Random ramblings

Oh yeah... Forgot to update my blog lately with the ongoings of college life.  Turns out I didn't get accepted for the Radiography program this year.  They didn't like the grade I had for Pre-Calc (a C), so I would have to retake Pre-Calc and get a better grade if I want to reapply next year.  Still debating if I want to try for Radiography again next year, or if there's another direction that I could go in.  I need to see what else the college has to offer.  I do think Audiology would be neat and fascinating, but I'm not sure I want to go through all the schooling.  I don't know yet.  At least I can focus more on getting the basic requirements out of the way.  Still need to take psychology, and P.E.  Were there other courses I still need to take? Um, I'll have to find that out.  Advising day is coming up soon I believe, so I can find out then.  The college also offers Psychology of Deaf Persons, which I'm rather interested in taking.  Would have to take general psychology first, of course, before I can register for that class.

ASL has been going great, for the most part.  There are a few students who do not seem to take the class seriously, and will have side conversations and forget to sign during class. Not very respectful.  ASL isn't an easy-peasy class, for those who might think it is.  Oh no, it can be hard!  Just understanding the grammar structure of ASL is challenging.  That's my biggest problem with ASL, I can't remember all the ASL grammar rules.  It's based off the French language or French Sign Language, rather than the English language.  It's hard for me to turn English off in my mind and convert to ASL grammar.  I've literally have had English crammed into my head at the deaf school that it's been quite challenging for me to make the transition.  But it's been a fun class, interesting... just interacting and practicing with other students, and making the ASL instructor freak out when I bring up SEE signs during class has been fun.  And this class of ASL students have been SPOILED in terms of exposure to deaf people.  The evening class is when deaf people are very likely to pop in and visit, so that's been fun too.  I plan on continuing with the ASL courses offered at the college, and will sign up for ASL 2 in the fall, and continue on from there.

 

Also, English... we have to write a 8-12 page paper on a topic of our choosing, which will count as our big Final.  Of course, I got to thinking of different deaf or cochlear implant related topics, and settled on "Why is the Deaf culture against babies and young children getting implants?", and have a variety of sources at hand to help me with this paper.  I plan  to cover some of the history of deaf culture in the United States, the backlash against Alexander Graham Bell and his oral method and mistreatment of the deaf, controversies over technology among the Deaf (hearing aids, CI's in general, and now CIs in young kids), that sort of thing.  I'm pretty excited to work on this paper.  I have books, documentaries, contacts with the State Department of Education-Education of the Deaf and HOH, audiologists, various articles and resources online... should be a fun project!

Have been in contact with a dog trainer on facebook, finding out costs and whatnot so I can get my crazy dog trained and hope he'll have better manners.  I certainly have the free time this coming summer, since I didn't get into the radiography program, so I'm gonna work on teaching him some manners!  He's such a brat outside when there are other people around sometimes, it needs to get better.  He'll bark at anyone that he doesn't know, even little kids.  Meanie... No, I get he just doesn't know who they are, but there's no need to be so rude!  The trainer does group classes for 6 weeks, and also offers personal one-on-one training.  Group classes would be cheaper, and Bryan would certainly be exposed to other dogs and learn how to socialize better.  But at the same time, I think one-on-one would be better, just because of my deafness, and that way we could focus more on problem areas that needs working on (his jumping on everyone, I still haven't been able to break him of that habit).  The trainer also has experience with training dogs to be hearing dogs as well, so that could be useful.  I'm sure my neighbors would appreciate not having to hear Bryan bark up a storm every time someone knocks on my door (practically scaring off pizza or UPS/FedEx deliveries!).

CI Audiologist from Denver is making another trip here later this month to do appointments with her Wyoming clients.  So I shall be seeing her on the 25th at... 10 a.m. I believe it was?  Something like that.  She should have a new laptop with the updated software for AB implants, and we can figure out if something went wrong when she tried loading up Optima on my Neptune.  Couldn't hurt to add Optima to my Harmony as well, even though I do get 2 days use out of a PowerCel Plus, and about 16-18 hours on the PowerCel Slim.  And I swear, as soon as the pool on the apartment grounds opens for the summer season, I'm taking the Neptune for a swim!  Have had my implant for 2 years and I still haven't swam with the Neptune yet.  I'm going to fix that this summer!  Still wish I could get the Naida CI from AB....  3 more years before I can upgrade, and by then there should be an even newer BTE processor available from AB.  Awesome!

I-Angel Sound training available on iPads/iPod Touches/iPhones for auditory rehab!  Fairly simple and straightforward app.

been working on my ASL/Deaf/CI related DVD collection.  A couple of movies from ASL Films, both very good films to watch!  100% pure ASL, no sound.... fun to watch, for sure! I ordered "The Legend of the Mountain Man" which has Sean Berdy and his brother in it several months ago, another good movie to watch!

Ordered more color caps for my Harmony from AB in February I think?  Buy one set, get one set free deal! Now I need to get more color caps for the Universal Headpiece so the match the Harmony color caps.  Yup!

And Deaf Jam just arrived in my mail box the other day.  Saw this with open captions for WYHI 2 years ago, and now available on DVD for home viewing.

 

 

 

Oh and just for fun, see that teddy bear with purple hearing aids?  His name is Rudy, and my aunt Brenda made him special for me.  Well, she made teddy bears for all of us kids, each with a different colored sweater.  When I unwrapped Rudy, I thought it was the neatest thing ever, and very awesome of my aunt to make him his own set of hearing aids.  He originally had tan and pink hearing aids (tan hearing aids with pink earmold type), but a cat of ours destroyed them.... So she had to make  a new set, which have held up since.  I found him in a bag full of stuffed animals one day and just had to put him up.  I love this bear!

 

 

Ok, have I rambled on enough by now?  I think so.  :)  Happy Easter weekend!