“Hearing Again” Woman #5

FOR TODAY… February 5, 2010

Outside my window…

It’s snowing! This is “the big un” according to the local and national meteorologists. We could get anywhere from 26 to 32 inches. I can’t wait! Right now it is just drifting down pretty calmly, but more than what one could call “flurries”. The neighborhood was quiet until people starting rushing home from work about an hour ago. They park, stick the windshield wipers up… and then grab the bag of bread and milk that they just collected from the grocery store after knocking down the lady with the cane for that last loaf of Wonder bread.

I am thinking…

… about how much I enjoy snow. I love shoveling the stuff and I get a hard time about that. There is something pretty magical about the sound of a metal snow shovel slicing through the snow, lifting, and tossing it on to the nearest drift. I love looking behind me to see the path I’ve cut across the driveway, back deck, or sidewalk. Aren’t I strange?

I am hearing…

… the bathroom fan running. Hubby didn’t go to work with the incoming blizzard. He did run to the gym, however, and came home to shower here. That means I have a load of laundry to do by now.

I am thankful for…

… my godly parents. Got a “Skype” (webcam) phone call from my mother this morning. Daddy is having some health issues again which could be potentially serious. I “hear” the worry in both their voices, but I’m EVER SO THANKFUL they both love and trust the Lord. Praying for them makes them seem closer than they really are. I’m guessing they are about 16 hours from here now that they live in central Florida.

I am wearing…

… blue jeans, black turtle-neck, gray sweatshirt, thick socks, hiking boots, and February bling on my cochlear implant.

A Cochlear Implant…

… is sometimes mistaken for a bluetooth phone. Go figure. Side by side, they don’t look a thing alike!

I am remembering…

… what it was like to be in labor with my oldest – my daughter Kyersten – twenty years ago today. It wasn’t “pleasant”, which is why remembering makes my heart accelerate and blood pressure go up. I was determined to have her “naturally” with no drugs. (Youth = stupidity). I had “back labor” and was practically screaming by the time she finally crowned. Happy birthday Kyersten!

I am going…

… absolutely NO WHERE. Blizzard coming… ‘member? We are hunkering down for a weekend stuck in the house. Movies, check. Popcorn, check. Books, check. School work to do, check.

I need to…

… get started on that school work I alluded too. I have a paper due Monday. It’s only 1400 words, but still! I need to at least get my research out of the way today. I’m taking a 500 level “Multicultural Psychology” class this term. Basically it’s how to be politically correct as a psychologist. (rolls eyes)

A disability is NOT…

… a culture. At least not defined by most psychologists. There is a new group however, explaining that a culture can be a group of people who share a common disability. Funny thing that word disability. It gets some folk’s hackles up, while others embrace it a little too fondly.

I am currently reading…

… a textbook written by Hall entitled, “Multicultural Psychology” and some more deep thoughts by William Bennett.

I am hoping…

… for as much snow as they are calling for!

From the kitchen…

… I think we will have sandwiches and chips for supper. I was going to have left over “NC style BBQ”, but folks warmed up a bunch at lunch. I don’t think I have enough to serve for supper now. Oh well… I love the vinegar-based BBQ recipe I found for my slow cooker. I’ve fixed it twice in two weeks now.

Around the house…

… I need to remind Chris that he was suppose to vacuum on Wednesday. I can look around and see that it did NOT get done. I have to remind my 19 year old from time to time that I am DEAF – not BLIND.

One of my favorite things…

… is doing laundry. I have a load in the dryer, and a load in the washer waiting to be transferred. Best perk of laundry is folding clothes fresh from the dryer. LOVE IT!

My husband…

… is puttering around his office. I just saw him pull the attic stairs down and move Ebony’s pink crate up in the attic. We miss her. 😦

My daughter…

… is headed out to Starbuck’s. She has cabin fever and hasn’t even become snowbound yet. It’s COLD and she has to go run to Starbuck’s to get a frappuccino! Strange child…

My son…

… is doing homework. Or so he tells me when I “IM’d” him to remind him about the vacuuming.

My assistance dog…

… is curled up in her bed beside me here in my office. She’s not nearly so excited about the snow falling as my Norwegian Elkhound.

A picture to share from this week…

My February “bling”:

Denise Portis

3 thoughts on ““Hearing Again” Woman #5”

I’m envious of your snow… we’ve had only one light dusting so far this winter, much to the boys’ disgust.

Sorry about the concern for your dad, but it really IS a huge comfort to have parents who know the Lord.

Hope you’ll share your crock-pot BBQ recipe… my mouth is watering, just thinking about it!

Julie

“Basically it’s how to be politically correct as a psychologist. (rolls eyes)”

I recommend reading Social Justice, Multicultural Counseling, and Practice: Beyond a Conventional Approach, by Heesoon Jun.

Multicultural Psychology and Multicultural Counseling are much much more than just being politically correct.

Multicultural Psychology/Counseling education should be a process of deconstructing your own identity so that you may be as ethical as possible by being able to look past your own bias, facilitating each client’s healing process as objectively as possible, attempting to avoid ethnocentric counter-transference, and being present enough to process counter-transference with another competent colleague when it does arise.

Multicultural Psychology/Counseling is about becoming as empathic, compassionate, self-aware, and competent as possible so that you may offer the best care and assistance possible to any one who may need it, regardless of how similar or different they are from you.

“Disability”/Ability (whether qualifying as “culture” according to you, or not) absolutely plays a huge factor in every individual’s identity, personal development, and cultural interaction and therefore cultural identity.

Thank you for the recommendation BBS. I appreciate your comments as well. Multicultural education should be taught to every individual, however I am learning that community psychology, or differential psychology is just beginning to truly recognize that mulicultural influences affect both individuals who seek out help from the psychologist, and affect the psychologist themselves. Psychologist are people too, and are subject to the same biases, perceptions, attitudes and beliefs as other individuals.

Thanks again for sharing…