Random Acts of Shifeness - Memorial Day 2016

• Week 2 with the BAHA implant and things are definitely getting better. Sounds are starting to sound more natural, and I can now use it as a bluetooth device allowing me to stream music and my phone into my head. I'm still adjusting to hearing stuff that I never heard before like the humming of an electronic device. The sound that still gets my attention is footsteps whether it be mine, Mrs. Shife, the kids or Tank. I don't know why but I just like hearing them. The sound that I don't enjoy that much is the wind because it's just loud and the implant really picks it up. 
• I promised Mr. Rosewater some news about Kyle Bunga as I haven't mentioned him a lot lately. Here you go my friend up north.

• Kyle has 3 days of school left and then school's out for the summer. He will be a 2nd-grader in the fall and that still seems hard to believe.
• He loves reading and math, and his favorite books right now are the Magic Tree House series.
• He also loves playing Star Wars Lego on the Wii.
• He doesn't like getting hair cuts and has informed us that he wants to have long hair because he wants to look like a pirate. 
• Besides swimming lessons, Kyle will be going to Jedi camp and Junior Chef's camp this summer. 
• Kyle has been asking for a new pet as his beta fish, Snowball, passed away. Mrs. Shife and I are still undecided, but I would wager we are going to hold off for a little bit. 
• He's excited to meet the cow that he named Fuzzy. She was born on his birthday and his Grandpa gave him the honor of picking her handle. 
• Recommendation of the week: "Bloodline" on Netflix. And beer. Both are really good. 
• Quote of the week: The greatest danger for most of us is not that we aim too high and we miss it, but we aim too low and reach it. – Michelangelo 

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend.

I will persevere. I will keep moving forward. I will be the stream.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Yes I can.
But it's weird.
And certainly not as dramatic as the GIF I added, but surprisingly there's not a lot of good GIFs for "Can You Hear Me Now?"

Where was I?
Yes weird, and that is how I would describe my first few days with hearing in both ears.

The doctor said it's going to take a a little bit of time for my brain to handle all of this new stuff, and right now my brain is telling me this is weird.

I'm enjoying it, but it doesn't feel natural yet.
I'm hopeful it's just a few weeks before I'm fully acclimated to full-time hearing, but having single-sided deafness for more than 40 years isn't something you just move on from overnight.
I have spent my entire life compensating for hearing loss with little tricks and now I don't have to, which is also weird.
For example, I always make sure I position myself to be on right side of someone to be able to hear them and now it doesn't matter which side I am on, which is cool and not weird.
I think I have met my quota for using the word weird today.

Here's a picture of my new friend:

The device is supposed to be black, but they had to re-order it and I'm just using a demo mode until mine gets shipped back to me.

A few firsts for me with the BAHA:

• The first thing I noticed when I had hearing was my footsteps. I left the doctor's office and walked down a concrete stairwell and heard my feet. The noise has always been there, but now I can hear it. 
• I enjoyed hearing "I love you" for the first time in that ear from the lovely and amazing Mrs. Shife. She's the best.
• The first song I played was "Remember When" by Alan Jackson. Why? Well that was my wedding song, and I still liked it.  I always wondered if my tastes would change with normal hearing like I start liking jazz instead of Metallica or I finally get Woody Allen humor. Nothing yet. Just soaking it all in and enjoying it.

BTW, Tank is super loud. For the love of fat bassets, our fat basset can make some noise.

Thanks for stopping by. Talk to you later.


I will persevere. I will keep moving forward. I will be the stream.



P.S. I promise to deliver some Kyle news next week, Mr. Rosewater.

Random Acts of Shifeness

• Only a few days left until I hear in stereo. Tuesday the 17th is the big day. Nervous, excited and anxious sum up how I'm feeling right now. 
• I worked a half-day today to be able to spend time with Little Miss Hayden. We needed some daddy-daughter time and spent the day getting her a new swim suit, a new cat stuffed animal who is now called Fluffy and having a tea party. Hayden also told me a lot about dragons, spiders and snakes. She really wanted me to know that they don't make good pets. Dragons are OK but their poop would be really big. Spiders and snakes are poisonous and you would have to go to the hospital for 100 shots. There you go in case you were on the fence about purchasing a dragon, spider or snake as a pet.

• Recommendation of the week: I discovered this show and I'm not sure how many have heard about it, but I thought I would pass it along because I think it's worth your time. The show is called "Game of Thrones." Have you heard of it? Yes, I know you have. Just being vacuous, which is a fancy word for silly. Did you know that? There sure are a lot of questions in this recommendation. "Game of Thrones" is back on the air and the season is starting to get ... oh heck I will let my friend tell you: 

• Quote of the week: Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don't wish it were easier; wish you were better. – Jim Rohn

Thanks for stopping by. Talk to you soon.



I will persevere. I will keep moving forward. I will be the stream.

Happy Mother's Day 2016

The character pictured above is Little Miss Hayden, and she makes me very happy. She also makes me laugh out loud quite often. It's never a dull moment with my darling daughter. She made a Mother's Day card for Mrs. Shife, and I don't know if you can see all the questions and answers from the photo. I will provide a written transcript because it's definitely worth sharing. The underlined items are what Hayden had to say. 

All About Mom

Let me tell you about my Mom.

My mom is 13 years old.

Her favorite color is green.

The best thing she cooks is eggs.

Her favorite food is eggs.

If she has extra time, she likes to play games & watches TV with Dad.

We like to play games & color together.

She is really good at singing songs to me at bedtime (Daddy doesn't know how to sing).

When my Mom grows up she wants to be a garbage man. 

Love,

Hayden

The last two answers just crack me up. I know how to sing ... poorly. It's just better for everyone involved that I don't do it. I asked Hayden why she thought Mrs. Shife wanted to be a garbage man and she just said she likes to pick up garbage. Can't argue with that logic. 

Thanks for stopping by.


I will persevere. I will keep moving forward. I will be the stream.