It was the end of a long and demanding week for me and I needed a good stress release. The challenge of settling into a new job and trying to get over the learning curve has been difficult. I want to be effective and efficient, and I’m eager to please. Yet, I know I need to pace myself or I’ll burnout before I’ve even really begun. However, knowing I had something fun to look forward to at the end of the day kept my spirits up. It was Friday and that meant there might be a bigger turn out of deafies over on Y! Live/DeafRead. TGIF!
Two weeks ago on a Friday night, deaf folks from across the globe gathered in one spot on Y! Live to chat in ASL with web cams, or in multi-colored text. There we smiled, marveled and laughed over this crazy new technology until our eyes leaked and our cheeks hurt. It was a rare phenomenon that captured our attention and reeled us in, hook, line and sinker! Ever since then, there have been a few die-hard, deaf chatters who have become regular Y! Live/DeafRead groupies. You can find them there almost daily.
I had a hunch that this Friday night I might see a bit more traffic. When I arrived home from work, fed and visited my family, and finished my workout, I eagerly signed on to check out the goods. As luck would have it, there was a good turnout. But it wasn’t until the later part of the evening that things really warmed up! That’s when the players came out!
As I mentioned in my presentation at the DeafRead conference, we sometimes use our online experience to explore or show different parts of our identity that we don’t normally share in our daily work or home life. Friday night, I let my halo tip and had a blast! Friday at Y! Live/Deafread turned out to be a night of frolic, flirting and fun for us deafies! Once again, I giggled until my cheeks hurt. People played along jovially and knew it was all in good fun.
I hope that visiting Y! Live/DeafRead on Fridays will become a regular, anticipated event for us deafies who hang out online. This last Friday, I found it to be one of the best places to let my hair down, kick up my feet and release endorphins that fight stress after a hard work week. The innocent flirting, the risque comments and the raucous laughter was just what I needed to help me relax. The fun I had with this group of Friday Night Y! Live/DeafRead Chatters reminded me that life is much more than work, details or the business of the day.
While this chatroom absolutely does not replace the love and attention I give to and need from my own family, it is still nice to know that there’s a place where I can go to let it all hang out at the end of a long, challenging week.
Therefore, I’m going to make it a point to laugh more by popping in after hours on Friday nights to chat with my deaf peeps. Come hang with us and chill. “It’s a good thing.”
A good metaphor of the picture of yellow peeps. People = Peeps. You are an articulate person. Eh Nice chatting with you a bit last friday nite.
Left by Diane on February 24th, 2008
That’s a nice reflection on stress relief. I, too have found comic relief chumming around with my chums. I said chums and you said peeps. I said toe-mah-toe, you said toe-may-toe. I will see you on Friday, LaRonda (if not before)!
Left by todos la vie on February 24th, 2008
Sorry for the late post, just got in late, pooped. Glad u made it thru the first week. It was fun letting go some steam and just kicking it. Take it easy and go with the flow.
Left by drmzz on February 25th, 2008
[...] DeafRead channel, which has become an all-hours gathering spot for signing and chatting (reading this testimonial really warmed my heart). Yahoo! Live has become a truly meaningful “third place” for all types of [...]
Left by next.yahoo » Blog Archive » The latest at Brickhouse, plus Web 2.0 Expo party details on April 22nd, 2008