Tip of the week...

I sent April a text the other day saying we should have done our song videos to 'I Will Survive.' That's pretty much how I felt last week. I interpreted Tuesday and Thursday by myself. And I don't just mean that I was interpreting in the room, I mean that I was the only interpreter in the room. The interpreter I'm working with had to attend a conference last week so guess who that left? Your one and only. I was a nervous wreck the first day but am glad to say I feel like I did better the second day. If you ask the student, you might get a different story but... at least I felt a little better.

The initial sitting in front of a class who is used to seeing one interpreter and then I get in the seat and they're all like, huh, a different interpreter, let's watch her and see what she does. Even though they had no clue what I was signing, I felt like there were that many more Deaf students in the class and all critiquing (sp?) me. But, as Jas was saying, it's helpful to be encouraged. And, I'm fortunate enough to have an encouraging interpreter to work with but also an encouraging student to work with. Oh, get this too. I totally signed 12 instead of 22 the other day. The student corrected me, cuz I didn't even know I did it (that was disheartening) but was totally kewl about it. So, it's nice to have a student that is helpful without being really criticizing.

THEN...after my second day of interpreting on my own, I was headed back to Fairmont to work and all was well in the world. Until...I turned on to Locust Ave. I was sitting at the stop light and all of the sudden...BAM! Yeah, that's the sound that comes when someone crashes into the back of your car and then there's another BAM! when you hit into the car in front of you. That was my other big event of the week. Wonderful whiplash and pain in the shoulder continues. How ridiculous is that? I have physical therapy to look forward to. Again, how brilliantly ridiculous is that?? And what does the girl say caused the episode? Her flipflop got stuck under the gas pedal.

What's the tip of the week, kids? If you're going to wear flipflops while driving, make sure you're not a blonde and know how to get it unstuck from your gas pedal! How do you do that anyway? Does it require skill? Well, at any rate, it's a skill I don't want. Too much damage results. Sorry for the blonde part to any who are and who aren't as stupid as this girl.

Survive, All!

I hope you had the time of your life...

I'm not sure exactly why that song came in my head but I guess it's because I'm about to write about the technically last class of the semester and the program. That is an immensely scary thought. I didn't post on Friday because 1. it was my birthday, sorry to all of you who said you didn't know and wanted to but anyway I'm glad I got to spend some of it with you guys and we're totally having me a party this summer 2. I was either on the road or far down in the woods and away from the internet for most of the night 3. I was too freakin sad. Why must all my friends go away? Well, maybe not all of my friends, I don't want to sound too pathetic, but come on, I miss you guys already! We laughed, we cried, we had a ball! And now, it is the end of an era. (That's a slight 'Friends' reference)

So, besides the fact that I still kinda want to cry again because of not seeing you all, I'm trying to think what we did. I'm too traumatized...but I'll try. New videos! They really are seriously kewl though. The whole predictive questioning concept helps, at least to a degree. It still doesn't help if you have a question that says 'After Denver, where did you go next' and then you miss that they went to Bob's Road and had a brilliant picnic of caviar and crackers. I'm not sure where that came from either. You'll have to excuse me, I just got home a little while ago from spending the entire weekend in the woods. Oh! I almost caught a fish! Yeah...that was an almost. Stupid me forgets to pull first, then reel. Smart fish. I saw it and everything but, hey! maybe that's what went wrong. It flipped out of the water and saw me and decided anywhere would be better than outta the water with me. Well, at least it has a kewl scar and former lip ring to tell it's friends about. On the next episode of 'Scarred': Fish Edition...

Hey dude, I just had a lip ring for like two seconds. Want proof? Just look at this awesome scar.

-To camera: Yeah, I was just swimming along and chillin out in the creek. The next thing I know I saw this awesome worm squirming in front of me. I just wanted a bite but then it was like BAM! I got a lip ring. I felt it pop through and everything. I didn't get an x-ray but look at this wicked kewl scar!

But really, what fish wants a permanent lip ring? Yes kids, it can lead to death. Just think of the fish.

World peace & puppies for everyone...

Oh my gosh, does anybody realize what day it is? It's freakin Wednesday already. That's a scary thought. I was going to try to blog in ASL but I don't think my mind's going to work enough for that today. So, this morning...that video was much harder than I originally thought. I knew the information was pretty complex but I thought I had most of the concepts down. I guess I did but I put them in a different way. I voiced for the first part of the piece and it said about oralism and the different affects it has if used in replace of sign language. I voiced it more from the emphasis that sign language is important and shouldn't be overlooked and that it is important for the children. Well, that's kind of the point but not told in the right light. So my confidence went a little down from that.

We finished all the idioms? Yup, I guess so. Will I remember all 10-? of them? I doubt it. Ruby needs to get cracking on the webcam. April, stop being bored enough to read our ramblings and go help her. Haha, just kidding. No, but that would be great if it could be up for us to see them again to go over them. That's a lot of idioms to put in like three or four days. But I'm glad we finally got the chance to go over all of them. And, I'm pretty excited for our skit on Friday! I'm sure I'll be nervous as all get out but it's going to be so much fun.

We did our skits for April's class just a little while ago. I feel like I did so horrible on that. Rachel, please forgive me for not catching things the first time. I'm surprised you weren't just like screw this, give me another interpreter. Your patience was greatly appreciated. And Charlie, thanks for not letting me hyperventilate. I thought you were going to have to get me a paper bag. Yeah, April, I don't know why but I was so nervous. AND THEN...I was still nervous when all I had to do was read the script. Yeah, the reading part, I wasn't even signing. So, thanks for that for our final project. No, I'm glad we got to do another scenario though. It's good practice. Charlie! World peace and puppies! Or a baby on your hip, you know. Whichever.

I think we need to go ahead and plan a moment of silence or prayer or whatever on Friday for all of us going to practicum. Let us all bow our heads so we can survive and live to tell the tale...

Selective amnesia?

Can someone please tell me what happens in my head that I can't remember what happened three days ago? I'm really seriously trying to think but geez...and...all of ya'll who didn't post on Friday to give me a hint...post something and give me a hint! Okay, I don't know but I do know that as of today we have two more classes left! TWO!!! Oh...I do know one thing we did was the interpreting piece on 'The Jungle.' I remember learning about that in school and someone saying that if you ever read the whole book, you probably won't want to eat meat for quite some time. I hope things are different now. For some unknown reason I felt a little more confident or comfortable with this piece than I have some of the others lately. That's not to say that I probably did a good job on this one but I felt a little better. I'm glad that we've been signing more in class because let me just throw out there the fact that I got a phone call from my mentor saying she will be at a conference next week and wants me to interpret. Ahhhh!

Okay, I think I am a little calmer now. Why? Because I remembered Jasmin's video that I just watched. Jasmin, you're a lifesaver sometimes, or at least a sanity saver. And, as I wrote on a comment to you, I'm so glad I got to see the live performance of 'A Whole New World.' It was superb!

As for today...we tried to get more things planned out for the trip to Columbus. I'm glad we'll get the chance to just get away for a day or two. Hope it will be as fun as it is in my head. We got to see more videos of other ITP students. Some more interesting than others. Kinda makes me wish I put things on the web but then again I remember how much I loathe watching myself on video. I won't put the world through that yet. Ruby's skit...ahh! Ruby's a bear! Yup, we have turned her into one. You'll find out on Friday if you haven't figured it out yet. It should be fun. I guess there is really nothing more to say for today. I think this is quite enough. Sorry I have nothing more clever to write. Maybe later...

Close but no cigar...

I'm actually blogging on the right day today. I'm proud of myself. Well, we got our grades for the group project and our recipe assignments. I thought I did somewhat better on the group interpreting than I really did. My biggest problem with that assignment, I forgot the expansions! I think I was trying to focus so hard on the message and getting the point across that I forgot those key tools to use when switching to ASL. I must give kudos to Jasmin and Rachel for thinking outside the box and making the assignment pretty hard. If you would have asked me to give them kudos on the day we did it, umm...sorry. It's a time lapse thing. But seriously, I'm glad it was something challenging to see how we would really do. As for the recipe assignment, it's the opposite, I did better than I thought. Completely not complaining about that! I'm glad I did good, even though my confidence wasn't up very much.

The video that we had to interpret for today was challenging too. The vocals on it were so loud and I guess there were so many other noises on it that it was hard to tell what the teacher was talking about. Once I did understand some of it, it wasn't any easier really to show the right way to show the concepts. We can show things visually a thousand different ways but to really show it in the right way is difficult.

Ruby's class...'Later Gator'...is that an idiom? I'm not sure but somebody just said it to me so thought I'd throw it in there. I guess I never really thought about making things idiomatic when we're signing too. We focus on making things in the most idiomatic way when we're voicing but we haven't really been taught and exposed to ASL idioms as much. We've picked up a few here and there but never sat down and said, 'Hey, these are idioms. Use them.' Okay, so we only have about 96 more to learn. YAY! We'll all be shedding some more 'crocodile tears' while we're trying to learn these the next week and a half while we're getting 'down to the wire.'

Mutant centipedes...

SO...yesterday's class...We got more practice interpreting random things from youtube today. Apparently you can find a video about just about anything on the web now. Who knew? People have a lot of time on their hands. I think one of the good things from the second video was that it used a powerpoint in the instruction. Like April said, more and more teachers are utilizing the technology and we have to adapt to it. Even though it can probably sometimes complicate things more, I think in general it will be a good resource for our interpreting if we do come across it in a setting. Sometimes we get completely lost or off the topic and it could be a way to get us back to where we should be with our message.

BUT...while I like the concept of a computer class powerpoint, I have found that I do everything from my point of view. Apparently I haven't gotten the concept of really switching things yet. Again, I'm supposed to feel a little better about the fact that I at least know that it's something I do but...really? How am I supposed to feel better if I only know my problems but can't fix them? How do I fix them??? Okay, at least I know they're there. Work on them and practice fixing them...okay. I feel like I need to reprogram myself sometimes. Start all over and learn again. But no, I must keep what little I know and keep adding.

That's all I will write for now. Except I will say that on a totally irrelevant subject, I had a mutant centipede in my bathtub yesterday when I got home. That's right ladies and gentlemen, I did say a mutant centipede. Oh, imagine the possibilities that a mutant centipede could do with a zillion legs in an interpreting assignment. What picture you could create and how many things could you set up in space and keep there when you have a zillion legs to work with. Would it only be interpreting for one other mutant centipede or a bunch of them since you have so many legs? ...Hmm.....