Tomorrow's TV Interview

Tomorrow TV Interview

Tomorrow a reporter and camera person will come to talk with me about dolls and the website now planned for launch at the end of February.

They want to watch me sew, (hope they don't stress the "blind person sewing is amazing" angle) and to see the doll clothing I've made.  Hopefully they will also talk to me about "Abilitieslive" the website wich will include work by people with disabilities from around the world.

I am terrified!  You never know what will be edited in, left out, or taken out of context in Any news media interview.  Also, they will be at my home.  One agreement is that they can't show the front of my house, with the numbers on it.  I hope they keep this agreement, as my safety could depend on it.

I thought my back injury was all well from last Dec.  Found out it still hurts, after climbing on step stool to dust ceiling fans and shelf unit tops,  and getting on the floor to dust shelf bottoms.

I can shut a couple of doors, cover my altar shelves with a tapestry, (de-Buddhizing the house a bit) but the living room, kitchen, and my office will still be open.  That's three of five rooms, more work to do today.  Yuck!  Unless I can grow corn in it, or write in it, dust is just something I don't generally think about, but sighted people DO!  So today is asking my healthcare aide to please clean mirrors, (another thing I never think of) I'll check drain boards under top of dish drainers, top of fridge, etc.  Boring!  But must be done.

Hope it goes well.  My sister is Kindly driving up to put enough makeup on my face so the lights from cameras don't give me the Goth look, black and gray hair with ghost skin.  I don't need makeup under normal circumstances, don't like the way it feels, oh well.  Hope it helps me with the website And other people with disabilities! 

I'll be up Hours earlier than usual, then go to ASL Class, then Buddhist Group or Sangha.  Not a day I'm looking forward to, even though I Am grateful for this chance and for my Sister's effort in driving here.  She promised not to give me a clown face.  Since it isn't Halloween, I am thankful to her!  And I trust her.

I still have to decide what to wear.  

Tomorrow TV Interview

Tomorrow a reporter and camera person will come to talk with me about dolls and the website now planned for launch at the end of February.

They want to watch me sew, (hope they don't stress the "blind person sewing is amazing" angle) and to see the doll clothing I've made.  Hopefully they will also talk to me about "Abilitieslive" the website wich will include work by people with disabilities from around the world.

I am terrified!  You never know what will be edited in, left out, or taken out of context in Any news media interview.  Also, they will be at my home.  One agreement is that they can't show the front of my house, with the numbers on it.  I hope they keep this agreement, as my safety could depend on it.

I thought my back injury was all well from last Dec.  Found out it still hurts, after climbing on step stool to dust ceiling fans and shelf unit tops,  and getting on the floor to dust shelf bottoms.

I can shut a couple of doors, cover my altar shelves with a tapestry, (de-Buddhizing the house a bit) but the living room, kitchen, and my office will still be open.  That's three of five rooms, more work to do today.  Yuck!  Unless I can grow corn in it, or write in it, dust is just something I don't generally think about, but sighted people DO!  So today is asking my healthcare aide to please clean mirrors, (another thing I never think of) I'll check drain boards under top of dish drainers, top of fridge, etc.  Boring!  But must be done.

Hope it goes well.  My sister is Kindly driving up to put enough makeup on my face so the lights from cameras don't give me the Goth look, black and gray hair with ghost skin.  I don't need makeup under normal circumstances, don't like the way it feels, oh well.  Hope it helps me with the website And other people with disabilities! 

I'll be up Hours earlier than usual, then go to ASL Class, then Buddhist Group or Sangha.  Not a day I'm looking forward to, even though I Am grateful for this chance and for my Sister's effort in driving here.  She promised not to give me a clown face.  Since it isn't Halloween, I am thankful to her!  And I trust her.

I still have to decide what to wear.  

Buddhist Wisdom for Valentine's Day

Buddhist Wisdom for Valentine's Day

An oak tree which provides food for many creatures, makes room for other plants to grow and doesn't hog up all of the light and space is said by Cherokee people to be an Unselfish, generous tree.  People can also eat acorn meal If they know how to leach out the tanic acid and the roasted, shells can make a coffee substitute.  The oak also protects the land by helping to stop erosion of the soil.  This same tree spoken of below makes home for many kinds of birds and insects, providing shade for reptile people who must have it in the Summer.

We Americans tend to think of "offering ourselves" in only sexual terms.  But Zen Master Thich Naht Hanh is talking about offering ones attention, caring, and inner qualities.  I hope you enjoy his talk to children.

"You are a lover. You are called a lover when you love someone. When you love someone

you want to offer him or her something. You always want to offer them something.

If you really love them a lot, it is a natural tendency.

But what do you have in order to offer? A lot of people think they have to buy something.

They go to the supermarket. They buy something. But the most precious thing you can

offer to the person you love is not something you can buy at a marketplace… yourself.

You offer yourself unto her. You say, "I'm here for you."

I think the oak tree is a lover. The oak tree standing outside is a lover because

it has so many things to offer us. On a hot day like yesterday, standing in the shadow

of an oak tree you feel much better. And an oak tree has so many things to offer.

And the oak tree doesn't have to go to the marketplace and buy.

The oak tree I contemplated this morning is a very beautiful one. She's solid green,

beautiful, fresh and she can offer many different things- her beauty, her freshness,

her shadow. That is why I think, I believe the tree is a true lover. And the willow

tree, also. And the palm tree, also. And the mountain, also, because the mountain

can offer us many things.

This morning we practiced a sitting meditation on the mountain. The mountain is so

beautiful. And again, the mountain did not have to go to the marketplace and buy

something. She offers herself.

So when you truly love someone, you don't have to go to the market and buy something.

You just offer yourself. If you are beautiful, if you are fresh, if you are pleasant,

if you are solid, if you are free, then you have many things to offer to the person

you love."

A Talk For Children by Thich Nhat Hanh

__._,_.___

More Ways to Help Others

This man has stitched his lips together and declared a hunger strike, demanding that

General Motors compensate its Colombian employees for debilitating, life-long injuries.

Tell General Motors to meet with its injured workers and negotiate.

Sign the petition.

Jorge Parra started working as a welder at General Motors’ Colmotores plant in Colombia

in 2001. For nine years, he worked

10 to 12 hour shifts, 6 days a week, lifting auto parts and pieces of machinery that

can each weigh hundreds of pounds

. He complained about pains, but doctors in the factory clinic kept sending him back

to work. Then one day in 2010, at the end of a shift,

he couldn’t move

.

Even after surgery, Parra, who’s only 36, had trouble walking, standing, or using

his hands. Then, just as he was recovering, GM fired him. He discovered that

more than 200 workers had also been injured and fired

. Many of these workers banded together and started demanding compensation, but GM

refused to negotiate with them in good faith. So in November,

Parra went on hunger strike and stitched his lips shut

 until GM agrees to sit down with workers and negotiate.

Now

, Parra has come to the U.S. to confront GM executives directly

 at the North American International Auto Show, a massive auto industry trade show

in Detroit that attracts media attention from all over the globe. We’d like to make

sure he goes to the Auto Show with the signatures of tens of thousands of SumOfUs.org

members in hand, so we can show GM that its customers and potential customers expect

it to treat workers fairly.

Click here to sign our petition to GM CEO Daniel Akerson demanding that he meet with injured Colombian workers and offer fair restitution.

All these workers want is a chance to work and support their families and a guarantee

that their former coworkers won’t be injured and discarded. They’re demanding that

GM take financial responsibility for medical care related to their on-the-job injuries,

help reintegrate them into the workforce with less physically demanding jobs, and

institute new safety measures to prevent future injuries. They’re also demanding

union representation, which protects GM’s American employees from the worst labor

abuses that Colombian workers face.

Injured Colmotores workers have already been fighting for nearly two years.

 In 2011 the workers set up a makeshift camp outside the American embassy in Colombia.

After a three week-long hunger strike in August, GM finally agreed to negotiations.

But negotiators from the company refused to even consider letting the workers back

into the plant.

GM’s only offer was a monetary settlement that didn’t even cover upcoming surgeries.

With negotiations failing, the workers instead decided to take their fight to the

United States -- to the Detroit Auto Show, and GM executives directly.

Stand with these brave workers - sign our petition to GM and we’ll get it to Jorge Parra so he can show GM its customers are standing with its workers and demanding justice.

Thank you,

Rob, Kaytee, and the rest of us at SumOfUs

*************************

Further reading:

Bloomberg:

One Month into Hunger Strike, Injured Colombian Worker Says He Won’t Stop Until GM Negotiates

, 21 December, 2012

 SumOfUs is a world-wide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations

accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

You can follow us on

Twitter

, and like us on

Facebook

Change.org

My nephew was murdered outside a nightclub in Los Angeles, and TMZ published a video of the shooting. I started a petition asking them to remove the video and apologize to our family.

Sign Jason's Petition.    Erlier this week, my family and I were going through what no family should ever

have to -- my 19-year-old nephew Andre had been shot outside a nightclub in Los Angeles

and shortly after, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

But even while some of us were in the E.R. frantically waiting to hear of Andre's

condition, the tabloid

TMZ posted a graphic video of Andre being shot on its website and on YouTube.

TMZ usually covers celebrities, but Andre was just a student. We've asked the tabloid

repeatedly for them to take the video down, but it has so far refused to respond.

That's why I started a petition on Change.org demanding that TMZ take the video of my nephew Andre Lowe being shot off the internet right now.

Click here to sign my petition.

Andre had a bright future ahead of him and wasn't afraid to work hard for what he

wanted out of life. He was small in stature but had a big heart, and there are countless

friends and family who will miss him greatly.

My family and I are still reeling from our loss.

We shouldn't be tortured even further by a tabloid like TMZ using an innocent young

student's murder for shock value and entertainment.

 Even now, it's making money every time someone watches the video. It makes me sick.

Please click here to sign my petition and join me in telling TMZ to take down the video of my nephew's murder now.

Thank you.

Jason Andrews

Phoenix, AZ

A New Practice Experiment

As I write up descriptions for each doll to be sold via my online site I travel into the realms of fear.  Someone from a news organization wants to interview me.  Oh boy, interviewing a crip for human interest?  My past experience has led me to believe there is No Such Thing as "off the record" and that I must be Very careful of everything I say.  In the past encounters with the news media have led to all kinds of squirrrely phone calls, strangers inviting me to dinner, people wanting to "save me" etc.

In Buddhism there are believed to be beings who choose to hang around, even after they have become enlightened.  My understanding of enlightenment is living completely Without the "poisons of the mind" such as craving, hatred or revulsion, greed, arrogance or pride, and envy.  Such beings live happy and free to act, not constrained by fears and insecurities steming from these mental poisons.  They are called Bodhisattvas.  They have made physical and spiritual commitments to hang around living beings like me who are not enlightened, until we all get there.

I listened to a taped seminar in which a Hindu practice was described where a person chanted the names of God or Gods for half an hour each day.  The idea is to clear one's own negativity and call benefit for all beings into one's life.

Cherokees, according to Dhyani Ywahoo's book "Voices of Our Ancestors" believe that each of the five vowels, pronounced in the "intternational way" (ah, ay, ee as in see for the letter  i, oh, and oo as the U in stucent) corresponds to an organ system in the human body.

The seminar I listened to by Carolyn Myss and Dr. Wayne Dyre, (forgive my poor spelling please, I only Heard these names, I did not read them in Braille) suggested chanting the name of God or Gods which had the sound of "ah" in them.  This is a Hindu practice.

In Cherokee understanding the sound of "ah" has to do with the throat, the speech center and love, the ability to express love for self and others.

Though the Bodhisattvas of Buddhism do not claim to be gods and neither did the Historical Buddha, I decided to try chanting the names of Bodhisattvas. 

I have known for a long time that sound and music had a special power.  It seems to connect to things beyond the here and now physical world.  It crosses barriers.

So far my experiment seems to be helping me stay calm or more calm in the face of fear, be more patient with others, and I've paired it with a question asked by Carolyn Myss, "What would I do now if I had courage?"  I am trying to do those things without courage, believing that the feeling of courage will come when I need it.  And if it doesn't, I go on anyway.

The hardest thing for me to do in this world is trust anyone or anything.  It took having cancer and chemotherapy for me to learn that Ann really Did love me.  We had known one another since 1981 and this hppened in 2001.

So my chanting practice and asking myself this question then acting on it is an attempt to trust life.  It is something more basic than believing that everything will be all right, clearly, that is often Not the case.  It is a deeper thing that I have no words for.

But it should be an interesting ride.

More Good News and Questions

More Good News and Questions

Change.org

-

2012 was the year that wildfire fighters finally won health insurance. It was the

year three teenage girls decided it was time for a woman to moderate a presidential

debate, the year a gay Boy Scout fought for his Eagle award, the year Trayvon Martin's

parents got justice for their son.

You and 25 million people won all of these victories -- and thousands more -- by

starting, signing, and sharing petitions on Change.org in 2012. Take a look:

Watch the video.

We're blown away by all you accomplished in 2012, and we know this is just the beginning.

We can't wait to see what you'll do in 2013.

Thank you,

- Katie and the Change.org team

Over the past month, nearly 80,000 people have signed the petition demanding that

Congress immediately pass Senator Feinstein's assault weapons ban, and then work

on a comprehensive plan to deal with gun violence. President Obama endorsed the Feinstein

bill and has made the issue a priority in the coming year, and Vice President Biden

is heading a task force to address the issue.

In the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, we have a big opportunity to come together

and do something about gun violence--but we need to to continue to act, and act fast.

Before we decide UltraViolet's next steps in our campaign to prevent gun violence,

we want to get your in               put.

Can you tell us more about where you stand on this issue by taking this short survey?

Tell us what you think.

Thanks for your input.

--Nita, Shaunna, Kat and Karin, the UltraViolet team

If you want to fill out the survey, which does leave spaces for individual responses not offered by the questions, you'll have to go to this organization's website.  Sorry I don't know how to include them.

Drops in a Bucket DO Make a Difference

Good news, can you stand it?

Change.org
You helped us save our home from foreclosure!! Now will you sign the petition to help Marilyn Peterson protect her home and therapy center for children with special needs?
Sign Marilyn's Petition
Teresa -
My husband, our seven children, and our aunt who is suffering from Alzheimers were
living out of boxes, ready to be evicted from our home of 19 years when we got the
call: our campaign on Change.org had worked, and the bank was finally agreeing to
meet with us to hear our offer to buy back our house.
I know that the only reason we were able to save our home and family farm was because
we started a campaign on Change.org.
 Before we started our petition, the bank refused to even meet with us because we
were in foreclosure. But after more than 200,000 people -- including you -- signed
my petition to US Bank, and dozens of people made phone calls on our family's behalf,
the bank finally agreed to meet with us.
Because of your help, we are unpacking those boxes in our home, which we now own.
Running this campaign to save my own house opened my eyes to how hard it is for homeowners
to get banks to work with them, and what a huge difference petitions like mine can
make.
Then I found out about Marilyn Peterson.
 Marilyn is being threatened with eviction too, and is fighting to save her farm
and the horseback riding therapy center she runs, where she helps children with special
needs. If Marilyn is evicted, the 40 children who depend on her help will have nowhere
else to go for the care they need. When you stepped in to help me, we saved my home.
Will you join me now by helping Marilyn Peterson save her home, too?
Click here to sign Marilyn's petition and help her save her home and therapy center.
Having this ordeal behind us means that my kids were able to enjoy the holidays together
in our home -- with your help, I hope we can give Marilyn and her community the same
peace of mind.
Thank you so much for your help.
Sincerely,
The Gearings
t
   |
Start a petition
Unsubscribe.
 Edit your
email notification settings
.

Another OUTRAGE, Sorry

Warning:  This email concerns sexual violence committed against a 16 year-old girl.  It may cause distress among survivors!

Please consider signing this petition then unsubscribing from the organization if you wish.

Note:  I have been asked if I think the rape of boys or men is acceptable, since I have only passed on petitions concerning sexual violence against women and girls.  Hell NO, and that is a Sick Question!  Our sons deserve the same protection as our daughters and the Right to report sexual crimes against them Without humiliation!

The rape of a 16-year-old girl was witnessed by dozens of people and documented on

Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. But witnesses aren't talking--and none of the people

who took photos and made jokes instead of trying to stop the attack have been arrested.

If we all speak out, we can get justice for the survivor.

Can you add your name to the petition?

click here

Click Here

In August, a 16-year-old girl was raped by members of the Steubenville, Ohio high

school football team.

 She was carried, unconcious, from one party to another so the boys could repeatedly

violate her throughout the night. She was reportedly urinated on.

1

Witnesses--as many as 50 party-goers--not only watched, but posted photographs, videos,

and comments about the crime to Twitter, YouYube, and Instagram. One boy tweeted

that night "some people deserve to be peed on.

2

" Another posted "never seen anything this sloppy lol."

3

The entire event was documented in real time by teens on their phones.

But months later, only two boys have been charged with the rape--when dozens of others

participated in taking video, posting photos on the internet, and helping cover up

the crime. Police claim that witnesses are not coming forward, but the truth is that

the police have been dragging their feet for months and special prosecutors have

taken over the case. One of the football coaches of the boys who have been accused

even said "The rape was just an excuse, I think... What else are you going to tell

your parents when you come home drunk like that and after a night like that?

4

" That's why special prosecutors had to be appointed in the first place.

But almost 6 months later hardly enough has been done.

We need justice for the survivor and we need it fast. Ohio Attorney General Mike

DeWine and the special prosecutors assigned to the case need to know that everyone

who participated in this crime or in covering it up needs to be be held accountable.

 If we all speak out we can pressure them to prosecute all those involved. Can you

sign this petition?

Add your name to the petition.

Months after the attack, witnesses in Steubenville are staying silent.

 Much of the evidence has been deleted from social networks and cell phones, and

many in the town are blaming the girl for the attack against her and rallying around

their local football heros. The head football coach said he had no reason to punish

players who photographed the attack instead of trying to stop it--he didn't even

bench them for a single game. Another coach complained that "people are trying to

blow up our football program because of" the rape and cover up. And a defense attorney

for one of the boys told the

New York Times

 that comments the girl had posted to Twitter long before this attack could be used

to defend his client by discrediting her.

5

But the story got national attention last month when the New York Times published

an lengthy article about the events of that night, the investigation, and the community's

response. Then, on January 1, a video surfaced online that shows one of the teens

involved--but not charged with any crime--bragging and making jokes about the attack.

The video, which is over 12 minutes long, is sickening. The boy brags on camera that

"they raped more than the Duke lacrosse team" among many other horrifying admissions

about the crime.6

 The video was posted to YouTube months ago--but someone tried to delete it when

they realized it could get the teens in trouble.

7

The recent attention to this story, and the evidence that is now surfacing online,

could help get justice for the survivor. But it's outrageous that it has taken this

long. If we all speak out, it will get even more attention and put more pressure

on the Attorney General and the special prosecutors.

We need justice for the survivor--and justice means that everyone who participated

in the crime or helped cover it up needs to be prosecuted.

 Can you sign this petition?

Add your name to the petition.

Thanks for speaking out.

--Nita, Shaunna, Kat and Karin, the UltraViolet team

Sources:

1.

Rape Case Unfolds on Web and Splits City

, New York Times, December 16, 2012

2. Ibid.

3.

Steubenville Big Red Rape Accusations: The Other Perpetrators

, Prinniefied.com, August 26, 2012

4.

Rape Case Unfolds on Web and Splits City

, New York Times, December 16, 2012

5. Ibid.

6.

Rape, Lawsuits, Anonymous Leaks: What's Going On in Steubenville, Ohio?

, Slate, January 3, 2013

7.

Blogger on her findings regarding the Steubenville rape case she brought to light using social media

, CNN, January 3, 2013

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.

Personal Update and Update on Movement to Protect Women from Sexual Violence in India

Personal Great News and an Update

Yesterday afternoon my Dr.'s office called to say that I had "no evidence of cancer."  Yeah!  I want to thank anyone who sent me a kind thought during this Long wait of about 8 weeks!

Now an update on the movement to protect women in India from sexual violence.  

This message is from Namita Bhandare who started the petition "President, CJI: Stop

Rape Now!," which you signed on Change.org.

On Monday morning a small group of us took our petition with 109,000+ signatures

to the Justice J.S. Verma Commission at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. We presented

the three-volume petition, along with your signatures and suggestions. In case you'd

like to write directly to Justice Verma directly his email is: justice.verma@nic.in.

The commission will be receiving suggestions and recommendations until January 5.

Meanwhile, we will continue with this campaign and keep it updated. As next steps

we are writing to various MPs asking them to put pressure on the Government to give

priority to the pending bills relating to women safety.

I wish you all a very happy and safe new year.

Thank you for your support.

Namita Bhandare

View the petition

 |

View and reply to this message online

16 West 104th Street | Suite #130 | New York, NY | 10025

No One Should Die Like This, Not ANYWHERE

No One Should Die Like This, Anywhere!

Change.org

After the death of a 23-year-old student who was gang-raped and beaten, Namita is asking the Indian government to take action and stop this from happening again.

petitions/president-cji-stop-rape-now?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=16048&alert_id=rVlTXYalXA_VkRFiJFMkF

Sign Namita's Petition

Teresa -

Trigger warning: this email contains information about sexual assault that may be

upsetting to survivors.

She was 23, with dreams of being a doctor. But two weeks ago, she was gang raped

by six men, savagely beaten and thrown out of a moving bus in Delhi.

The still unnamed woman who has become “India’s daughter” just died of her injuries

in hospital.

Namita Bhandare knows the constant fear that goes with living in Delhi, nicknamed

India’s “rape capital”. Like others, she long believed that nothing would change.

But the outpouring of anger and sadness now has

convinced her that this could be a turning point for women like her.

The tragedy has sparked vigils and protests, and over 100,000 Indians have already

signed Namita's petition to the Prime Minister. As the story reverberates around

the world, being covered by every major news outlet, there's a chance for Americans

to help

show the Indian Prime Minister that their international reputation is on the line

 if they fail to act.

Click here to sign Namita’s petition asking the Indian government to actively prosecute rape cases, introduce compulsory sensitivity training for police, and pass two proposed laws to protect women.

The story of “India’s daughter” has sparked deep grief and fury across India. Grief

for her horrifying ordeal, and fury that politicians have ignored the huge problem

of rape and sexual violence against women for so long.

According to crime statistics, a woman is raped every 22 minutes, and most rapists

are never prosecuted.

 Women are often blamed for their own rapes, police refuse to hear reports from victims,

and some women report being harassed by the very authorities they hope will protect

them.

Politicians are being faced with some uncomfortable truths. But

Namita says that unless people seize this moment of national consciousness, the chance

to change anything will slip away.

 That’s why she’s asking for global support to show the world is watching.

Click here to sign Namita’s petition, and ask the Indian government to do everything in its power to make sure tragedies like this are never repeated.

Thanks for being a part of this,

Kristiane and the Change.org team

Personal, plus Deafness and Identification by Music

I'm slowly recovering from back injury.  No longer need walker in house, but still walkuing slowly.  Outside it's tricky because yard is uneven, I walk very carefully.  Dog seems to understand I can't do better, at first he Guarded me from the cat, now is very patient with my slow speed in the yard.  Thank you for kind wishes from Phily Collector!  Got a Latina doll in log dark pink dress for Christmas.  Her face is a bit more curved that the Teresa box-like face.  She has curly black hair.  I like her a lot, a DOW from Mexico.  But I Do get tired of Pink!

Still waiting on results of cancer test.

Deafness and Identification by Music

I just listened to an NPR piece by an African American woman raised in Canada who found a healthy outlet for her rage at the racism she encountered daily on the school bus and at school in heavy metal music. 

This started my thinking about the kinds of music I listen to and why.  Like Native singer and song writer Robert Mirabal of Taos Pueblo I miss the days when music was all mixed up.  Yah, I'm old.  And I can remember when Sly and the Family Stone might be on the same station as a hit from Bob Seger.  I can remember listening to African American church music and sermons on Sunday and B. B. King or some other blues artist on Saturday afternoon.  I listened to Deric and the Dominoes, Joni Mitchell, and Bill Withers.

Robert Mirabal in an interview talked about listening to rock, soul,  and Mexican music, as well as the music of his own people's ceremonies.

Today hearing impairment determines what I listen to more than other factors.  I am a words person in most cases and if the words come too fast, (as in hip-hop) or are over-musiced, (as in much of the rock now) I can't enjoy listening because I can't understand any words. 

I miss the days when music was all mixed up and I could understand what singers were telling me.  I also miss the days when I wouldn't have to fiddle with a radio dial to find an interesting mix of all kinds of music.

I Feel old when younger friends come in with a new CD. For me to hear and due to hearing impairment, all I get is a jumble of noise and voices.  I struggle to make sense of it and try to respond positively to what I can sort out, but it's difficult, saad, and frustrating.

What ever happened to "I like that because it talks to me, or just because I DO?"