Say What?

You have a Phone Call!
Say What? I'm going to leave you with a funny story for the weekend. A little background: I have almost never had a phone call through the office sent to me; my calls are always done on my computer. Still, I get a few messages that I received a call. Usually I can just call them right back [...]
Art and Storytelling Culture Thu, Jul 03 2008 hide this blog

Put Away That Cellphone!
Say What? Today the new law on cellphones went into effect. It prohibits all drivers from “using a handheld wireless telephone while operating a motor vehicle. Motorists 18 and over may use a “hands-free device.” Drivers under the age of 18 may NOT use a wireless telephone or a hands-free device while operating a motor vehicle.” In other [...]
Tech Legal Tue, Jul 01 2008 hide this blog

Shopping for a new phone
Say What? Hello all, I'm in the market for a new phone. I need a smartphone like the Blackberry, iPhone, or SideKick. What I'm hoping for is one that's on Verizon's wireless network because it has better coverage out in the farm country.  AT&T and T-Mobile provide me with a shaky connection out in the country. I'm tempted by [...]
Tech Fri, Jun 20 2008 hide this blog

Speech Bloopers
Say What? Rose Godfrey's “Happy Farter Day” post reminded me of the bloopers deaf children and people too utter entirely by accident. Sometimes I wonder why we even bother with training deaf children who can't hear themselves well, to speak. Like myself. I'm stone deaf but have a fair speech which came from about 17 years of speech [...]
Language Art and Storytelling Tue, Jun 17 2008 hide this blog

Being Slam-less
Say What? I was on my vacation last week and man, it was so good. I needed to take myself off the Internet and spend some time with my family. I celebrated my birthday and my fifth wedding anniversary. My husband and I went camping in a place that was completely isolated from civilization. No [...]
Art and Storytelling Culture Mon, Jun 09 2008 hide this blog

Interactive Video Dictionary in the Works
Say What? I was reading the Appeal-Democrat newspaper over the weekend when my husband showed me this article titled “Researchers making video dictionary for the deaf.” I found the online version here. The short story: Boston University students are looking to create a sign language resource through the creation of a video dictionary paired with an interactive [......
Language Tech Wed, May 28 2008 hide this blog

Tidbits
Say What? Update on a previous postThe days fly by so fast for me. I didn't realize how many days had passed since the post “Would Rather E-mail Me,” because I have an update on it. I got his e-mailed consultation on Monday May 5th (the phone conversation was on Friday, May 2 morning). Ironically, his title was [...]
Thu, May 15 2008 hide this blog

“Sweet Nothings In My Ear”
Say What? There has been many reviews on DeafRead.com regarding the movie “Sweet Nothing In My Ear.” It is  about a deaf and hearing couple who struggle over whether to or not to have their deaf son implanted with a cochlear implant. After reading several reviews online, I found one that revealed the history behind the film [...]
Media Language Art and Storytelling Tech Culture Fri, May 02 2008 hide this blog

Would Rather E-mail Me
Say What? I'm puzzled about something this morning and I'm not sure if I should be mad or what. I was scheduled for an online conference with one of our vendors about a project that I wanted consultation on. I had e-mailed them earlier in the week about this and they set me up with a online conference. [...]
Language Tech Fri, May 02 2008 hide this blog

Life After High School
Say What? Yesterday, I joined 9 other working deaf professionals for a three-hour discussion with Yuba City High School's graduating class of deaf seniors. We shared our experiences as deaf people in the work force and we had a diverse background represented; Sutter County On-Call Janitor, State Department of Rehabiliation Counselor, two NorCal Center on Deafness employee...
Higher Education Audism Education Culture Wed, Apr 23 2008 hide this blog

Scams hitting Y-S
Say What? After hearing and reading about scams targeting the Deaf on Deafread.com and elsewhere, it has finally hit the Yuba-Sutter area. In the span of one week, I got two text messages from friends who reported getting the scam Instant Message offering money if they would give their information. The name (surprise) was Deafagent06, aka Walter [...]
Tech Legal Culture Thu, Apr 10 2008 hide this blog

Why the heck did I click that play button?!
Say What? I frequently buy books from Amazon.com and have a newsletter from them. Today I got an e-mail on new books in the Amazon.com store so I clicked on it to go and visit. While on the page I noticed Brisingr by Christopher Paolini. I had read Eragon and Eldest so I clicked on it to [...]
Media Language Tech Wed, Apr 09 2008 hide this blog

Deaf Quote of the Day
Say What? “No one is as deaf as the man who will not listen.” Jewish Proverb quotes
Art and Storytelling Culture Thu, Mar 13 2008 hide this blog

Celebration of Reading Day - Cobblestone Elementary
Say What? Today was Cobblestone Elementary School's first annual Celebration of Reading Day. An invitation was extended to Appeal-Democrat two weeks ago to have volunteers come and read a book to their classrooms. When I saw the announcement on our bulletin, I had to find out if there was a deaf child or more that I could sign [...]
Art and Storytelling Education Mon, Mar 03 2008 hide this blog

Spotted Online
Say What? “The Forest” by Jason Stewart - a real feast on the eyes, a short story told in ASL. (There is captioning for those who don't know ASL) I watched it 5 times, just enjoying it. I love the imagery and expression. This is actually an evaluation of “Lifelike Expressive Avatars” being developed. Presidential Candidate Scorecard [...]
Art and Storytelling Mon, Feb 11 2008 hide this blog

Bob's House
Say What? I've been watching some interesting things on the deaf blogsphere. If you will recall, PepsiCo created a Pre-SuperBowl commercial involving Deaf men using ASL titled “Bob's House.” (Click to view video again) It was created with members of PepsiCo's EnAble group — employees dedicated to creating a more inclusive environment for peop...
Media Language Audism Culture Fri, Feb 08 2008 hide this blog

CATE Available in Yuba-Sutter area
Say What? Claudia Hollis at FREED Center for Independent Living wants to let the deaf and hard of hearing community know that FREED has a CATE program now. CATE stands for California Assistive Technology Exchange. FREED is one of 10 community based organizations that is provided funding by CATE. These community based organizations provide direct assistive technology services [...
Tech Tue, Jan 29 2008 hide this blog

Say what? “Cured” of deafness?
Say What? This caught my eye — Boy, 11 “cured” of deafness. I first saw it on disaboom and located the original article. Apparently, he had been living for nine years with a cotton bud (the end of a Q-tip) stuck in his right ear. It suddenly popped out while he was at church and he could [...]
Media Tue, Jan 29 2008 hide this blog

Special Announcement: Be Part of the Change!
Say What? I received an very important e-mail just now. This is for all Deaf Community Members, Educators, Families, Friends, Students, anyone interested in the education for Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the state of California. ARE YOU FRUSTRATED WITH YOUR DEAF EDUCATION EXPERIENCE? IF SO… CLICK HERE: NorCal Center Deaf Education Reform Call This is about a push for [...]
Education Thu, Jan 17 2008 hide this blog

Working Deaf People
Say What? What advice do you have for the young generation when they start thinking about entering the work force? A common thing I hear from is: “Won't my deafness/hard of hearing be an issue with a prospective employer?” I say it's only an issue if someone makes it an issue. I don't think of my deafness [...]
Legal Culture Fri, Jan 11 2008 hide this blog

Captioned Movie Trailers
Say What? You know those movie trailers? Wish they were captioned? Fear not. You can find them captioned on billcreswell, one of the blogs that I visit. Bill Creswell is ideal because he works for a theatre that provides Closed Captioning for those who are deaf and hard of hearing, and Descriptive Audio for those who are [...]
Media Language Tech Thu, Jan 03 2008 hide this blog

International Deaf Travel
Say What? I was taking a short break from work when a Deaf friend instant messaged me. She was wondering if there were international travel agencies for the deaf that weren't cruises. She specifically wanted to fly to Italy to sight see and do research on her family's history. I remembered Jamie Berke's post about that and [...]
Wed, Jan 02 2008 hide this blog

Holiday communications
Say What? Holidays can be fun and festive, but also stressful. Not just the gifting and shopping, but communicating with relatives at holiday gatherings. Recently, I watched the vlog of a young girl telling her story of being the only deaf kid in the family. She said she was lonely. Yes, she was involved in activities like [...]
Fri, Dec 28 2007 hide this blog

Signing “Thank You” to people in the Service
Say What? Today I received an e-mail from a Deaf friend containing the link to a site that is asking people to say “Thank You” to people in the service and sign it with an open hand from the heart to outwards. The purpose is to make it easy to thank them without having to approach and [...]
Thu, Dec 13 2007 hide this blog

Deaf are NOT exempt from phone annoyances
Say What? I sit at my computer, typing out a string of codes and reading it carefully when my Adium's (Mac X all-in-one instant message account manager) pops up a Growl window that hovers for a few seconds before I switch to Adium and view the window. It's telling me I have a phone call through my [...]
Wed, Dec 12 2007 hide this blog Moved from DeafRead Extra

CSD Fremont plays Colusa High
Say What? Thank you for the comments and information on homeschooling deaf children. I apologize if some of you were wondering if I was not releasing your comments. I don't check my work blog when I'm working with my nose to the grindstone, or over the weekend and some comments were waiting for me to look at [...]
Education Mon, Dec 03 2007 hide this blog

Homeschooling Deaf Children?
Say What? I have a question about homeschooling deaf children. Does anyone currently homeschool their deaf child/children? Or, are you deaf and from a homeschooling environment? Would you be willing to share your stories here? When I was working as a long-term substitute teacher's aide back in 1994, I found out that the teacher I was working with, [...]
Education Fri, Nov 30 2007 hide this blog

Sign Language in Art
Say What? I said previously that we needed to highlight some Deaf Art, and here is one. More than anything else, I love looking at art. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, you name it. My husband knows how to make me happy: just take Hana to an art museum or gallery. Chuck's Brushes are unique because they are paintings [...]
Language Art and Storytelling Fri, Oct 26 2007 hide this blog

A Poem by Deb Ann
Say What? I've been getting to know another Deaf blogger named Deb Ann. Recently, she wrote a poem on her blog and invited me to read it. Innocent Deaf. Deaf people can write and enjoy poetry. I remember writing poems in my creative writing classes. A few got published in newsletters but it's been ages. Still, I enjoy reading poetry. In fact, one of my cherished fa...
Language Art and Storytelling Mon, Oct 22 2007 hide this blog

They're calling me!
Say What? Len La Barth found this and left it on my desk for me to see. Besides our coffee addiction, we're both sushi fanatics (but not the only ones in this office!). The restaurant Hana Japan is located in San Francisco, so I will have to check it out when I go to visit my relatives. I like it when I see my name on a Japanese restaurant. It makes me want to go in and ...
Language Fri, Oct 19 2007 hide this blog

Interesting Video “Reverse Planet”
Say What? Saw an interesting video on Google Videos titled "Reverse Planet" and wanted to share. This one has captioning for the hearing. Check it out. * A Note: This video is also long, at about 21 minutes, but an interesting watch.
Art and Storytelling Mon, Oct 15 2007 hide this blog

FDA Alert for Cochlear Implants Before 2002
Say What? I got an email forwarded to me from Claudia Hollis, Branch Manager of FREED about an important information from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Cochlear Implants. Anyone with an implant, especially parents of children with an implant, and those considering an implant, are advised to be sure they are fully and up to date on their vaccinations due to risk of l...
Media Tech Legal Mon, Oct 15 2007 hide this blog

Videos of Wrong Game! from Fremont and Sacramento
Say What? Thanks to Mark Wood, Executive Producer of ASL Films for sending over links for the Fremont and Sacramento groups who saw Wrong Game. They are also on ASL Films' web site in the "What people are saying" area. I see some familiar faces! This one is from Fremont, CA. And this one below, is from Sacramento, CA.
Media Art and Storytelling Thu, Oct 04 2007 hide this blog

Tech alert - SK LX (4)
Say What? Deaf Pagers has announced on their blog about Sidekick LX (4). Check it out! I intend to check it out as soon as it is released at the nearest T-Mobile store.
Wed, Oct 03 2007 hide this blog

Wrong Game!
Say What? Pam Tilly sent me an e-mail with a link to a video with people's comments on the film Wrong Game! from Michigan. We recently had ours in Sacramento last Saturday the 29th. FYI, the Sacramento group was the third group to see it. I do not know if someone made a vlog of the Sacramento group. I will find out ASAP. For those who want to know more about Wrong...
Media Art and Storytelling Wed, Oct 03 2007 hide this blog

Quick Highlights
Say What? The dog on my chest finally got off! Videos of Tea Time Party, themed Alice in Cyberland, are already up by the ladies that attended it. Check out these links. LaRonda Teri Barb Since I missed this due to being sick, I'm vicariously re-living the experience through their videos! Also, Amy Cohen Efron, the creator of The Greatest Irony has unveiled her new we...
Language Audism Culture Tue, Oct 02 2007 hide this blog

DeafRead FOR Youth
Say What? A few days ago, Tayler Mayer of DeafRead.com announced the creation of DeafRead Youth. This is geared towards the 17 and younger audience and designed to be student-friendly. Linkback: Announcing DeafRead Youth I recommend teachers of Deaf/HOH programs, parents of Deaf/HOH children, and teenagers link to DeafRead Youth and submit vlogs or blogs of their own. After yo...
Tech Tue, Sep 25 2007 hide this blog

The power of blogging
Say What? When I'm not at work, I jump onto my personal blogs and read my syndicated list of community blogs and personal blogs of people I like to stalk follow. One of the communities I follow is the LiveJournal based deaf community, Quiescent Voices. It is for all who are medically deaf and Deaf. American Sign Language learners or interpreters are welcome. Members com...
Tech Fri, Sep 21 2007 hide this blog

On the Deaf Blogsphere
Say What? I regularly visit DeafRead.com for the latest, but some of you may not be visiting DeafRead.com so I am going to highlight a few things here. Douglas Duane Bahl In the month of November 2006, Douglas Bahl, a well known advocate in the Twin Cities Deaf community (Minnesota) and St. Paul College instructor, was pulled over for traffic violation. It escalated into beatin...
Media Language Audism Education Legal Culture Fri, Sep 21 2007 hide this blog

Say What? - Hearing Aids
Say What? A co-worker and I were talking about diminishing hearing and the cost of hearing aids. "Say what? That's an apt title for my left ear, which is slowly tuning out the sounds around me. As a result, I'm getting my first taste of pseudo-deafness, and it's not a lot of fun. My only real experience with hearing aids was getting sticker shock at the [...]
Tech Tue, Sep 18 2007 hide this blog

Communicating with co-workers
Say What? People are naturally curious about how I communicate with my co-workers. Most assume I read lips, write back and forth, use rudimentary sign language or have an interpreter. The truth is we just IM each other on the office network. (IM means Instant Message). When I try to explain this to the general John Q. Public who asks me how my co-workers and I communicate, [...]
Language Tech Wed, Sep 05 2007 hide this blog

UFC 75: Matt “The Hammer” Hamill
Say What? I remember when Matt "The Hammer" Hamill appeared on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter reality television show. K.Z. raved at me about Hamill after we saw him fight. He went looking for Hamill on Myspace and added him. We went "awwww no!" when he got hurt in his fight with Mike Nickels which Hamill won by decision. The Hamill vs Bisping [...]
Tue, Sep 04 2007 hide this blog

Hearing Dogs
Say What? Appeal-Democrat printed an article in Monday's paper about a local resident who has a new hearing dog named Chip. Claudia Hollis is the branch manager of FREED Center for Independent Living in Marysville. She is hard of hearing, although the article uses the word "hearing impaired." Hearing dogs have been an interesting addition to a deaf or hard of [...]
Culture Mon, Aug 27 2007 hide this blog

Two Boys, Same Hearing Loss
Say What? A story from a mother of a deaf son. She has requested names to be confidential as it is a strange story that she still has trouble believing. Even I did, after I heard it. Her Deaf son met a relative the same age as him, with the same level of hearing loss, which is 110 decibel in the right ear and 70 decibels in the left ear. He had a cochlear implant behind the [...]
Culture Fri, Aug 17 2007 hide this blog

Two Cochlear Implant Stories
Say What? These are two stories from Thursday August 3. It was Deaf Club pizza social, and we had about 25 people from 5 pm to 10 pm. Deaf gatherings are always a storm of flying hands back and forth. We had four new guests; a co-worker of mine appeared, two interpreters from Sacramento and a visiting R.I.D. certified interpreter from Michigan made the trip. The interpreter [...]
Language Audism Art and Storytelling Tech Culture Thu, Aug 16 2007 hide this blog

We Want Her to Have Opportunities
Say What? Continuing the presentation of stories of actual cochlear implant users. A little explanation and introduction here: The person telling the story is my best friend, Shelby H. She is an interpreter in training going for her R.I.D. certification and specialization in Criminal Justice Interpreting. Shelby and I love chatting about various topics, but one of them is Deaf [...]
Culture Wed, Aug 15 2007 hide this blog

My Hungarian Roommate
Say What? Now that more than ten years have passed since the first experimental cochlear implant surgery was performed, the technology has progressed and improved. The risks still exist: headaches, dizziness, possible nerve damage, implant rejection by the body. For those who want to hear again, the cochlear implant is their answer. I will be presenting stories from implantees [...]
Language Audism Education Culture Tue, Aug 14 2007 hide this blog

N.A.D. and The Greatest Irony
Say What? I was surprised when Ms. Amy Cohen Efron thanked me for showing her video on my previous blog a few days "After the Cochlear Video, Thoughts" and invited me to contact her. In my mind, Amy is one of the giants, a Deaf woman with influence through her brilliant vlogs, and I felt so humble that she wanted to talk with me. Today we finally saw each other on [...]
Higher Education Language Audism Culture Wed, Aug 08 2007 hide this blog

Your Favorite Relay Service?
Say What? I'm trying out this new poll feature for our blogs. Please vote. What is your favorite Relay Service? No favorite -- I use all IP Relay TTY/TDD Relay Video Relay What are relay services? View Results
Tech Tue, Aug 07 2007 hide this blog

After the Cochlear Implant Video, Thoughts
Say What? By now you've most likely seen the video on this post
Media Language Audism Education Tech Culture Mon, Aug 06 2007 hide this blog