PBS Night

Unit 9 of my ASL course is all about professions. I’m not certain I’ll ever use several of the signs; I can’t remember ever using the word, “infantry.” I try to learn them all, but there are a few in every lesson that are hard for me to learn, and others that I know I’ll never use.

There’s a debate on in the deaf community. It concerns the word “because.” There is a sign, but ASL until recently used sign order, facial expression and the “why” sign in ways where we would translate “because.” ASL is a recognized language. Signed English is different and not something I want to do. I want to follow ASL grammar rules.

I’m remembering signs, but not their meaning. It drives me crazy when this happens, so I make a note of the sign to ask Michelle in our weekly meeting. I could not do this course comfortably without her. I’m so glad I got myself a coach. 

I review past lessons infrequently. I’m doing all I can to retain all the practical words. I let go of signs for words like “infantry” and “algebra.”

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Besides studying, I did some cooking and then, not long before 2:00, I headed off to Brickyard Beach to meet Dona and Di to walk our dogs together. It was a lovely 9° and there were the faintest of shadows. We walked for 90 minutes along the beach. It was my first time there and a truly stunning walk. You just have to go when the tide is out. I’m going to do that walk again, and often.

Today was brighter and late in the coming week, we’re supposed to get several mild and sunny days. I hope so, because my garden is coming to life, and I want to do some cleaning up of the yard. But first, Chris and Frani come to visit. They arrive on Tuesday afternoon.

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I wonder often about Summer. I live for our warm and sunny weather. If I’m outdoors in a t-shirt, I’m happy. I wonder where we’ll be at with Covid. What my speech will be like. I want to go on some adventures to spots on the big island or other small islands. 

I’m not going to worry about lawns anymore. I’m not re-seeding. I’m letting it go natural and just keeping it tidy. The most important thing for this Summer, though, will be ASL classes. I want to get to real conversations with Michelle, not exercises. Besides my course, I need to learn signs that pertain to my life. 

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My U.K. stuttering group is now an FND/Parkinson’s support group, but my BC stuttering group goes on, and we meet today. I’m going to tell them that I don’t think of myself as a stutterer anymore. 

Stutterers accept not knowing what causes it. It’s a condition. They are, otherwise, ‘normal’ people. I think of myself as someone with a severe speech impediment due to FND. And I have other symptoms: seizures and limbic spasticity. I feel it’s different. 

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Tonight: Around the World in Eighty Days and All Creatures Great and Small. Yea, baby!