Xtreme Lady
I "met" the most interesting person today. Mary Ellen is an American woman who works in the publishing industry. She's a fascinating person in a number of ways, as a poke through her blog Xtreme English ("Love notes to the English language") will attest. She is also, after (according to her) being deaf longer than I have been alive (!), getting a cochlear implant on March 1, 2007. That's just 12 days away!
I am so looking forward to following her on this new adventure in a life which has been full of them, and hope some of you enjoy coming along too.
ronnie
Labels: deafness
posted by ronnie at
8:22 p.m.
9 Comments:
gee! thanks for the post! this is very exciting! along the lines of "leap...and the net appears." it's just warming the cockles of my heart no end. getting a c.i. is kind of a scary bidness for an old relic like me...i've picked up lots of spare parts in the past year or two, so i decided to go for the c.i. i love you blog, and i've linked it to xtreme english, which means my oldest daughter, peggy, at least, probably will contact you. she has a FABULOUS blog herself - whitelees.blogspot.com - which you can access through xtreme english. she lives in south scotland. there are some very interesting blogs from canada that i've connected with. wot is it with you people up there? you seem so smart and civilized. anyway, blog on!!! and thanks for the mention. I'm trying to return the favor....if i leave out something critical, let me know...
Yup, just as predicted, here is the daughter. Hello Ronnie. I'm Peggy. Now don't freak out when you see that somebody in the UK has viewed loads of your old blog entries. That's me. I am reading a lot of stuff about C.I. as my mom is going through it soon. Your report is great as it has such a human element to it.
Me again...I've started reading your blog from the beginning, and it's quite remarkable. You've been able to write what the agent wanted me to write about 10 years ago. But I had spent all my time while I was going deaf trying to be hearing--lest the ground open and swallow me alive--and I had little to say or even think about being deaf. Thirty years later, when I wanted to write about the experience, I didn't have any words for it. I was hearing and then I wasn't. There were no such things as MRIs back then. The doctors would say things like, "Wow...you're really deaf!" or "Where did you learn how to read lips?" (followed by "That'll be $80, please.") The last song I remember hearing in full? "Rubber ball" or something like that. Forget who sang it.
Just like a rubber ball, baby, that's all that I am to you, bouncy bouncy, bouncy bouncy.
Just like a rubber ball cuz you thought you could be true to two, bouncy bouncy, bouncy bouncy.
You BOUNCE MY HEART AROUND...
You don't even put it down.
But like a rubber ball,
I'll come bouncing back to you
rubber ball, I'll come bouncing back to you
rubber ball, I'll come bouncing back to you
hmmm..
Oh, Mary Ellen, so happy to see you here.
I also remember the last song I heard before I went deaf: Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car".
It's amazing how important these bits and pieces are to us...
ronnie
I've never heard "Fast Car" or Tracy Chapman, but I'm looking forward to it if everything goes ok. What oldie singer (pre-1960) would you say she sounds like?
She is most frequently compared to Joan Armatrading, not just because they are both black female folk singers, but apparently because their styles are very much alike. Not having heard much of Armatrading's music, I will defer to the reviewers who made the comparison and assume they know what they're talking about :) She has a rich melodious voice, and sings folk songs whose lyrics frequently revolve around social justice issues. I think you'd like her.
Sorry, Mary Ellen, "my bad" - I thought you wrote "which oldie singer (1960s) would you compare her to?" Armatrading wasn't around untili the late 60s, of course, so you wouldn't have heard her. Sorry about that. I don't think there's a pre-1960 singer I *can* compare her to, as her style is so folk, and so different from what black women were singing back then.
At any rate, I hope that in a while you have the option of hearing Chapman for yourself if you choose.
Hi Peggy! Welcome! Your mom sounds like a remarkable woman. You're going to have a very important role to play in all this, if my experience is any indication... this is something that is way too big for people to get through without the support (and patience of their families. I can't wait to check out your blog now. I feel like I've discovered another branch of the family I never knew existed!
Jello again....
I'll take your word for it re Joan Armatrading. I look forward greatly to the possibility of being able to hear music now. In fact, I'm paying attention to what's on the taxi radios these days. Two days ago, I got into a cab driven by a young Pakistani fellow, and he was listening to Mozart! (I asked.) Wow. (Peggy, how often do you think Mad Cabbie listens to Mozart?) You really gotta check out Mad Cabbie....he's on my links, too. He's not for the squeamish or the prudish, but he's an angel.
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