Tragedy struck here in Grosseto, yesterday, and in addition to the earth shaking, you may have heard my scream all the way there from here...my iPod broke. The feeling is similar to when you get 300 emails a day and your email server is down, kind of comparable to a life-support system suddenly exploding. For six hours I debated whether to run out and buy another one with the excuse that I would give the broken one to Luca (I'm so sweet, aren't I?), but luckily work prohibitted me from doing this (I so would have), because when I got home after a party last night at midnight and gave the old "say a prayer" flick on - it WORKED! The bad news was that it needed to be recharged, the miraculous news is that I am back inside my own head again...in peace, and obsessed with the Linkin Park song "Shadow of the Day."
I started my day with a smile after reading Paotie's Marijuana University blog, he called me sexy *smile*, much better than being called "intelligent." Can you EVEN believe a friend of mine called me "Intelligent?" He must have his head up his ass, I am so NOT intelligent. That's like me calling a man "NICE." The kiss of death. Actually, I think this friend may quite possibly be the only man who has ever called me intelligent, and that is interesting in and of itself. I wear thongs. Women who wear thongs are not intelligent...then again...
There was a point to this blog, but I sidetracked myself. Abbie another so not intelligent woman who probably wears thongs herself, blogged about Michael Chorost's article "Helping the Deaf Hear Music", which I found extremely interesting. Michael Chorost, the author of REBUILT: How Becoming Part Computer Made Me More Human, wrote an excellent and informative article about how a new test: Clinical Assessment of Music Perception (CAMP) measures how well cochlear implant users hear the basic components of music: pitch, timbre, and melody. Read the article to learn more.
One common theme I have noticed on all of the support groups, especially the adult ci groups and forums is the OBSESSION with listening to music. I would say that approximately 70% of all questions and posts on the adult groups have to do with the sound quality, requests regarding iPods, which type of music sounds the best, how well people hear lyrics, etc...MUSIC. And, on the kid ci support groups, at least 30%of the threads have to do with questions regarding which musical instruments to choose for their children, will their ci kids be able to listen to music, which iPod to choose, how to best listen to the iPod, can their kids learn to play a musical instrument, etc.
Jordan heard rhythm with his hearing aids. With his cochlear implant, he identified the ringtone of a cellphone as a classical piece his music teacher had played. Miraculous, but true. When he plays the guitar and messes up, he recogizes by "hearing" that the note was incorrect. Freaking impossible? Hell, no, CI MOMENT. Can he sing? No, I mean REALLY No! Yeah, he gets that from me.
I spent nine months of my pregnancy with Jordan in silence - I could not stand music during my pregnancy and my radio remained off except for listening to the Oriole games on WBAL. In Italy, I spent the last ten years music-less because my car radio got stolen out of my car while we were at the beach (along with my Bob Marley tape)and I never replaced it, thinking it would just get stolen again. Note: at that time, car radios were not built-ins (I know *WTF*) they were buy your own brand pull-outs. So, until Christmas when I got my iPod, I was pretty much without music in my life...how sad is that?
I can associate all phases and men of my life with a song, some with more than one song...yet, ironically, I associate the past ten years of my life with silence. Hmmm. This is so going to date me, but I'm going there (but I'm leaving the men out of it:)). Childhood music: dancing with Sherri Bober in her basement to Michael Jackson's Thriller after having jammed to Rick Springfield's "Jesse's Girl" after a GH episode. First posters in my bedroom - Shawn Cassidy and Rick Springfield. (My sister loved Chad Allen who basically looked like a very young Ellen DeGeneris - nuff said)Bar and Bat Mitzvah music: Phil Collins and Genesis all the way! My last year of Middle School was all MADONNA "Like a Virgin." High School Graduation: "Joy and Pain," "Doin' the Butt," (Oh God, I'm killing myself writing this), Depeche Mode, Guns N'Roses - "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City", Will Smith "Parents Just Don't Understand" And College...EXPLOSION - Classic Rock "Brown Eyed Girl", "Only the Good Die Young," "No Woman, No Cry," "Bust a Move,"(hellweek song:))"Bye Bye Miss American Pie," Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Indigo Girls, the list is just neverending from College because I spent every single night at the bars dancing on the tables.
*I can understand the Deaf Community's need to promote ASL, but if there is one reason that a mother should try the oral approach...it is to give her child the gift of music. Providing music to a deaf child should be reason enough alone for the Deaf community to accept cochlear implants as valid*
Music enriches the soul and adds color. I am reborn...
and that is why when I was jamming to Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous Girl" and saw a smokin' cyclist with some rippin' muscular calves bikin' next to my ride, I leaned out the window and gave him the "Wooohoooooo!" Shit, if the construction workers can do it, why can't I???
