CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN

HLAA Convention Recap #1
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN The hotel shuttle bus whisked me away from the landing field of hell to the magnificent Grand Sierra Hotel in Reno, Nevada. On the way to the hotel, I was trying to text to Jennifer, Laurie, Mike and Phyliss all the while trying to hold a verbal conversation. It is a miracle in itself in how I remained intelligible through my texting. At first glance of the hotel, ...
Language Art and Storytelling Tech Culture Sun, Jun 22 2008 hide this blog

Pandora's Box of Flying
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN Wow, I had an amazing time in Reno and you can bet your bottom dollar that a recap is coming. I met the Jennifer, Laurie, Mike, Gloria, Tina, Kim, Sheila and so many others! I need some time to try wrap my head around everything that happened there. But first, I wanted to tell you all how I did with my first, second, third, forth flight :) Hold on to skivvies kids,...
Language Tech Tue, Jun 17 2008 hide this blog

Deafread, you want full disclosure?!
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN Well, this afternoon I got a little surprise in my email from a fellow blogger name Rachel Chaikof of Cochlear Implant Online informing me that DeafRead editors have removed her blog from their aggregator website. Before I continue let me give you a little background information. In 1989, when she was just two years old, Rachel became one of the first children to re...
Culture Tue, Jun 03 2008 hide this blog

Cochlear Transplant?
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN This is just my luck to get sick for the first time in over a year a WEEK before my vacation. Now of all times, my immune system decides to take a break and roll out the red carpet to the little ghosties and beasties to invade my body causing it to wreck havoc. My throat is resonating with a teenage boy going through puberty and my nose is working overtime excreting...
Tech Tue, Jun 03 2008 hide this blog

Children's Cochlear Implant Books
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN There has been a recent surge lately when it comes to children's books that talk about cochlear implants. I am digging the title of the first one for some reason and no I had nothing to do with this book. You can order the books by clicking on the pictures and the best part is that they all cost less then a 1/4 of a tank of gas. :)Abby Gets A Cochlear ImplantWritte...
Tech Tue, May 27 2008 hide this blog

Auditory High of Activation
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN Reminiscing over the past seven and half months, I realized how wet I was behind the ears as I was learning how to hear with a cochlear implant. Now still in reminiscent mode, I find it hysterical but I didn’t then. When this super uber technology was turned on into my dormant yet primitive ear, I realized that six trillion months of researching wouldn’t have helped...
Tech Sun, May 04 2008 hide this blog

Download my HLAA Magazine Article.
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN As I mentioned here, I have written an article for the May/June issue of the Hearing Loss Magazine which is now available to download! You can click on the picture to go to Cindy Dyer's blog to download the PDF file. This is my first published article and I am so excited to share this with you all! I can't wait to hear your thoughts!
Tech Tue, Apr 29 2008 hide this blog

Calling all my bionic buddies!
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN Rally around the table, everyone! If you all would go over to Brianna's Journey, Brianna's mom created this blog because Brianna is having her first cochlear implant surgery this coming Tuesday and she needs support, especially from moms that have been there. Would you mind popping over there and dropping a few words of wisdom? I would really totally appreciate it!...
Tech Thu, Apr 24 2008 hide this blog

My Hearing History
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN This post is going to right back to the beginning of time – my time at least. I am going to answer the ever-popular question about my hearing history. It has come to my attention that I have been vague about my hearing loss history and that is going to be cleared up... right now!*slaps hand on desk* :) My little hearing biography starts in the womb. My mother wa...
Art and Storytelling Tech Wed, Apr 23 2008 hide this blog

DBC Rally at the AGB Convention in California
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN In this post you can see that I strongly disapprove Alexander Graham Bell oral only perspective. I believe in offering different methods of communication, the more the merrier I say. Thanks to Linda Slavick, she provided us with a video of the DBC (Deaf Bilingual Coalition) Rally in Milpitas, CA, the same one that Michael Chorost and Josh Swiller attended. There is...
Culture Tue, Apr 15 2008 hide this blog

Cover Girl for Hearing Loss Magazine
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN I'm going to pull my hair out if I don't tell someone! I can’t keep this a secret anymore! I am going to blow a fuse if I do!The HLAA’s (Hearing Loss Association of America) magazine, Hearing Loss is going to feature yours truly! This is going to be my first cover shot AND my first article published!! It will be coming out around May!I feel much better now that I ...
Media Language Mon, Apr 07 2008 hide this blog

A.G. Bell - Oral Only Organization
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN Since my hearing loss was diagnosed before I started school, I was placed in a mainstreamed school in kindergarten up to the first and second marking period of first grade. I was then placed in speech therapy classes. I wanted to share some of the remarks made on my IEP (Individualized Education Plan): Mis-articulations make speech difficult to understand.Expres...
Language Audism Education Tech Culture Mon, Mar 31 2008 hide this blog

Springtime a'coming!
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN My good friend who happens to be the very best neighbor you could ever have, brought over these absolutely gorgeous bright yellow tulips! A subtle reminder that springtime is just around the corner! The chill in the air is subsiding, the grass will become soon become full and lush, flowers will begin to blossom and I will be outside working on my green thumb. Y...
Art and Storytelling Tech Mon, Mar 24 2008 hide this blog

Blog Award Nominees
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN Before I introduce the nominees, I want to wish everyone a very happy easter!A little deaf humor for the holiday :)A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I was awarded the “Treasured Blog Award” by KW over at Living the Questions and the “E for Excellent Blogger Award” by Jim over at Jim’s Deep Thoughts. I want to thank both of them again for giving me these awards, I ...
Tech Sun, Mar 23 2008 hide this blog

Petition Canada for CapTel and VRS
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN Not that it is entirely unheard of Americans meddling in foreign affairs, but I just have to do this.I found out that Canada does not have CapTel nor Videophone Relay service available for its hard of harding and deaf community. The US provides both of these services practically for free. The only service that Canada funds is a TTY which is nearing obsolete in the U...
Language Tech Legal Thu, Mar 13 2008 hide this blog

Sprint WebCapTel and CapTel update
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN I have been tinkering around with the new Sprint WebCapTel since it was released this past Thursday and I for one am impressed to the point that I just want to plant a big ol’ wet one on the developer who came up with this FREE revolutionizing site! From this website, those of US who have difficulty with understanding people on the phone can make a phone call from an...
Media Language Tech Sat, Mar 08 2008 hide this blog

Sixth mapping and Blog Awards!
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN I’m shuffling back up the hallway to get to the kitchen and glide past the TV and all of the sudden I hear… “Oh! They love having their tongue stroked.” Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! I came to a complete halt. Did I hear that right? The words love, tongue, stroked with an inaudible period at the end. I couldn’t fathom what kind of kinky programming my sweet...
Thu, Mar 06 2008 hide this blog

Helen Keller
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN All the world is full of suffering.It is also full of overcoming. Helen KellerAccording to this article here researchers have uncovered a rare photograph of a young Helen Keller with her teacher Anne Sullivan, nearly 120 years after it was taken on Cape Cod and tucked inside a family album.Experts on Keller's life believe it could be the earliest photo of the two wom...
Media Culture Wed, Mar 05 2008 hide this blog

Three men and their articles.
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN Michael Chorost, author of "Rebuilt" released his latest article today for Technology Review called Helping the Deaf Hear Music. I found this very interesting because it discusses a computerized test that measures how well cochlear implant users perceive music.Josh Swiller, author of "The Unheard: A Memoir of Deafness and Africa" had an article released today as well...
Media Art and Storytelling Tech Tue, Feb 26 2008 hide this blog

One year ago today is when I lost my hearing...
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN My weary eyes began to flutter as the anesthesia began to evaporate. Seconds felt like hours as my mind tried to orchestrate a sense of normality. My eyes dreaded the fulgent pattern of fluorescent lights but soon began to focus. A monotonous wailing crept in my head. My body laid limp and impotent. Time lingered to a standstill until a nurse with a set of smilin...
Fri, Feb 22 2008 hide this blog

I Once Thought
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN I came across this wonderful poem by a new blogger, Bravo Rod and I just had to share it!I once thought I was impairedUntil I met a man who only had one eye.I once thought I was impaired,Until I met a man who couldn’t lift more than 15 lbs.I once thought I was impaired,Until I met a man who had to use a cane.Thank you God for taking my hearingAnd not my eyesSo that I ...
Thu, Feb 21 2008 hide this blog

How to charge your Valentines Day?!
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN Today was looking exceptionally promising since I installed a fresh batch of batteries in my toothbrush and had a good ol’ time scrubbing my choppers this morning. That was until I got to work. I was under the impression that I had one fully charged CI battery left and you can imagine my surprise when they were all dead. Oh shh… After calling myself a di...
Tech Thu, Feb 14 2008 hide this blog

Partially deaf...
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN I have Verizon Wireless, my phone is a POS replacement Samsung U740 (ie: my second phone since September 2007)I was off yesterday for my good ol’ buddy Abraham Lincoln birthday and I decided to venture to Verizon Wireless (again) because that POS replacement Samsung U740 was acting up!How was it acting up? The same stinking way it was acting up before.When using AOL ...
Culture Wed, Feb 13 2008 hide this blog

HELP!! I need a Vlog topic!
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN I decided a while ago that I wanted to make a captioned vlog and if I happen to know the sign, I will use ASL as well. However, I am lacking the creativity to come up with a topic and the fact that I’m a little camera shy, believe it or not, is not helping :)So, I am asking you if you could share what you would like to see me talk about.Is there anything you want to ...
Language Tech Mon, Feb 11 2008 hide this blog

The good stuff in life...
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN is not all chocolate, wine and lemon drop cookies. I deal with a lot of negativity throughout the day but it just takes one of these emails to make my day.Hello Abbie,I just listened and watched your video of the activation of your CI. What a marvelous thing you did, to make this available to us fellow CIers! You are a wonderful inspiration.I received my implant in A...
Language Tech Wed, Feb 06 2008 hide this blog

Deaf Bingo, Gossip, Captions!
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN My first deaf bingo game!As some of you might know, I know very little sign language. I was mainstreamed in a school that did not provide a dual setting to learn the English language and sign language. I was never against learning sign (as some of you think I am) but when I was younger I preferred to talk and I always will. There have been times that I wish I knew ...
Language Tech Culture Mon, Feb 04 2008 hide this blog

How did I caption my activation video?
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN That seems to be the million dollar question! By a stroke of luck, I managed to come across this website www.overstream.net that allows you to add subtitles to any online video that has been uploaded to YouTube, Google Video, MySpace Video, Dailymotion and Veoh by using the Overstream editor. And did I forget to mention that it is 100% free? You start out by r...
Tech Thu, Jan 31 2008 hide this blog

Karen, the amazon woman!
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN Discriminatory practices still exist today. Read the follow to see how difficult it was for one woman to order a milkshake from Steak 'n Shake restaurant in Chicago.Karen Putz, who is deaf, drove past the drive thru speaker and went straight to the window to order two milkshakes as she has done several times before. She says the general manager who waited on her did ...
Audism Culture Sat, Jan 26 2008 hide this blog

Captioned Cochlear Implant Activation Video
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN The original activation video:
Tech Mon, Jan 21 2008 hide this blog

Review of AIM® 6.8 Beta for the Deaf
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN I love AIM (AOL Instant Messaging), I always have, and it is an integral part of my daily life. If it was not for AIM expanding the application to work on mobile devices, I don't know what I would have done when I lost my hearing and could no longer pick up a phone. The ability to use the phone was replaced with an unlimited text-messaging plan and very sore thumbs....
Tech Culture Fri, Jan 18 2008 hide this blog

Check Up, Cheerios, CapTel and Chalkboards.
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN The four “C’s”Check-Up. Last Thursday I hightailed it over to the University of Pennsylvania to see my surgeon for my three-month check up to make sure I don’t have a runway implant floating around in my head. He said everything looks great and I have healed up quite nicely. I don’t know if I mentioned this at the time I had my surgery since I was under the influenc...
Tech Mon, Jan 14 2008 hide this blog

The DeafRead Controversy
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN DeafRead collects deaf related content and videos from deaf or hard of hearing bloggers and places it on their site. Human editors approve each posts to ensure that it is in fact deaf related. It really is a great site for deaf diversity, read a blog or watch people sign through vLogs (video blogs.) I am deaf and a blogger, I've clearly met the minimum requirements...
Tech Culture Wed, Jan 09 2008 hide this blog

Tick, tock.
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN Dipping and rising over the ridges of the great tympanum laid a catacomb of lilliputian whiskers. From deep within the chamber, a sound emanated so quiet that it took me forty-five minutes with my ear arrected against the wall since I was thoroughly convinced some woodland creature was trapped between the cheap faux wood panels of my humble abode. It was my watch o...
Tech Tue, Jan 08 2008 hide this blog

Hello World.
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN Gigantic Productions is going to begin producing a show called "True Life: Im deaf" on MTV. They are looking for a variety of deaf individuals ages 14-28. This is the casting call notice from HearingExchange along with the contact information Do you have severe or total deafness? Are you a deaf student, about to graduate and go out into the world on your own fo...
Media Art and Storytelling Tech Culture Fri, Jan 04 2008 hide this blog

Chris Daughtry
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN As a teenager full of angst, I took heed to rock and roll, never mind sex and drugs. I spent most of my time banging my head to the astonishing depth of Led Zeppelin, the depressing tranquility of Kurt Cobain, the pure rawness of Guns and Roses, and the culminating riffs of Pink Floyd. I craved the thundering of the drums, percussive tone of the bass guitars, and th...
Media Language Art and Storytelling Tech Culture Fri, Jan 04 2008 hide this blog

Greatest Moment of the Year.
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN In my silent past, I have been surrounded by people who can hear water dripping, dogs whining, and bacon cooking without a second thought. My sad reality of it all came to full fruition that no one in my repertoire of acquaintances is able to understand that to me, those sounds just simply did not exist. I felt like I was the lone poodle watching the world absorb sou...
Language Art and Storytelling Tech Culture Fri, Jan 04 2008 hide this blog

My fifth mapping went a little something like this...
CHRONICLES OF A BIONIC WOMAN ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!About three weeks ago, sounds from my implant began to sound fuzzy, robotic, and barely audible. This means that my brain has gotten use to the electrical output of the electrodes and in simple terms, needs more juice. I know a passing thought must be why dont I just pump up the volume? I could pump up the volume but then my eye starts twitc...
Language Tech Fri, Jan 04 2008 hide this blog