Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Deaf One

Recently I've started seeing a patient who was born deaf. We'll call her Jane. (You'll probably notice that all of my female patients are named 'Jane Doe.' If the story requires naming another one, you'll find Janet, Janine, and Jinny... along with their spouses John, Jim, and James. Just making sure Im observing HIPPA.) She'll tell you that fact and shrug her shoulders, saying in the blurred pronunciations of one who cannot hear her own voice, "I don't know why." For her, communication is obviously something that she has struggled to achieve. She speaks sign language, but few do so she has adapted other skills as well. She reads lips incredibly well as long as the speaker looks directly at her. Imagine trying to learn to speak if never heard a sound, yet she has achieved the ability to make herself understood however cumbersome it may be. She has endured this her entire life and is not bitter or questioning about it at this stage in her life. She is one of the sweetest and happiest residents in the entire facility. Or maybe I'm just biased, but I'm really enjoying working with her.

Today she showed me again what an amazing attitude she has. The facility I work in recruits various types of talents and performers to visit and entertain the residents. Today it was an elderly man armed with a slightly out-of-tune guitar and a repertoire full of comical ballads popular when our residents were much younger. I looked through the crowd and there sat my deaf one, smiling and obviously enjoying herself. A common view from people blessed enough to live in their own homes and take care of themselves is that "I'm not going to a nursing home. Nursing homes are for people who are waiting to die." Jane certainly isn't sitting around waiting to die, she's getting as much as she can from life. Most people won't go to something that they can't fully benefit from, but she participated the best she was able and enjoyed all that she could. And I was humbled.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Ride and a Personality

A couple of weeks ago MSN had a feature on what your car says about you. Originally I wasn't going to put it on the blog, but after re-reading it, I just had to! Maybe I'm clinging to this personna since the death of George and the realization that I probably won't find another BMW in an affordable price range again. My hubby is currently sitting next to me with his laptop researching minivans. Minivans!!! After an agile, fast, fun, performance vehicle! So yes, I think I need to post this and remember the good times before I start crying or something else... Really, I'll be ok.

BMW 3-Series

"In an era when we define ourselves by the type of personal computer we use — we're either a Mac or a PC — those who own a 3-Series are Macs. Like an Apple, the BMW has style, a cultlike following and stellar performance. "They make you feel like you're smart and with it," McManus says. "It's a very well-executed vehicle." By that reasoning, we'd have to consider the owner to be a smart, considerate, yet style-conscious individual."

And the irony is that I'm reading this on a Mac. :)

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Farewell George

The Shelton family was sad to learn that a member of their family passed away suddenly. George the Monkey, named by Nathan, was a 1996 BMW 328i who gave out with a rusted frame. This experience is yet another reason why his owners wish the state of Indiana would quit using salt to clear the roads. He is survived by his owners, their children, and their other vehicle, a 1998 truck that Landon named Blacky Wacky. It is hard to tell who will miss him more, his mistress, Kat, or the children who rode safely buckled in back. Kat was very happy with "her baby"  and loved the agile, powerful but yet smooth driving experience. She also loved the feel of the standard transmission and it brought a grin to her face. George handled like a dream and made driving fun again. (Especially after years of driving a Buick Century.) Interstate driving, traffic, and snow were all handled with ease from the precision machine. The boys loved having a "fast car" and constantly begged for the driver to hit the accelerator (of which George would happily do!) Nathan could constantly be heard making shifting noises in the backseat. It was the first time the Shelton family had a vehicle in which the boys would rather ride in instead of the truck. The next vehicle will never be the same as driving George.
1996-2011
RIP George the Monkey, you will be dearly missed.