Saturday, January 2, 2010

guest blogger Aline!

While Jacquie is away, some of her friends have agreed to come out and play! Please say hello to Aline!

As I mentioned, my friend Aline had the hots for Keith’s friend Paul. I guess they sort of hit if off, because 14 years and 3 kids later, they still seem pretty hot for each other. She’s the friend you can say anything to, who will laugh with you and cry with you and yell at you and forgive you and lean on you and hold you up and besides all that, she’s got a butt arch that could move mountains. She’s a fiercely devoted mother and a ferocious party girl. She twangs when she talks. I can’t wait to see if that comes across in her writing:

Selective Hearing: Real or not?

Is selective hearing truly selective?? Or is it just an excuse we use? All I know is that selective hearing can be funny as hell.

Like the time when I was expecting my first child and had a scare of going into labor early. We found ourselves being monitored at the hospital listening to his heartbeat. While anxiously waiting to be told everything was okay, the nurse was asking me questions and going over my records. I remember the sound of his heart beating was getting louder and louder. She asked “May 2nd?” (Now, you have to say it really fast all together…maysecond, maysecond, maysecond) My husband and I looked at each other perplexed as I said “what?” And she repeated “May 2nd?” I pointed at my husband and said “no, I’m not Mexican, he is!” In going over my records she was trying to ask me if my previous surgery was on May 2nd, and all I kept hearing her say was MEXICAN! My husband and I just about fell on the floor laughing, and could barely hold it together for the rest of the appointment. Maybe it was her accent, or my pregnant brain, I don’t know. But, it was funny as hell!

Funny how my mother can’t hear you most of the time, but if I ask her if she wants some chocolate, she hears me just fine! I think she got very good over the years tuning out her eight children. I know if I had eight kids running around, I would “tune out” often.

Funny how my husband always says I don’t hear him and his famous words “YOU don’t listen to me…” Oh, like the most recently when my 12 year old son had his Order of Arrow ceremony. For those of you that don’t know, it is a Boy Scout thing. And my husband, Eagle Scout extraordinaire, lives for this stuff. It was a blistery 35 degree cold, cold night and he says he told me that it was going to take place outside. But as he saw me dressing for it in velvet dressy slacks and heels, and saw my mother show up like she was dressed for the dressiest church going, he didn’t bother to tell us we might want to change into something warmer because we might freeze our butts off. No, it would have been nice to hear something like, “there is going to be a huge campfire.” So, campfire attire might be better than the *symphony* attire that we were wearing. No, it would have been even nicer to hear that we should change our thin trouser socks to a pair of Smart wool or something. No, we didn’t hear any of that because it was never said! It was the most uncomfortable freezing 2 hours ever in my life! Everyone offered my 77 year old mother their blankets and coats as she shivered uncontrollably. Now, did I really
not hear him, or did he really not tell me it was outside?? One will truly never know.

The proud husband and the BOY Scout (Prior to the outdoor ceremony)

Or when my youngest little boy tells me “I didn’t hear you, it was an accident…”


This is his: “I’m not hearing you, I’m dead look”


just because they’re so dang cute

So the question still remains, is selective hearing something we have total control over, or is it something we don’t? Perhaps it is something learned and passed down from generation to generation… or, it is what it is.

12 comments:

Me, You, or Ellie said...

Huh? What's that? Did you say something?

Thanks for joining the fun, Aline! so lovely to see your peeps -- wish there was a photo of you too.

And YES. Selective hearing is alive and well and we have total control over it. I could give you about 6000 examples....

Happy New Year!
Ellie

Kathi D said...

Oh, you are so wise!

I could give you the other 600 examples that Ellie doesn't!

And thank you for the photos of your wonderful family! My husband is an Eagle Scout too, although he never tells anybody (I always do!). It's because he is modest and hates to brag about himself. But heck, that's what families are for--bragging about each other.

Kathi D said...

Oh wait, that was 6 THOUSAND examples. Maybe I would just add on a few, then.

Kathi D said...

Oh, and I have to say, I was rolling on the floor about the "Mexican" thing. I can't tell you how many times (even before I became OLD and DEAF that I misconstrued something like that!

Once, when my husband was just out of law school and interviewing for jobs, we were invited to dinner at a prospective employer's very fancy home. There were at least 12 people seated at this long and grand table, and the conversation was flowing freely. One of us (I'm not confessing, exactly, but) heard a snippet from the other end of the table and picked up the thread at our end. Only later did I realize that at OUR end, we were talking about the many and varied uses of Arm & Hammer baking soda, while at the other end, they were talking about Armand Hammer. (cough, cough)

Kathi D said...

OK, I really am going to shut in in a minute, but seriously. Did you paint the black circle around that dog's eye? Because that is JUST TOO PERFECT.

Kathi D said...

Shut "up." Shut up. Not you, me. Bye.

Me, You, or Ellie said...

Kathi D! You rock! I love you!

Ellie (& Jacquie & Beth & Aline & Keith & ......)

Me, You, or Ellie said...

I love it, Aline! Selective hearing is an epidemic in my family. If I really need to ensure that info is retained, I have to insist that the details be repeated back to me, and that always comes with a lovely, cooperative attitude. Ha. I could give 7999. Examples, but instead I will get back to the business of basking in this beautiful sun! Thanks so much for covering for me this weekend, I love you, Nessymama!

Jacquie

Aline said...

...okay, just getting up from rolling on the floor!

Kathi D.--you do rock! I love diarrhea of the mouth! And nooooo, we don't practice animal cruelty in our house, we rescued him just as cute as he was, and didn't even change his name because it was too perfect=Cowboy (we live in Texas:) He's the BEST dog!

Ellie-I can't believe I didn't engage everyone with a lovely photo of myself, doing the butt arch at that. Oh, those were the days...

Jac-so many nice things to say 'bout little ol' me, *blushing*

You know what they say, "EAGLE SCOUTS DO IT BETTER!"

doesn't quite hear everything in PA said...

What was your Eagle Scout doing in SHORTS if it was going to be so cold?! His visual clues were also not very helpful.
I just think my husband needs to get the extra wax cleaned out of his ears since I'm sure I tell him everything I think I do :) (but he's just a boy scout Lifer)

Me, You, or Ellie said...

Aline, Aline, Aline, it took me so long to comment because, well, I just couldn't hear you!

I seem to be getting better at selective hearing all the time. Unfortunately so do my kids and husband.

Oh well, perhaps that's the only way to live with other people ;-)

Oh, and you know I cannot say May 2nd, or look at may 2nd on the calendar and not think of you!!

Love you!

Beth

Aline said...

oh PA, my bad on the pic--I chose one with the *war* paint because I liked it, but it wasn't from that COLD night. My hands were too frozen to document anything :)


Beth-miss you & I promise the next time I actually see you, I will intently listen to everything you say! haha haha

may2nd may2nd may2nd may2nd may2nd (it is close to Cinco de Mayo!)