Say Again, Louder, Please

About six months ago I notice a significant hearing loss in my right ear. It was about the same time as a one hour static laden session on the ham radio and a summer of swimming. I don’t know if either thing caused the loss or if it was just time.

While I didn’t routinely listen to loud music as a teenager, dances always played music too loudly and I remember occasionally sitting directly in front of the speakers. I had a pistol from the time I was sixteen and back in those days nobody talked about ear protection while shooting. Later, I worked outside with lawn mowers, weed eaters and other loud equipment. These are all contributing factors to hearing loss.

The graph above shows my hearing range. The green line is the level for normal hearing. It is a straight line. The red line shows the hearing in my left ear. The right line shows the hearing in my right ear. Even though the lines are fairly close together, the differences are exponential. The dip in the upper mid range is where my hearing loss is most apparent. The ENT specialist was only surprised that only my right ear was at that level. Usually both ears deteriorate in hearing at pretty much the same rate.

Rather than getting hearing aids at this time, I’ll just compensate like I do with my contacts. I wear both of them if I watch a 3D movie. I wear one if I’m driving anywhere, especially at night. Most of the time I go au natural...ocularly speaking, and don’t notice any difference or problem. I now walk with my wife on my left side to hear her better. I hold the phone to my left hear and I will increase the occurrences of saying, “What?” or “Say that again, please.”

One really good piece of advice came from the ENT. If you wake up one morning and suddenly can’t hear in one or both ears, immediately call a specialist. Do not even wait a day or a weekend. If that is treated quickly, much or all of your hearing can be returned. Unfortunately, if you wait you lose that opportunity.

Ah, life. What doesn’t wear out, fall out, stop working or sag, usually just gets in the way, but if that all didn’t happen, none of us would ever want to leave.

Twist

Twist's Rules

I've been a fan of the rules of Jason Bourne and Gibb's rules from NCICS. With that in mind, I decided to print my list of rules as I've compiled them so far:

1. You can never have too many ways to make light or start fire.
2. Never go anywhere without a knife...or two or three.
3. You can never have too many pockets.
4. The best thing to use to pick a lock is a key, even the wrong key.
5. Save it for a rainy day, it’s of no use when thrown away.
6. Take time to tie a knot right and you won’t worry later.
7. Carry a harmonica with you wherever you go.
8. If you’re going to tell a tale, make it as tall as you can.
9. Talk to your animals. You’d be surprised what they have to say.
10. I may not always be right, but I’m never wrong
11. You have to grow old, but you don’t have to grow up.

If you know of any more of my rules, let me know,

Twist

Interesting Times

There's an old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." This has definitely been an interesting year. I haven't been hired for any of the jobs where I submitted applications. A good friend of mine went through an illness and six months in the hospital then passed away. I took care of is house, cats and yard during that time. I made all the arrangements for his memorial service which we had yesterday. Family and friends met, talked and received some of his estate. In two weeks we will have an estate sale and I will empty most of the house by the end of November. His ex-wife will then decide what to do with the house.

A week ago I was just called to be the Branch President of the Quaker Heights Spanish speaking branch of our Church. We don't know how many people will attend or who they are. I have two counselors now and in two weeks we will have our first set of meetings. At that point we will start calling people to staff positions in the branch. My office is getting set up with furniture, phone, etc. My wife will also attend and has been studying Spanish.

We will spend Christmas at home with our children, their spouses and children instead of travelling to Kentucky. My wife, who started a new job recently, can not take vacatin time till next year. Her grandmother will turn 104 in December. My parents will be 85 years old by my father's next birthday.

A year from now my youngest son will go on a mission for our Church, my youngest daughter will be married and my wife and I will move into the group of empty nesters.

When I retired, I didn't plan on staying retired, but simply to change careers. That is still my plan. I just didn't know that retiring will make you so tired.

Life goes on and is alway interesting,

Twist

When Ya Gotta Go

I love to kayak. I'm not one of those death defying whitewater people. I just like to tote my boat to wherever I feel like floating and put it in the water. I paddle around the dock, the dam, the island, the ducks, go by kids on the playground or wherever the mood directs.

Friday I got out early and went fishing as well. I was rewarded after about an hour with being pulled around by a stout little 4lb bass. I thanked him by letting him go when I was done. As tired as I was I decided to check out a geocache in the middle of another lake. That lake had flooded recently and I believe that the cache, a pill bottle, floated away in the flood, but I spent about 30 minutes paddling around the island looking for it anyway. I returned home and emailed the person who hid the cache and asked if he had visited it since the flood. I haven't heard from him yet.

The day was refreshing and tiring, but got more so that evening as I discovered that two hours after I left the second lake a man drowned there. The story was not clear, but he had evidently swum out to the island to retrieve his disabled RC boat. Had I been there at the same time I would gladly have gotten the boat for him. Would that have saved him? Would he have still drowned? Would he have taken me with him? Don't know. This much I do know, when it's your time to go, you go.

Glad I haven't felt the urge,

Twist

Father Knows Best

Nathan: I can climb over the fence and get the ball.
Me: No. It's not safe. There's a big dog over there.
Nathan: I've done it before. The dog's not there.
Me: It's a big dog. It's not safe.
Nathan: I've done it before. It's no big deal.

He climbs over the fence and disappears.

BIG Dog: WOOF! WOOF!

Ball sails back over the fence.

Nathan sails over the fence....mostly. As he unhooks clothing caught on the fence:

Me: I guess you'll listen to your Dad more often...

Dxing

At first glance you might think this blog is about some obscure Chinese or Mayan word. Now, really. A Mayan word would start with Dz and probably not end with the "g". Those in the know are aware that the term "Dx" stands for long distance as it applies to ham radio. With a good ham radio capable of operating on frequencies between around 2Mhz to 10Mhz, a licensed operator can make contacts hundreds and thousands of miles away.

Ham radio equipment is not cheap and usually isn't space convenient. Like hospitals and government, a ham shack is usually continually expanding. You generally start with a radio and an antenna. The radio usually needs a separate power supply. Most antennas aren't perfectly adaptable to changing frequencies and an antenna tuner is needed to make the antenna work well. Since operators like to know how much power they are generating they have a separate power meter or one incorporated into the antenna tuner. When hams (a licensed ham radio operator) notice how little power their meter shows they are transmitting, they decide to add a linear amplifier. A linear amplifier increases their signal output from usually about 100 watts up to 1000 watts or more, even though the Federal Communications Commission has rules limiting the output on certain frequencies to much less than 1000 watts.

Hams are always looking for ways to make their antennas higher, longer, thicker, thinner, more directional, more omni-directional and generally more functional. These endeavors lead to greater output...from their wallets and more input from their wives and neighbors. Contrary to the rumors, a properly tuned rig (combination of all ham radio equipment) should not interfere with neighbor's tv reception.

The number of radios in the shack magically multiply. The Dx equipment, for HF (high frequency) radio, is overkill for local communications. Ham operators usually accumulate a variety of radios that include VHF equipment for local to medium range and often UHF equipment for very local communications. Radios range from large base units to mobile units that fit in a vehicle to hand held (HT or handie talkie) units that can be clipped to a belt.

The most important requirement of a ham radio system is the most logical one. You must have someone, somewhere to talk to you. It's not much fun having half of a tin can telephone. It gets really boring really fast. Add the second person component and hams will talk endlessly about to others describing their rig in detail, then letting the other person describe their equipment and layout.

Personnally I prefer to use a radio similar to a telephone. I like to talk to family, friends and others about topics I would discuss over the phone. Why not use a phone, some would ask. When emergencies arise and power is out, hams are usually the voices that are heard through the airwaves coordinating rescue efforts. That standard answer aside, it's just cool to talk over equipment that is not taxed, charged by the minute or impeded in general by someone else.

Currently only one member of my family has a license, Lonehawk. He and I attempted a few times to connect. When we finally established communication, it worked better than we thought it would. Granted, we had to wait till 11pm CDT to do it, but there is something calming about hearing the familiar voice in the darkness that you know is hundreds of miles away. True, the call usually starts out, "I can hear you. Can you hear me?" but the sense of accomplishment makes it all worthwhile. The world isn't quite as large as it once was and at least one conversation less lonesome.

73's

Twist

Twi Dilemna: Edward vs. Jacob

Stop by any conglomeration of two or more females these days and you will likely hear a heated debate in progress: Team Edward vs. Team Jacob. If you have never read any of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, then you will most assuredly be in the dark about the discussion.

Suffice it to say that Jacob, a teen werewolf (Hmm, I think that’s actually been done before. Anyone ever heard of Michael J. Fox?) and Edward, an immortal, vampire teen, are the heartthrobs of every reader possessing ovaries. Forget the fact that both were always considered monsters throughout history that slaughtered mortals in a very bloody manner. We are to forget that a snake is a snake and accept that both these individuals are different from what we have learned. In fact, we are supposed to accept that they are different from others of their kind in the series.

Edward, who can hear every thought of every person except, of course, his mortal girlfriend, is evidently the perfect man, the perfect boyfriend. I tell all my guy friends who have not read the Twilight series that if they want to understand how the female mind works they need to read these books. I’m not saying that women understand men, but that they think Edward and Jacob are nearly perfect.

I read the series, plus another book by Stephanie Meyer called The Host. I enjoyed that book as much as, if not more than, the Twilight books. I’m definitely a Stephanie Meyer fan and will read other books she writes, but let me just state for the record that I am not for Team Edward or Team Jacob. They, along with Bell, are both neurotic and exhibit the normally female self-destructive behavior.

Make no doubt about it. With her looks, talent, strength and she can see the future, I am 100% aboard for Team Alice

Twist