November 2, 2013

Cochlear Calamities!

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Well, maybe not calamaties, but unexpected events have kept me on my toes the last few days.  First off, I believe I mentioned in the last blog (Thursday night) that I was having trouble with my the Cochlear Implant.  A little bit of sound was cutting in and out and I was getting some static.  Friday morning the static was worse, so I decided to replace the cable from the sound processor to the coil with the magnet that holds it in place on my head.  That helped, but didn't completely eliminate all the static.  Ron called the audiologist and she was out but another lady in the office said replacing the cable was the right thing to do and that I should have the new sound processor next week.

Thursday morning we headed to the Convention Center in a pouring rain.  I put the umbrella up and was trying to hold it in place with my chin while adjusted the load in my hands and the magnet latched on to the metal ribs of the umbrella!  Ack!!!  I was able to get it loose without dropping it in the rain, but sent Ron back to the car to get the rain poncho for me, and stepped back in the parking garage and put that on and gave him the umbrella.

This afternoon, again at the Convention Center, I bent down next to a huge column, to retie my shoes, and the magnet jumped off my head and latched on to the steel column!   Oh, my stars!  The things I will have to learn to be aware of and take precautions!  Scarey!  This is a very expensive piece of equipment I am talking about!  I began to feel like I was in a comedy routine, but wasn't sure how funny it was.  Anyone watching would have laughed, but I am just thankful I didn't drop the sound processor.

Again, I am covering two days with this posting because our days have been long and exhausting.  Yesterday, Friday, my friend Tiny and I were in a class at the International Quilt Festival all day.  Much of the morning was a lecture by two leading quilters, who spoke about their styles of desiging quilts.  They approach it from very different directions, but both make lovely quilts.  They are good friends and tease each other a lot.  One comes from a math background and approaches by making detailed plans.  The other is a true artist who just starts slapping things on the design wall.  Of the two, I prefer the quilts made by the artist, but I am probably closer to the other.  The rest of the day was spent sewing segments and then making designs with them.  We had some very talented students in the class.

During the design class - called Surprise Yourself - I really had trouble hearing.  One of the ladies was very small and her voice was just as small.  The other lady was easier to hear, but still I couldn't get it all.  The class was large and the classroom was very large.   When 50 sewing machinesare going at once, it adds to the challenge for me to be able to pull one voice out of the noise.

After the class yesterday, we lefat the Convention Center and went to supper before we took Tiny to the airport so she could fly back home.  It was so good to spend time together and to get to do something we both enjoy.  Then Ron and I returned to our friends' home for a quiet evening.  They have gone out of town and allowed us to stay in their lovely home and relax for a bit.

This morning we returned to the Convention Center where I spent much of the day shopping at the various booths, watching demonstrations, and checking out new tools designed to make quilt making easier.  I was able to have conversations with several of the vendors even with thousands of people on the display floor.  Following that we went to a mall and then returned to our friends' home for a while before we picked up some supper and returned to watch the Texas A&M football game.

It has been good to be away for a few days, to get to spend time with friends, and to do some things I enjoy.  Ron has spent the days making my life easier, relaxing, and reading.   Sorry for the lack of photos, but I forgot to bring the device to download the pictures to my laptop computer.  I hope to share some photos with you when we get home.