rknapp

I went there once and I lived in Boca Raton for the first 9.5 years of my life lol.

I picked all of the NYC/Philly/DC dates, but do realize that these dates fall at the very beginning or very end of the semester, so only Friday-Sunday would be available, provided I don't have a lot of work to do (Mechanical Engineering/Applied Physics double major).

*rolls eyes* Dirty old men... where are leashes when you need 'em?

I'm entitled to changing my mind... especially for someone as wonderful as John!

Where is he?! Happy Birthday John, from your secret lover!

I'm sure my parents would love that... a gaggle of queens snickering about goat stew...

*shudders at the thought of an extended stay in NY* Sure, we have extra beds in my parents' house. NY is great for day trips... not so sure if I can say the same of overnighters.

I was crazy about him in "Day After Tomorrow" but now? Eh, not so much. Couldn't tell you why, though.

Maybe it's because the picture is blurry but you look sorta like this guy Ben who I graduated with. *shrugs shoulders*

Well that's better than what other people say when they ask me about my car... they ask me what I've done to my "Grand Am", which is a MAJOR insult. (I drive a Grand Prix, the middle child of Pontiac sedans of the 90's and 00's... the recently deceased Bonneville being the big brother)

Or mine! Although technically I just met mine last summer LOL.

BLASPHEMER!!! We don't have any on-topic threads.

My hearing isn't as spectacular as it could be, but that's due to listening to loud music a lot. I have completely overhauled the sound system in my car so that it now produces around 744 watts RMS, (they don't call my subwoofers "Road Thunder" for nothing lol) plus the nifty sound system on my computer and a decent home theater (5-CD changer stereo with aux. inputs and subwoofers built into each main speaker, plus three satellite speakers). I recall taking a hearing test that someone had posted here a while ago and found that my hearing is only slightly below the average for my age, but sometimes I can't hear people speaking and need them to repeat themselves and there seems to be a near-constant ringing in my head, even in complete silence. It's not a terrible ringing, but just barely noticeable.

I hope he doesn't still do that? I can understand if he did it initially because I he didn't realize what would happen, but it can't continue. Just like a gay person, you can't tell if someone is deaf simply by looking at them. Also like gay people, there is no reason to tell someone that you are deaf unless it's necessary (in your case, Jack, this is true, though in Rakuten06's case it isn't). I personally hate the word disability because I see "disabled" people all the time who are completely capable of doing many of the things I do, including those who can't use their legs, or don't have legs (in which case they can't use them).

A better question is, did you read that definition? It seems that you missed the third to last word -- want. If so many people in the Deaf community do not want the ability to hear than how can you say they are disabled? Of course, according to that definition many little boys are disabled because they want to fly like Superman, but can't. Therefore I would take that definition with a grain of salt. If you don't like that analogy, then how about this: Many humans are very mathematically inclined. Therefore solving an advanced calculus equation is an ability -- one that many people do not have. Are these people mentally disabled? Many men my age are capable of doing many sets of push-ups or pull-ups in one sitting. I lack this ability. Am I physically disabled? Not wanting the ability to hear, or see, or do math, or do push-ups means that not being able to do them isn't hampering our lives. The only thing Frost can't do is be a switchboard operator. If he doesn't want to be one, then how is he disabled? A blind man uses the sounds around him to "see" just as a deaf man uses the sights and vibrations around him to "hear". Therefore I would argue that they are not totally disabled (assuming that they want these a abilities, in which case the above definition would label them disabled). They have some ability to do these things Wrongly assuming something about someone is being ignorant. Some people may agree with you, and that's fine, however I strongly believe that much of what you are saying is not true simply because you yourself are a member of the hearing world. You're assuming that deaf people should want to hear, but who are you to make such a decision or assumption for them?

Not to dispute your theory, but the first incident could be explained simply as the crisis situation temporarily lifting you into a previously unknown level. Children have been know to be able to lift heavy objects if the situation was such that the life of their parent was threatened. As for the second one, I would call it de'ja vu. I've had that a lot in the past, where something happens and I feel like it has happened before, in exact detail.

To be fair, I don't check the "View New Posts" section and I normally skip over the announcements.

A better question is, "What just happened?" Better not let CJ see this... being spit roasted and eaten is one thing, but being Martha Stewarts lover?? E-gads man! That's a fate worse than death (and, incidentally, being spit roasted and eaten)! Off-topic: Since when did we have a chat again? I only found out about it last night!

Very true on the science of hearing, however it has been shown (I forget the exact terminology... MRI? CAT scan?) through "snapshots" of the brain that the portion of the brain that receives signals from the ears in a hearing person shows major activity in a deaf person when vibrations are introduced -- much more so than a hearing person.

Technically, a paragraph consists of several sentences, but CJ is right in that a change in subject or idea requires a new paragraph, particularly when writing a story and a quick-paced event such as this is occurring... quite a quandary, eh? Are they, or are they not paragraphs? Methinks we need another poll!

Nice use of a double negative, there.

I'll spoil myself, provided I have nothing to do today for tomorrow. That could be anything, really -- video games, eat something delicious, go for a drive, play with my car, take a nap, surf the internet, read, whatever it is I'm in the mood for. Once, I was in the mood for an Engineering problem set , but hey, I got full credit for it and got it done early! lol

It's something you really couldn't understand unless you were deaf yourself. Many straight people do not understand why so many gay people would not be straight if they had the chance, so this is really no different. Being deaf in a hearing world is just as unique as being gay in a straight world. It sets them apart from the crowd. Plus, the original topic of discussion here means that they have their own language that realistically is useful to everyone. Think about it, how many times have you been out with a friend (who is gay or knows you are gay) and you spotted a hot guy whom you wanted to comment on? If the surrounding area isn't very gay-friendly then you can't. but if you guys knew sign language then you could and the other people around you would be none the wiser. Foreigners do it all the time since it is very unlikely for someone in the US to understand Mandarin, or for someone in Japan to understand Portuguese. Also, deafness is no more a "disability" than gayness. Gay people are born gay. Deaf people either are born deaf, gradually lose their hearing for some unknown reason, or something happens in their life that kills their hearing. It can't be controlled (unless you are a musician). The only adjustments that deaf people must make is be bi-lingual and have a using alert system (for doorbells and telephones) and other minor odds and ends to be comfortable. Gay people need to be cautious with sexual partners, public affection, and much of society. Building on that, deaf people are not completely deaf. The part of the brain that processes sound for a hearing person processes vibrations for a deaf person. This way, deaf people are more sensitive to vibrations than hearing people are. Guess what sound is? That's right, vibrations moving through the air as waves. When you play music on your computer or in the car, so the speaker not vibrate? Try this -- turn up the volume several notches or so. Does the table on which the computer speaker sits or the interior of your car not vibrate? As for condemning the deaf couple who wants a deaf child -- Do gay couples not want gay children? Do French couples not want French children? Do African couples not want African children? I'm not saying that your thought process is wrong, just that I completely disagree with it and consider it to be very ignorant.