Re-kindling A Lost Love

This week marked a significant milestone in my life.

I held out.
I resisted.
I refused to succumb to the frenzy. 

But, at last, I gave in...and purchased my 1st Apple device: an iPod Nano Touch.

(Has anyone else ever thought The Doors "Touch Me Babe" 
should be the official song for iPod Touch?)

I'm old school I guess, and that doesn't bother me. It's (only) 16GB which, I feel, is plenty for what I want on it at any given time. I've never been one to want my entire music library on my hip at all times. To each their own I guess.

Now, any of you fellow iPod owners out there know that in order to use the device you have to download and install iTunes, a user interface that allows the creation and organization of songs, playlists and other media. So as it happens, I was just about to install iTunes when I received an email informing me that my Spotify account was finally available.

If you don't know, Spotify is a digital music service that allows you to stream almost any song you could ever want, as well as organize the music on your computer or phone for on the go enjoyment. On top of that, it easily intergrates with social media, so you can share songs and playlists with your friends on Facebook. Being the genius that I am, I decided to go ahead and just use Spotify with my new iPod. I quickly learned that organizing all this music I've accumulated over the years can be quite time consuming. I really haven't even gotten into the whole "getting new music" aspect of the program yet.

But I gotta say, it's been a real blast discovering all of this music I've had on my computer that I totally forgot about, then taking it with me to work, playing it in the car, even listening to my "Nap Time" playlist as I drift off. Who knew I had all this ACDC/Zeppelin/Aerosmith stuff? (It's a good mix of that, and Mariah Carey...don't hate)

Music is really starting to become a part of my life again since I've transitioned to Cochlear Implants. Just last night I was picking out some notes on a guitar, and (by ear) figuring out a line to a song I've never played before. I still verify the accuracy with someone else for my own sanity, but seriously, it is sounding good to me.

I'd be lying to say it sounds "completely" like I remember music sounding...or like you hear music. I know when I listen that the quality is diminished and the pitches are slightly off at times. That said, I've spent this whole week listening to more music than the past year it feels like, and it's VERY enjoyable. I'm actually shocked that it even sounds as good as it does at this point...I was certainly expecting much less going in, though I really didn't know what to expect. It's getting to the point where it's just normal music, normal sounding, with a little less definition and clarity than I remember, but other than that, it's really spot on and the notes sound right.

It's pretty dang cool honestly, coming from a guy who injected music to his bloodstream at a very early age.

(No, this is not why I lost my hearing)

Getting Connected

This week I furthered my social media/networking capabilities by joining Foursquare and the trial version of Google+.

Foursquare is more of a mobile networking app that let's you "check-in" at various places you travel. This serves to inform your friends (if you choose to) of your whereabouts. If you check in the most times of anyone at any given location, you become "The Mayor" of that particular place, which basically serves to make you feel more important than you really are. It's always fun to check-in "at the pool" on a hot day, so that your friends know how much better your life is than theirs, or to check in at, say,

The Activity Center @ West Newton Hills

...which would be my place of residence, and a title much more prestigious than is due. I figure if I'm ever abducted, all my frequent "check-ins" will help investigators trace my last steps. At the end of the day, I like Foursquare, because it gets you out moving in the world and helps you stay connected with friends.

Google+ is Google's attempt to erase the disaster that was Google Buzz. WHAT? You've never heard of Google Buzz? NO way...
Google+ is an alternative to Facebook, though it can be used in conjunction. The main benefit I see is there are NO Ads telling me "how to lose 50lbs of belly fat instantly", effectively modeled by a bikini clad cartoon going from tiny to bulgy to tiny quicker than The Hanson Brother's egos. Other perks are more "selective" posting. When you add friends, you place them in Circles such as "Friends", "Acquaintances",  "Co-Workers", "Family", etc. So when you post, you can select which circles it goes to, and whether or not you will allow "re-posting" or "comments" to your post. All convenient features, IMHO (in my honest opinion, lesson for the day). At the end of the day, I like Google+, because it provides a more effective and selective way of communicating.

What's all this got to do with CI's? Well, when all is said and done, this post wasn't really about social media. I was secretly describing what Cochlear Implants have done for my life. Go back and read the BOLD print...you see what I did there?

Guitar Love

Last December as I was awaiting the activation date for my 1st implant (R), I still wore a hearing aid on my Left ear...and it wasn't doing a whole lotta nothin'. I remember sitting in my room one cold night, hoping that strumming a few chords on my guitar would warm me up. I remember bending forward, trying to get my ear as close to the guitar as possible. I remember desperately wishing I could CREATE an expression of what I was feeling through music. And I remember putting the guitar down about 3 minutes into it, fighting back tears because this guitar that I once loved had been reduced from an instrument of expression to an object sitting in the corner of my room.

At the time, I didn't know WHAT Cochlear Implants would be able to do, if anything, to help me regain an appreciation for music. It was a very difficult time, with a lot of unknowns, and fewer answers.

Fast forward 7 months, now 6 months active on the Right, and 2 on the Left, and I'm posting things like THIS on Twitter for the world (and by "world" I mean my current 47 followers) to see:

@wisemanandy:

Sometimes I play guitar at night, and it does nothing more than make me smile...and THAT makes all the difference...

 

Wait, WHAT? 7 months ago I was on the verge of giving up guitar for life. Now it's making me smile? Yeah...it is. CI's did that. It's ridiculous. I was sitting here playing 15 minutes ago and I had to stop, because I'd rather write and tell you about how much my life has changed with CI's. 

If you are a CI user and you are debating the jump to Bi-lateral, STOP waiting and do it! I do experiments from time to time while playing guitar, listening with one then the other then both, and I'm telling you from my heart, this guitar is sounding better than anything I've heard in the past 10 years now that I have bi-lateral CI's. This might also have something to do with it:

At first it was difficult to hear the higher notes as they all just kind of blended together and I could tell it wasn't the right pitch. Now I can strum each note through a chord and hear every note uniquely. And all of the sudden I'm getting short licks and ideas pop into my head, and I can actually go home and sort them out. I'm slowly regaining confidence that I have the ability to take an idea, thought or experience and make it into something people would be moved by. I CAN CREATE.

So for now, I'm gonna rock Baby Martin to sleep. That was a pun...you should be smiling. God knows I am :)