Being Jeanne...

This past month was not fun. Mid-September I had an ear infection that caused laryngitis and temporary hearing loss in my right ear.  I went to my primary care doctor and got a round of antibiotics. Nothing cleared up, so I ended up back at an ENT's office, and they confirmed the ear infection and hearing loss (moderate to severe) with a hearing test.  Yet another antibiotic, stronger...

About five days into that round of medicine, I developed what I call "the three hours of hell."  The first hour was uncontrollable shivering, followed by high fevers (topped off at 103.5 at it's worst), finally ending in an hour of heat intolerance. 

Finally, I went back to my PCP and got a flu test (NEG), and she put me on Tamiflu.  Great...more pills.  Another five days until the fevers broke, and I started feeling better.

Poor Jerry took care of me during all of this.  I wasn't eating much as there were days I couldn't keep anything down.  I lost 16 pounds during those 2 w…

A week ago, I lost (temporarily?) my hearing in my right ear due to an ear infection.  I have been to the doctor and today was the last day of a round of antibiotics.  I did feel some pressure release today in my ear, but I still can't hear. 

This makes being an interpreter difficult.  Last week was a struggle to hear the teachers as students continued to talk while the teacher was talking.  Or tap their pencils repeatedly on the desk during class.  Even the AC unit seemed to have it out for me this week.  I came home every night, my brain exhausted with trying to hear and figure out what was being said all day long.

I really thought I was doing better until today when we went to the grocery store, and the clerk kept asking me questions about how I wanted my groceries bagged.  At one point I said that I had a bad cold and really couldn't hear very well, hoping she would take the hint and stop talking to me.  Nope.  The barrage of questions left me depressed and frustrated.  It…

Happy birthday, Mom.  I miss you terribly. 

She is always with me.  Little things remind me of her.  Last night there at our dinner theatre we were at a "meet and greet" with some of the cast, and fellow season ticket holders and there is a woman who is older than us that I started to talk with.  She is a piano teacher, 57 years.  She wears these cute matchy skirts, shirts, vests that remind me of mom's fashion sense.  She and her husband attend the symphony, they come to the dinner theatre.  *sigh*  I bet mom and dad would love coming to the Alhambra with us.

In the teacher's lounge, co-workers talk about their parents, and I get a little envious.  I laugh at their stories, nod as they talk about the crazy things their mothers do and wish for my mom's witty, dry comments to keep me in check. 

One more call, one more hug, one more piano duet...I would still want more.

Thoughts on getting more people involved in the voting process.
Thoughts on educating people on how to look for facts among the political rhetoric.
Thoughts on spreading more love, less hate.Prayers that people vote out hate and vote in hope.
Prayers that people are open-minded.
Prayers that love conquers hate.

My parents both passed away in 2010.  Today is my dad's birthday, he would have been 90.  If I close my eyes, I can hear mom singing her "You're much older than I" song that she would taunt him with.  He was 15 days older than her.
I had a full-on break-down last week.  I sat and sobbed because I missed both my parents immensely.  You'd think after nine years I would have a grip on grief, but it comes in waves.  You never move on, it's always there.  You live with it.

My niece posted a video about moving forward with grief recently.  I had seen this video before she posted it, but it was exactly what I needed.

Most days, I'm good.  Then there are those days when you want to be comforted by the people who have shown you love no matter what.  That infused you being with their humor, quirks, and sense of being.

Today I am thinking about the upcoming school year. I know..why would I be doing that while on summer break? I want to put my wish for next year out into the universe.

I wish for the next year that the administration will look at each student as an individual and not a number. That they look at the needs of EACH individual child and not try to lump them together to save money. I know...especially in this budget.

As for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) students, that means that one interpreter for multiple students is not suitable for anyone. DHH students have different language needs, and one interpreter can not interpret multiple ways for comprehension during a class. It's physically impossible. Because of the shortfall, the interpreter ends up trying to select a "general" language mode, knowing that some of the students aren't going to understand. It's heartbreaking.

Middle school is hard enough. Going from the comfort of one teacher for most of your day to…