This morning a funny thing happened. I almost walked out the door without my hearing. Hey, it is a habit ya know! I've had it on all day and people will walk by my office silly funny stuff and I'm responding and we all laugh. They seemed to all have gotten used to me being deaf. It's taking a minute for everyone get back to a "hearing" Geo.
I was fun hearing the TV last night. It was fun hearing Terri talking in he car on the way home from work. It was fun hearing the kids. I heard Sadie bark too! Now thinking back you have no idea how comical it was to watch Sadie bark but not hear it. Ok, it's funny now but not then.
Well, it's Wednesday afternoon which means it's the other side of the week and heading toward the weekend. I told Terri this morning that I have GOT to find time to ride more or I'm going to be in trouble come June 28th. She said, "Well why don't you take you're bike to work and ride home?" Why did she marry me? Smart marries dumb (She marries me). I really thought about heading out to the house and bringing the bike back and riding home. I'll just bring it with me tomorrow. As I look out of the office window the afternoon pop up storms are already building. Those guys didn't waste any time today.
Tomorrow is the big hospital ice cream party for hospital appreciation week. Semi's with ice cream come in and we get to build these giant sundaes and they give out hospital wear like polo shirts and such. There is usually music blasting and someone will always start dancing. Usually someone who can't dance. Hey, it's a large office party, what can I say. All the elements of a TV sitcom. Oh well, everyone seems to always have fun.
Weekend ride this weekend is a 10 hour training ride! That's something like 7am to 5pm will be spent on the bike training. this time I'm planning a little different. I think I'll ride from home and go to the farmlands, which by the way they are building a shopping center out that way. Ride the farmlands for a while, come back and ride along the river, Maumelle, back to river, to my office and eat and break a moment (20-30 minutes at the very most). Then start riding along the river some more then maybe the CARTI training ride route, which is heading out to the farmlands again but not as far. Then I'm not sure. Since I have my hearing back I can go out on long rides away from normal spots and not worry.
Special shout out to my blogging buddy WES -- Congrats on your first Tri! And you've signed up for how many more already?! HA! You sound like some of these guys around here! Hooks you more than Meth!
Well, lunch is over... sigh...
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
RE-WIRED & HEARING!!!
Oh this is so good! But y’all everything is sort of loud in the world of the hearing folks!
Yep, today Dr. D checked the ear and poked around and even shot purple dye down into my ear canal and then said, “Do you want to put your hearing aid on?” I did and he was standing there with Dr. Smith and started talking and I jumped. Hold everything!! I haven’t even turned up the aid yet and it’s too loud?!! WHA??!!! Oh my gosh, is there going to be this big of a difference? There were smiles all around the room then he gave me the pep talk and the caution talk as well.
I then went across the hall to Mary Martha’s office and she made a new ear impression for a new ear mold. I’ll have a new one with the air vent so I can let the heat and moisture out when I’m training. That was the caution part. I’m still really in the infection zone right now so I have to continue the drops every night and clean with alcohol. That’s doable.
I told Mary Martha that I didn’t realize her office was so loud. She has an air vent and a return in her office and it sounds like you are sitting in a jet. She was telling me that it’s hard for people with hearing impairment to hear in there because of that.
The rest of the afternoon was spent much like the first day I got my new hearing aid learning sounds. When a coworker in the next office coughed this afternoon it sounded as though it was in my ear! No, I didn’t have it turned up.
I was really hoping to get out and test sound on the bike this afternoon but once again the afternoon pop up thunderstorms are rolling through. I can hear thunder so I’m not going out. Instead I’ll work on donor letters tonight.
Ok, so what did I learn from this experience? I learned that I’m not as strong in the fact of sickness as I thought I was. I wondered if it would have been something that was going to be permanent if I would have handled it different? I didn’t have to learn sign language even though I think I will now. I saw the world in a different way. No one meant to but it is a world of isolation sometimes. Many people have no idea how exhausting it was to sit through a simple meeting. People naturally turn their heads while they talk but when you are forced to read lips it can wreck you. Some people don’t move their mouths very much so it’s hard to follow there speech. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just hard to keep up.
So it makes me think really hard about this ride and what it means. I wondered if after the recovery period if I’ll have a different outlook on the ride and how I can help those kids that can’t hear … oh boy, you have no idea how it has changed me! No idea!
All for the kids!
Geo.
Yep, today Dr. D checked the ear and poked around and even shot purple dye down into my ear canal and then said, “Do you want to put your hearing aid on?” I did and he was standing there with Dr. Smith and started talking and I jumped. Hold everything!! I haven’t even turned up the aid yet and it’s too loud?!! WHA??!!! Oh my gosh, is there going to be this big of a difference? There were smiles all around the room then he gave me the pep talk and the caution talk as well.
I then went across the hall to Mary Martha’s office and she made a new ear impression for a new ear mold. I’ll have a new one with the air vent so I can let the heat and moisture out when I’m training. That was the caution part. I’m still really in the infection zone right now so I have to continue the drops every night and clean with alcohol. That’s doable.
I told Mary Martha that I didn’t realize her office was so loud. She has an air vent and a return in her office and it sounds like you are sitting in a jet. She was telling me that it’s hard for people with hearing impairment to hear in there because of that.
The rest of the afternoon was spent much like the first day I got my new hearing aid learning sounds. When a coworker in the next office coughed this afternoon it sounded as though it was in my ear! No, I didn’t have it turned up.
I was really hoping to get out and test sound on the bike this afternoon but once again the afternoon pop up thunderstorms are rolling through. I can hear thunder so I’m not going out. Instead I’ll work on donor letters tonight.
Ok, so what did I learn from this experience? I learned that I’m not as strong in the fact of sickness as I thought I was. I wondered if it would have been something that was going to be permanent if I would have handled it different? I didn’t have to learn sign language even though I think I will now. I saw the world in a different way. No one meant to but it is a world of isolation sometimes. Many people have no idea how exhausting it was to sit through a simple meeting. People naturally turn their heads while they talk but when you are forced to read lips it can wreck you. Some people don’t move their mouths very much so it’s hard to follow there speech. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just hard to keep up.
So it makes me think really hard about this ride and what it means. I wondered if after the recovery period if I’ll have a different outlook on the ride and how I can help those kids that can’t hear … oh boy, you have no idea how it has changed me! No idea!
All for the kids!
Geo.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Sunday ride recap
I always forget the beauty of sunsets while riding. I waited today to ride after 6pm. It was crowded with walkers, runners and family bikes. Everyone having fun and wrapping up the weekend.
I kept a brisk pace of 17-18 and knocked down 27 miles quickly. The sunset was awesome! I really wanted to ride up on the BDB and lean on the rail and watch.
Legs felt good.
Plan for the week is to get a good ride in Tuesday. An easy ride one other evening and another long distance on Saturday. I think I add another hour this week which would be 10 hours of riding. But hey I'll be plugged in and can hear so I'll ride to who knows where!
I get to plug in tomorrow a little after 1pm and it's like waiting on Santa. Actually it's more like having the present you always wanted under the tree and you've started to lift the corner of the wrapping paper but then didn't. that's exactly what I did today! I started to lift the wrapping paper. I am so excited that this morning I got out my hearing aid and put it in the nice case and brought it to work. About mid morning I look over and there it is sitting on the corner of my desk. I simply couldn't stand it any longer and I opened the case, put a battery in and put it up to my ear. I needed to push it on in and as I was doing it, something just didn't feel right and I stopped and closed everything back up. It will be fine I told myself. it's just the odd feeling of not having worn a hearing aid in weeks. OK, I'm under 24 hours to being a hearing person again. You have NO idea how exciting this is...
I kept a brisk pace of 17-18 and knocked down 27 miles quickly. The sunset was awesome! I really wanted to ride up on the BDB and lean on the rail and watch.
Legs felt good.
Plan for the week is to get a good ride in Tuesday. An easy ride one other evening and another long distance on Saturday. I think I add another hour this week which would be 10 hours of riding. But hey I'll be plugged in and can hear so I'll ride to who knows where!
I get to plug in tomorrow a little after 1pm and it's like waiting on Santa. Actually it's more like having the present you always wanted under the tree and you've started to lift the corner of the wrapping paper but then didn't. that's exactly what I did today! I started to lift the wrapping paper. I am so excited that this morning I got out my hearing aid and put it in the nice case and brought it to work. About mid morning I look over and there it is sitting on the corner of my desk. I simply couldn't stand it any longer and I opened the case, put a battery in and put it up to my ear. I needed to push it on in and as I was doing it, something just didn't feel right and I stopped and closed everything back up. It will be fine I told myself. it's just the odd feeling of not having worn a hearing aid in weeks. OK, I'm under 24 hours to being a hearing person again. You have NO idea how exciting this is...
Saturday -- Long ride recap
Oh where to start???How about opening the garage door?Yep, that ‘s a good place… Ok, so it’s Saturday morning and I plan to meet Brandon in the bowling alley parking lot about 5 minute downhill ride from the house. I open the garage door and what do I feel? Sprinkles and the road is damp. Oh no no no! Mr. Weather guy said a nice day was on tap. I walk back in and flip the tube on and no rain around. Says it’s high fog and will burn off about midmorning.I met up with Brandon and we head toward the river. I was feeling good. We ride the river and meet up with Keith on the bridge and head down the LR side.1st stop was Central High. (http://www.nps.gov/chsc/) for an insiders look. Brandon’s folks work there so he gave us some cool facts. I felt excited and ashamed at the same time. Excited that I was seeing it close up for the first time and ashamed that this was my first time to visit this historic place. It’s huge! My goal this week is to find out what the 4 statues are on the front of the building. Who are they and what do they mean?
There is a Mobil gas station that is a museum and then across the street is a memorial time line. As I was looking at the photo on the timeline, I was looking at the Mobil station and then as I looked up I was looking straight at it in real life and it’s exactly as the photo from 1957.
Afterwards we rode over to the hospital expecting the Miracle Walk to be coming around but they were still over at the capitol doing the rah-rah stuff so we rode over there. We got to the start point and over to the side and off they go. I was a walk and not a race but the kids at the front were running to keep up with the pace car who slowed way down when he saw this.
Next was a ride through the heart of downtown and over to the Heifer Project. Keith told us about the building and I didn’t pick up all of the conversation but the put I did was really neat. I plan to get him back over there sometime when I can hear so I can get all the details.
Ok, play was over and it was really past time to get some long riding time in. We rode back to the BDB and Keith pulled out to ride home. He had already been running that morning. JMar had jumped in and rode with us a while. Then we headed over the BDB and he jumped out at Cook’s where his car was. He had already been on a farmlands ride (a fast one at that!).
Brandon and I rode out to Maumelle and at the turnaround I told Brandon I was going to get a little cash out of the ATM. So here I am doing that and not really watching what Brandon’s doing. It’s a Saturday and even though there were no cars going through the bank was open but he didn’t know that. He’s over there pushing the buttons and the canister goes flying up the tube then the voice comes on to ask if he needed help! HA!!
We take a back road back through Maumelle and it’s great because the wind has picked up and it would have been some stiff headwind coming back but it wasn’t bad since we were hidden in the trees.
The rest of the day was ride, ride, and ride. Brandon rode on home about mid afternoon and I rode the river some more. It was nice and then it was not nice. I enjoyed having folks riding with me and when Brandon left I sort of didn’t know what to do with myself. What I mean is that while he was riding I didn’t have to worry about being a deaf rider because he knew where my phone was, he knows Terri, he could talk to other riders or let me know if cars were in the area. It made for a semi-stress-less ride with him around. Brandon, if you read this, thanks for riding most of the day!I finally rode over to my office and waited for Terri to pick me up. I was tired but felt a lot better just stopping in a cool place for a little bit.
When I got home I got cleaned up, ate and rested a bit then went out to the garage to check over the bike. I had been having computer problems on the bike and knew that I had 6 miles more than Brandon when he left off. I added and subtracted and then just sat there. Oh man, 99.7 miles! UGH!!!I still really enjoyed the ride and getting to learn about places around my own city. Thanks guys!
There is a Mobil gas station that is a museum and then across the street is a memorial time line. As I was looking at the photo on the timeline, I was looking at the Mobil station and then as I looked up I was looking straight at it in real life and it’s exactly as the photo from 1957.
Afterwards we rode over to the hospital expecting the Miracle Walk to be coming around but they were still over at the capitol doing the rah-rah stuff so we rode over there. We got to the start point and over to the side and off they go. I was a walk and not a race but the kids at the front were running to keep up with the pace car who slowed way down when he saw this.
Next was a ride through the heart of downtown and over to the Heifer Project. Keith told us about the building and I didn’t pick up all of the conversation but the put I did was really neat. I plan to get him back over there sometime when I can hear so I can get all the details.
Ok, play was over and it was really past time to get some long riding time in. We rode back to the BDB and Keith pulled out to ride home. He had already been running that morning. JMar had jumped in and rode with us a while. Then we headed over the BDB and he jumped out at Cook’s where his car was. He had already been on a farmlands ride (a fast one at that!).
Brandon and I rode out to Maumelle and at the turnaround I told Brandon I was going to get a little cash out of the ATM. So here I am doing that and not really watching what Brandon’s doing. It’s a Saturday and even though there were no cars going through the bank was open but he didn’t know that. He’s over there pushing the buttons and the canister goes flying up the tube then the voice comes on to ask if he needed help! HA!!
We take a back road back through Maumelle and it’s great because the wind has picked up and it would have been some stiff headwind coming back but it wasn’t bad since we were hidden in the trees.
The rest of the day was ride, ride, and ride. Brandon rode on home about mid afternoon and I rode the river some more. It was nice and then it was not nice. I enjoyed having folks riding with me and when Brandon left I sort of didn’t know what to do with myself. What I mean is that while he was riding I didn’t have to worry about being a deaf rider because he knew where my phone was, he knows Terri, he could talk to other riders or let me know if cars were in the area. It made for a semi-stress-less ride with him around. Brandon, if you read this, thanks for riding most of the day!I finally rode over to my office and waited for Terri to pick me up. I was tired but felt a lot better just stopping in a cool place for a little bit.
When I got home I got cleaned up, ate and rested a bit then went out to the garage to check over the bike. I had been having computer problems on the bike and knew that I had 6 miles more than Brandon when he left off. I added and subtracted and then just sat there. Oh man, 99.7 miles! UGH!!!I still really enjoyed the ride and getting to learn about places around my own city. Thanks guys!
Friday, May 4, 2007
135 mile training ride
Ok, everything is falling into place for my longest training so far for this event. Saturday is looking like prime weather for me to training. I do my best riding in 80 degree weather and tomorrow it will be in the 80's. I didn't want to leave Terri without a car so I'll ride from home and use my office as my stop and rest station. I can fill water bottles, eat, cool off, whatever right here and even make blog progress notes during the day.
Start time is about 7:00 from my house. I think there may be some other riders meeting me down on the river around 7:30 to ride along along for a bit. Then others when they come back in off the farmland rides. Should see a lot of friends tomorrow and looking forward to it!
Start time is about 7:00 from my house. I think there may be some other riders meeting me down on the river around 7:30 to ride along along for a bit. Then others when they come back in off the farmland rides. Should see a lot of friends tomorrow and looking forward to it!
These shoes are made for walking!
Great way to start your Saturday morning! Weather is going to be perfect! Y'all come on out!
If you are an ACH employee and will be on campus Saturday morning, please come out and cheer on the participants as they walk past the hospital. The group should begin walking down Marshall (in front of the hospital) at approximately 9:15 a.m. Please come out and cheer on the many people that are donating their time and resources to support ACH! 
Sign up now for the 2007 Miracle Mile Walk benefiting ACH. The Walk is set for Saturday, May 5, 2007, at 9:00 a.m. ACH employees are encouraged to join representatives from Children’s Miracle Network National Sponsors in this one-mile walk, from the State Capitol to the campus of ACH and back, to raise funds and awareness for Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Registration is $25 per person (kids 12 and under are free). Registration opens at 7:00 a.m.; Walk begins at 9:00 a.m. Register online at http://www.miraclemilewalk.org/ or call 501-3641477.
If you are an ACH employee and will be on campus Saturday morning, please come out and cheer on the participants as they walk past the hospital. The group should begin walking down Marshall (in front of the hospital) at approximately 9:15 a.m. Please come out and cheer on the many people that are donating their time and resources to support ACH!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Come on weekend!
Well friends we are getting closer to the weekend by the minute! I’m ready too! We were supposed to go over to Memphis to the Memphis in May music festival and I was going to get to see Wolfmother before they had back across the pond but due to not getting to put my hearing aid back in it looks to be a local weekend.Emily turns 17 tomorrow. That is so hard to grasp. At times she’s my little girl and runs across the room and lands on my lap and at times she walks through the room as she’s about to go out looking better than any model that graced magazines. She can still make me laugh harder than anyone else. She can make me laugh until my tummy hurts. I have a year and a few months left before she goes off to college…sigh….
Ok, training… here we go! It’s going to be an eat and drink on the bike training. I’ll have some supplements (Endurolytes and Perpetuum) that I’ll be trying. One of the things long distance folks are told to do is get used to eating and riding. I read one account where a female long distance rider ate her meals while she was on a trainer. Nothing like a trainer at the dining room table! HA!
The plan is to ride the river for hours. It is actually for a 9 hour ride. I had planned to go up the road about an hour north of town and ride a charity ride (Plan B), Tour of the Wine Country but with no hearing aid, guess I best not. The ride is a charity ride for the hospital and a festival.
I’ve been planning my start time and want it to be around 8 a.m. and that gets me off the bike around 5p.m. Gee whiz, I’ll be riding a whole work day. If I keep at 15 mph pace for 9 hours that will be 135 miles. That’s the distance from Ft Smith to Cook’s Landing. Half of the ride for June 28th. I’m really hoping to some how get a chance to get up toward Ft Smith or even to Ft Smith and ride back before the actual ride. May be a nice thing to do for Memorial Day Monday. I usually ride from my house to Searcy and back on that Monday or that weekend for 90 miles but I think this year I’ll change it up.
Even though Dr. D asked me not to wear the hearing aid until Tuesday, I’ll honor that but boy it’s going to be a good mental exercise if I stay down on the river riding for hours with no sound, no music, etc etc… I still find it really funny that folks know I can’t hear but they will just talk and talk. I just do the best I can picking up bits and pieces. If you only knew what I thought some people have said!
Well, lunch is about over… back to work.
To donate to the River 2 River ride to help children with hearing impairments go to http://www.archildrens.org/ and click on the donate now button and note it's for the bike ride.
Later y’all!
Geo.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
