HEARING AIDS---AND WASHING MACHINES--I HAVE NO IDEA WHY ANY YOUNG, STRONG, PERSON WHO READS THIS WOULD WANT TO HEAR ABOUT HEARING AIDS-- BUT I FEEL THE NEED TO PREPARE YOU FOR THE ONSLAUGHT OF WHAT IS COMING..
#1. I WEAR ONLY ONE SO THAT I LOSE ONLY ONE AT A TIME - I SEE NO DIFFERENCE IN HEARING WITH ONE EAR AS LONG AS DIRECTIONAL HEARING IS NOT INVOLVED...
#2. RICHARD--THAT OLDER GENTLEMAN FROM CALIFORNIA WHO BOUGHT US A WASHING MACHINE HAD SPENT $10,000 ON A PAIR WHICH LOOKED LIKE, FUNCTIONED LIKE, AND SEEMED IDENTICAL TO THE ONES I HAD SPENT $2500 ON FROM COSTCO.
#3. DAUGHTER GWEN- THE FINDER OF LOST ITEMS PAR EXCELLANTE FOUND MY LOST ONE UNDER MY BED...- SO I AM BACK TO TWO...
#4. i got an-- $800 off- come for a hearing test and see if you need hearing aids. BELTONE-- MIDDLETON -- ( CLOSE )
JUST AFTER I HAD MADE AN APPOINTMENT, GWEN FOUND THE OTHER SO I REALLY DIDN'T NEED TO GO...HOWEVER... AGE DOES HAVE SOME BENEFITS IN THAT THE ONLY THING I HAD TO DO WAS THINK ABOUT GRANTS WHICH I OFTEN DO DRIVING AROUND IN MY CAR ANYWAY.-
WITH THE MINDSET I HAD, I NEVER SHOUDL HAVE GONE THERE.. BUT IT GAVE ME AWIDE ANGLE VIEW OF HOW WE "ELDERLY" ARE VICTIMS OF MARKETING.
THE WALLS HAD THE USUALL FRAMED "DIPLOMAS" FROM HEARING SCHOOL-- BUT WHEN YOU READ THEM CLOSELY, IT WAS FOR 40 HOURS OF "EDUCATION" WHICH ENABLED TEH RECEPTIONIST TO CALL HIM "DOCTOR"- THERE WERE NO MED SCHOOL DIPLOMAS-..
AN OLDER COUPLE- (MY AGE) WERE LEAVING AND COMMENTED ON WHAT A NICE MAN THIS "DOCTOR" WAS...-- AND HE CERTAINLY WAS NICE... BUT HE MUST HAVE PURCHASED HIS LAB COAT AT A FIRE SALE BECAUSE IT WAS ALMOST TO HIS ANKLES..
BENTLY AND I WERE ESCORTED INTO HIS HUGE EXAM ROOM ABOUT THE SIZE OF OUR INDOOR ARENA WITH A CURIOUS CLOSET IN THE CORNER.. HE EXAMINED MY EARS BY STICKING A TINY PEN THING INEACH EAR -- WHICH PROJECTED ONTO A TV SCREEN AT LEAST 4 FEET ACROSS.. I NOW KNOW WHAT MY EARDRUMS LOOK LIKE. WHEN HE SHUT THE CAMERA OFF, A BUNCH OF BELLTONE ADS SLOWLY WENT ACROSS THAT SCREEN-- THEN I WAS TO GO IN TH CLOSET AND PUSH BUTTONS WHEN YOU HEAR THE BEEP
WHICH WAS FINE TIL I BEGAN TO FALL ASLEEP BETWEEN BEEPS... HE THEN HAD TO STUDY ALL THESE BEEPS AS THE BELTONE ADS DOMINATED MY VISION ON THAT 4' SCREEN.... HE TRIED VERY HARD - AND USED LOTS OF LONG WORDS - TO CONVINCE ME THAT THE $4500 WAS THE CHEAPEST THAT WOULD SOLVE MY PROBLEMS.
HE WAS CONCENTRATING ON THE SOUND BITES HE NEVER COMMENTED ON THE FACT THAT I SAID I WANTED THE CHEAPEST BECAUSE MY DOG - BENTLEY- ATE MY LAST ONES. IT WAS LIKE TRYING TO BUY A CAR-- THERE WERE NO MODELS WITH PRICE ATTACHED... HE WOULD TURN TO HIS COMPUTERE AND MAKE A SPREAD SHEET MOVE AROUND AND TURN AROUND AND SAY "YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE THE $3800 MODEL" I KEPT GOING BACK TO COSTCO WAS $2500- WHICH HE FINALLY SAID "I FOUND AN ECONOMY MODEL FOR $2500" BY NOW I FELT BADLY FOR HIM-- THE LITTLE GUY-- TRYING TO SAY IN BUSINESS AGAINST THE MONSTER COSTCO, DOWN THE STREET.
I WILL CALL/EMAIL HIS OFF ICE AND TELL HIM I WILL BUY MY NEXT FROM HIM...NOT BECAUSE I AM NICE, BUT HIS PLAN WILL GIVE ME INSURANCE FOR ONE MORE SET OF "LOST" -- I HAVE ALREADY USED UP THE COSTOCO "LOST" INSURANCE,.
ONE THING I DID LEARN WAS THERE IS A THING CALLED "CAPTION CALL" WHERE IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT "SIRI" PERSON THAT LIVES IN MY CAR AND TELLS ME TO MAKE A LEGAL U TURN ALL THE TIME... IS APPLIED TO PHONE CALLS SO TEH SPOKEN WORD COMES OUT ON A SCREEN WITHOUT INVOLVING A TTY OPERATOR. SOMEONE IS TO CALL ME ON THAT... HERE WE GO..
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AS FOR THE WASHING MACHINE--MINE... IN MY ROOM ..HAS DEVELOPED A LEAK--- NOT A TERRIBEL ONE... JUST ..WELL... A TWO BATH TOWEL SIZE LEAK. BEEN USING IT THAT WAY FOR 2 WEEKS..
( OH NO... DOES THAT MAKE 2 LEAKY WEEKS?)
I WAS WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO COME LOOK AT IT WITHOUT CALLING "SOMEONE" AS IN EXPENSIVE REPAIRMAN TYOE.
I GAVE IN AND "HE" CAME AND DECIDED IT WOULD BE MORE MONEY TO FIX THAN TO BUY A NEW ONE- AND HE SAID BUY A CHEAOP ONE BECAUSE THE MICE IN THIS WHOLE AREA WILL DO THE SAME AGAIN WHETHER CHEAP OR EXPENSIVE .... IMPLYING THE FOREST WILDLIFE..
IT IS A BOSCH FRONT LOADER... NICE MACHINE-- WITH LEAKING HOSES-- SOOOOO I NOW PROPOSE TO SET IT OUTSIDETHE LAUNDRY BUILING-- ATTACHED TOT HE ELEDT AND WATR AND RUN IT THERE WHERER THE WATER CAN SIFT DOWN INOT THE CRUSHED ROCK WHERE WE USUALLY WASH THE DOGS... WHILE SOME PASSING GENIIUS VOLUNTEER FIGURES OUT REPLACE THE CHEWED HOSES. REMEMBER THE WASCOMATT IN THE LAUNDRY BUILDING IS EXHAUSTED--- BUT THE DRYER THERE IS FINE.. AS IS TEH WASHER IN THE BARN ( WHERE THE NEW GAS DRYER IS WAITING TO BE HOOKED UP)
WE HAVE GOOD GOLF CARTS HAULING BETWEEN...
WELCOME TO CRAZY ACRES.. AND YES..... MANY OF OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE BONIFIDE GENUIS'S
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ONLY OTHER PLANNED ACTIVITY TODAY IS A BUNCH OF BOILED LOBSTERS TO SCARF DOWN WHILE GWEN IS HERE-- PROBABLY THIS AVFTERNOON ABOUT MAILCALL TIME???
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NOW FOR AMY IN NEW YORK CITY
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COUPLE OF VIGNETTES:
WE WERE WALKING ON THE SIDEWALK WHEN THIS LITTLE WHITE FLUFF OF A DOG LUNGED AT SEAGRAM, BARKING AND GROWLING, SCRAMBLING FRANTICALLY & STRAINING ON THE FLEXILEASH. I WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE "MIND YOUR MANNERS," TO THE DOG -- ACTUALLY MORE AS A MESSAGE TO THE MAN WHO WAS NOMINALLY CONTROLLING THE MISBEHAVED MUTT. THE MAN HAD HIS HEAD DOWN, PERHAPS COGNIZANT OF THE DOG'S SHAMEFUL BEHAVIOR, ALTHOUGH HE MADE NO ATTEMPT TO CORRECT IT. ANYWAY, SEAGRAM WAS SO GOOD THAT I DIDN'T GET THE CHANCE TO SAY SOMETHING BECAUSE THERE WAS NO NEED TO STOP. SEAGRAM SIMPLY WALKED ON, WITHIN A FOOT OR TWO OF THIS SNARLING LITTLE DOG, WITHOUT ME EVEN ASKING HER TO LEAVE IT. AS WE PASSED BY, SEAGRAM DID DIRECT A QUIZZICAL LOOK AT THE LITTLE DOG, AS IF TO SAY, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" I WAS SO PROUD OF HER RESTRAINT & PROFESSIONALISM.
BROADWAY WAS ANOTHER ADVENTURE. WE HAVE NEVER EVEN MADE IT TO A MOVIE AS A TEAM, BUT I REALLY WANTED TO SEE A SHOW DURING THIS VISIT TO NEW YORK. I HOPED THAT SEAGRAM COULD MANAGE -- AND SHE DID BEAUTIFULLY...TO UNDERSTAND HOW SPECIAL THIS WAS, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT I HAD LIVED IN NYC FOR YEARS AND SAW ONLY ONE SHOW BEFORE, ~10 YEARS AGO WHEN MY SISTER VISITED. ONCE MY CHALLENGES BEGAN, BROADWAY WAS TOO DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH ON MY OWN. MY HUSBAND IS NOT INTERESTED IN SHOWS AT ALL, SO I GAVE UP ON GOING AGAIN. BUT SEAGRAM HAS NOW GIVEN ME CONFIDENCE FOR US TO TRY NEW THINGS AS A TEAM. SHE DID GREAT WITH THE CROWD RUSHING INTO THE THEATER, THE MUSIC AND ALL THE OTHER NOISES. AFTERWARD, ONE OF THE USHERS CAME UP TO ME AND SAID THAT THEY WERE ALL IMPRESSED WITH HOW WELL SHE BEHAVED. I WAS QUITE IMPRESSED, TOO!! AND I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT DURING THE SHOW, I WAS A LITTLE TEARY OCCASIONALLY, BECAUSE I WAS MOVED BY THE MUSIC, AND ALSO GRATEFUL FOR MY NEW-FOUND INDEPENDENCE WITH SUPER SEAGRAM. THIS WAS A MUSICAL THAT I HAD ADORED IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND NOW, SOME 25 YEARS LATER, I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO SEE IT ON BROADWAY BECAUSE OF SEAGRAM.
THANKS TO YOU & ALL THOSE WHO MADE THIS POSSIBLE!!
AMY
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AND SO IT GOES...
