Mad Woman!

Today I saw on Facebook a photo that took me back to high school. This photo was part of a series showing gifted students promoting new products in a Shark Tank competition.  But, seeing that photo made me laugh out loud.  If you look carefully, it shows a mummy wrapped in toilet paper.

Television ads have always interested me.  I have actually stopped watching TV shows when the ads didn't "measure up".  When our daughter were watching "junk" TV, I would ask them to analyze the ads. "What is the target audience? "Is this you?  Do you represent this target audience? If not, turn to another show."

Our older two daughters used to sit with little desks watching ads while making magazines with ads.  They even took a video class  one summer so they could "film" TV shows with commercials in our basement. I once heard that watching how children play will determine their future.  While neither daughter currently works in advertising, one majored in Advertising in the School of Journalism and the other majored in Communications. They are both still interested in art and computer graphics.

When teaching German, I even enjoyed showing a video of German commercials.  I still can look at a commercial and tell if it was made in Germany.  Their chocolate and candy commercials target adults, while American ones target children.  So instead of dancing colorful packages and cartoon figures, German commercials show candle light, well dressed beautiful couples and creamy chocolate.  When they taste a piece of chocolate, their eyes light up in delight  and they waltz off together. The implication is that candy is an aphrodisiac whereas our commercials emphasize energy and riotous fun.

That photo of a student promoting toilet paper took me back to my Speech and Drama class---a class that sometimes caused anxiety but sometimes. . . .mirth. I was the class clown, so debates, memorizing scenes from Greek Drama and giving a funeral oration were definitely more anxiety than mirth. The teacher was a tall, thin and strict woman named Mrs. Betancourt who had a look that would freeze you in your track if you tried to joke around during play practice or weren't serious during debate.  But, when our assignment was to create a television commercial, I was all in.

I had several rolls of toilet paper that I was going to promote.  I very seriously talked about the advantages of Norcross toilet paper over other name brands.  I took the paper wrapper off and demonstrated how it was strong and yet it dissolved in water. When I was done extolling the virtues of Norcross TP,  I launched into the jingle to the tune of  The Man on the Flying Trapeze.

It flies through the air with the greatest of ease---

Norcross makes the finest of all the Tps

My actions are graceful, it always does please:

It tears apart in the rain and stays in the trees.

And I began throwing toilet paper around the room weaving in and out of my classmates desks before I finally got to the teacher where I nervously wrapped her in TP like a mummy.  The  class nervously giggled, while watching Mrs. Betancourt as she slowly stood up, unwrapping herself.  First one eye was on me and another and then her mouth---she was SMILING.  The class erupted: her smile giving them permission to enjoy the moment.  I had TPed the class and the teacher and I got a good grade for it!

Listening

 

Listening has never been my strong suit---whether it was listening to my mother telling me to clean my room or trying to listen to a sermon.  My mother accused me of "tuning her out" or being so into a book, I put a wall around myself:  self imposed deafness was implied.  I finally learned to take notes when listening to a sermon or a class lecture, but socially, listening is a skill that I never could find a "work around" other than asking someone to write me a note, e-mail or text.  I learn more about what is being said by facial expression and gestures than by the spoken word.

My daughters have the same problem so there's possibly a genetic component.  I even took them for hearing tests as children when they failed the listening part of standardized tests.  Their hearing checked out but I made sure they had tape recorders when they went to college (before iphones).

I learn by watching something being done  so I need a visual for full listening comprehension.  I had an English friend when I was in college who called me from New York on his way home to England.  I couldn't understand a word he said because I had no visual clues.  He could have been professing his love, begging me to run away, or telling me the plane had been hijacked, but I couldn't understand him.  When he hung up, I just sat down and cried.  Seeing someone's facial expression and the formation of the words is critical in my understanding.

Now, in my twilight years, I have hearing loss.  Without hearing aids, everything sounds like I'm under water.  I can hear noise but I can't understand any of it---even the visual clues aren't helping.  As much as I love hearing a familiar voice, I'm not comprehending.  Zoom has helped a lot---I can see and hear---and with the focus of zoom on individual faces speaking, it's been a great help.

Recently, MP, our pastor, has encouraged us to take a Sabbath.  Being a caregiver, it's hard for me to take a whole day to be by myself or to take a sabbatical.  So, I've chosen to sit outside or take a walk outside each day.  Our new apartment has a wonderful patio overlooking a wooded park so I often just sit on the patio and watch the birds in the trees and LISTEN to the sounds.  At our house, I had bushes close to windows with bird feeders to enjoy the birds, but here, the birds are too far away.  Some, like the swifts, turkey vultures and hawks are identifiable by their flight patterns or silhouettes.  But, most of the birds. . . . .just birds.  I went a whole month at the apartment before I even saw a cardinal which I could see at our house daily.

I recently discovered my Merlin bird ID app has a "Sound ID".  So, the other day I heard a very cheerful bird, hit the record button and discovered it was a vireo warbler.  As I was taking a walk yesterday after a rainy day, I heard a lot of "joyful noise".  I got my phone out hit the record button and in one minute, recorded Brown Thrasher, Downy Woodpecker, House Sparrow, European Starling, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Mockingbird.

I am now even able to identify the European Starling by its call: sounds like an asthmatic raspy old man. Just now while writing this (in under a minute:) European Starling, House Sparrow, Brown headed Cowbird, American Robin, Carolina Wren and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I'm not going to say this is as satisfactory as seeing them at my window, but I am developing my listening skill. I think I can identify a cardinal now too. The app highlights the sound it is currently recording and there's a visual pattern at the top of the screen.

One of my English cousins just told me that she uses that app too which certainly explains why Merlin says "American Robin" since the robins in England have a red breast but otherwise are more the size of our Bluebirds. Another friend said she loves the app when visiting somewhere to help her identify birds she's unfamiliar with in a new setting.

Photo by Mark Paton on Unsplash

Walk around McCrite

 

Several have asked about the path outside our apartment at McCrite.  Yes, it is a walking path and the trees are in a park, but mostly the path just circles the complex. Our apartment is in that L shape area in the shade facing SE. And while high up above the river, there are condos and a Marriott higher across the high way.

The above photo shows the back side of the complex (south)---the higher apartments on this side also have an amazing view---woods AND downtown Kansas City in the distance.   I'd hoped that a walking path went on the other side of the parking lot but no. . . .that is still the park.  The park and railroad tracks are all that is between us and the Missouri River which I estimate to be about 1/4 mile away.

This direction (west side) has mostly other apartments to look at.  Some still under construction.  The covered area is to load and unload in inclement weather.

On the north side---the left is the building where Dave was in skilled nursing.  We live in the Independent Living section which is on the right.  Below is the building we live in (it faces the north)

continuing the walk around the building, this is again looking SE.  After turning that bend, we get to the view from our patio again.