The Ambling Rambler

Highs and Lows
The Ambling Rambler I heard it, I heard it. Finally! It's been over a year since I heard my washing machine beep when it finished all the cycles and was ready to be hung out. For me this has been a real nuisance as I would put a load of washing on, then completely forget that I had. Then my washing would go out far too late in the day to be hung out and get dry, or I would find the l...
Tech Sat, Jun 21 2008 hide this blog

Cochlear Implant at Two Months
The Ambling Rambler The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a struggle with my new Cochlear Implant (CI). The reasons are numerous, and some of them complicated. However, today I went back for another remap, and I'm a happy chappy again.The problems I was experiencing started two weeks ago. I noticed at the two month post switch on mapping that I wasn't hearing well, however, the n...
Tech Tue, Jun 17 2008 hide this blog

Say What Club Hearing Loss Convention - Philadelphia
The Ambling Rambler I'm soooooooo excited. In a little over three weeks, I'll be flying to the United States to attend the Say What Club convention in Philadelphia. The Say What? Club has been part of my life now since early 1996, over 12 years ago. I found them by accident when surfing on the internet many moons ago, and signed up to the club. I have met so many great friends though...
Language Tech Wed, Jun 11 2008 hide this blog

Deaf Read, Commercial Sites, and Rachel's Unjustified...
The Ambling Rambler I've just read Deaf Read's response to commerical sites, by Jared Evans.To be honest, I'm still disappointed in their stance that they still have not reinstated the blog for even reading what Jared had to say, Rachel's blog still does not violate ANY of said 'guidelines'.Jared pointed out these 3 guidelines...1) Posts about non-profit organizations are entirely OK2) P...
Tech Tue, Jun 10 2008 hide this blog

Sign Language vs AVT - One Cochlear Implantee's Perspective
The Ambling Rambler As some already know, I am a Cochlear Implant user. I have been implanted for 16 years, and have recently just being reimplanted and am learning to hear with it all over again.My last post about running got some fairly negative comments. I'm not sure whether this is because of the fall out over Rachel's blog on Deafread, or whether it's simply sour grapes because I ...
Language Tech Culture Sun, Jun 08 2008 hide this blog

I Should have been Arrested!
The Ambling Rambler Ever since my Cochlear Implant Reimplantatation Operation, I've been sitting on the couch becoming the proverbial couch potato. If anyone mentioned exercise, I'd point to my head and say - oh it's sore - I will continue to rest up!! And that's what I've done for nearly 3 months.I was sitting on the couch in my usual spot last week and noticed that the girth around m...
Tech Sat, Jun 07 2008 hide this blog

Censorship is Alive and Well
The Ambling Rambler I was horrified to find that this morning, a fellow Cochlear Implantee had been removed from Deafread simply because she was a volunteer for CAN (Cochlear Awareness Network).So - If I am removed from Deafread after this post, so be it. What Deafread has done to Rachel is abhorrent.I am a CAN volunteer here in New Zealand.Like Rachel, I am not paid by Cochlear. My hour...
Tech Culture Wed, Jun 04 2008 hide this blog

The Cat Purrs Too Loudly
The Ambling Rambler I had another mapping session today. My two months post switch on one. I thought it would need quite a bit of tweaking as I had started hearing the ssssss sounds again on the ends of people's words. I had also noticed I wasn't singing in tune again. The clash was back. However, I was only there for a short time, and there were only a couple of very minor adjustmen...
Tech Mon, Jun 02 2008 hide this blog

I Can Hear Clicks!!!
The Ambling Rambler Ever since I've been switched on back in April, I've been hearing clicking noises around my house. I'd be sitting on the sofa in the quiet, and the click would start. No rhythm just a click. Some clicks were louder than others. Some like a stone being thrown at the window. I have mentioned this in passing on more than one occasion to my student, but she couldn't he...
Art and Storytelling Tech Sat, May 31 2008 hide this blog

Piano Sounds
The Ambling Rambler I’ve started playing the piano again. it's totally weird and wonderful, with a bit more emphasis on the weird at the moment!When I had the spectra body worn Cochlear Implant, I got a really good sound with the piano. When I was upgraded to the newer 3G BTE fo the N22 (read OLD Implant), the piano never really sounded that good after that, not as good as the body worn...
Tech Thu, May 29 2008 hide this blog

I'm Angry, Wild, and want to SCREAM with Frustration!
The Ambling Rambler I HATE Power companies. Of all the companies out there I deal with, when it comes to deafness and customer service, power companies are the WORST.My level of frustration is so high now, that I'm ready to take them to task publicly.It all started like this...Empower (yep I'm naming them), is the company that sends me my bills on a monthly basis. In the last bill they...
Tech Mon, May 26 2008 hide this blog

Recognising Country Sounds with the Cochlear Implant
The Ambling Rambler I'm trying to relearn all the sounds again that I had learnt with my first implant, before it stopped working. I'm finding it hard and frustrating at times because of the twang that I am still experiencing, however every now and then I will notice a huge improvement. It obviously improves over time, imperceptibly, then suddenly I'll be in awe of what I'm hearing.I had...
Tech Sun, May 18 2008 hide this blog

The Deaf in China
The Ambling Rambler I was having an interesting conversation with my students from Hong Kong and China recently, about deafness. She told me that they never see any deaf people in Hong Kong or China. They didn't know why, but they just didn't.I had a wee laugh over this initially because what do 'deaf' people look like??? We dont exactly standout a crowd.But the conversation made me curi...
Language Culture Fri, May 16 2008 hide this blog

Bilateral Implantation
The Ambling Rambler A close friend of mine just had bilateral implants a month ago. He was brave enough to get them done at the same time. He was switched on yesterday, and has written his first blog.Steven came and visited me about three years ago from San Francisco, and I took him around to various places in New Zealand. We laughed for the full three weeks he was here, with all sort...
Thu, May 15 2008 hide this blog

I'm going to be a Singer!!!
The Ambling Rambler I have always loved music. As a child before they knew I was deaf, I used to have my head right up to the speaker of our old gramophone player and would listen and sing to anything I could get my hands on. Be it classical music, or children stories. At the age of 7 I was given a recorder and a music book. I taught myself to play this over a few days. I went on to...
Tech Sat, May 10 2008 hide this blog

Auckland Zoo - Testing out new sounds
The Ambling Rambler I visited the zoo yesterday. I go quite regularly as I have a Friends of the Zoo ticket - which allows me to go as often as I like over 12 months. This was given to me for a birthday present in October 2006. I didnt get to activate it until April 2007, but they still gave me 12 months from April 07 rather than October. It expired on 4th April this year, so pitching up...
Tech Wed, May 07 2008 hide this blog

Almost a Month
The Ambling Rambler It's now almost been a month since my new implant was activated. I'm getting used to the sound, but am still disappointed things haven't 'normalised' for me as yet. I'm trying to compare everything with my old implant, and what happened 15 years ago, and despite everyone telling me that this technology is totally different and that I shouldn't be comparing, it's ver...
Tech Culture Fri, May 02 2008 hide this blog

Discrimination
The Ambling Rambler I've been on the end of discriminatory acts because of my deafness, ever since I was a kid. And whilst I don't come across it too often any more, it still does happen from time to time, and it always manage to shock me no matter how big or small it is. My deafness wasn't picked up until I was at school as I learnt to lipread from a very early age. So for the first 5 ...
Language Audism Education Tech Sun, Apr 27 2008 hide this blog

Bi-Lingual & Bi-Cultural Deaf School
The Ambling Rambler I watched an interesting programme on TV this morning. Attitude. It deals with disabilities and the people that overcome them, from blind, deaf, or disabled. It's a great programme and one that has a very positive outlook and leaves you with a real 'feel good' feeling at the end. You can check out the programme here... Attitude. Anyway - this morning they had a ...
Language Education Culture Sat, Apr 26 2008 hide this blog

Implant at 1 Week Post Switch-On
The Ambling Rambler I should give you an update on my new ears. On the Thursday after my switch-on - I was finding I was getting headaches from all the sounds, so emailed for an appointment to get tweaked again. I was also having problems with volume, had to keep turning it up several notches, and was worried that with the weekend coming, I might end up with too little sound. So on Frid...
Tech Thu, Apr 17 2008 hide this blog

Day Two of Switch-On/Activation
The Ambling Rambler I've just poured myself a cold beer. Which is weird because I don't drink beer. Ever. But people keep leaving them in my fridge when they come visiting, and I don't like wasting things by throwing them away. It's still hot, I'm thirsty, and everybody sounds like a female. Beer is usually associated with males, so perhaps the reason I'm craving one is because I'm sick ...
Tech Tue, Apr 08 2008 hide this blog

Switch-on or Activation Day
The Ambling Rambler Monday 7th April.... Firstly, I actually got used to hearing with absolutely no sound. I thought it would be extremely difficult - but found it much easier than I thought I would. I am obviously a better lipreader than I thought I was. There were a few times I got lost - but not many. I didn't miss sound per se - but I hated the symphony orchestra that no sound gav...
Tech Mon, Apr 07 2008 hide this blog

Re-Implanted
The Ambling Rambler Well… It’s done. I’m now reimplanted. I have a crazy new hairstyle, and a lovely big scar. Cochlear Implant operations done these days are very different to the ones they did 15 years ago when I first had mine done. The incisions are much much smaller – a quarter of the size. Unfortunately though, on me, they had to open the original incision and do the same scar oth...
Tech Wed, Apr 02 2008 hide this blog

One Sick Group - The Deaf Wannabe
The Ambling Rambler Back in the year 2000, someone pointed me in the direction of the Deaf Wannabe site on Yahoo… Eight years ago this group had a mere 30 people or so, not really big enough to take seriously, but now, in 2008, there’s 794 people subscribed. That’s an awful lot of sick people! For those that don’t know, this is a site for those that have a genuine interest in the followi...
Language Tech Legal Culture Sun, Mar 02 2008 hide this blog

My Evil Streak Part III
The Ambling Rambler The last practical joke I played that came off really hilarious was on my 40th birthday. Unfortunately, I was once again in hospital with terrible vertigo, and doctors were trying to settle it down. I wasn’t able to eat a thing, hadn’t eaten for weeks, and was losing a lot of weight, so a week before my birthday my doctor put a tube down my nose and into my stomach ...
Tech Sat, Mar 01 2008 hide this blog

Countdown Has Begun - 23 Days to go!
The Ambling Rambler 23 Days until Reimplantation. And yes I’m nervous . Horribly so. I’ll be going out my daily chores, and minding my own business, and all of a sudden I remember that I’ll soon be having my re-implantation. I get a rush of nervousness where I want to run around the house naked and screaming. Well – okay – just screaming, but I put the naked bit in there because it soun...
Language Tech Fri, Feb 22 2008 hide this blog

Are People Stupid?
The Ambling Rambler What is the matter with a lot of people? Do they really not understand the word deaf? Since my implant stopped working properly, I can no longer hear on the phone. That’s fine, and most of my friends understand totally, and contact me via SMS txt, or email, or they just call into see me. But I’m still getting phone calls. Most of the time I just let the phone ring, n...
Tech Tue, Feb 19 2008 hide this blog

Political Bureaucracy and Cochlear Implants in New Zealand
The Ambling Rambler Private Health Insurance companies in New Zealand do not cover Cochlear Implants. Ever. They will cover the surgical procedure, but not the device itself. But in New Zealand, even if you have private health insurance, it doesn’t pay to use them even for the surgical procedure when it comes to Cochlear Implants. It’s all because of political bureaucracy. We in New Zea...
Mon, Feb 11 2008 hide this blog

Deafness Sucks - I'm being Reimplanted!!
The Ambling Rambler Being profoundly deaf totally sucks in my opinion. I’m forever straining to hear what people are trying to say, which makes me really tired. I’m an excellent lipreader, but even then, I miss a lot. The importance of being able to hear was really brought home to me last week when I was in hospital too sick to open my eyes to even lipread. I personally wouldn’t wish dea...
Culture Thu, Feb 07 2008 hide this blog

Test Results for Possible Implant
The Ambling Rambler I had my EABR for my left ear last Tuesday under general anaesthetic. It really didn't go well - a 24 hour stay turned into a 5 day nightmare! To recap, my Cochlear Implant in my right ear that gave me near normal hearing for 15 years, suddenly stopped working properly eight months ago. I’ve gone from hearing almost perfectly, to profound hearing loss again. Somethin...
Tech Tue, Feb 05 2008 hide this blog

Of Deaf and Cochlear Implant Moments
The Ambling Rambler It used to be that I had CI moments. Those moments where you heard a sound that you had never heard before. I brought wonder, joy, satisfaction and great pleasure. And in the fifteen years when my Cochlear Implant worked perfectly, I had many of them. From not only hearing birds, but recognizing what bird it was, to taps dripping, hedgehogs having sex outside my windo...
Tech Culture Thu, Jan 24 2008 hide this blog

I'm Grumpy!
The Ambling Rambler I’m really grumpy today. Best not come and visit. I’m struggling with my hearing loss, and have got into the ‘can’t be bothered with anything anymore’ mood. Even asking myself the ‘Why bother?’ questions. Why bother keeping my piano when I can’t hear it? Why bother trying to hear when it makes me so tired? Why bother paying Telecom on a monthly basis for a phone ...
Language Tech Tue, Jan 22 2008 hide this blog