Sunday, September 16, 2007

Goals...

Tomorrow will start like any other Monday. I will promptly arrive at my sunny little cubicle and attempt to do my duties to the best of my ability. How does one act knowing that they will be a fully functional cyborg before dinner? I have a notion that I might act as if I have ants in my pants. Boss, I apologize for my pre-borg behavior if I screw up tomorrow :) I should be leaving around one o’clock to head over to Philadelphia to be turned on. I will be filming my activation tomorrow. I just put fresh batteries in the camera and it is ready for my bionic debut.

A couple weeks ago, I emailed my fellow colleagues at work a survey of what they love and hate to hear. The feedback I received inspired me to post it. Many thanks goes out to those who responded.

Question number one: If you were deaf and by some miracle you were able to hear again, what is the first thing that you would want to hear?
  • Children
  • The words "I love you."
  • Thunderstorm
  • Kids uncontrollably laughing
  • Nature noises
  • Music
  • Dogs singing
  • Family's voices
  • Birds Chirping
  • Crickets (I don't know if I want to hear this one for personal reasons)
  • Leaves
  • Mothers voice (I'm hoping this will be the first I thing I hear)
  • Pages turning in a book
  • Heavy rain
  • Baby's Laugh
  • Baby's first cry
  • Band practicing
  • Laughter
  • Ocean (This is at the top of my list)
  • Waves crashing
  • My own voice (It would be nice to hear myself again)
  • Water boiling
  • Fireworks
  • Rice Krispies go Snap, Crackle and Pop
  • My puppies soft little sounds she makes
  • The fizzy sound when you open soda
Question number two: If you were deaf and by some miracle, you were able to hear again, what is the last thing that you would want to hear?
  • Screaming
  • Water dripping
  • Nails scratching on a chalkboard (I have no clue what that sounds like)
  • Hillary Clinton's screeching voice
  • Phone ringing
  • Fork scraping against teeth
  • Significant other complaining
  • Car Alarm
  • Emergency door alarm (apparently this is a very annoying sound at work)
  • Alarm Clock
  • Country music
  • Baby's cry
  • Child whining
  • Fire department sirens
  • Screeching brakes
  • Fork scratching a plate
  • Neighbors screaming and fighting
  • "What’s for dinner?"
  • Annoying children toys
  • Silence
  • Whistling
  • Fingernail flicking
  • Teeth grinding

The funniest response I got was “You are a millionaire!” and she would hate to hear “Only Kidding!”

My personal favorite was “There isn't anything I wouldn't want to hear.”

With this feedback I formed goals as to what I like to hear. I'm going to add this as a bookmark because I will refer to it. I plan on crossing off when I heard it and mark the date. I thought it was a rather spiffy idea if I do say so myself.

The day before I join the borgs was interesting. My neighbor called me to see if I could come offer her moral support. What kind of moral support you ask? The kind of moral support that requires one sticking their hand in a hole full of crickets on steroids (she had to turn off her main water valve). I physically get ill over insects but I been down this scary road a long time ago which required therapy. I was ready to face my fear head on providing I had the right tools. I ran over with two garbage bags, one for my entire arm and one to cover up the hole. It turns out I am OK when I do not see them but when I do see them is when I start with massive hysteria. Thank god, my eight-pound predator knows how to smash them. My sincere apologies are extended to the people in the Entomology field.

Now we moved on to my neighbors main agenda of the day, replacing the fill valve and the flapper in one of her toilets. After reading the instructions on how to remove the existing and replace it in both English and Spanish several times, we both felt confident that we could accomplish this task. I mean they sell the kits in Home Depot, so it can’t be that hard, right. The first task is to shut off the main water valve! Check! So we thought. We discovered a minor problem shortly after dismantling the existing fill valve. She has a malfunctioning main water valve that decreases the amount of pressure but does not shut it off completely. After much consideration, we decided to change it with the water bursting and all. This was one of those moments that you wish you had a camcorder. The two of us in this tiny little bathroom, changed that fill valve and flapper in less then 30 seconds. If you ever need one changed, we are your women for the job. Feeling rather proud of ourselves, we raised our hands in the hair to give each other a hearty high five. It was stopped short when I realized that my neighbors hand was dirty which nixed that idea! :)

This quote is for all the people that took the time to read my blog. I have received so many wonderful commentaries. I just wish some of them weren't anonymous :)

“The more faithfully you listen to the voices within you, the better you will hear what is sounding outside.”

0 Days, 18 Hours, 28 Minutes to go!!

9 comments:

Cindy said...

I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!! Crossing my fingers that you'll be hearing well very, very soon. I'll be checking my Google Reader constantly tomorrow night!! Can't wait to see the video (hope you put it on youtube).

Wishing you the absolute BEST!

Cindy

Laurie said...

Good luck tomorrow! I'll be anxious to "hear" how it goes!

Jennifer said...

You know I'm dying here, honey!! I cannot wait!!
I think I'll send you a video of my kids screaming, so you can wonder why I want to hear with two ears instead of being happy with just one...lol!
And Hugh Laurie IS British...and tries to speak with an English accent...sometimes it works, sometimes no...but he's pleasant to look at...oooh!
EVERYTHING crossed for you!!!!

Nikki said...

Good luck!!

Another great noise to keep an "ear" out for is the "SHHHHHT" when you first open a bottle of soft drink :)

Sam said...

Good luck! And we all want a full report on every single sound that you hear!

Unknown said...

my love i pray to God that you will hear everything and anything you can possibly dream of hearing. muahhhhhhh. i cant wait to hear the wonderful news!

Jennifer said...

Abbie...I have been meaning to tell you but kept forgetting...if you're interested, stop by the CI Chat on the HLAA webpage ( http://www.myhearingloss.org/index.html )...we have a chat every Monday night at 9 your time...we would love for you to come share your experiences with us, if you feel like it!! I can't wait to hear all about it!!

Sue said...

I love reading your blogs. You have such a great talent for writing. I cannot wait to hear about your activation. And by the way, if you have never heard nails on a chalk board you are very lucky!

Hugs,

Sue

Unknown said...

WHAT???!!! You put country music under list of things you don't want to hear section?? Blasphemy! I'd have put Gangsta rap under that!