Ageless Passions by Karen Putz

Author: Karen Putz

  • Football, I Hate Football

    I hate football.

    There.  I said it.

    My oldest kiddo is in football camp at his high school.  I tried to talk him out of it, but it fell on deaf ears (oh yeah, pun intended!).  So here I am at Panera Bread each morning as I wait for him to sweat out two hours of hitting other guys.  It’s a 20-minute/half hour drive each way, so it makes no sense for me to head back home after dropping him off.

    When I picked him up yesterday, he was covered head-to-toe in sweat but had a huge smile on his face.  He excitedly told me about the drills and how his neck hurt from craning it to see the interpreter while face-down during some exercise.  He’s the only deaf kid at the camp, but there are two others in different grades.

    “It was hell, Mom, but I loved it!” he said.

    Did I tell you that I hate football?

    I used to actually like it.  Back in college, I would follow football on TV and actually sit next to the hubby and watch entire games.  We even hooked up the tv in the bathroom and watched an entire playoff game when the Bears were playing– from the tub, complete with snacks and drinks.  (What can I say, we were thin and in college back then!  Mom, cover your eyes and don’t read this.)

    Then along came Fantasy Football.  The kids were little.  I still liked football enough to help the hubby decide on a few players to play each Sunday.  I listened to him as he agonized over the player’s fumbles, the low passing scores or an injured player.  I celebrated when his wide receivers racked up yards and scored touchdowns.  I even attended the Fantasy Football drafts to help the guys run the meetings. 

    Good gosh.

    As the boys became older, the hubby sucked them right into football.  The youngest kiddo dog-eared his favorite football book to the point it fell apart in two.   He could tell you which helmet belonged to which team and one year, he was fixated on the Maimi Dolphins and received a Dolphins headrest for his bed.  We’ve got Raider pillows and another bedrest for the oldest kiddo featuring some green team.  (That’s how much I don’t follow football anymore, I can’t tell you the name of the team  even though I pass by his bed every morning.)

    The oldest kiddo played football in eighth grade.  I went to a few games and cringed every time I saw him slam into another kid.   I know why I hate football, it just seems so brutal to me now and I hate seeing the guys hit into each other.  Plus, I’m afraid my kid is gonna get hurt.  Or hurt someone else.

    So this fall, I plan to attend the football games with my dark sunglasses on. 

    Perhaps I can weasle in nap time during the games.

     

     

     

  • Writing Up at Christie Lake

    Calm view of the lake

    I’m up in Michigan this weekend with the hubby and kids, visiting my parents and sister.  I love the view in the morning from the kitchen window– watching the mist on the water evaporate when the sun comes up.  I usually miss this as I sleep late up here, but the oldest kiddo woke me up early– asking where I packed his glasses. He almost never wears them, but this time,  I remembered to bring them along.   Both boys took off in the pontoon to go fishing.

    I always enjoy writing in the kitchen and looking out at the lake.  Dad has several bird feeders in front of the window and we’ve seen so many different varieties of birds.  I especially love watching the cardinals, yellow finches and the occasional woodpecker.  Every now and then, we’ll get a visit from a blue jay.

    When we arrived yesterday, I noticed that my Mom’s peonies were in full bloom.  There’s a bit of a story behind this particular peony bush. 

    One year, Mom decided to move the peony bush to the edge of the property.  She dug up the bush, taking care to keep the root ball intact, and planted it in a different spot.  The following year, it died.  It didn’t make it through the tough Michigan winter. Mom later learned that she chose the wrong time of the year to move it, and peonies don’t move well when they’re dug up.  Mom resigned herself to the fact that she wasn’t going to see those pretty magenta blooms ever again.

    That spring, Mom noticed a tiny sprout in the old spot.  She must have left a little bit of root from the original bush in the ground, and there it was, growing back again.  She can now enjoy the stunning blooms again each year.

    peony flower

     I guess there’s a lesson in here– always make sure you have a backup if Plan A fails. 

     

  • The Chicagoland Tweetup

    Last night, I headed over to Sanfratellos Pizza in Geneva, IL for the Chicagoland Tweetup.  I was late getting there, as I was wrestling with a videophone installation with routers that wouldn’t behave.

    A nice, small group was just what I needed.  I was fortunate to have Katie, a recent interpreter graduate who needed interpreting hours and she interpreted for me.  (Thanks, Katie!).   It was nice chatting with everyone and getting to know some of them better.

    Here’s who was there:  Wendy Piersall from Sparkplugging, Brad Shorr from Word Sell, Inc., Barbara Rozgonyi from Wired PR Works, Jeff O’Hara from Edmodo, Derek Semmler from DerekSemmler.com (who, by the way, really is a guy!), Carolyn Shelby from CShel, and Kim, and Jerome Hughes, Jim Goodrich and two  others one other I can’t remember.

    It was nice chatting about blogs, marketing and social media woes (time, who has time to keep up with it all?) and of course, the topic of the evening–Twitter.  The pizza was fantastic– great choice, Wendy!

    Here’s the link to the rest of the photos taken:

    Tweetchi Photos

    Fox Valley Tweetup

    And On The Fifth Day…

    Twitter-Uppers

     

  • My Kids Go to School Tomorrow, For One Hour


    Ok, can someone please explain this?

    Tomorrow is the last day of school for the kiddos.  The middle kid goes to school for an hour and half.  The youngest goes for just an hour.  The oldest has a final to take and will be done at 10:30 a.m.

    Can anyone explain the logic in firing up the buses, rounding up the teachers and turning on the lights to gather a bunch of students together to do–

    Nothing.

    I’d like to meet the brilliant guy/gal or group of people who came up with this idea. 

    “We have to send the kids to school a certain number of days/hours– we have an hour left over, let’s just tack it on to the last day.”

    The Illinois governor just announced that we have to figure out how to balance a $60 million dollar budget that is two billion dollars out of balance.  So, instead of dragging our kids out of bed and putting them on gas-guzzling buses to sing songs for an hour, why don’t we tack that hour on to one of those “half-day” scenarios that keep popping up throughout the year?

    It might not make much of a dent in a two-billion dollar budget, but it sure beats wasting a perfectly good day with nothing to do.

  • What If Steak ‘n Shake Gave Customers the Red Carpet?

    On the flight home from Oahu, I dove into The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red Carpet Customer Service written by Donna Cutting.  I met Donna at the SOBCon ’08 conference — what a warm, engaging person she is!   Donna speaks all over the country on the topic of improving customer service and she gave me an autographed copy of her book.

    “The Celebrity Experience” is all about making customers feel like stars– welcoming them, greeting them and bending over backwards to service them.

    The companies that roll out the Red Carpet Treatment are the ones that retain their customers time and time again.  In her book, Donna shares the story of a company that was faced with a customer who wanted a pizza from Chicago delivered in London.  The company’s response?  “Yes, we can!”  And they made it happen. Of course, the company now has a dedicated customer as a result.

    What if you could find a way to say yes more frequently, Donna tells companies to ask themselves.  What if, instead of saying no, you asked yourself–how?

    So this made me think of Steak ‘n Shake.  What would happen if Steak ‘n Shake said “Yes, we can,” to the idea of making their drive-thrus accessible?

    Right now, I’m certainly not getting the Red Carpet Treatment from the company, despite being a former loyal customer of theirs.   After getting the drive-thru window slammed twice in my face back in January, I’ve been working with the corporation to try and get the company to cherish and welcome  deaf and hard of hearing customers into their drive-thrus and their restaurants.

    One of the solutions is to purchase a system called Order Assist, distributed by Inclusion Solutions.  For the cost of a couple of commercials, Steak ‘n Shake could make every single one of their drive-thrus accessible with this product.  Another alternative is a touch-screen menu like the one at the Subway restaurant in Lebanon, Indiana.  Steak ‘n Shake also needs to set up a policy and trainings on how to serve customers with disabilities in all areas of their restaurant.

    So, imagine if Steak ‘n Shake would roll out the Red Carpet Treatment and implement those changes.  Imagine if they would close-caption their commercials inviting deaf and hard of hearing customers to enjoy their milkshakes.  They could counteract the negative PR that results when anyone plugs “Steak ‘n Shake” into a search engine.  (Go ahead and type in “Steak ‘n Shake coupons” and you’ll see that people are coming to my blog as a result of this type of search. )

    Imagine if everyone saw “Steak ‘n Shake Gives the Red Carpet Treatment to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Drive-Thru Customers” instead.

     

  • Julia Anderson, Medical Coder

    Ask Julia Anderson about her job and she’ll tell you she “loves it!” Julia is a Clinical Data Coordinator at Advocate Christ Medical Center/Hope Chidren’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. She graduated from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) in 1991 with a degree in Medical Records. She went on to obtain certification as a Registered Health Information Technician and Certified Coding Specialist.

    She’s been coding for many years and still loves it.

    Julia communicates in American Sign Language and utilizes interpreters for meetings. On the job, she had to come up with innovative ways to communicate with her co-workers. “I do not use the phone,” says Julia. “Email is my main source of communication. The associates in my hospital who I work with know that email is the best way to contact me.

    “I use paper and pen to communicate with co-workers, Julia continues. “Sometimes I will use a computer or laptop as well. If co-workers have questions, they will sign, fingerspell or email me.”

    Julia, along with another coordinator, supervises a staff of 24 medical coders and 4 unbilled staff. Julia’s path to becoming a coordinator was not an easy one. Back in 1999, while working as a coder, Julia applied to become a coordinator. She didn’t get the job and was quite disappointed. The job was given to Cathy Smyth, who happened to have a sister who was hard of hearing. As it turned out, Julia completed her internship years ago with Cathy’s sister at Advocate Christ Medical Center.

    In the beginning, Cathy and Julia communicated via paper and pencil. Cathy learned to fingerspell and slowly picked up signs. Today, Cathy and Julia communicate fluently in American Sign Language. Several other co-workers are learning sign as well.

    When the coordinator job opened up again four years ago, Cathy encouraged Julia to apply. This time, she obtained the job and continues to enjoy it today. “In my personal opinion,” Julia reflects back, “the director at that time did not think I was capable of doing the job due to the communication barrier.

    “I ended up proving her wrong when I got the second chance at the coordinator position.”

  • Twenty Teenagers and the House is Still Standing

    Yesterday was David’s birthday party and we had twenty kids in the house.   Wait, I take that back, not twenty kids, but twenty large semi-adults.  

     Twenty teenagers. 

    It was amazing the amount of food they can polish off.  I was digging into the freezer to pull out extra dessert.  Not a single piece of pizza was leftover. 

    Tomorrow, my oldest kiddo turns fifteen.   Next year, this time, he’ll have a driver’s license.  Can I please turn back the clock?  This is moving way too fast for me.   I rememember when I once had a six- four- and two-year old and I was complaining to my mother-in-law about the day from down under.  “Hang on to this day,” she said.  “Before you know it, they’ll be grown and gone.”

    I couldn’t see that far ahead, I was trying to survive being outwitted and outnumbered by tiny bodies with stubborn minds.

    So here I am, with a teenager who is going to be a sophomore this fall.  I’m all too concious of the fact that I have just three summers left before he goes off to college.  That’s it, three summers.  It’s amazing how quickly I’ve gotten to the point where I’m counting down the time I have left instead of the minutes until Daddy gets home to release me from Toddlerville.

    But my neighbor always chuckles when I talk about this.  She tells me I’m worrying for nothing, because kids today leave home at the age of…

    Thirty.

    She should know, she’s got an adult kid who’s still at home.

    So Happy Birthday to my oldest kiddo.  You’ll always have a room here in the house.

     

     

  • Bob Harris–Business Owner

    Bob and his wife, EvieAlthough I’ve known about Harris Communications for years, and ordered several of their products, I met Bob Harris for the first time last year at the Deaf Expo in Chicago.
     
    “How did you begin the company?” I asked Bob when I stopped by his booth.  Harris Communications has been around for a little over 25 years, but Bob was an accidental entrepreneur.  He actually holds a PhD. in Psychology and his venture into business began entirely as a fluke. 
     

    While he was working as a psychologist, Bob began to learn about real estate and investing.  To communicate with a real estate partner, Bob looked into finding TTYs at a reduced cost.  This lead him into the world of distributorship, and Bob started the tiny business out of his home, beginning with TTYs and expanding into other products.  Harris Communications outgrew his home office and is now one of the leading companies for deaf and hard of hearing related products and services.  Bob no longer practices as a psychologist and devotes his time to expanding and growing his business.  Today, the company employs over 30 people and has an online store.

    Bob encourages deaf and hard of hearing youth to pursue career exploration in high school and seek out deaf and hard of hearing adults in different jobs and professions.   “From my experiences in growing up, it helped trememdously whenever I met such an adult with a specific occupation,” said Bob.  “It planted a seed of thought in my mind and helped me figure what I wanted to do in my future work.  For example, I learned from people who worked as doctors, entrepreneurs, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, engineers, attorneys, judges and teachers.”

    Bob encourages parents to consider leadership and career exploration camps for deaf and hard of hearing children and to give their children books about successful deaf and hard of hearing adults in various careers.

     
    To read more about Bob and Harris Communications:

     

  • Deaf American Gladiator Competitor Wins!

    “Hey, check this out!” said the hubby, pointing at the TV.  A handsome guy stood next to Hulk Hogan on the American Gladiators show.  As he turned his head, I noticed a cochlear implant on his right ear.

    I had never watched American Gladiator before, but I did cover the death of Shelley Beattie, the deaf American Gladitor who played Siren for several seasons.  I settled on the couch to watch Brick Reilly, who works as a tree climber in New Jersey, compete against Toby, a father of two from Tennesee.

    According to the American Gladiator website:

    Brick Reilly is a 27-year-old tree climber from Springfield, New Jersey. He was born deaf and has always deemed athletics an important escape from the realities of life. Though Reilly recently had a cochlear implant which gave him the ability to hear, he never used his disability as an excuse in his life. He works as a mentor for deaf children in the New Jersey area.

    During the introductions, it appeared that Brick was handling the conversation well– I wasn’t sure if he was looking at an interpreter in the background or not.  Two teachers and a group of children from an oral deaf school appeared on screen to wish Brick good luck.  Brick responded in sign: “In the end, I’m going to win!”

    Despite a rough start, Brick pulled ahead and had a 12 and half second lead going into the Eliminator contest, an obstacle course that determines the final winner.   Halfway through the obstacle course, Brick landed on his shoulder and appeared to be in tremendous pain.  He finished the course ahead of Toby and was declared the winner. 

    All that work seems to be worth it, as Brick walked off with a new SUV and $100,000 cash.  Correction– Brick won that episode and he’ll go on to compete for more.  The finalist will win at the end of the season. Congrats to Brick–you rocked that episode!

  • What A Weekend, And It’s Not Over Yet!

    So how’s your Memorial Day Weekend going? 

    Are you having an adventurous weekend, like I am?  

    On Friday night, we piled into the van to head up to Christie Lake with our friend Mike and his two kids.  We had a late start and arrived there around midnight.  The oldest and the youngest kid fell asleep shortly before we arrived.  When we pulled up into my parent’s driveway, I tapped David on the shoulder to wake him up.  His hand lashed out and whacked Steven in the face.  Steven woke up crying.

    We ushered everyone up into the house and the kids were settled into bed after a few rounds of picking on each other.  The rest of us didn’t get to bed until three a.m.

    The next day, my dad informed me that he couldn’t find the plugs for our ski boat.  A few weeks ago, he decided to get the boat ready for us, but he somehow misplaced the plugs.  We tore the house upside-down looking for the parts but couldn’t find them.   I drove over to a local boat shop to pick up extra plugs.  I took one look at the plugs and I thought they were a little bigger than what I remembered.  I had them look up the specs for our motor, and they insisted they were right size.

    We spent most of the day Saturday putting the pier in the water.  We have a new pier system that was much lighter than our old one, and it took us a while to figure it out.  The water was cold, but not too unbearable. 

    I was holding up the end of a pier, waiting for the guys to bring out the next section and I watched Steven slowly wade into the water.  All of a sudden, he let out a gasp.

    “What’s wrong?” I asked.

    “My balls!” he said, oh-so-matter-of-factly.

    I let out a huge laugh.  My ten-year-old had never used those words before.

    “It feels like my balls are covered with snow,” he explained.

    By this time, I was laughing so hard I could barely hold the pier up.

    “Or like they’re in a refridgerator!” he continued.

    Good gosh, the kid cracked me up!

    The new pier system didn’t let us off easy.  We ended up with scratches and bruises from wrestling it into place. 

    This morning,  Joe, Mike, my dad and I headed up to the shed to take out the boats.  The plugs didn’t fit–they weren’t the right size.  So we decided to put the pontoon in the water instead.  I backed up the four-wheeler and the guys hitched up the pontoon.  As I was pulling it out of the shed, there was a huge “snap!”

    The hitch bar broke in half.

    Fortunately, we were able to use Dad’s SUV to get the pontoon in the water. 

    Later in the afternoon, a mechanic came out with spare parts and plugged up the engine.  “You can go ahead and put the boat in the water,” said Dad.

    But the way the weekend was going, I had a feeling that we should check out the plugs and make sure nothing was leaking.  I went to get the hose to hook up the engine “ears” and the darn hose wouldn’t budge.  It was a tangled mess inside the automatic Sunbeam hose winder.   Once we finally got the water running and the ears hooked up, I started the boat and checked the engine.

    So far so good, no leaks on one side.  I checked the other side.

    Holy Moley, water squirting out!  “Cut the water,” I told Mike as I ran to shut off the engine.  Water was pouring out over the wires. 

    “Are you sure you tightened up all the plugs?” I asked the hubby.  He was sure.

    We ran it again to see where the water was coming from.  Shut it off again. 

    “You’ve got a crack!” said Mike.  Sure enough, it looked like the water was coming through a crack in the engine.

    Lovely, just lovely.

    I hope you’re all having a better weekend!