Where is Lindsey now?

Hi everyone!

It's been ages since I've posted on my blog, but here's an update. I'm currently more than halfway through my junior year of college here in upstate NY. I moved here about two years ago, and still will be sticking around for a little while longer. Still got some school left to go through!

Not much going on lately, but I couldn't ever be more psyched than the 2nd cochlear implant I got last summer! It's been awesome wearing the N5 on my left ear after being deaf for 21 years! I have heard though the past 16 years with my other implant- the N22 with Freedom external. Sound truly is amazing when experiencing it as an adult for the first time as it is nothing like what I'm used to with my right.

Pictures to be uploaded sometime soon!

Peace out,
Lindsey

I'm back with something new!

I think I shall make a return to the blogging world after yet another long absence of not blogging. Alot of news has happened to me since I last posted.


On another note, I've been in agony ever since this past Monday when I elected to undergo surgery to receive yet ANOTHER cochlear implant! Yes! I decided to get a Nucleus 5 internal cochlear implant on my LEFT ear after 20 years of not hearing out of that ear.


I do have an internal Nucleus 22 cochlear implant on my RIGHT ear (implanted c. 1995) and currently wear an external Freedom (backwards- compatible with my N22) processor. 


Unfortunately, I'm too tired to post anymore tonight about the operation and whatnot, etc.


I'll post more tomorrow! 


Peace!

is it to be?

Hola, es que sea? Is it to be? I've been pondering on this question for awhile. I've been hearing a lot about who's a vegetarian or not. I've been a semi-vegetarian for quite a few years now. Gave up red meat way before my 18th birthday. People ask occasionally if I ever miss red meat. I pondered on this for awhile, and simply stated "No, I do not." My own parents ask me every once in awhile if I miss it. I know I do not, and I'll never go back to eating it. In fact, at my last job, I had to make about 130 ham and bologna sandwhiches. 
Yes, I made meat sandwhiches. It disgusted the hell out of me. 


That's the last time I ever touched meat products. My refrigerator here at RIT has totally meat-free. Thank god it is not shared with anybody else. I gave up turkey last august after I came here to RIT because first of all it looked disgusting, and might as well because I have no need for it. I had some at thanksgiving and its' taste was outwardly for me. Argued with the parentals about the reasons why I gave up yet another meat product. Such consumers of meat that is in my Irish-American family. 


I currently eat no red meat, nor any turkey. I however do eat cage-free, pesticide free, and RGB free chicken. It's tough being a semi-vegetarian here at RIT. However, most foods here are sandwiches, mainly bread and etc which have been making me sick the past few months. After sunday spent lounging around in bed not feeling good, I've come to realise that I do not want to feel like this whenever it occurs. I'm wondering if its cause is related to wheat products? Another question I have is should (or when) I give up chicken? When or how? 


Hm.. we'll see

sound off VERIZON!

As nice as it is to pick up sound from my cochlear implant when i want to hear or not to... some sounds/noises are just not pleasant. Number one- the sound of my psychology professor is just cruel. It's not pretty trust me. Another sound i'm beginning to despise is the wind. It's constantly whistling. One would think hats would block out some of the sound? Think twice. Just a few complaints but otherwise, all's good here in Rochester.

On the plus side, finally got my phone fixed. AGAIN. Yes for the SECOND time. Back in January, I dropped my phone by accident for like the 2nd time. No big deal right? Wrong! It went all black on the inside screen, sooo I had to replace it for a measly 50 dollars! When I tried to call my mom one week later, I noticed it wasn't working. The inside speakerphone worked just fine, but not the earpiece/ outside speaker. My friends could hear me talking to them from my phone, but I couldn't hear it ringing when I was trying to call them nor could I hear them talking on the other end. Replaced it again for free..yay for warranty!. Now it works fine, but the front screen seems to be sticking out a bit. I'm beginning to hate the fact Verizon keeps giving me defective phones because I haven't dropped my phone yet one bit, and the front screen's err sticking out? I'm beginning to believe that they make cheap phones and then overcharge you for a piece of crap!

peace out from snowy 27 degree rochester!

-Linds.

sleep

you know something's up when i cannot sleep at 3:47am in the morning and i have a class at 8am followed by a day of studying hardcore. YIKES.

ta-ta for now.

p.s. tonight's random/last minute/adventurous photoshoot with one of my deaf friends was fun!

-linds.

photography!

Hello friends and followers,
I have posted a new blog up for all to enjoy. It will consist of my photographic work here at RIT in Rochester, NY. Let's hope I can keep this one up as well! 

More than a half year later... a new update!

HEY! After a more than half a year's worth of absence from the blogging world .. I've decided to re-join and follow all the blogs I used to follow once again.

I recently learned of a few more blogs that are quite interesting to follow such as Lotte Sofie's blog because she wears her bilateral cochlear implants on her shoulders instead of her ears and running up a long coil. It's amazing how people use their cochlear implants differently yet receive the same benefit of hearing sound like hearing people do.

Don't worry, even though I haven't been maintaining this blog in a long time, I still follow other blogs and read constantly about cochlear implant related news :)

In other words.. I'm back! Haha, let my presence be known in the blogging world.. I hope.

In light of my return, I think it's only fair to update you guys what I have been up to. Summer 2009 was spent in Connecticut doing nothing, and then by August, I had moved up to Rochester, NY to attend school at the Rochester Institute of Technology [RIT]. I got accepted into the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences [SPAS] at the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences [CIAS]. Yes, you heard me. I've ventured off graphic design and am studying photography full-time these days.

My first quarter here at RIT was quite a tough one simply because I knew so little about photography, but now that I've had over 5 months of experience.. I'm loving it! My major still remains in question but I'm sure I'll remain in Visual Media for now.. Who knows? I could change to Advertising Photography or Photojournalism. Time will tell. Even though I'm a second year by credit, I'm still taking first year photo core courses such as Photo Arts 1-2-3, History and Aesthetics 2-3 (1 in Fall '10), and Survey of Western Art and Architecture which is basically Art History -that I already took last spring back in CT but RIT didn't accept the entire amount of credits involved. I'll be re-taking Materials and Processing of Photo 1-2-3 (basically photo science) next year (2010-2011) as it was too tough for me to comprehend my first time around unfortunately (in Fall 2009).

I know that this is such a long post but I haven't been on here for a long time! I also know that come time in the future to find employment, what shall one do with a degree from RIT in Photography? I hope it will do wonders.

Sorry about rambling on school when this blog is supposed to pertain to my experiences with my cochlear implant, but hey, I have some interesting stories about my cochlear implant these past six months living in Rochester. I'll post more later.

P.S. I probably am going to start up another blog shortly pertaining strictly to my photography work here at RIT. It'll probably be full of pictures and whatnot related to the photography world.

Sayonara! -Linds.

rain rain go away.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have hated [only] a few sounds.. 

Those sounds would be: running water, the toilet flushing, the water from the shower hitting the tub, and of course the sound of rain hitting the roof! 

Notice it is all water-related? It is because the first time I heard with my cochlear implant outside of the testing room at NYU's cochlear implant center [it was located back in 1995  at the Bellevue Hospital] when I was 5... It was at the bathroom as I needed to go. went to the bathroom. I had to go to the bathroom and my mom made sure I washed my hands. I have hated those sounds ever since! Even today, when I go to the bathroom, I make sure I turn off my implant. It's weird I know, but it is the only way I can cope .. If I don't turn it on, the sound itself is practically unbearable. 

As for the sound of rain, it's just annoying to hear drip, drip, drip.. clack, clack, clack [my interpretation of how rain sounds to me]. I just try to avoid hearing it much as possible, and it makes sense why my implant tends to be off during rainy days haha. I know I should embrace the sound of rain, but I don't think that'll ever happen, unless of course, i happen to be driving, being with other hearing people or whatever.. it'll be on.

On another note, waking up at 6:30am, has been EPIC FAIL. I don't know how i'm going to wake up next week.. Let's just hope I can do it!! aaah. 

-Linds

Ice cream is a language one cannot ignore, even though I cannot hear them completely behind the counter!

Hi all! 

4 days since my last post. 

I've been busy as a bee at work! I worked sunday from 1-5, today from 10a-5, and tomorrow from 5 to close. I'm still surprised at the fact that my boss hired me, even though i'm deaf! Most people declined my job applications, but this place is one of a kind. It's a family run shop, and they treat us like we're their "own" kids. That's when you get for having a team of 2 brothers who are supposedly bachelors, and their older sister for a boss or two.. heck even a third boss.. they're cool people. 

On the other hand, I went to the American School for the Deaf today. Why? I went to see my other boss for this deaf camp i'm going to be working at... starting in exactly a week from today, 16 June 2009. I'm excited to be working at Camp Isola Bella as a kitchen aide. It'll be an interesting experience to see how the camp runs from a staff/worker viewpoint as opposed to seeing it being done for you from a youngster as well as a camper viewpoint. I was there as a kid, about 8/9 years ago.. amazingly, I'm working there again! 

I just wonder how people are going to react to my having an CI in an all deaf signing camp. I am used to it by now after 2 1/2 years of re-adjusting to wearing it all the time.. For me to stop wearing it again would just be plain idiotic. I still need to adjust to this new device namely the freedom.

I have to start waking up at 6 am for work starting this week, but more importantly TODAY! YIKES. I'm going to go to bed now seeing that it is nearly 01:00 hours in the morning, and I need to be up way early bah. 

Goodnight. 

Peace and love <3

Linds.

I HATE THE RAIN!

I AM A HATER OF THE RAIN!

The rain has done so much harm to my parent's basement over the years since we're in [kinda] a flood zone due to the way we're on the bottom of a [so-called] mountain! 

I just wonder why I drove to NH last night to see my dad up at the beach.. when he has to head home now? 

He just got a phone call from my mom saying she was up half of the night trying to clean the basement! It flooded again... for the first time in awhile... DUE TO RAIN! 

He has to go home to help mom clean and dry the basement.

My parents just had kinda fixed everything up! They put down a new ceiling, a new carpet, and most likely fixed the drain.. all to no avail! Now the carpet is going to REEK of a bad odor [whatever that rain smell causes it to smell]. 

I really had hoped it would never flood again!

The area I live in is officially a flood zone apparently, even though we live on the bottom of Avon or whatever Mountain!

This just sucks, and on top of that, I think I'm getting really bad cramps.. I have a three hour drive ahead of me to CT which just SUCKS!

ta-ta for now.

It's Thursday, and still raining!

" Rain Rain Go Away, Bring OUT the SUN and come back another day when it's needed!" 

I just want a nice, non-cloudy, sorta sunny day instead of another day of blahies & rain. 

Since I havent had work in like a week, I'm driving up to New Hampshire for the night to see dad up at the beach & do something for once... like eat clams?! yummy.. 

I'll be back tomorrow for another non-productive day in WeHa :/ 

Enjoy the rain haha. Blah.

seeeya.

Just a rainy day here in CT

Hi all! It is just blah outside today. Third day of the weather being like this. What have I done today? Hmm.. I obviously have not been very productive today as I have been supposedly napping and a few games of solitaire knocked me out!  

So much boredom, oh did I mention that I had to take a TB test? It's required for Camp Isola Bella for some reason (probably because of the children in presence of me).

[UPDATE to the last post]: 

I have to mention that the MAPpings so far has been alright, but I suppose it'll.... take time to adjust to? I don't like this... the whole adjusting thing. 

[UPDATE to the first post: jobs]

I finally decided to definitely work at Camp Isola Bella, because it's more productive that what I did today (obviously) and it'll give me something to do (other than making moolah, haha). 

This Ice Cream Parlor job is also quite unreliable- meaning they tend to cancel work due to the rain. The reason for this is because it's adjunct to a mini golf course, and customers won't want to come in and get ice cream due to the weather. A few might, but the owners won't keep me on shift alone because 1) i'm new 2) i wouldn't know what to do 3) i cant hear the damn telephone 4) ...

First Night: Sunday night [31 May], 

canceled Friday [5 June] due to rain, 

Second Night: Saturday night [6 June] from seven  to close, 

I canceled Monday for NYU [8 June]

canceled Tuesday [9 June] due to rain!!

I wonder what Sunday [14 June] will bring me :) hopefully not rain, but rather moneyy.

Hmm.. I don't know what to say, but I think I'm going to go workout at Big Sky despite the weather.

Toodles!

Peace & <3>

Linds

hearing stuffieo

Hi All! 

Let's see what I did today... 

oh yeah, that's right! I went to the city to go to New York University (NYU) Tisch's Cochlear Implant (CI) center to see what I can do with my N22 Freedom Cochlear Implant.* 

*First of all, let me explain what the N22 Cochlear Implant is to people who may not be aware of this acronym.  The N22 is the shortened name of the cochlear implant I was implanted with (in my head literally) back in early 1995. Yes 1995, believe it or not! The N22 stands for the Nucleus Cochlear Implant which has 22 electrodes. These 22 electrodes were placed into my head to stimulate sound in my cochlea. This was the only manufacturer and cochlear brand available at the time I was implanted as compared to today's variety of choices. There are several different Companies, but I just happen to use Cochlear.

Cochlear Implants used by me.. (and made by Cochlear Corp, of course): 

1)  Spectra Nucleus 22 body-worn Processor 

                          (1995-mid 2000's). 

2) Esprit 3G BTE (aka Behind the Ear!!!) for Nucleus 22 Users

(middle school- mid 2000's until Early 2009)

3) Freedom BTE for Nucleus 22 Users 

                              (February 2009-Present) 

[This is not an accurate definition, but for further information please visit this link: "How does a Cochlear Implant work?" (Courtesy of Cochlear Americas' website for the information & for the photos shown above. Thanks for Google & this site!]

 (CLAIM: I just happen to be a customer of Cochlear due to it being my cochlear manufacturer, but I am not promoting the company for my own financial gain.) 

I was so upset earlier today because for two reasons.. 

1) I used to be able to hear better with the EsPrit 3G, and my voice didn't suck as much. 

2) I want my "old hearing" back!! 

So I had a bunch of "constructive" -if it could be called that- complaints about what's been happening the past month or two.. I haven't been able to hear well on the phone at all, which is a MAJOR disappointment, seeing that I used to be able to discriminate well between my mother and sister, which is NOT the case anymore. I have had to consistently ask the two to identify themselves which is frustrating. My sister just doesn't get it, so I had to give my mom a password, which will have to do for the time being. [I think giving her a password is pretty funny! Does anyone think so?] At least, I can still understand what my mom says, right??

So at my MAPping (like a "car tuneup" but for my CI itself), my audi [name not mentioned for privacy] decided to play around with the electrodes and sound levels. For some reason, some levels give me more of a crisp sound in which I hear voice quality better as opposed to some giving me the sense of hearing "distortion" which I quite can't explain.. Distortion to me is like "blurriness in a picture", but rather, the poor quality and quantity is what makes me have a harder time to hear, if that makes any sense at all? 

I got 4 programs, all of which I hope will sound better than the previous month or so!  

These programs are labeled P1 for Program 1, P2 for Program 2, and so on.. 

P1: New Thresholds and comfort levels

P2: Speech sounds louder than background noise

P3: Soft sounds louder

P4: music [love this. EsPrit 3G didn't have it before]

I really hope these 4 programs will help me to experiment and see what I like in terms of my hearing (that is of course, through my only and one cochlear implant that i've always known)... i'm completely deaf haha.. 

well, I can't believe it is 3 AM already. I'll blog more later about stuffieo, but enough's enough for tonight... 

peace & hugs...

-Linds

MonoLink

AMAZING TELiCOiL <3

Hi all!

I've decided to start up again by blogging on my website. It's been so long, that I don't know where to begin. I hope to continuously update this blog much more often as opposed to once in a blue moon when i remember to update it. Must be a ADD trait of mine that causes me to forget. xD

As for life, It's been pretty good so far. I finished my freshman year of college at two different schools, (WOOT!) I started off my freshman year -first semester that is- at lovely McDaniel College in Westminster, MD where it was alright, but not the right fit for me. I decided to move back home to CT, and while figuring out what to do, I decided to attend Central CT State University (CCSU) for a semester.. CCSU wasn't the best place to be at, but I survived!

After summer's over, I get to finally attend the [third and last!!] college of my choice. that is,  NTID/RIT is where i want to be! I'll be a first year again (i know, i know.. it sucks but as soon i get the 39 credits needed to be a second year, then i'll get rid of the first year status xD). I am so excited about this... finally being able to study what i want, which is graphic design!!

Well, I'll continue this on another post later.. but for now,  I am going to chill since I got a NYU appointment in New York City tomorrow afternoon for my cochlear implant. I got alot of questions that need to be asked! :)

Goodnight All!

-Linds.