Musings on Christmas Eve

So here's a comprehensive list of what I'm getting for Christmas:

• 50 inch High Definition Plasma Television
• 17 inch MacBook Pro fully pimped out
• Sony HD Camcorder
• 5.2 mp slim digital camera
• 1 year's paid cable and internet service with High Definition programming thrown in from Comcast
  
• unlocked iPhone
  
• wireless broadband card for my macbook from Sprint so i can get internet from anywhere
• a slingbox so I can watch tv on my laptop from anywhere
• $500 dollar gift certificate to Oasis Coffee in Johnson city http://www.oasiscoffeehousejc.com/
• a Job at Google waiting for me after I graduate from ETSU
  
• a tech-savvy girlfriend that knows sign language and loves football (Cleveland browns fan is a must). think iJustine crossed with Erin Andrews and Marlee Matalin minus the Pittsburgh roots and any connection to Michigan whatsoever. (if you don't know any of these names, just Google em)
  

Alright, that's not a real list of what I'm getting for Christmas but it'd be nice if I did. I came up with this list while sitting here at Panera, trying to get over a little cold and sipping on a hot and delightful coffee. I'm just pondering about all of this stuff going on this time of year. It's Christmastime and a lot of things are going on. Most people are off for the holidays, they're doing their last minute shopping, visiting family and friends and trying to stay warm.

I've somewhat done all of the above, but I've also done some reminiscing on the past semester. Fall 2007 was a very difficult time for me. I was overwhelmed with schoolwork while trying to balance a social life and taking care of myself and "my" dog at the same time.

This past semester was my first semester in graduate school. I'm working toward a master's degree in computer science, IT concentration. It was a successful semester for me because I was able to pass all my classes, ensuring that I had just survived the toughest course load of the computer science curriculum. This meant that the next 3 semesters will be less difficult.

Along the way, I had to manage some rocky patches because my classes required a lot of group work. Scheduling interpreters for impromptu group meetings are no easy task. 5 days notice is usually required in order to schedule an interpreter. This was more stressful than most of my class assignments. However it was a lesson learned in how to manage group work and this is critical in gaining experience for future endeavors both educationally and professionally.

Also, my job at the College of Nursing is awesome. I'm having a great time working with the people there and putting my skills to use.

This is an experience that I will talk more about later down the line. There were a lot of other things that I experienced. I've started going to a new church called Highlands Fellowship in Johnson City. It's been a great experience in improving my relationship with Christ. I've gotten sidetracked in the past couple of years from following God but now I'm working on getting myself back on track and it's been awesome to be part of this community these past few months. The best part? It's interpreted so come down every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. if you're deaf or if you're just around then come down and worship the Lord with us. I don't usually preach my faith on anybody and I probably won't do so that much but it's been a great experience for me so I want everyone to feel the way I do about going to church.

This is not my typical blog entry, usually writing about my struggles as a Deaf person, because it's a time to be happy, to feel joy and just try to celebrate the reason for the season. I know it's cliche but there's a reason why i didn't seriously ask for any of the items on the wish list above to my loved ones. It's not the time for asking or getting. it's a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I don't call it Xmas, i call it "Christmas."

I don't fully understand everything about Christianity nor do I think i ever will. But, I believe that it's going to be a lifelong journey in trying to practice my faith and trying to figure out our roles in this world. I question my faith occasionally but it's that time of the year where we deserve peace of mind and surround ourselves with love and happiness. I hope that whoever reads this takes my advice and just celebrate what you've got and the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Information about communicating with deaf and

This blog entry gives out info that anyone that is curious about that relates to hearing loss and deafness might find helpful

http://www.ke5ter.com/archives/2007/10/25/webpage-with-good-info-about-deaf-people

New Blog for Johnson City Deaf Activities

Hi, I've started a new blog for Johnson City deaf events and potential events that the deaf and friends around the NE TN area can organize a trip to. We have an event this friday. Check the link out for more info!

http://jcdeafies.blogspot.com/

British Sign Language basic Questions!

For anyone familiar with ASL, this shows a very different style of sign language especially from a country that shares the same spoken and written language as the USA. Some of the British Signs are recognizable but other signs are very dramatically different, its an interesting study in how signed languages contrast in different countries.

read more | digg story

Deaf community creates its own language

In this isolated traditional community a form of inherited deafness has been passed down from one generation to the next for the last 70 years. As a result, an indigenous signed language has sprung up, evolving among the deaf villagers as a means of communication. But what is so striking is that many hearing villagers can also speak it.

read more | digg story

Amazon Unbox Videos Have No Captions or Subtitles

As a Deaf technology geek, i love my tivo, unfortunately its disappointing to find out that closed captioning isn't provided on the Amazon Unbox service. Please bring attention to the lack of consideration by the large corporations for the deaf and hard of hearing population! Not just for Amazon but for movie theaters nationwide....

read more | digg story

gym class heroes, rolling rock and facebook

I've been living in Johnson City for about 8 months now. I'm beginning to come to the realization that there isn't anything for me here in this town besides earning my master's degree. The closest friends i've made here are from my interpreters and although I'm starting to talk to more people from my classes and i'm beginning to network as well. In spite of all this, I'm still lacking a social life that is independent of my sister's.

There's been a lot happening since the last time I posted an actual blog entry. I made it through the fall semester and am now trying to survive the spring semester. There are some courses that I'm enjoying but they're not any easier though. I like the teachers that i have though. Believe it or not i do like sanderson in my database class but i'm not too fond of his lectures. Tarnoff continues to be my favorite teacher even though I bombed my first project in his class this semester.

I'm also taking my first graduate class this semester. Its challenging which is nice. The thing about having this workload is that it'll effectively prepare me for taking graduate classes full time next semester and prepare myself for the work that I will have coming. I'm not used to writing papers, especially those that are related to technology and businesses but it will be a good tune up.

I've also started using transliteration in my graduate classes. For those of you that don't know what transliteration is, it involves the use of a transcriber typing almost all of what is being said to the best of the transcriber's typing and receptive abilities. I am happy with my services so far this semester. Not only do I get to read what is going on in classes, i also get a transcript of my transcriber's typed notes emailed to me later that week.

Its a very dramatic change compared to having sign language interpreters in my class. With interpreters my eyes tend to get tired after long periods of time especially with lectures. When I consider the situation that I'm in, i think that i've chosen the right services because i take a class before my graduate class with the transcriber and sometimes there would be a lecture before my 3 hour graduate class so therefore it offers up a change of pace in terms of reception of the course material.

I should explain how transcribing works in the classroom. there is a transcriber that types nearly everything that is being said in the classroom. It works between two laptops wirelessly, I read what is being said on a laptop provided by disability services. There is a software program called typewell and it allows two laptops to communicate wirelessly between each other and read what the other laptop is typing.

This is not intended to be anti-sign language interpreters because I still wouldn't want to take all my classes with a transcriber. I love how I am able to interact with my classes through my interpreters as opposed to through the transcriber. It seems more natural to sign and communicate with the teacher and class through the interpreters as opposed to having to type what I want to say to my teacher in my graduate class. This particular awkward situation happens almost every week when the professor calls on me to answer one of his questions.

In that situation i am aware that there is some lag time with what is said verbally and then typed. The teacher calls on me and asks me a question. By the time he has asked me the question, the first word is just then being typed on my laptop computer. I can detect the awkward silence while the class waits for me to answer the question through the computer and wait for my transcriber to voice what my answer is. It feels so unnatural and weird that I am restricted in how I interact with the classroom and even small groups.

Yet for a 3 hour night class I wouldn't have it any other way because this is a lecture intensive course that relies on notes from the lectures in the classroom. Because of this I'm doing fine in my first graduate course ever and should get through it just fine.

As for my other experiences in Johnson City, my job at Salsarita's is going alright. Serving toppings on burritos and tacos has never been more exciting. No one really gives me a hard time even if i have to ask them to repeat themselves, whether it be my manager, co-workers or customers. I try to give the best service I can give them and they usually respond understandingly and start working with me.

I have no complaints about Salsarita's. The food is good, its laid back, but of course anything after Giant Eagle would be laid back. I can put the tvs on any sports that I wanna see usually. For example today at work i just switched the tvs to the NCAA tournament and there was no fuss. Yep its nice.

In spite of all this, i remain lonely. I will admit I'm hungry for some socialization that will spawn itself and start branching out into more options for me. This is the case for a deaf man in a town where deaf events are very very limited and deaf peers or signing peers are few and far between especially those that are at my age. If i could travel to knoxville or atlanta I would but money is an issue at this point in my life that it restricts my traveling expenses.

I was in ohio last week for a few days on spring break. I was talking to my mom about the girls i've been with. Its starting to get weird because now she's criticizing me for the girls i've either dumped or just "lost." I'm not in my 30's or anything, i don't think i'm old enough to have my own mother start criticizing the relationship decisions that I make. It's insane but there are several factors that go into the decisions i've made about relationships or the girls i've dated. I'm pretty picky, to say the least. I've only dated one girl since i've been in town and I don't anticipate there'll be much more girls that I date while i'm here. In order to be "Louis Material" a girl needs several traits; intelligence, personality, willingness to learn sign or knows sign language, is open-minded, and is aware of the need intimacy in a relationship with me.

Yeah it also helps if that girl lives within a 25 mile radius, and I doubt I'll meet a girl like that by the time I'm done at ETSU. This shows why I'm so anxious to move to a large city where there will be a large and deaf-friendly population, unlike the one in Johnson City. There are three dream spots that I hope to go to after my time at ETSU, they are Washington D.C., Columbus, OH and anywhere in the Bay area of California.

But my priorities will go to wherever i get a job offer from. I need to get a job first and I hope it's going to be in a large city. This is where i'm commiting the rest of my future to. My time in Johnson City is going to be short and sweet, regardless of the outcome.

Reintroducing Deaf Adventures

It's time for me to resurrect my blog, sometime within the next few weeks I'll have some actual posts about my experiences with my classes this semester, my spring break trip to Las Vegas, and life in general as a deaf person of course. so stay tuned....