Right now I've finally decided it's time to close down the house, put the cover sheets over the furniture, turn off the gas line, and close the drapes over the windows. It's time to turn off the lights and leave my Kokonut Pundit blog, probably for good, so that I can focus on other things right now and into the future that will require more of my attention over time. But the house will be still here should I come back, if ever, and turn on the lights. Never say never as I would say but it's really time to close shop.It has been 3 years, 4 months, 18 days to this last day since I started blogging back on October 22, 2004. I knew that someday that my blogging will end one day. I made my mark and a good mark at that. You have gotten to know me in so many ways while others continue to get it wrong. I have posted 1302 blogs in 1236 days ranging from politics, deaf-related issues, sports, technology, multitudes of interviews, geology and the environment about idiots who actually think the world gonna boil over causing sea-level to rise 20 feet in our lifetime thinking carbon dioxide is the culprit (never mind that 99.96% of all greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are made up other gases other than carbon dioxide). But the idiocy and the madhouse will continue (both deaf and hearing) while I continue to keep my critical thinking skill, common sense and sanity fully intact.
One of my favorite book, "Fermat's Enigma," (I read it twice already) contains a favorite quote of mine which happens to be a simple concluding quote from a now famous mathematician of today, Andrew Wiles, who solved a 350 year old Fermat's Last Theorem that have frustrated the best mathematical brains for over 350 years. After solving his life long puzzle that began in his early childhood when he came across the theorem he concluded in his 1993 lecture after showing to his audience step by step on how he solved Fermat's Theorem with his now famous quote to his rapt and overwhelmed audience: "I think I'll stop here".
So, in Andrew Wiles' words I will say the same thing here on my Kokonut Pundit blog, I think I'll stop here. And cease my blogging adventure.
Just a friendly reminder tho, I'll be watching and taking notes in the blogosphere and internet-land while I continue to do thing I love to do and that is to do researching. And for those who wish to make your last comments here, please keep it civil and none of the 5 year old kiddie remarks that will surely be reflective of who you are as a person which would be that 5 year old potty mouthed kid. Though I plan to contribute my comments in other blogs from time to time when I feel it's necessary but for now, I bid adieu!
And as a post script, here is my last post about my hearing loss and my growing up. This is my last blog.
A Well Adjusted Orally and Mostly Aurally Trained Deaf/HH Person.
Growing up I had so much fun. Much of my memories stem from the many hearing (and some deaf/hh) friends I had in schools and neighborhood while growing and the many sports I participated in. As a kid I had two soccer championships (SEAA ELKs), two little league baseball championships, wrestling trophies in which in one final wrestling event I took 2nd place in my weight category, took tumbling, basketball and swimming. In middle school I continued to play soccer and basketball. And in high school took track for short while before I began my odyssey in weightlifting starting in the 10th grade as a 15 year old kid who weighed a mere 112lbs. After high school I continued with my weightlifting which gave way to powerlifting contests and finally my first ever strongman competition in which I placed 3rd back in 2006 weighing in at 191 lbs (see photo of me lifting nearly 800 lbs at 188lbs...yep, that's me back in June 2007). It was a twenty-five year span that seemingly took forever. Before that I took up a Japanese martial arts called Aikido for several years beginning in 1997 and came within one belt of getting a black belt but I decided to put it all on hold to try my hands on competing in a strongman event before it was too late. It was fun. And I'll never know what's lurking around that next corner might be for me. Such is life.Of course, all of these sports events were "hearing" sporting events but even the teams and coaches never discriminated against anyone or me and allowed all to participate, even those who were in wheelchairs such as in one strongman competition I competed in. I have never remembered a time when I was put on the side line just because of my deafness or if people tried to discriminate me because of hearing loss saying that I am unable to participate. Balderdash! Not once did that ever happen. I even made the baseball team at Gallaudet University during a try out and I was to be placed either as 2nd base or short-stop because of my excellent ability in fielding balls and batting. But I dropped the offer so I could finish my schooling at Gallaudet instead and continue with my goal to attend graduate school afterwards. I just wanted to see if I could make a college sports team and sure enough I had the skill to do so and never doubted it. But I was more interested in using my time to study than to play sports that could take up too much of my time and away from studies, internships and classes at both Gallaudet University and George Washington University. Gallaudet University yield lots of good memories (and some really strange ones, too, even idiotic ones) and even enjoyed my time so much while as a graduate student at University of Idaho while raising a family with one daughter and then two daughters before graduating. From there on, more memories were made in while working in my career as a hydrologist. What's next in my life? Who knows?
But my biggest fondness of the time while growing up had to be the neighborhood street games like street baseball with my hearing neighbors. Others were the high school marching band competitions, the piano lessons beginning at age 7 (and I continue to play the piano to this day), violin lessons in the 4th grade, drumming, symphonic band, teaching myself how to play the saxophone well enough to play in a middle school band and the many hiking, camping and fishing adventures in the forests of Washington and Oregon with my parents and friends. But I grew up differently unlike many other deaf people who may have struggled much more to speak or listen with the help of their hearing aids. My hearing aids benefited me so much people don’t even realized just how much, especially among some of those in the Deaf community. Early intervention was the key to my success, orally and especially aurally, and with lots of dedication from my Mom and Dad to help me along and become successful.
Early on I was placed in an oral school called Birney Elementary School in Tacoma, Washington which was several miles away from my home on South Thompson Street. I was there for about 4 years until the 2nd grade. I was soon transferred to a more “mainstreamed” school in the 3rd grade. But by then I was increasingly becoming annoyed with my speech therapist constantly going over the “r” and “w” letters of which I already knew it was a “problem” area of mine. So I rebelled from doing any more speech therapy sessions. I knew I would eventually get it correct on my own. My mother knew this, too, and decided to finally put a stop to these speech sessions (some therapists simply didn’t know how to do it right with my mother watching in disbelief) and put me into a regular school without any mainstream programs knowing full well that my area of listening and speech was good enough for her to feel confident that I had what it takes to go to a regular public school. She was right. That was in the 4th grade, a breakout point of monumental proportion proving that I had what it took to go to a regular school. I never looked back starting at the 4th grade at age 10 years old.
I continued my upward ways as a “hard of hearing” kid from there on out. All the way up to the 12th grade attending regular classes and getting my usual A’s and Bs in school. I graduated at age 18 taking pride of the fact that it was a huge accomplishment for me despite my hearing loss. With the help of my hearing aid it made a world of difference to me. It made the difference even while I went to Gallaudet University, George Washington University and eventually my graduate school University of Idaho. Sometimes people just do not see the impact hearing technology has had on me allowing me to hear all kinds of things even while I write this last blog piece listening to the cars with different engine noises and the soft “thunk thunk” of the tires running over the tar filled cracks in the street rushing by me as I sit outdoors enjoying the warm New Mexico sun on my face. Some people just do not realize or understand the power and joy of sound, and the ability to understand them. And the joys in talking and listening to people even though I am a person with a hearing loss that wears a hearing aid. I’m proud of this fact rather than feel embarrassed about it all. That’s laughable. So many people have tried to impart a certain guilt over me that I should not talk about those things and say I should be more like them or act like them rather than being who you are as a person despite your preferences. But many have no idea that I am not alone in what I can do and do well. There is no simple demarcation or line for me to stand one one side or another. Their are many people who are like me who do just fine and dandy, even without the need for ASL or sign language. Isn't technology great?
Being somewhat an “orally-trained” kid very early on I definitely became that well adjusted kid growing up who did extremely well aurally so. That’s indisputable. I became that well adjusted person - emotionally, intellectually and even culturally among the hearing people. I knew all long what my identity was while as a teenager and well into my adulthood even while I made Deaf friends at Gallaudet University and afterwards. I take pride in my identity. I take pride knowing who I am while I continue to make new friends along the way (both deaf and hearing whether they know signs or not, prefer to speak and listen). My life wasn’t a “struggle” but it consisted of one challenge after another succeeding each time. One rung at a time on a ladder, I faced it each time and moved myself higher. I didn’t run away from it. Instead I sought to improve and expand myself rather than use the past as a crutch by blaming deafness or other people for my so-called “hardship.” Or have that defeatist and negative attitudes saying that things are just “too hard” or whine that “it’s a waste of time.” Negative thinking breeds negative results. It's not about perfection but because the person WANTS to do it. That's the difference. You have to want it. You don’t know until you try. You just do it. And if you’re comfortable with who you are as a person with a hearing loss then that is all that matters. If you’re confident with your identity no matter what that might be then that is all that matters. No amount of huffing or puffing from people on the other side will make a difference in saying that you do not have an identity. Doing so just simply makes them look puerile and selfish. I cherish my identity. I know who I am. People have no right to put words in my mouth or into others saying they do not really have an identity. They may not say it outright but some do so simply by reading between the lines they write. Nobody "owns" other people's identity or have a corner market on what a "true" identity is like. Doing so presumes too much and is nothing more than bile ego to say such things.
My journey is not about my deafness, it’s about a journey that makes me….me. It’s a personal journey of mine and not about a “Deafhood” one since deafness is not what identifies me that makes me...me...but my life, my experiences, my preferences to talk and listen, my family and kids, my sports, my writing, my career, and the challenges that I faced such as forest fire fighting or strongman competition. Everything rolled into one. My true identity is who I am, and not what other people say that I ought to be as. Doing so makes them that selfish bunch of people by denying mine or others their very existence that makes us…us. Some people value their loss of hearing and culture while many others value their hearing and their own culture.
Over the years as a blogger on Kokonut Pundit many others saw me as a role model as a deaf/hh person either in their emails to me or in their own blogs. I am grateful and humbled by those people who see me for who I am and not what they want me to be as and be that selfish person. I intend to continue being that role model and let people know that deaf and hard of hearing people can do anything….even hear and speak.
Once more, I bid adieu. Take comfort in the fact that you have somebody who can be a supporter for you. If you ever need someone to speak up for you, send me an email and I will stand before a podium with a microphone and project my voice into the audience if need be. If you need support or guidance, contact me and I’ll do what I can. If you want to talk to me over the phone and yak give me a call. I'm available. If you want to meet me, let me know and I can either talk with you or sign with you. But it's time to say goodbye and that everybody belongs and feel welcomed no matter what! Just like in the heyday song of Mickey Mouse.
I’ll be here.
Watching, waiting…..and listening.
