Jan. 09, 2005 - 18:51 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Satisfaction

Advances in various products are amazing. Advances in various services are also astounding.

Being very hard of hearing is almost like being in a jail cell a little bit. I sit at a table with relatives and my ears cannot sort out sounds well enough to keep the various words apart. Recently I was sitting at table in my daughter's house, Heather and the rest were conversing in their normal voices. I could tell they were talking because I could see their lips moving.

Poor little boy -- so abused -- yeah right. But it is so totally frustrating communicating on the telephone. Even though we have a phone with amplification it just isn't enough to give me what I need. Top that with trying to keep up with a damnable menu of button punching that seems to wear one's fingers to the bone, especially when I can't hear most of what the mechanical voices are saying.

I quit watching TV for the most part because of that problem. But I do now and then watch a program that has closed-caption along with the sound. That is a bit spotty though, and not everything I want to be in on is closed-caption either.

Recently a lady with a Xanga blog picked up on my difficulties and clued me in to a piece of electronic equipment that would work a marvel for me. That is if I can afford it. She has a closed-caption telephone. A bit above and beyond what has been available up to now. The voice is transmitted along with the closed captions, much like it is on TV.

She gave me what to look up on Google, and sure enough there is quite a bit of information there on it.

If I can get that phone I will then be able to hear well enough to carry on a conversation with a soft voiced person with no trouble. Then too my hearing loss is profound in certain frequencies of the human voice. So, I am going to try to get one of those items.

The dear lady tells me that she can get close-captioned Videos at no charge. Which will allow me to get caught up with the world on movies. I have always kept track of Bravo (that is what the channel is called here) which shows independent films, many of which are foreign and sub-titled. Piece of cake that is.

After I retired I was still able to hear well enough to finally get caught up on Mash that I had missed because of being on second shift. But that was 1990. In June it will be fourteen years ago, fourteen years with my hearing getting worse every year. When I retired I had been wearing a hearing aid for several years.

Which also leads me to think that our public library probably will have close captioned videos too. Probably the older ones, but still -- a move from where I stand right now. Monday I shall start checking that out too.

So with a gleam in my eye, I am off in the pursuit of once again having audio Satifaction . . . . . .

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