The End

...And he never logged into Facebook again and lived happily ever after.

The End.

UPDATE: Still Writing

(1/23/2021) I should write more. I want to - it's laziness that's winning over sometimes. The real trick to writing comes down to 2 things:

1) a topic

2) discipline.

 

Without those, it's stream of consciousness writing like Michael Stipe does; only he does better it than I do.

 

So I suppose a low key vibe like a blog is a good place to start. Sometimes longer thoughts happen & I need a place to put them that don't really fit on Twitter.  

 

UPDATE (1/24/2025) I no longer own a Twitter account, I deleted that 2 years ago or so, when Elon bought it and ruined it. Ah, the magic of being able to go back in time and update your original blog entry! It's been 4 years, & I've kept busy with posting commentary, mostly. However, I'm writing much more often now. I've shaken the rust off, as it were.

I would like to reiterate to myself that the title may be "Hard Of Hearing Problems", but it has always been about focusing on putting a positive spin on life. Whether it be assistive technology, or finding a news tidbit, or a comment in a forum somewhere that's useful. I like to focus on those aspects. I shall spruce up a few things here and there along the way as well. 

 

Cheers, and I hope you enjoy reading.

Silent Sunday

New Year

 

Although this blog might sound very negative at times, it was really an exercise to get my thoughts written out, often times reactionary.

I will try to search out more positive news in the future, or I'll shutter this blog & try something different. Have a prosperous new year.

Sign Of The Times

After much reflection, I have decided that I am not going to pursue an ASL teaching certificate. I've been in the workforce for over 30 years, and if hearing people actually meant it when they said "Oh, I've always wanted to learn to sign.", we would have legions of somewhat capable signers by now, if they were earnest.

Where are they?

As It Was Foresigned

I recall a certain conversation that occurred during a Deaf social while I was attending the second year of my Sign Language Communicator degree. The purpose of the gathering was to allow students studying sign language to gain exposure to different Deaf people, signing styles, and different viewpoints.

This individual inquired why I was wearing hearing aids. I think I shrugged my shoulders because it had always been that way for me; if I was heading out in public, I put them on out of habit - because I needed to in order to function. They suggested pulling them out of my ears and throwing them away. This blew my mind a bit at that age - that sort of rebellious attitude against the system! How punk it seemed to want to do that - rip them out, stomp them into the dirt and say NO MORE! That was not the first time I would be exposed to that attitude - reject the system.

I didn't do that. Instead I spent the next three decades bouncing from job to job trying to endure; however I can't recall any job lasting longer than five years with any employer. After 30+ years of being in the workforce,  I'm worn out with dealing with hearing people. Age, physical wear and tear, and bouts with COVID have me considering an early, forced semi retirement. That head spinning realization that occurred in my 20s makes me wonder if they were right, now that I'm in my 50s: just stay at home, collect some sort of pension, and find a way to beat the system. That's what they implied - there's no use trying to advance in this society, they'll just beat you down. You'll always be stuck in entry-level jobs. Yes, there are exceptions but they're exactly that - exceptions.

I hate the fact that as a hard of hearing person, I'm supposed to pick myself up by my bootstraps and blaze a path to self-sufficiency, while the entire system is constructed for people who are able to hear or have no disabilities.

I spent over a year trying to lip-read with face masks on everyone. If people don't believe me that it takes its toll, I don't know what else to tell them.

The Canadian Association of the Deaf conducted a survey and reported low levels of gainfully employed individuals or family. My own experience, coupled with that of others in the community seems to back this up. Perhaps it is time to heed the advice of my elders, as it was foresigned...