Superpowers

WARNING: NERD ALERT IN EFFECT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS POST. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

I shared two meals today with two separate groups of people. And I realized that good Lord Almighty, my eyes never rested. Ever. I was looking at my food, glancing around the table to see if anyone was speaking, double-, triple- and quadruple-checking to make sure no one was talking and that it was okay to say something; visually roaming the table to figure out who was talking and what they were talking about and checking, re-checking and re-re-checking to see if anyone was talking to me and if I needed to react to anything (laugh when everyone else laughed, etc).

I've heard that when you lose one sense, the others overcompensate. I've always been more sensitive to smell than the rest of my family and I'm pretty particular about being touched. Whether that has anything to do with hearing loss or my own personal quirks remains to be seen, of course, but come jump to conclusions with me, will you?

As it turns out, there could actually be a parallel between hearing loss and enhanced visual perception. One of my Facebook friends posted this article about how deaf and hard of hearing people actually see differently than hearing people - not better, just differently.

"And for people who are deaf, it's been discovered that visual attention is heightened in their peripheral vision. A hearing person has 360 degrees of perception, since your brain can locate objects based on sounds. But those who are deaf, Allen says, lose 180 degrees of that perception.

So researchers think the deprived auditory areas of the brain reorganize to better process visual information. As a result, people are more sensitive to moving stimuli in their periphery, like a car speeding toward them in the street."

Do you know what this sounds like to me? SUPERPOWERS, awww yeah! How did I get from visual perception to superpowers, you might be asking. That would be an excellent question but unless you, too, have grown up on a media diet of X-Men (That last movie really spoke to me. And by "movie," I mean James McAvoy) and Heroes, I'm afraid my reasoning would be lost on you anyway.

I need to know what's going on around me at all times, so I am constantly looking and scanning and glancing and gazing and searching... these powers can be used for both good and evil. You definitely want me on your team if we're playing hide-and-seek but I'm also easily distracted when the smallest motion enters my peripheral vision. I'm always aware of my surroundings but when I'm talking to someone, I tend to look around them but not at them. I need to be more disciplined about that - with great power comes great responsibility, you know.

So there we are. I'm not just hard of hearing... I'm visually-enhanced! ;) Think there's room for one more at Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters?

(Obligatory James McAvoy picture from the Google. Just because. You're welcome.)

Obligatory Halloween Post

I'm not a Halloween person. I mean, I was when I was little and there was candy involved but now I'm apparently too old for that, so really, what is the point? I'm not a fan of scary movies, either. I can barely handle this one:



Laugh if you must, but I mean, if you found this among your stuffed animals (yes I have stuffed animals, so.sue.me)-



- wouldn't you



too?

This part just gives me the straight-up heebie-jeebies. Always has. I have to cover my eyes when it's on.



I've given myself nightmares just asking the Google for these images. Mostly because I came across this one:



If that doesn't seal the deal for you, I just don't know what will.

I hope your Halloween weekend has been safe and fun and full of candy delight! (send.me.some.)

Food, glorious food

Random fact of the day: The clothes at the Carter's outlet aren't any cheaper than the Carter's that Kohl's carries. Save yourselves the trip, friends.

Hearing aids: When I'm eating out on my own, I surprise myself sometimes by how often I use my hearing aids to make my culinary decisions for me. For example, I used to loathe food places that required me to direct someone behind the counter how to make my meal. Subway. Chipotle. Etc. It's stressful trying to to juggle the part of my brain that's still in the process of figuring out what I want to eat and the part that's trying to keep up with what the person behind the counter is asking. I've pretty much gotten over this at Chipotle. I have it all memorized. "What can I get for you? What kind of beans? What kind of meat? What kind of salsa? Cheese? Sour cream? Anything else?" (answers would be: burrito bol, no beans, chicken, mild, just a little cheese, lettuce. And chips and salsa. Mild. Please and thank you). See, I've got it down to a science. I mean really, Chipotle is just so heavenly that any communication obstacles I endure are well worth it.

Subway, on the other hand, seems to be primarily employed by the surliest people in America. I don't think they like their jobs there. Anyway, it's stressful trying to keep track of what kind of bread and what kind of cheese and which one of the four different kinds of chicken and do I want it toasted and what constitutes a $5 footlong AND trying to not piss off the person behind the counter by asking them to repeat themselves every time they ask a question. Pass.

I love Planet Sub but I gotta say, not wild about their method of delivery. I like it when we order P-Sub at work because then the order is in one person's name, we all go down (it's one floor below us at work) to pick it up (paying separately) and all I have to do is wait for my co-workers to point to me so I know it's my turn to pay. Otherwise, if you order something at Planet Sub, they give you a card - as in a card from a deck of playing cards - then you have to listen to them call out the card name. Queen of hearts, jack of spades, five of diamonds, etc. Lordy, I can't even hear them call my NAME at Panera much less have to listen to the name of a card. Pass.

And at Panera, if I'm not with a friend who can listen for my name for me, I just watch the food counter like a hawk and grab what I hope is my plate and hope and pray no one else ordered the exact same thing! ;)

I've blogged before about the perils of drive-thrus. But at the end of the day, I figure this isn't a horrible thing. I eat out less because going INTO a fast food restaurant is just too much work and I'm not brave enough to bypass the drive-thru and go straight to the window to place my order. So I cook more or at least I can console myself with the fact that Chipotle is fresher than most other places. All you calorie counters can just hush right now.

In other news: I seriously need a dog. Or a subscription to eHarmony. All this alone doing isn't boding well, friends. I'm thinking about volunteering at a hospital. The application is mostly ready, I just need to send it in. The reasons for the delay are twofold: 1) the application is buried somewhere on my desk and I'm too lazy to look for it and 2) I'm planning to send it in after my brother's wedding. Weekends are filling up fast already with showers and such. Let the festivities begin!

A month or so ago, I decided to reserve a couple of movies at my local friendly Redbox kiosk. But when I got there, the machine wasn't working, so I went to the nearest Redbox down the block and luckily, they had the titles I wanted, so I got them there instead. I emailed Redbox to report the problem and ask for a refund for the amount the debited me at the first Redbox for movies I never picked up. Instead, they sent me four free codes to use. So basically, four free movies. I redeemed two of them this weekend and let me just say I'm glad they were free.

The Invention of Lying - I was expecting more from this one but I just felt kind of angry when it was over. It gave the impression - in my opinion, at least - that religion is a lie and just something we use to make ourselves feel better. And it wasn't that funny, which I thought was odd considering it had people like Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais and Jonah Hill in it. But maybe that humor was just lost on me.

Love Happens - wasn't terrible, just kind of long. The ending was good, but it took a while to get there. And I kept getting distracted thinking about how much Aaron Eckhart looks like Andy Samberg.

Anyone else been watching Parenthood on NBC? Love it. Makes me laugh and cry all at once.

The big question looming over me lately: What do I want to do with my life? Besides take over the world and all that jazz, of course.

Good night, interwebs.

This, that and the other

Random fact of the day: I love my crock pot but I hate washing it. Can I get an amen?!

Hearing aids: I'm drawing a blank on this one. What would you like to know?

In other news: I have had a boatload of random thoughts these last few days. Let's get down to business:

1) Finished (?) my federal taxes! Currently seeking math whiz to check my work, though.

2) I had been doing better about not getting worked up in traffic. Usually on the way home, I am grumbling that this person isn't going fast enough or there's too many people for me to change lanes and why oh why must we brake every two inches? Like I am the only person in the whole world who just wants to get where they're going. But the more I've been reflecting on the person of Christ, the less things like traffic annoy me. If I get home at 4:55 or 5:05, does it really matter? Is God any less God? Am I any less forgiven? No. So it's been freeing, lately, not being bound to the idol of Time.

But today, I found myself getting frustrated all over again. The guy ahead of me wasn't going the speed limit, there was no one in front of him but traffic was too tight on both sides for me to pass him. I just wanted to get home because I had things to do. Why doesn't he move faster? Faster, faster faster?! Then I think, why does this matter? Why do I really care if it doesn't matter in the scope of eternity?

And I think sometimes that's just it. Driving and traffic don't matter, so living in the middle of it just seems frustrating. If it doesn't matter, what's the point of dealing with it? What is the point of going through the motions of things like laundry and dishes and returning movies and going to the grocery store and buying stamps and keeping things clean? When an eternity with Jesus is in store for us, when I know that in so many ways, I'm just one breath away from finally - oh Lord, FINALLY - being with my Best Friend, my Savior forever... everything else just feels like dead weight.

Oh I know, I know... it's how we handle those tedious tasks that shape our character. I can learn grace in the midst of traffic. Humility when I get cut off. Perseverance in grocery shopping (what? I hate doing it!). Stewardship in doing laundry and dishes. And whatever I do, do it for the glory of God. And so on. But they seem so trivial some days, like I'm made for something more and I'm just biding my time here.

I like how Michael Card says it in Joy in the Journey:

To all who've been born of the Spirit
And who share Incarnation with Him
Who belong in eternity, stranded in time
And weary of struggling with sin

Yes, that's it. Weary of struggling with sin, stranded in time.

Forget not the Hope that's before you
And never stop counting the cost
Remember the hopelessness
When you were lost

There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
And freedom for those who obey

I always wondered why that song was a more mellow one. Aren't most songs about joy peppy and upbeat and dance-y? This one, though, I wonder if it's written to fellow weary travelers who love Jesus but are growing weary of this life. We long for something more but it seems it pleases the Lord to keep us here a little longer. There is joy - it just may not always be the peppy, upbeat, dance-y kind.

3) I watched six movies this weekend. Yes, six. It's the cure for the common cold, dontcha know? ;)

The Princess and the Frog was okay. Not up to par with other Disney movies, but maybe that's just me. But then I think that I prefer Disney movies that have no grounding in reality. I'd rather watch stories about glass slippers and dancing dishes and singing mice and fairy godmothers and mermaids and groooovy turtles and Mike Wazowski and a Genie. Of. The. Lamp! (right here, direct from the lamp). Maybe I didn't like The Princess and the Frog because New Orleans is too... real (no the story isn't real, I know, but the setting). Racial division is real. I'm not wild about 101 Dalmatians, either, probably because I am sure that someone, somewhere is all about puppy mills. Tear.

2012 would have been more fun on the big screen, but the graphics were impressive anyway. I'll take The Day After Tomorrow or Deep Impact over 2012, though.

The Time Traveler's Wife was better than the book and I cried. May have to buy that one.

Coco Before Chanel was okay but it was more about Coco Chanel's affairs than about how she came to be a fashion designer.

I liked Public Enemies because I like period pieces, but I would have loved to see more cat and mouse between Christian Bale and Johnny Depp.

Finally, Up in the Air totally deserved its Oscar nomination. Good acting, great writing, awesome message (life's better with someone than alone). Newcomer Anna Kendrick can totally hold her own against George Clooney - girl's got skillz! I may have to write more about this later, it was that good. I could have done without all the F-bombs, though. I mean, really, who talks like that? In normal, everyday conversation? Really? Could we please pretend to be smart and use other vocabulary to express our feelings? So for that one thing, there were times I had a hard time taking some of the dialogue seriously, but overall, definitely a keeper!

I'm write-ed out. I don't know how professional/regular bloggers do it. I have so many thoughts jumbled in my head, they all end up coming out in one big mess. I'm guessing discipline and organization are the name of the game, but really, where's the fun in that? ;)

Welp, I'm off to enjoy The Big Bang Theory. Sheldon, oh Sheldon. I like to think we'd be friends in real life, but honestly, I'd probably just keep him around to check my taxes.

Until next time, friends!

Welcome to the 60s, oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhhh

Random fact of the day: Favorite movie - Hairspray. Movie I used to watch over and over again - That Thing You Do. Movie that once combined my two interests in space and history - Apollo 13. My current obsession - Mad Men. Friends, I was clearly born in the wrong decade.

Hearing aids: I've been thinking about the differences between people who lose their hearing later in life and those who are either born with hearing loss or lose it at a really young age and grow up with it. I've noticed that people who have lost their hearing later in life seem more eager to educate others about hearing loss while those of us who have lived with it our whole lives are more likely to shrug it off. Like if we're in a checkout line and we didn't hear the cashier say something, later deafened people will be quicker to explain their hearing loss and ask for a repetition while those who have lived with hearing loss forever just ask the cashier to repeat themselves without explaining why they didn't hear them.

I wonder if it's maybe because the people who are late deafened have had experience at some point in their lives being a hearing person. They know how hearing people think and they know how unaware they themselves once were about hearing loss. They know that a little education can go a long way. On the other hand, those of us who grew up with hearing loss have spent a lifetime navigating those kinds of situations and bluffing our way through. It's just not worth our time to explain something to someone we probably won't see again. Just thought that was an interesting difference. Not a matter of right or wrong or anything - just another reminder that hearing loss affects everyone so differently. The spectrum of human experience never ceases to amaze me!

In other news: I sat down to make my grocery list yesterday. I whipped out those fliers we all get in the mail and pored over the sale items. I realized I had three - THREE - grocery stores to choose from! Four if you count Aldi's. (I don't go there very often - I really should take advantage of their prices more. I just can never get everything there I need and I hate going grocery shopping at more than one place a week.) But basically, yeah, FOUR places to choose from for my home cooking needs. Add to that the overwhelming number of varieties - like bread. Wonder Bread, Mrs. Baird's, Orowheat, Sara Lee? White, wheat, seven grain, honey? INSANITY. Throw in about 100 dining out choices and HOLY COW. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed by our abundance. And a little guilty. Gotta clean my plate because there are children starving in Africa, y'know. All I do know is that I can never, never, never complain about not having enough. Ever. We're freaking rich here, even in the middle of a recession.

Don't forget to set your clocks forward! Not excited about losing an hour of sleep, but definitely looking forward to longer days - it means spring is coming! I'm aquiver with anticipation!