Ageless Passions by Karen Putz

Category: Uncategorized

  • Sparkplugging–An Emoms At Home Transformation

    I’ve been hanging out at Wendy Piersall’s new place–SparkPlugging, and I’m liking the digs very much. Wendy took her personal blog and grew it into a network with 17 other bloggers writing for her. And she has plans to expand her site even more!

    Wendy started her blog as “Emoms At Home,” and it began to outgrow the name as the audience expanded to fathers and people without children. Wendy began to realize that she needed to re-name and re-brand to showcase the direction that her business was growing in.

    Darren Rowse over at Problogger had the honor of unveiling the new name in his interview, Renaming Emoms At Home to Sparkplugging. As I told Wendy, when I first saw the name, my mind immediately flashed to a picture of an autobody shop. But the more I visit the site, the more the name has grown on me. I think Wendy is on to something that’s going to re-frame people’s minds. There will be a point where people are at a conference and asking, “Do you SparkPlug?” or “Are you SparkPlugging?” and people will know instantly what they’re talking about–the work-at-home generation.

    For more information and an inside look at Wendy Piersall, Stephen Hopson from Adversity University featured Wendy in his interview series recently:

    Adversity University Interviews Wendy Piersall, Part I
    Adversity University Interviews Wendy Piersall, Part II

  • Working in Government? Training Conference Coming Up

    On May 1, 2008, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Government (DHHIG) will host its Employment and Technology Forum at the U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building Atrium and Conference Center, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, in Washington, D.C. from 8:00 am to 4:45 pm.

    The theme for the forum is “2008 DHHIG Employment and Technology Forum —Building Bridges with Innovative Technology”

    This forum will feature subject matter experts from the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) who will be providing presentations in the area of reasonable accommodations, career management, and technology advancements. Part of the program also features a special track series of presentations that are designed for managers/supervisors and other people with an interest in working effectively with current and future deaf and hard of hearing Federal and government employees. The forum is being expected to attract a large number of participants.

    Christine Griffin, Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will provide the keynote address.

    To view the agenda of the forum and register to attend, please visit DHHIG’s website: www.dhhig.org.

    The deadline to register is by April 30, 2008.

    The Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Government, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization since 1998 serves as an advocacy group for several thousands of Deaf and Hard of Hearing federal employees throughout the country and overseas alike on employment issues. DHHIG is committed to improving the opportunities among the members by providing education, training, and resources that may not otherwise be available elsewhere.

    DHHIG sponsors several programs and events such as highly-acclaimed National Training Conference which takes place every two years. The 2009 National Training Conference (NTC) will be held on May 5-7, 2009 at Gallaudet University’s Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, which is conveniently located several minutes away from the our nation’s capital.

    For more information or any further inquiries, please contact either Kirsten Poston at 1dayseminar@dhhig.org.

  • Women’s Club, ASL Expo and a Baby Shower

    It was one of those weekends with nary a break! On Saturday morning, I headed out to Egg Harbor Cafe to join the gals from my Deaf Women’s club for breakfast. Egg Harbor has to be my number one favorite restaurant for breakfast. Their breakfasts are so delicious and their fresh-squeezed orange juice tastes as if they picked the oranges that morning. I’m not much of a breakfast person, either! Do any of you have other favorite places that you dine at for breakfast?

    I went over to the ASL Expo to meet another friend there. It was the first time I’ve attended the ASL Expo which features lots of products centered around American Sign Language. I picked up some ASL t-shirts for the kids and then headed home to watch my youngest son’s baseball game. It was so cold at the game, that I felt like I was experiencing a Chicago Bears game while huddled under a heavy blanket.

    On Sunday, we had a couple of people over for Stephanie and Walter Lipe’s baby shower. You may remember Stephanie when she won the Miss Deaf America title in 1992-1994. Stephanie is pretty as ever and sporting a cute little belly. We all took turns guessing her belly measurements with pieces of pink yarn. Walter was pretty confident that he could figure out the length of yarn but he was off by a few inches. Marianne Jodie and Lenny Kepil had the closest measurements, with Lenny winning the prize.

    The hubby jokingly asked me if I’d like to have another kiddo…

    I’m not too sure he was really joking though!

  • Michigan Loses a Friendly Face– Marlene Phillips


    I met Marlene for the first time last summer. She and her husband Dale stopped by my parent’s house on Christie Lake to spend the day with us. My sister Linda met Marlene and Dale through the local Deaf Clubs in Michigan and they quickly bonded. Together, they worked the Dingo games and cooked large amounts of food for the gatherings. Linda began spending time with Marlene and Dale and enjoying their friendship and company.

    As we took a slow pontoon ride around the lake and chatted with Marlene and Dale that day, I said to myself– this is a couple I wouldn’t mind getting to know better.

    Someday, you know?

    Someday, when there’s more time to sit down and connect.

    Marlene and Dale found each other later in life and were married in 2005. It was easy to see that they were happy with one another and they were a couple that enjoyed life. They went on the Deaf Freedom Cruise last year. Before we left, Linda reminded me to find Marlene and Dale on the cruise and we planned to connect with them. Joe ran into them once during the week and we talked about getting together.

    With 3,800 people on the ship, we didn’t connect with them again.

    After a sudden, brief battle with cancer, Marlene passed away yesterday morning.

    I guess the moral of this post is something to take with you today–those “somedays” that we promise ourselves may not happen. Each day, each connection, is a gift.

    I know that my sister is really grateful for the connection she had with Marlene, for she enjoyed Marlene’s humor and friendship.

    Marlene will be missed.

  • Everything about Karen Putz

    I haven’t been doing memes but after being tagged by KW and Moxie Mocha I figured I’d play along. After all, it’s all about me, me and me, and you know how much I love talking about me all the time.

    What was I doing 10 years ago:

    Let’s see, ten years ago, I was researching home birth vs. hospital birth and decided to have my third child at home. Instead of renting a water tub to labor in, my husband and I decided to rip out the bathtub, move the toilet and put in a large soaking tub. So there I was, laboring in the tub and trying to get into the zone with hypnobirthing. While I was concentrating on each breath, the hubby was slapping down tile and trying to finish the floor. Needless to say, the homebirth was a memorable one. I ended up writing a chapter in the book, Don’t Cut Me Again!

    Five Snacks I enjoy:

    1. Chocolate
    2. Popcorn cooked on the stove
    3. Chocolate
    4. Guacamole and good chips
    5. Oh yeah, did I mention chocolate?

    Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

    1. Donate millions to Hands & Voices
    2. Take my entire family and Joe’s family on an all-inclusive trip to a beach somewhere.
    3. Establish a mentoring program for deaf and hard of hearing kids all over the U.S. so they can dream and be what they want to be and have a mentor by their side.
    4. Buy a jet ski and a place on Christie Lake that’s big enough to house 200 friends at once.
    5. Give more money away–how much money does one really need anyway?

    Five jobs that I have had:

    1. College Instructor
    2. Deaf Services Coordinator
    3. Early Intervention provider
    4. Printer (I printed train tickets and credit cards!)
    5. Cafeteria Slop Server (in college!)

    Three of my GOOD habits:

    1. Reading something good each day
    2. Composting–the worms need to be fed
    3. I remember to put my keys on the key holder each day

    Five places I have lived:

    1. Dolton, Illinois
    2. DeKalb, Illinois
    3. Hinsdale, Illinois
    4. Bolingbrook, Illinois (moved three times within this town)
    5. Summers at Christie Lake, Michigan, does that count?

    Name your irrational phobias:

    I don’t really have any phobias unless you count fear of cleaning.

    Add one new part:
    Name five places you want to see before your final breath:

    1. Austria
    2. Australia
    3. Jasper, Alberta, and Vancouver (I want to go to Whistler!)
    4. Hawaii (I’m going next month)
    5. Aspen, CO (I want to see the John Denver Sanctuary)

    Five People I Want to Get to Know Better:

    1. Neil at Deaf Firefighter’s Blog

    2. LaRonda at Ear of My Heart

    3. Karen at Indiana Deaf Mother’s Babblings

    4 MZ at Mishka Zena

    5. Paula at The Hearing Exchange Blog

  • Advocating for Drive-Thru Access

    Come and join me and June Prusak tomorrow night at Chicago Hearing Society. I’ll be sharing my experience of being denied service at a Steak ‘n Shake restaurant and tips on how to advocate.

    NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMS’ RIGHTS AWARENESS WEEK

    Chicago Hearing Society

    Victim Assistance Program invites you to

    The Victim Rights Awareness Night!

    June Prusak: Youth Services Manager, Chicago Hearing Society: “CDI For-For”?

    Karen Putz: Deaf Mom Activist: “Advocating for access” on her experience with Steak-n-Shake drive thru.

    WHERE AND WHEN:

    Tuesday, April 22, 2008

    5:30-8:30 p.m.

    Chicago Hearing Society

    3rd Floor Classroom

    2001 N. Clybourn Avenue

    Chicago, IL 60614

    ASL IN USE!

    LIGHT SUPPER PROVIDED

    VOICE INTERPRETERS PROVIDED

    RSVP: By Monday, April 21, 2008

    CONTACT:

    Michele Cunningham, Victim Advocate

    VP: 773-248-9106

    MCunningham@anixter.org

    Chicago Hearing Society is a division of Anixter Center

  • Vote for Marlee, Says Her Friends at the Deaf Volleyball Tournament


    Yesterday, I spent the day refereeing at the Harper Deaf Volleyball tournament. There were about 300 people there with hands flying everywhere (including a couple of cuers). This tournament brought back a lot of memories, for my first introduction to volleyball was in college, when I played for the NIU deaf team. At that time, the tournament was hosted at Waubonsee College.

    I teamed up to referee with Caroline Depcik Smith, my old teammate. Caroline played in the Deaf Olympics (I was an alternate on the Olympic team and foolishly chose not to pursue that) and there were a couple of other Deaf Olympians as referees as well. We played an impromtu volleyball game before the tournament started and boy, did that make me miss playing!

    David played for the Hinsdale South team and while they did well in the round robin, they lost to Illinois School for the Deaf in the tournament in the first round of playoffs.

    Marlee Matlin’s two best friends in the photo above, Wendy Adams and Liz Tannebaum, reminded everyone to “Vote for Marlee” in Dancing with the Stars. Marlee is also on tonight’s movie, “Sweet Nothing in My Ear” on CBS. I’ll be watching that with my kids tonight.

    And here are my thoughts over at Disaboom: Sweet Nothing in my Ear Tackles Cochlear Implants.

  • Girls Night Out and Awards Week


    “I don’t want to go to this award thing!” my daughter announced on Thursday morning. Lauren was selected for a STARS award at her middle school and we were heading to the breakfast event. Getting her out the door was like pulling teeth.

    Eventually we made it to the school and slipped into the cafeteria chairs. Lauren went up to get her award along with several other students from her team. “Lauren overcame an adversity and proved herslef to be a role model and top student. Fantastic job!” it said on the award.

    This was the second award she received this week. On Tuesday, we headed out to the “Advocacy Day” event held by the Lockport Area Special Education Cooperative. Every year, Katie Ward, a teacher and supervisor of deaf students (now retired) gathers together approximately 150 deaf and hard of hearing students from several schools. The students submit essays on how they advocate for themselves on a daily basis and the essays are judged by several teachers. David’s friend Aleksey won the Advocate of the Year award and Lauren was a semi-finalist.

    After the craziness of several deadlines and the two events, it was nice to kick back with the girls last night. My friend Barb came in from California and we joined three of our neighbors for dinner at a local restaurant. I normally hate going out in groups because conversation is so hard, but these gals are great to hang out with. They know they have to slow down the conversation and they make sure I can lipread them. After hours of lipreading and too much food and wine, my eyes were ready to pop when we finally called it a night. Nothing beats a night of great conversation, great food and great friends!

    Now excuse me while I go cry my eyes out– I miss having Barb as my neighbor.

  • Dawn Niles Case–Gary Albert Pleads Innocent

    The Southtown Town Star posted an update on the case of Dawn Nile’s murder:

    Gary Albert Pleads Innocent

    Dawn was a deaf student at Hinsdale South High School and she was found murdered in March of 1981.

    Gary was held in jail on a one million dollar bond and his family bailed him out to the tune of $100,000.

    A hearing is scheduled for May 22nd.

    To read all of the news articles: Dawn Niles

  • Can Negative PR Result in a Positive Outcome?

    Jennifer Laycock tackled the issue of how negative campaigns against competitors rarely serve a positive outcome in her post, Spite is not a Marketing Strategy. Jennifer encourages companies to make themselves stand out from their competitors in a different way, a way that highlights something positive about their company.

    In her blog, Jennifer used the example of Steak ‘n Shake and Culvers:

    Earlier this year, a Steak and Shake landed itself in a firestorm of negative press when it refused service to a deaf woman who was unable to order from the drive through speaker. Smaller chain Culver’s received some nice positive press for their innovative drive-thru accommodations for the hearing impaired.

     

    I find Jennifer’s post to be a timely one, as this morning, I am heading out to Culver’s to film a short documentary about drive-thru access for deaf, hard of hearing and speech-challenged persons. I’ve embraced the Culver’s chain and give them my business, because they truly make me feel welcomed in their drive-thrus as a deaf person.

    Steak ‘n Shake still has time to turn the negative publicity into a wonderful PR campaign for their company. I am asking the corporation to consider putting in the Order Assist system in their 400 plus restaurants. The cost of putting in Order Assist is cheaper than what they spend on commercials for their restaurants. Imagine the press they will receive in the restaurant business for this decision.

    It has been many weeks since the Steak ‘n Shake incident unleashed a firestorm of response across the internet, and I’m waiting to hear from the corporation about the direction they plan to go in to make their drive-thrus accessible. I am hoping that they will move toward providing drive-thru access. Later today, Diversity, Inc. will have a video interview about the Steak ‘n Shake incident on their website.

    Stay tuned.

    Update: Diversity, Inc. video interview with Karen Putz