Ageless Passions by Karen Putz

Category: Uncategorized

  • Pearl Harbor Revisited and a Sunset Cruise

    We headed back over to Pearl Harbor yesterday to tour the U.S.S Bowfin submarine and the U.S.S. Missouri battleship. Once we were on board the Bowfin, we met an intepreter, Vanetta, who was the staff person explaining the operations compartment in the submarine. Vanetta moved to Hawaii from Ohio to go to school out here. It was nice to be able to chat with her and ask questions. We obtained scripts for all of the audio tours so we had access to the tour information, but nothing beats chatting directly with the staff.

    Two of the videos at Pearl Harbor were not closed captioned. The video in the Pearl Harbor museum supposedly had captions but the captioning wasn’t working. The video on the Missouri was not captioned at all. We did view the Pearl Harbor movie with rear window captioning– a system that I’m not thrilled with at all. I really wish there was an option to turn on open captions when needed.

    Later that night, we headed over to the harbor to board the Star of Honolulu for a sunset cruise. We pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that we weren’t going to see a sunset. It was cloudy and gray when we left. The food was delicious and the entertainment was fantastic. There’s something about Hawaiian guys moving their hands and hips–makes a girl want to move out here. The staff signed “America the Beautiful” at the end with a combination of ASL and gestures. It really moved me.

    For five awesome minutes, the sun broke through the clouds and we were able to view the sunset:

  • Visiting Pearl Harbor–Dad Fulfills a Dream

    Ok, pinch me. Here I am in Oahu with my parents and my sister. Yesterday, we headed out to Pearl Harbor and spent the entire day there. We aren’t finished– we’re heading back out there to see the U.S.S. Missouri and Bowfin.

    This trip came about quite suddenly and unexpectedly. A few weeks ago, I was up in Michigan, sitting across from Dad and asking him, “If you could go anywhere, where would you want to go?”

    He had always wanted to take a trip out to Pearl Harbor to see the place that lead him to spend three years overseas in World War II. Dad fought in Guam, Guadacanal, Okinawa, and stayed after the war for the Occupation of China. When I was growing up, Dad didn’t talk much about the war. It was a time that was better left to the dark depths of memory. The older I became, the more I wanted to know about his part in history. So little bit by little bit, he shared some stories.

    There were a lot of dark stories, but there were some lighthearted ones as well, such as an amusing moment when he snuck off to grab an ice cream bar only to be called back to attention by the sergeant– with the ice cream melting away in his pocket.

    In the fall of 2007, Dad was reunited with his Marine buddy, Albert. You can read more about that here: Marine Buddies Reunite.

    So there we sat that spring morning, talking about our “someday” plans. I looked at Dad and said, “This ‘someday’ that you’re talking about, what’s stopping you?”

    Well, the next thing that I knew, we booked airline tickets and a hotel. And that’s how we ended up in Pearl Harbor yesterday, fulfilling a dream.

  • What I Learned From a Bunch of Things

    Just a week ago, I was hanging around a bunch of great people from the SOBCon’08, cruising on Lake Michigan with a rum and coke in my hand. I had the opportunity to meet Robert Hruzek from Middle Zone Musings. You can see him in the photo above if you squint really hard. That’s him in the twenty-gallon hat (inflation, ya know?) from Houston.

    Robert has an interesting challenge this week, a Mashup of Words. Eighteen topics, he says, can you mash ’em all up?

    A mash up? Welcome to my life. First of all, let me tell you that pets, children and writing don’t mix. This week, I attempted to finish a writing project on a day when one kid needed to be picked up from school, the second one had to go to baseball practice and the third one wanted to go to a friend’s house. At that very moment, the dog decided to decorate the chair she was lying on. Apparently she ingested something from the backyard and it didn’t agree with her.

    This was the week of friends, relatives and a movie of memories. We hosted my Mom’s 80th birthday celebration today and I put together a DVD of 80 photos set to music. Of course, messing with technology found me tearing my hair out as I struggled to get the music to load properly and the software to behave. We attempted to play it on the television, but the DVD player wouldn’t behave. So I hauled down the Mac and set it up in the living room. The friends and relatives enjoyed the recreation we provided.

    Tomorrow, we’re jumping in an automobile and heading to the airport to board a plane to Hawaii. I would gladly take a train over a plane, but they haven’t build a track over the ocean yet. After three hours on an airplane, I find myself needing more space than the itty-bitty airplane seats provide. Thank goodness, I can lose myself in the mountains of books that I picked up from SOBCon. I just hope they serve some edible food on the plane!

    Why are we heading to Hawaii, you ask? Well, a few weeks ago, I was talking with my Dad and I asked him, if he could go anywhere, where would he like to go? My Dad served in World War II and has always wanted to see Pearl Harbor. Someday, he said, he’d like to take the time to go and see that memorial.

    Well, that “someday,” is happening tomorrow and we’re boarding a plane to go and see that beautiful state. I feel really blessed to have this chance to spend a week with my parents and sister, because time is spinning way faster than I’d like it to.

    So if you’re waiting for that “someday” with someone who is important in your life, grab your chance now.

  • ooVoo–A Great Way to Communicate

    Have I told you about ooVoo

    lately?

    I don’t work for the company and there’s no financial incentive for me to promote this, but I’m going to tell you about ooVoo because it’s an amazing tool for communication over the internet.

    I first used ooVoo when I participated in “My ooVoo Chat” back in February of this year. A short video featuring the conversations (including mine) can be seen here: My ooVoo Day Recap.

    Since then, I’ve used it to conduct business and chat with friends. During one BookHands meeting, we used ooVoo to connect with a BookHands member in another state.

    Yesterday, I discovered yet another neat use of ooVoo–internet access!

    Let me explain.

    I was on Twitter and explaining that I attempted to lipread my way through the Today show interview online about Moms who blog as it wasn’t captioned. There was a lot of Twitter chatter about Heather Armstrong, a featured blogger and the interaction with Kathie Lee Gifford on the show.

    Out of the blue, Codadiva, twittered:

    We connected on ooVoo and she interpreted the entire video segment. How cool was that? A big thanks!

    Here’s to ooVoo and all the connections that are possible with it.

  • Steak ‘n Shake Issue Still Creating PR Waves

    Remember when I had the drive-thru window shut in my face (not once, but twice!) back in January?

    The issue continues to ripple on. In April, it was the subject of Laurel Papworth’s presentation at the RMIT Communicator of the Year event in…

    Australia.

    That’s right, Steak ‘n Shake has gone down under. Laurel has an excellent presentation on why companies need to be aware of social media and how it can impact public relations for their companies. Be sure to check out the slide show on her blog.

    Two days ago, I was doing a search and spotted the Diversity, Inc. article and the video featured as an ad on the search page. And just yesterday, a friend sent me a screen shot of his email page showing the same:

    Over at Disaboom, they’re sharing my two-part series that takes a look at the solutions for drive-thru access:

    Two Milkshakes, Please–Discrimination at the Drive-Through

    Two Milkshakes, Please–Discrimination at the Drive-Through Part Two

    Ironically, this morning I saw a Steak ‘n Shake commercial that featured Steak ‘n Shake employees pulling customer feedback suggestions out of a jar– and it wasn’t captioned.

    As for me, I’m still waiting to hear back from the Steak ‘n Shake corporation to see if they plan to turn this drive-thru issue around and make it accessible for their customers. Many people have assumed that I’ve filed a lawsuit and I have not. I want to work out an accessible solution. Can you imagine the fantastic PR that would result if Steak ‘n Shake would take the steps toward welcoming their customers with access?

    Steak ‘n Shake, are you listening?

  • SOBCon’08–What’s the Deal with those Klondike Bars?

    On Friday night, the SOBCon bloggers hopped on board for a cruise down the river and out to Lake Michigan. During the week, we were keeping an eye out on the weather as Chicago is known for making fools out of the local weathermen.

    Friday called for severe thunderstorms in the late afternoon into the evening, so when I saw the predictions that morning, I thought for sure the cruise would be canceled due to rough weather. I guess enough bloggers were talking to the weather gods at the same time, as we ended up with a beautiful afternoon and the cruise took off despite a few raindrops.

    Christine Kane entertained us with some beautiful songs and we all received a copy of her album–thanks Christine! Stephen Hopson and I were very fortuante that Hannah and Tammi, two interpreter students, donated their time to interpret Christine’s singing as well as the conversations that flowed on the cruise.

    We had some great food and plenty of drinks and just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, Chris Cree and Liz Strauss came along with…

    Klondike bars.

    What’s the deal with those Klondike bars?

    Over at Liz Strauss’ blog, every Tuesday night, Klondike bars in every flavor are a regular staple. If you view past conversations, you’ll see Klondike bars being tossed around the comment section.

    So for SOBCon ’09, maybe the Klondike company would like to hop on board as an official sponsor, who knows?!

  • SOBCon ’08 –An Amazing Weekend

    I’m sitting at home now with Stephen Hopson from Adversity University and we just finished talking about what an amazing weekend it was for us at the SOBCon ’08. Like Stephen said, “It’s all about the love.” And there was plenty of it this weekend.

    So here are some pictures to browse through– there will be more tomorrow!

  • Shawn Lockhart and Mike Dyas, Systems Specialists


    Shawn on left,
    Mike on the right

     

    At the Federal Aviation Administration building in Illinois, two deaf guys, Shawn Lockhart and Mike Dyas work in rotating shifts to keep the facilities humming along. Shawn and Mike both work as an Airway Transportation Systems Specialist. Both men graduated from NTID/RIT with a degree in Electromechanical Technology.

    “We provide system support to air traffic controllers,” explained Shawn. “They really depend on our systems to function properly in order to do their jobs.” Mike and Shawn are responsible for keeping the control center “out of the dark.” They check to make sure the primary and secondary systems, including the heating and cooling, alarms, batteries and generators are always in order.

    Mike was the first to be hired at the FAA facility. After graduation, he worked at Eastman Kodak in Rochester but soon realized that he wanted to move back home to Illinois. An employment advisor from the Rochester Institute of Technology pointed him in the direction of the F.A.A.

    “I left Rochester immediately and started knocking at the door of the F.A.A. Regional Office headquarters for Great Lakes,” said Mike. Mike worked with Linda Ross, who oversaw the disabilities hiring program. Linda suggested that he meet with the administrator at the Aurora office. At first, the administrator was reluctant to meet with Mike.

    “After a brief interview, they took me on a tour and the managers were so impressed with me. From there, I was the first deaf person to be hired to work in the control center as an engineer technician,” said Mike.

    Shawn started working at the F.A.A. facility four years after Mike was hired. Mike and Shawn don’t often see each other on the job due to the rotation in their shifts, but their shifts occasionally overlap for two hours.

    “I love my job and it is challenging,” said Shawn. “People don’t often realize how complex our jobs are. Systems don’t discriminate. It’s all about getting the job done. Deaf or hearing—it doesn’t matter. You just have to have the knowledge and skills to keep the systems running.”

    “I love this job because we face so many different, challenging problems each day,” Mike agreed. “We get to tackle the problems, troubleshoot the solutions and repair them as quickly as we can to keep the National Airspace System running.”

  • Rachel Coleman of Signing Time Nominated for Emmy

    “It’s singing time and laughing time and playing time and now it is my favorite time, signing time!”

    The first time I saw a tape of Signing Time, I couldn’t get the lyrics out of my mind. I suspect that’s one of the reasons that Signing Time has become successful in the mainstream. Little toddlers everywhere are listening to the songs, watching the videos and moving their hands to communicate.

    Rachel Coleman, the mom behind Sign Language for Baby!,was recently nomimated for an Emmy. It’s been an amazing trip for her, especially since the intitial production was a family affair with her sister and husband helping to create the videos.

    I did an interview with Rachel several years ago when the Signing Time series of videos was beginning to take off:

    Meet the Colemans: The Story Behind Signing Time

    Congrats to Rachel– all of her hard work has paid off!


    Clean Up with Signing Time DVDs

  • SOBCon ’08– I’m Off to Learn More!


    I’m having a bad hair day today. I’m praying that the rain gods will take their dance somewhere else tomorrow. Raindrops and my hair don’t mix well.

    Why all this concern? Well, I’m heading downtown to the SOBCon ’08 and the forecast calls for rain.

    And possible thunderstorms.

    Ah, but who really cares? We’ll be inside a boat, cruising the Chicago shoreline and connecting with one another. Look at all the cool bloggers who will be there:

    SOBcon2008 Chicago Attendees:
    Cliff Atkinson
    Shashi Bellamkonda
    Chris Brogan
    Harry Brooks
    Anita Bruzzese
    Dave Bullock
    Mark Carter
    Brian Clark
    Tom Clifford
    Valerie Combs
    Chris Cree
    Lisa Cree
    Thomas Croghan
    Donna Cutting
    David “Chicago Mobile Marketing” Dalka
    Kevin Dixie
    Tim Draayer
    Andrew Dubber
    Monica Duncan
    Easton Ellsworth
    Kevin Ferrasci O’Malley
    Jonathan Fields
    Sarah Filipiak
    Mary-Lynn Foster
    Annie Galvin Teich
    Brian Gardner
    Chris Garrett
    Jon Gatrell
    Phil Gerbyshak
    Jared Goralnick
    Karen Hanrahan
    Joseph Hauckes
    Vicky Hennegan
    Scot Herrick
    John Hong
    Stephen Hopson
    Robert Hruzek
    Timothy Johnson
    Sara
    Pete Jones
    Todd Jordan
    Bob “Internet Advertising” Kakoliris
    Christine Kane
    Adam Kayce
    Kristen King
    Jen Knoedl
    Stephen Koernig
    Bryan Kress
    George Krueger
    Amy L
    Tammy Lenski
    James G. Lindberg
    Eli Litscher
    Rick Mahn
    Sim Margolis
    Michael Martine
    Becky McCray
    Maria Meadows
    Cory Miller
    Ann Michael
    Dawud Miracle
    Debra Moorhead
    Matthew Murphy
    Paul O’Flaherty
    Tim Padar
    Jesse Petersen
    Melissa Pierce
    Wendy Piersall
    Sandra Ponce de Leon
    J. Erik Potter
    Karen Putz
    Susan R Quandt
    Levy Rivers
    Barbara Rozgonyi
    Jeff Sable
    Sheila Scarborough
    Mary Schmidt
    Derek Semmler
    Maria Sharon
    David Sherbow
    Steve Sherlock
    Brad Shorr
    Louise Silberman
    Sonia Simone-Rossney
    Julien Smith
    Stephen Smith
    Michael Snell
    Derrick Sorles
    Terry Starbucker
    Liz Strauss
    Jon Swanson
    Ruth M Sylte
    Windsor Tanner
    Michelle Vandepas
    Lorelle VanFossen
    Colleen Wainwright
    Denise Wakeman
    James D. Walton
    Randy Windsor
    Joanna Young

    So let it rain. We’ll have fun anyway!