I recently took up yoga again. I've been having some health issues and needed a low-impact, stress-killing form of exercise that wouldn't be that hard to pick up. I've done yoga on and off for a while, but recommitted to it again and I've found that with the CI - I can actually hear the tapes/DVDs that I use, and being able to hear (not all of what is being said, but enough so that I can follow along without constantly looking at the TV) the DVDs has been both a blessing and a curse.
I tend to like doing exercise on my own time so organized classes aren't really my thing, although I have taken a yoga class before and found it fun (even if I couldn't really follow along at the time because that was pre-CI) because it was a very easy, beginner's class and the teacher was very understanding and helped me with the positioning.
The positioning's easy in yoga.. .the breathing's the hard thing. Now this is where the blessing and curse comes in. It's a blessing to know how to breathe and what to do (like breathing from your diaphram or how to do breathing exercises to strengthen your lungs), but it's also a curse because there is a lot of talking that is unnecessary and in my opinion, counterproductive. A LOT. At least that's what I've found. Maybe I need some other DVDs but the ones I use. . .the biggest problem is that the instructor won't SHUT UP.
One DVD in particular - not gonna name names - is non-stop talking almost. And while I find the instructor's voice very soothing in that it's in the pitch range I find comfortable - I DON'T find it soothing to have her talk constantly throughout an exercise program. Whatever happened to serenity in silence?
One exercise was to 'let go of the day' and the end of the exercise has you in a splayed position on the floor and just focusing on your breathing and the first time I did it, I got annoyed, which I'm sure wasn't the goal. But the instructor would not stop talking. It was 'notice this. . .' and 'notice that. . ' and then 'breathe in. . .' and then 'as you breathe out. . .' and on and on and on to the point where I'm thinking 'How are we supposed to relax if you're blathering on?' instead of focusing on, you guessed it. . .my breathing. The next time I did the exercise, I muted it, which of course, made it challenging in that the beginning and middle part of the exercise does require some listening to transition from pose to pose. Although I think I've gotten to the point where I know when to mute it so that I can cut down on the unnecessary yakkity-yak part of it.
But you try being relaxed in a yoga pose while trying to figure out when to snatch the remote to mute it.
So I'm on the hunt for a. . .quieter yoga progam. If anyone has any suggestions, send 'em my way!
Oh and if anyone knows any tricks on how to keep your CI from falling off when you're in those inverted positions, I'm also looking for tips on that. It's not too problematic because I find that if I use my smaller batteries (which I tend to do now that they last 12-14 hours with the Harmony processor) the CI can fit more snugly behind my ear but there have been times when the thing with just go flying off my head if I go into a pose too quickly.
But upside? At least I won't be able to hear the constant chatter.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Shiny and New
So. . .here I am with another update and a new look for the blog. I was getting tired of the orange and in the spirit of summer. . .we're going green! You like? :)
Anyway, it's been about 2 weeks since I got my Harmony programmed and . . . I like it.
There are some noticeable differences but nothing major. I guess my 'crossover' has been easy because my audiologist had told me that some of her clients really had trouble adjusting to the Harmony. For me, the first day, I had to get used to hearing more high pitched sounds which can be extremely uncomfortable at times (for instance, paper crinkling drove me nuts!) but it was nothing that made me want to go back to the Auria. After that first day, things went pretty smoothly.
I would say that the one thing that I've really had to get used to with the new processor is hearing sounds that I hadn't heard before which, at times, can be extremely distracting because it's hard for me to not only locate the sound (because I'm only implanted in one ear, everything sounds like it's coming from my right, implanted side) but to discern what the sound is. For instance, there was this really loud creaking sound that I would hear while I'm in my bedroom. It would come in intermittent 'bursts' and sounded like it was coming from the roof. I tried and tried and tried to figure out what and where that sound was coming from to the point of distraction only to find out later that it was the neighbor's aging A/C. The creaking was the rusting metal grinding against itself and the intermittent bursts was when the A/C would power up and down.
Oddly, now that I know what the sound is, I can tune it out a little more easily.
So yes, I've been going back to bugging those near and dear to me with those 'what is that sound?!' questions. I'm sure they're loving it.
I do notice that with the Harmony, speech sounds a little. . .clearer at times. Maybe that can also be attributed with having the implant for more than a year and knowing how to use it but either way, communication continues to be easier than it was before when I was just lipreading and/or signing/lipreading.
As for music. . . .well, I've never been a big music fan, even when I was hearing with my own non-bionic ears. I've never been one to sit in a room and listen to CD's (or tapes as was the case when I was a teen) or the radio. I was never big on going to concerts or the like. So I can't really say that there's more music 'appreciation' with the Harmony. Can I tell a good singer from a bad one now? Not really. If someone's singing in the higher octaves, it all sounds very screechy to me still but I can pick out some melodies at times. But ironically enough, I can't pick up harmonies. :)
So that's the skinny on the Harmony. I will probably go back for minor adjustments in about a month's time. But all in all, it's just about finding a comfortable hearing level that does what I need/want it to do, while minimizing what I don't want it to do.
Modern technology's all about the delicate balances. . . .
Anyway, it's been about 2 weeks since I got my Harmony programmed and . . . I like it.
There are some noticeable differences but nothing major. I guess my 'crossover' has been easy because my audiologist had told me that some of her clients really had trouble adjusting to the Harmony. For me, the first day, I had to get used to hearing more high pitched sounds which can be extremely uncomfortable at times (for instance, paper crinkling drove me nuts!) but it was nothing that made me want to go back to the Auria. After that first day, things went pretty smoothly.
I would say that the one thing that I've really had to get used to with the new processor is hearing sounds that I hadn't heard before which, at times, can be extremely distracting because it's hard for me to not only locate the sound (because I'm only implanted in one ear, everything sounds like it's coming from my right, implanted side) but to discern what the sound is. For instance, there was this really loud creaking sound that I would hear while I'm in my bedroom. It would come in intermittent 'bursts' and sounded like it was coming from the roof. I tried and tried and tried to figure out what and where that sound was coming from to the point of distraction only to find out later that it was the neighbor's aging A/C. The creaking was the rusting metal grinding against itself and the intermittent bursts was when the A/C would power up and down.
Oddly, now that I know what the sound is, I can tune it out a little more easily.
So yes, I've been going back to bugging those near and dear to me with those 'what is that sound?!' questions. I'm sure they're loving it.
I do notice that with the Harmony, speech sounds a little. . .clearer at times. Maybe that can also be attributed with having the implant for more than a year and knowing how to use it but either way, communication continues to be easier than it was before when I was just lipreading and/or signing/lipreading.
As for music. . . .well, I've never been a big music fan, even when I was hearing with my own non-bionic ears. I've never been one to sit in a room and listen to CD's (or tapes as was the case when I was a teen) or the radio. I was never big on going to concerts or the like. So I can't really say that there's more music 'appreciation' with the Harmony. Can I tell a good singer from a bad one now? Not really. If someone's singing in the higher octaves, it all sounds very screechy to me still but I can pick out some melodies at times. But ironically enough, I can't pick up harmonies. :)
So that's the skinny on the Harmony. I will probably go back for minor adjustments in about a month's time. But all in all, it's just about finding a comfortable hearing level that does what I need/want it to do, while minimizing what I don't want it to do.
Modern technology's all about the delicate balances. . . .
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Alive. . .and Reasonably Well
Yes, I'm alive.
It's been a crazy, crazy period since my last update. Some of it good, some of it not so good. Let's just skip over the not-so-good. I mean really. . .raise your hand if you want to hear my sob story. It's not that interesting.
The good. . .
(1) Went in for a mapping last month and literally the day before I go in, I get a letter from Advanced Bionics stating that I'm qualified to get their new Harmony processor for free if I send them back my back-up Auria Hi-Res (as long as it's unopened - which it is!).
(2) Mapping went well. We are merely fine-tuning these days and trying to 'flatten' my audiogram, meaning trying to let me hear and discern the higher/lower pitched sounds. I'm picking up more high-pitched sounds which can be uncomfortable at times. Like when my 1 year old niece screams? Ye-ow!
(3) Had a little incident with my CI before my check-up and again, talk about good timing. My CI started turning itself on and off. It kind of felt like the battery had expired and I needed a fresh one. The first time it happened, I really thought my battery had to be changed but then it kept happening and since my average battery life is about 10 hours, I just knew it wasn't that. Turned out, the wire connecting the headpiece to the implant that's actually implanted in my head was loose so whenever I moved or the wind or whatever. . .it would shut off, then shift back and turn itself on. Thankfully, my audiologist picked up on this right away and she ordered a new headpiece and that problem's solved.
(4) I got to 'test drive' the new Harmony processor. My audiologist had one and let me use it to see what it'd be like and honestly, I've heard some things about it so maybe I was expecting more. Or perhaps within the audiologically controlled confines of the audiologist's office, I didn't (or couldn't) pick up much. Yes, the sound quality is noticeably different. I guess I'd describe it as. . .more sensitive. For instance, right away, I could hear my audiologist tapping the mouse pad of her laptop and I couldn't pick that up before. But it's not a significant difference to me. It was not a 'Wow!' moment or anything. I noticed the difference in sound quality but it wasn't a huge difference. Nevertheless, the Harmony has some features that I do want to take advantage of - namely a built-in T-coil and twice the battery life - and hey, it's a free upgrade. When do you ever get a free upgrade. I mailed in my Auria last week so the Harmony should be in my hands sometime within the next 2 weeks and then I have to go in and get that programmed so stay tuned!
(5) Got a Crackber-. . .um I mean a Blackberry. I finally made the leap and traded in my Sidekick for a Blackberry after a lot of research and bugging people and let me tell you. . .that thing is like crack. I love, love, love the e-mail feature. On my Sidekick, every time I wanted to check e-mail, I'd have to log in and sometime, AOL (or the Sidekick) wouldn't let me. On the Blackberry, you program in your e-mail accounts (up to 10) and everytime you get an e-mail at those accounts, it goes straight to your Messages inbox. Love it! And the phone quality on the Blackberry is great because I can adjust the volume with a simple turn of the wheel. I've been using it quite often (to the point where I'm considering just buying a phone plan because paying by the minute is not making financial sense) to make short calls. I'm still not calling people up to chat and still using e-mail and IMs primarily but if I need to call someone and tell them I'm gonna be late or if I need to ask someone for a ride. . .that option now exists.
And that's the latest. Hopefully I'll be more diligent about updating this thing once I get the Harmony and try it out. I'm kinda curious to see if it'll really be that different once I'm not in my audiologist's office anymore.
Oh and yes, I'm still watching American Idol. Sort of. And still not quite 'getting' the good music/singers with the bad ones. I was rooting for Sanjaya - only because I wanted to see if Sinon's head would explode had the kid won it all. I'm contrary like that. :)
It's been a crazy, crazy period since my last update. Some of it good, some of it not so good. Let's just skip over the not-so-good. I mean really. . .raise your hand if you want to hear my sob story. It's not that interesting.
The good. . .
(1) Went in for a mapping last month and literally the day before I go in, I get a letter from Advanced Bionics stating that I'm qualified to get their new Harmony processor for free if I send them back my back-up Auria Hi-Res (as long as it's unopened - which it is!).
(2) Mapping went well. We are merely fine-tuning these days and trying to 'flatten' my audiogram, meaning trying to let me hear and discern the higher/lower pitched sounds. I'm picking up more high-pitched sounds which can be uncomfortable at times. Like when my 1 year old niece screams? Ye-ow!
(3) Had a little incident with my CI before my check-up and again, talk about good timing. My CI started turning itself on and off. It kind of felt like the battery had expired and I needed a fresh one. The first time it happened, I really thought my battery had to be changed but then it kept happening and since my average battery life is about 10 hours, I just knew it wasn't that. Turned out, the wire connecting the headpiece to the implant that's actually implanted in my head was loose so whenever I moved or the wind or whatever. . .it would shut off, then shift back and turn itself on. Thankfully, my audiologist picked up on this right away and she ordered a new headpiece and that problem's solved.
(4) I got to 'test drive' the new Harmony processor. My audiologist had one and let me use it to see what it'd be like and honestly, I've heard some things about it so maybe I was expecting more. Or perhaps within the audiologically controlled confines of the audiologist's office, I didn't (or couldn't) pick up much. Yes, the sound quality is noticeably different. I guess I'd describe it as. . .more sensitive. For instance, right away, I could hear my audiologist tapping the mouse pad of her laptop and I couldn't pick that up before. But it's not a significant difference to me. It was not a 'Wow!' moment or anything. I noticed the difference in sound quality but it wasn't a huge difference. Nevertheless, the Harmony has some features that I do want to take advantage of - namely a built-in T-coil and twice the battery life - and hey, it's a free upgrade. When do you ever get a free upgrade. I mailed in my Auria last week so the Harmony should be in my hands sometime within the next 2 weeks and then I have to go in and get that programmed so stay tuned!
(5) Got a Crackber-. . .um I mean a Blackberry. I finally made the leap and traded in my Sidekick for a Blackberry after a lot of research and bugging people and let me tell you. . .that thing is like crack. I love, love, love the e-mail feature. On my Sidekick, every time I wanted to check e-mail, I'd have to log in and sometime, AOL (or the Sidekick) wouldn't let me. On the Blackberry, you program in your e-mail accounts (up to 10) and everytime you get an e-mail at those accounts, it goes straight to your Messages inbox. Love it! And the phone quality on the Blackberry is great because I can adjust the volume with a simple turn of the wheel. I've been using it quite often (to the point where I'm considering just buying a phone plan because paying by the minute is not making financial sense) to make short calls. I'm still not calling people up to chat and still using e-mail and IMs primarily but if I need to call someone and tell them I'm gonna be late or if I need to ask someone for a ride. . .that option now exists.
And that's the latest. Hopefully I'll be more diligent about updating this thing once I get the Harmony and try it out. I'm kinda curious to see if it'll really be that different once I'm not in my audiologist's office anymore.
Oh and yes, I'm still watching American Idol. Sort of. And still not quite 'getting' the good music/singers with the bad ones. I was rooting for Sanjaya - only because I wanted to see if Sinon's head would explode had the kid won it all. I'm contrary like that. :)
Saturday, January 20, 2007
The World's All Askew
As I suspected, watching 'American Idol' with the CI was indeed interesting.
I think when it comes to music, my CI is on 'backwards.' You remember in high school (and dear Lord, I hope I'm not dating myself badly when I mention this) where you had 'spirit week' with each day being a 'special theme' day like 'School Colors' or 'PJ Day' (LOVED those days - talk about rolling straight out of bed and onto the bus) and you dressed accordingly? Well, my school would sometimes have 'Backwards Day' where you wore your clothes backwards. Or 'Opposites Day' where guys dressed as girls and vice versa?
That's kinda like what I felt watching 'American Idol' - that up was down and black was white,, and things were all backwards. It was a little weird.
For one thing - the allegedly bad singers. . .didn't sound that bad to me. There were times when I was on my computer and wasn't looking at the screen to see the captions say things like 'off-key' or 'warbling' or things like that to clue me in on the fact that they were the 'bad singers' and I would just listen and think. . .'Hey, that didn't sound too bad.'
Imagine my surprise when the judges then ripped into them!
And yes, the opposite is also true. The 'good singers' didn't sound that good to me. Some I thought the judges would hate only to have them say the person was great! Some literally made me cringe by hitting those high notes.
I also realized that I cannot hear tone with this CI. I'm absolutely tone deaf. When the judges talked about how this singer or that singer had a great 'tone' I had no clue what they were talking about. Or if the singer's voice had a unique quality to it? Nothing. I also can't tell if someone's singing on-key or not.
I basically hear pitches. And from there, it's simple. High pitch = bad, uncomfortable. Low pitch = sounds good to my CI.
Will that change? I have no idea. I'm due for a mapping soon so I'll bring it up with my audiologist but again, some people can hear and enjoy music with their CIs and some just can't. I seem to fall into the later category.
That's not to say I can't watch 'AI' because the music is only half the draw of that show. Although, honestly, I don't watch it straight through. I watch the early auditions and then tune in every so often until it gets down to the wire. And I've never voted. :)
But I did realize something from watching 'AI' - my CI can pick up accents. Simon didn't bother me that much - even at his rudest - because his accent sounds oh-so-nice with my CI. And today, I watched parts of 'The Patriot' and Mel Gibson, who I'm no fan of given his recent behavior, has a really lovely voice.
See? With the CI, my world's all askew. I like listening to bad singers and people getting insulted!
I think when it comes to music, my CI is on 'backwards.' You remember in high school (and dear Lord, I hope I'm not dating myself badly when I mention this) where you had 'spirit week' with each day being a 'special theme' day like 'School Colors' or 'PJ Day' (LOVED those days - talk about rolling straight out of bed and onto the bus) and you dressed accordingly? Well, my school would sometimes have 'Backwards Day' where you wore your clothes backwards. Or 'Opposites Day' where guys dressed as girls and vice versa?
That's kinda like what I felt watching 'American Idol' - that up was down and black was white,, and things were all backwards. It was a little weird.
For one thing - the allegedly bad singers. . .didn't sound that bad to me. There were times when I was on my computer and wasn't looking at the screen to see the captions say things like 'off-key' or 'warbling' or things like that to clue me in on the fact that they were the 'bad singers' and I would just listen and think. . .'Hey, that didn't sound too bad.'
Imagine my surprise when the judges then ripped into them!
And yes, the opposite is also true. The 'good singers' didn't sound that good to me. Some I thought the judges would hate only to have them say the person was great! Some literally made me cringe by hitting those high notes.
I also realized that I cannot hear tone with this CI. I'm absolutely tone deaf. When the judges talked about how this singer or that singer had a great 'tone' I had no clue what they were talking about. Or if the singer's voice had a unique quality to it? Nothing. I also can't tell if someone's singing on-key or not.
I basically hear pitches. And from there, it's simple. High pitch = bad, uncomfortable. Low pitch = sounds good to my CI.
Will that change? I have no idea. I'm due for a mapping soon so I'll bring it up with my audiologist but again, some people can hear and enjoy music with their CIs and some just can't. I seem to fall into the later category.
That's not to say I can't watch 'AI' because the music is only half the draw of that show. Although, honestly, I don't watch it straight through. I watch the early auditions and then tune in every so often until it gets down to the wire. And I've never voted. :)
But I did realize something from watching 'AI' - my CI can pick up accents. Simon didn't bother me that much - even at his rudest - because his accent sounds oh-so-nice with my CI. And today, I watched parts of 'The Patriot' and Mel Gibson, who I'm no fan of given his recent behavior, has a really lovely voice.
See? With the CI, my world's all askew. I like listening to bad singers and people getting insulted!
Monday, January 15, 2007
Looking Good
Here I am, watching the Golden Globes (nothing else is on if you don't watch '24' and I don't) and man, can these speeches be long-winded. I liked the Oscars where you get 90 seconds or the band strikes up and plays you off stage. When you're thanking your 5th grade drama teacher, you've officially worn out your welcome on the stage.
Quick fashion review -
Best Dressed - Drew Barrymore, Eva Longoria, Ali Larter (from my new favorite show this year - 'Heroes')
Worst Dressed - Vanessa Williams, Beyonce (gold foil is not a good color) and Sienna Miller (what is up with the hair?!)
Anyway, I didn't update this blog just to wax randomly on a Hollywood awards show and the title actually has nothing to do with the Golden Globes.
I had a check-up with my surgeon today and that's what he said looking over my CI.
Things are looking good.
There hasn't been any significant changes in my hearing. One-on-one conversations are easier, group convos are less so. Noisy environments still bother me. The telephone and TV still vexes me. And music is still bothersome.
I have heard of CI users really enjoying music with their CI - using iPods and MP3's. I'm not one of those people. I don't know if I ever will be but I wasn't a big music fan even when I could hear with my own, 'non-robotic' ears. So, I don't feel like I'm missing anything. Honestly, based on my holiday movie reviews - it's safe to say that I often think not hearing some music is better!
Although one 'music' I am curious to 'hear' is the bad auditions on 'American Idol' - set to premiere Tuesday, Jan. 16th. Ive always wondered just how bad it sounds although if Julie Andrews' singing voice bothers me, I have to wonder if it's really. . .wise for me to listen to the antithesis of Julie Andrews.
Curiosity did kill the cat right?
Quick fashion review -
Best Dressed - Drew Barrymore, Eva Longoria, Ali Larter (from my new favorite show this year - 'Heroes')
Worst Dressed - Vanessa Williams, Beyonce (gold foil is not a good color) and Sienna Miller (what is up with the hair?!)
Anyway, I didn't update this blog just to wax randomly on a Hollywood awards show and the title actually has nothing to do with the Golden Globes.
I had a check-up with my surgeon today and that's what he said looking over my CI.
Things are looking good.
There hasn't been any significant changes in my hearing. One-on-one conversations are easier, group convos are less so. Noisy environments still bother me. The telephone and TV still vexes me. And music is still bothersome.
I have heard of CI users really enjoying music with their CI - using iPods and MP3's. I'm not one of those people. I don't know if I ever will be but I wasn't a big music fan even when I could hear with my own, 'non-robotic' ears. So, I don't feel like I'm missing anything. Honestly, based on my holiday movie reviews - it's safe to say that I often think not hearing some music is better!
Although one 'music' I am curious to 'hear' is the bad auditions on 'American Idol' - set to premiere Tuesday, Jan. 16th. Ive always wondered just how bad it sounds although if Julie Andrews' singing voice bothers me, I have to wonder if it's really. . .wise for me to listen to the antithesis of Julie Andrews.
Curiosity did kill the cat right?
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Last Post. . .
. . .before the New Year!
I know. I know. Been neglecting this. Mea culpa. But honestly. . .is anyone still reading this? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Anyway, since the presents are wrapped and I'm basically just killing time by watching the standard holiday (read: chessy) movies, I thought I should come on here and post a greeting to everyone.
Notice the new look of the blog. That's what boredom inspires in me. Scary, hmm?
Speaking of holiday movies. . .you know how they always roll out the same ones, year after year? Well, this year, it's a little different because I could actually hear those movies - well, kinda. I could even hear some of the music and. . .
Let's just say, I don't think I was missing much.
I also DO remember what music sounded like and with this CI, it's not quite how I remember.
Behold. . .
Holiday Movie #1
'The Wizard of Oz' - why they roll this out during the holidays, I'm not sure but I don't judge (I merely question and that's different matter entirely!).
Liked: 'We're Off To See the Wizard' - sounds very close to how I remember it and it's in a tonal range that's not uncomfortable for me (the higher pitch a note/song is, the more uncomfortable it is for me)
Sounded Weird: 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' - especially the high notes. They sound very, very screechy to me. Not at all like I remembered.
Disliked: The Wicked Witch's voice - very, very screechy. Also the sound those flying monkeys make. And it goes without saying - the munchkins. Yes, I said it. I hate the munchkins. Even when I couldn't hear their freakishly high pitched voices, I wasn't a fan. They're freaky, scary looking. Admit it.
Holiday Movie #2 '
The Sound of Music' - I loved this musical. I performed in this musical in school. It is a sentimental favorite.
Liked: Captain Von Trapp's nice, deep singing voice. 'Edelweiss' (his solo at least) was nice. Didn't quite catch all of it but I could catch enough to have it 'sound familiar.'
Sounded Weird: The kids. They all sounded the same. That's not how I remember it, but maybe I'm wrong?
Disliked: I'm about to commit blasphemy here I think but - every time Julie Andrews sang. She sings at such a high pitch that it sounds like cat screeching to me. I had to change the channel during her renedition of 'My Favorite Things' because when you combine her voice with the kids' strange sounding ones - it was all just too much.
Holiday Movie #3
Actually, it's not really a holiday movie per se but it gets rolled out once a year on cable and network television ever since it made a bajillion dollars - 'Titanic'
Liked: Billy Zane's wacky, over-the-top portrayal. His voice is also very pleasant sounding to my CI. Also liked Victor Garber - I was a big fan of 'Alias' (OK, S3 not so much) and seeing 'SpyDaddy' in other roles is always cool.
Sounded Weird: Leo DiCaprio's voice. I thought it'd be deeper and there were times when Kate Winslet's voice seemed to be at a lower range than his. Go figure.
Disliked: That Celine Dion song. I know it was a big, big hit and I really wanted to hear what it sounded like and it sounded like a cat screeching. . .because it was being tortured. It was not pleasant to say the least.
So there you have it. My holiday movies 'review.' :)
Anyway, I wanted to wish you all a safe, happy and fun holidays. I hope the new year brings you many blessings and much joy!
Til then. . .
I know. I know. Been neglecting this. Mea culpa. But honestly. . .is anyone still reading this? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Anyway, since the presents are wrapped and I'm basically just killing time by watching the standard holiday (read: chessy) movies, I thought I should come on here and post a greeting to everyone.
Notice the new look of the blog. That's what boredom inspires in me. Scary, hmm?
Speaking of holiday movies. . .you know how they always roll out the same ones, year after year? Well, this year, it's a little different because I could actually hear those movies - well, kinda. I could even hear some of the music and. . .
Let's just say, I don't think I was missing much.
I also DO remember what music sounded like and with this CI, it's not quite how I remember.
Behold. . .
Holiday Movie #1
'The Wizard of Oz' - why they roll this out during the holidays, I'm not sure but I don't judge (I merely question and that's different matter entirely!).
Liked: 'We're Off To See the Wizard' - sounds very close to how I remember it and it's in a tonal range that's not uncomfortable for me (the higher pitch a note/song is, the more uncomfortable it is for me)
Sounded Weird: 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' - especially the high notes. They sound very, very screechy to me. Not at all like I remembered.
Disliked: The Wicked Witch's voice - very, very screechy. Also the sound those flying monkeys make. And it goes without saying - the munchkins. Yes, I said it. I hate the munchkins. Even when I couldn't hear their freakishly high pitched voices, I wasn't a fan. They're freaky, scary looking. Admit it.
Holiday Movie #2 '
The Sound of Music' - I loved this musical. I performed in this musical in school. It is a sentimental favorite.
Liked: Captain Von Trapp's nice, deep singing voice. 'Edelweiss' (his solo at least) was nice. Didn't quite catch all of it but I could catch enough to have it 'sound familiar.'
Sounded Weird: The kids. They all sounded the same. That's not how I remember it, but maybe I'm wrong?
Disliked: I'm about to commit blasphemy here I think but - every time Julie Andrews sang. She sings at such a high pitch that it sounds like cat screeching to me. I had to change the channel during her renedition of 'My Favorite Things' because when you combine her voice with the kids' strange sounding ones - it was all just too much.
Holiday Movie #3
Actually, it's not really a holiday movie per se but it gets rolled out once a year on cable and network television ever since it made a bajillion dollars - 'Titanic'
Liked: Billy Zane's wacky, over-the-top portrayal. His voice is also very pleasant sounding to my CI. Also liked Victor Garber - I was a big fan of 'Alias' (OK, S3 not so much) and seeing 'SpyDaddy' in other roles is always cool.
Sounded Weird: Leo DiCaprio's voice. I thought it'd be deeper and there were times when Kate Winslet's voice seemed to be at a lower range than his. Go figure.
Disliked: That Celine Dion song. I know it was a big, big hit and I really wanted to hear what it sounded like and it sounded like a cat screeching. . .because it was being tortured. It was not pleasant to say the least.
So there you have it. My holiday movies 'review.' :)
Anyway, I wanted to wish you all a safe, happy and fun holidays. I hope the new year brings you many blessings and much joy!
Til then. . .
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
The Play - In Pictures, Conclusion
Scroll to the beginning of the 'The Play - In Pictures' post. . .2 posts down. . .this is the ending. . .you don't want to ruin it for yourself do you?
Anyway. . .we pick up from surprising Mama. And we get our happy ending. .
Anyway. . .we pick up from surprising Mama. And we get our happy ending. .
And here's a shot of the kids watching the play. . .
That's all folks! :-)
The Play - In Pictures, Continued
They proceed to each build their own houses for Mama (while rapping!)
Now comes the moment of truth. . .inspection time with Inspector M. Wolfson. First up is Baby's hay house. . .
Now comes the moment of truth. . .inspection time with Inspector M. Wolfson. First up is Baby's hay house. . .
And Baby's house fails inspection!
Next up is Junior's wood house. . .
Unfortunately, we'll be seeing a lot of this notice. . .
Eldon decides to use a different tactic. . .begging!
Mama comes home to quite a mess. . .
After seeing Mama's disappointment in them, the Pigtons realize the errors of their ways and decide to finally work together. Huddle up!
Surprising Mama with her new house. . .
The Play - In Pictures
So I promised my next post would have pictures and I'm a woman of my word. So here's my play. . .in pictures. Not sure if anyone cares anymore (is anyone even reading this thing anymore?) but for those still sticking with me to the bitter end. . .
Some pictures might be a little blurry because the actors are moving around on stage and/or I suck at photography. :-) I might have to divide this into multiple posts to keep the length manageable.
We open on. . .a little hamlet. . .
To be continued. . .
Some pictures might be a little blurry because the actors are moving around on stage and/or I suck at photography. :-) I might have to divide this into multiple posts to keep the length manageable.
We open on. . .a little hamlet. . .
Meet the Pigtons. . .the oldest brother, Eldon, and middle sister, Junior. . .
And the youngest Pigton, Baby. . .who's already irritating his big brother. . .
They're all together today, waiting for their Mama. . .
Who has a very special request for all of them. . . .build her a new house!
Don't forget to have the house pass inspection, children!
Eldon proceeds to take charge. . .which does not go over well with his siblings. . .
They decide they'll go their separate ways. . .and each build Mama a house.
To be continued. . .
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