soon you see, and he suggested we do a race together that weekend. So we are...
Eek!
Seriously though, I am a teeny tiny bit excited – even though it is only a 5k run – as it will be my first ever running race since the house cross country nearly 20 years ago, when I came last out of the whole school… and you wonder what put me off running!
I’m hoping that this race will also give me added incentive to get out there and keep running. This morning – despite only having 4 hours sleep – I still got up and pounded the pathways of my local park. And I actually felt better for it.
OK, who’s kidnapped DG and put this odd running deaf girl in her place?!
It’s all thanks to Tigger really though – he kept quietly encouraging me. And now I have ‘come out’ as a runner – he’s noisily encouraging me. He even wants me to do the Great South Run in October but I’m… aherm… most deafinitely busy that weekend.
But if I am really going to keep at this running business, I really ought to invest in some running trousers that aren’t frayed to the knees, a top that isn’t meant for skiing and something more sophisticated than an egg timer.
Time for a shop at lunchtime today, I think!
She is running… in a race!
*pauses and waits for people to get back up off the floor
I know!
I don’t know what came over me, but Tigger inspired me. He’s visiting soon you see, and he suggested we do a race together that weekend. So we are...
Eek!
Seriously though, I am a teeny tiny bit excited – even though it is only a 5k run – as it will be my first ever running race since the house cross country nearly 20 years ago, when I came last out of the whole school… and you wonder what put me off running!
I’m hoping that this race will also give me added incentive to get out there and keep running. This morning – despite only having 4 hours sleep – I still got up and pounded the pathways of my local park. And I actually felt better for it.
OK, who’s kidnapped DG and put this odd running deaf girl in her place?!
It’s all thanks to Tigger really though – he kept quietly encouraging me. And now I have ‘come out’ as a runner – he’s noisily encouraging me. He even wants me to do the Great South Run in October but I’m… aherm… most deafinitely busy that weekend.
But if I am really going to keep at this running business, I really ought to invest in some running trousers that aren’t frayed to the knees, a top that isn’t meant for skiing and something more sophisticated than an egg timer.
Time for a shop at lunchtime today, I think!
Monday, 29 March 2010
Passionate about St John's Passion... erm!
Today I missed my morning run because I forgot to change the time on my alarm clock!
I woke up an hour late and have felt out of sync ever since.
*sniff
It also means that I have to go tomorrow – but hopefully the rain will hold off and enable me a dry meander through my local park.
The main thought getting me through this week is that Ma is coming to visit! She’s coming down for a long weekend for Easter, with Pa joining us later on. It’ll be great to relax and catch up with her – and if it’s rainy we can simply relax and enjoy crap TV while sitting on my lovely sofa.
Anyway, I had the most lovely weekend with SuperCathyFragileMystic and The Photographer. The car journey was quiet as I really couldn’t hear a thing – but we ate our weight in Percy Pigs from M&S, which would have kept us quiet anyway.
On Saturday evening, we went to watch SCFM singing St John’s Passion by Bach in Colston Hall. It was very official, with a traditional Baroque orchestra, which I found fascinating! Luckily, I was sat a mere few metres away from the bassoon, double bass and cello, so they more than made up for the fact that I couldn’t hear the violins, oboes or flutes.
I must confess, I was a little scared about sitting through two hours of no-interval choral music, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. What I could hear was very nice – and if the bits I couldn’t hear, weren’t, then it didn’t matter to me!
It’s sung in German – which isn’t the most attractive language in the world to lipread but I managed to pick up a few German words I recognised, and we were provided with a loose translation in our program for the rest of it.
Am I now passionate about Bach’s Passion? Absolutely not. But it was a very good experience and I was most impressed with SCFM’s singing abilities… two hours in rising temperatures and a big velvet skirt must have been character building.
The only thing I would have changed if I could, was the uncontrollable giggles I succumbed to just 10 minutes in. I can’t even remember what triggered it now, but the Photographer and I set each other off and I was silently (I hope) laughing so hard that I nearly fell off my chair. The more I tried to stop, the worse it got.
*blush
MUST… BEHAVE… BETTER!
I woke up an hour late and have felt out of sync ever since.
*sniff
It also means that I have to go tomorrow – but hopefully the rain will hold off and enable me a dry meander through my local park.
The main thought getting me through this week is that Ma is coming to visit! She’s coming down for a long weekend for Easter, with Pa joining us later on. It’ll be great to relax and catch up with her – and if it’s rainy we can simply relax and enjoy crap TV while sitting on my lovely sofa.
Anyway, I had the most lovely weekend with SuperCathyFragileMystic and The Photographer. The car journey was quiet as I really couldn’t hear a thing – but we ate our weight in Percy Pigs from M&S, which would have kept us quiet anyway.
On Saturday evening, we went to watch SCFM singing St John’s Passion by Bach in Colston Hall. It was very official, with a traditional Baroque orchestra, which I found fascinating! Luckily, I was sat a mere few metres away from the bassoon, double bass and cello, so they more than made up for the fact that I couldn’t hear the violins, oboes or flutes.
I must confess, I was a little scared about sitting through two hours of no-interval choral music, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. What I could hear was very nice – and if the bits I couldn’t hear, weren’t, then it didn’t matter to me!
It’s sung in German – which isn’t the most attractive language in the world to lipread but I managed to pick up a few German words I recognised, and we were provided with a loose translation in our program for the rest of it.
Am I now passionate about Bach’s Passion? Absolutely not. But it was a very good experience and I was most impressed with SCFM’s singing abilities… two hours in rising temperatures and a big velvet skirt must have been character building.
The only thing I would have changed if I could, was the uncontrollable giggles I succumbed to just 10 minutes in. I can’t even remember what triggered it now, but the Photographer and I set each other off and I was silently (I hope) laughing so hard that I nearly fell off my chair. The more I tried to stop, the worse it got.
*blush
MUST… BEHAVE… BETTER!
Friday, 26 March 2010
Hearing in my car
Today is Thankful Friday.
I am thankful that I finally get to see SuperCathyFragileMystic’s new house in the Wild West erm… Country – it’s called Christmas Cottage and it looks really rather cute in the pictures.
The Photographer – SCFM’s boy – and I are driving up after work in my little car. Once it gets dark, I will no longer be able to hear him and drive in a straight line at the same time on account of lipreading issues.
Don’t worry though (especially if my Ma is reading this), I will pick to do the latter not the former!
And that reminds me, I had better warn him that conversation will be sparse and that he should bring music, as the only thing in my car right now is the Glee Soundtrack and Pavlov’s Dog – an eclectic mix of pure cheese and bonkers-ness.
Poor guy – it could be a very long journey!
I am thankful that I finally get to see SuperCathyFragileMystic’s new house in the Wild West erm… Country – it’s called Christmas Cottage and it looks really rather cute in the pictures.
The Photographer – SCFM’s boy – and I are driving up after work in my little car. Once it gets dark, I will no longer be able to hear him and drive in a straight line at the same time on account of lipreading issues.
Don’t worry though (especially if my Ma is reading this), I will pick to do the latter not the former!
And that reminds me, I had better warn him that conversation will be sparse and that he should bring music, as the only thing in my car right now is the Glee Soundtrack and Pavlov’s Dog – an eclectic mix of pure cheese and bonkers-ness.
Poor guy – it could be a very long journey!
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Lipreading silent letters
You must excuse me, my cheeks are still glowing a warm shade of red from an embarrassing episode in Pret a Manger this morning.
There I was, buying my banana and sparkling water and after the 10th pardon, still with no clue what the man behind the till was saying to me.
*blush
It’s a noisy place, to be fair, but even my lipreading skills were no help, because in this instance, it turns out he was pronouncing a letter that’s usually silent – and this letter was the ‘p’ in receipt.
This ‘p’ and closure of his lips in the pattern of this word completely threw me. I had no clue what he was saying.
I looked to his colleague, who also seemed to pronounce the ‘p’, which was no help and eventually he gave up and said – do you want the paper thing?
Hurrah! Now I knew what was going on… but by this stage I was a gibbering, stammering, embarrassed ball of blondeness and he was pretty baffled, too.
‘I’m deaf,’ I reassured him – desperate for him not to think it was his English that was the problem – although it kind of was, but I don’t think he understood me.
So I grabbed my stuff and legged it – still red – to work.
It’s a long time since my lipreading skills let me down – I’m normally too on the ball, nosily reading people’s conversations in bars and restaurants, or from my bus in a traffic jam.
The other day I witnessed THE BEST fight between a couple – I think tourists – who were lost on Oxford Street. The guy had his back to me, so I was treated to a one-sided conversation as the girl ranted and raved about the fact that he didn’t know know where they were. It was getting so heated that I almost felt like getting off the bus and telling them where they were, just so she’d stop going mental at him.
Tomorrow, when I go into Pret, I am going to be on ‘p’ alert – or maybe I’ll just buy my banana from Somerfield like everyone else.
There I was, buying my banana and sparkling water and after the 10th pardon, still with no clue what the man behind the till was saying to me.
*blush
It’s a noisy place, to be fair, but even my lipreading skills were no help, because in this instance, it turns out he was pronouncing a letter that’s usually silent – and this letter was the ‘p’ in receipt.
This ‘p’ and closure of his lips in the pattern of this word completely threw me. I had no clue what he was saying.
I looked to his colleague, who also seemed to pronounce the ‘p’, which was no help and eventually he gave up and said – do you want the paper thing?
Hurrah! Now I knew what was going on… but by this stage I was a gibbering, stammering, embarrassed ball of blondeness and he was pretty baffled, too.
‘I’m deaf,’ I reassured him – desperate for him not to think it was his English that was the problem – although it kind of was, but I don’t think he understood me.
So I grabbed my stuff and legged it – still red – to work.
It’s a long time since my lipreading skills let me down – I’m normally too on the ball, nosily reading people’s conversations in bars and restaurants, or from my bus in a traffic jam.
The other day I witnessed THE BEST fight between a couple – I think tourists – who were lost on Oxford Street. The guy had his back to me, so I was treated to a one-sided conversation as the girl ranted and raved about the fact that he didn’t know know where they were. It was getting so heated that I almost felt like getting off the bus and telling them where they were, just so she’d stop going mental at him.
Tomorrow, when I go into Pret, I am going to be on ‘p’ alert – or maybe I’ll just buy my banana from Somerfield like everyone else.
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