love it!
Last week I want to a poetry reading at Kent State. This was a
big affair. The guest of honor was a world famous, prize
winning poet named W. S Merwin.
To be honest, I had no idea what he was trying to say. His
poetry is so deep. It just flew over my head. I did read a few
of his books in preparation for this reading. Some of those
poems really spoke to me.
The reading might have been difficult to understand, but I'm
still glad I went. It's just nice to go out and be a part of
the world. I was happy to see my interpreter friends, another
student who is deaf who I am fond of, my excellent poetry
teacher and another awesome poet who I met last year. I was
anxious for the reading to end so I could go back to socializing.
On Saturday, my friend Amy drove me and her four children to
Columbus for an Ohio Association of the Deaf-Blind social at
COSI. My other SSP, Kaleigh, met us there.
Cosi is a science and industry museum. I used to go there as a
Girl Scout and once as a teenager. It's always so much fun.
They have really cool exhibits focusing on just about everything.
We started with a little social gathering while we waited to get
in. I got to chat with many old friends - deaf-blind, deaf and
hearing. Plus, I met some new people, too.
Once inside COSI, we ran off to find tactile exhibits.
Sometimes we stopped at exhibits that were more audio or visual.
Amy and Kaleigh would describe to me what I couldn't see or
hear. So through them, I was able to enjoy the exhibit. That's
what SSP's are supposed to do. Through their signing and
descriptions, they give the deaf-blind person all the info they
are missing.
I liked the water room. They had statues, a ship wreck and a
submarine that I could feel. There were all sorts of fountains
and levers you could move to spray water all over the place.
They even had an area of wet sand. That felt good, but then I
needed to visit a fountain to get the sand off my hands.
The old bad thing about the water room was that it was cold and
wet. Imagine that!
My favorite area was the walk of time to show how America has
progressed over the years. This area had so many real items
to touch and play with. It was fun to marvel over all the old
time "technology" - like the cash register that would take up
half a McDonalds counter.
The first section was the early 1900's. The floor was brick,
just like the roads were back then. We saw a horse-drawn
carriage. It was interesting to think of Helen Keller riding in
one of those. Between the brick road, the horse and the awful
tall and skinny wheels, a ride in that thing must have been
horribly bumpy.
The 50's section was the part I liked best. We saw an old
fashioned juke box. My SSP even told me the titles of the
records inside. It made me want to rock and roll. I loved the
big Coca-cola cooler, complete with a built in bottle opener.
It made me crave a Coke in an actual glass bottle.
Another fun exhibit was the pulley chair. You sit in the chair,
pull on the ropes and the chair rises high into the air. I gave
it a try. I'm such a weakling that I couldn't make the chair
budge at all. But with the help of my SSP's, I suddenly found
myself going up and up. Wheeee.....
Amy's kids liked the Indian Jones room. There was a fee to enter
this area because it's like a big play structure for kids. They
let me and my SSP's go in for free so I could feel stuff, like
the ruins of a temple, a rope bridge and a carving of some kind
of monster. That was so cool.
Finally it was time to leave. The road trip itself was kind of
neat. We had to stop at just about every exit so one of the
kids could use the bathroom. We also went to Grandpa's Cheese
Bran. I got my dad some good cheese and some spicy beef jerky
for Joseph.
Last, but not least, we had an unplanned party. It was Amy's
daughter's 9th birthday. I offered to use my Chick-fil-A coupons
to treat all of us to a free meal. Amy's husband met us there
with a birthday cake. Amy said the singing of "Happy Birthday"
sounded like a funeral song. Still, I think her daughter had a
wonderful birthday celebration.
On Monday afternoon, I went to Hattie Larlham for my volunteer
job. This time I worked with Jack and Brad. I had books and
toys and got more toys there. I kept them busy. They both
really seemed to like Joseph's flying monkey. There was much
laughter, and nobody fell asleep this time.
My bus ride home was late. I got in, packed my wallet and keys
into a smaller bag and was off again. Andrea and I were going
out on a "date." Our date nights are an on-going joke. She's in
a steady and stable relationship with a man. I'm not a lesbian,
either. But we do enjoy our dates.
It's hard to decide where to go. Pancho and Lefty's has
margaritas. Eat 'N Park has Oreo cream pie. This time we went
for the pie. Oh, so heavenly yummy. The dinner was pretty
good, too.
After our meal, with very stuffed tummies, we headed to the mall.
We visited a couple of stores, but Bath and Body Works was our
main target. We both went on a smelly shopping spree. I got
body wash in Sparling Berry Bliss, Dark Kisses, Sugar Plum and
two Lavender Vanilla. I bought Joseph a new air spray for his
room. He's running low on his S'mores scent. This time I got
him Home Made Cookies. I wonder if it makes him hungry at night.
I also bought an Evergreen spray as a gift for my mother. She
liked it.
That's the end of my adventures for one day. I have many more
planned this week. I love living again.
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