I have sparkly hearing aid molds. They are amazing…and ordered from the children’s catalog, much to the horror of my audiologist who eventually acquiesced and let me have a little bit of fancy! (I am obsessed with Cher and Ava Gardner – and I have decided that if they had to wear hearing aids, they …
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Hockey Dreams, Unfulfilled
With tightly laced hot pink figure skates adorning my feet, off I went with unbridled confidence, gliding smoothly across the ice tossing in a few swizzles and twizzles, nailing a triple salchow and ending my routine in a perfect Hamill Camel. I gathered the teddy bears, the flowers, and basked in the applause – but …
5 Questions!
This week, we decided to write a “getting to know us” post! We each answered 5 questions about ourselves – and there were a few surprises! Enjoy! I am confident that Brad will respond to this question with an inspirational, intellectual and well-informed choice. I will not. My pick is Ava Gardner – a screen …
An Acrostic Poem Challenge!
For fun during this busy month of December – we challenged each other to write an Acrostic poem using each other’s names – this was a fun (and frustrating) assignment…but we think they came out pretty good…have a look – Brad’s name on top, Julie’s name on the bottom – Brad McKenna – written by: …
I Still Can’t Read That Book.
In what comes as a shock to no one, Brad and I have a difference of opinion. This time, it concerns our personal feelings about the graphic novel, El Deafo, by Cece Bell – a loosely based biographical account of her own experiences navigating the world whilst wearing hearing aids. Brad has mostly positive feelings …
Meditation.
My breaths were deep and measured. Each exhale released burdens that were not mine to carry and each accompanied inhale brought forth a renewed life force that was cool and crisp. I allowed myself to surrender completely and was carried along a stream of stars and dust, lazily suspended amongst perfect stillness. This peaceful detachment …
Advocacy Exhaustion
I do not shy away from stating, asking, requesting and demanding what I need to access, understand, participate and partake in this lifetime as an individual with a hearing loss. I have a loud speaking voice, and I’m not afraid to use it. And self-advocacy is a personal specialty. The casual observer will see someone …
Am I An Extroverted Introvert?
I have a special fondness for Uber drivers. There is nothing better than those short term friendships between destinations. I always leave those brief yet charged interactions with a broad smile because inevitably I have either learned something new, laughed uproariously, or – in what is a near constant theme – dispensed relationship advice. (Special …
Learning ASL: An Attempt.
My whole life, I’ve talked with my hands. I point directly at objects, wave fingers loosely in directions of people, stab the air with gusto when caught up in the midst of a particularly passionate rant. All of this accompanied, of course, by my rapid rate of speech, peppered with distinctive mispronunciations and sheer butchering …
ASL: Appropriation or Appreciation?
It happened again…my witnessing of isolated American Sign Language (ASL) signs emblazoned on “teacher shirts” – spelling out catchy phrases such as “Third Grade Rocks!” using the visual images of hands forming the letters of the alphabet. The prevalence of seeing the sign for “I love you” on tote bags, key rings, coffee mugs, dishtowels, …
Deaf, But Not Really: My Story 