Hearing Shakeszzzzzzzzzz (Part II)

Last week I told you about my ill fated trip to a local production of Shakespeare here in upstate New York.  I arrived too late to get a seat so I sat on the steps that led to the theater, and listened, but that proved futile and I left.  This past Sunday ol' do or die Tom made the trip again to beautiful Cambridge, New York and this time I left home 30 minutes earlier, and got there soon enough for a ticket and a chance to stroll the Battenkill Book Store for a few minutes.  Jackie had opted not to go so this gave her some time to relax without yours truly sucking up all the oxygen.  She gets to watch some DVR'ed shows and I get to sit with other devotees of the Bard.

At least for half the show, anyway.

I'd brought my paperback collection of Shakespeare as I like to follow along. I got a corner seat up in rafters with a klieg light shining next to me that would light up my book pages. Peachy! and snacks right next to me. Shiny! And the play started, and the light went out next to me. So much for the book. Everyone around heard the words of the actors easily.  I did if they spoke slowly.  This is the "Scottish Play"(the one that starts with Mac-) so it starts with the Three Witches and they all have one or two lines, and that was fine.  Then came the main players and they spoke so fast - to me- that it was hard to decipher what was being said. I've seen the play performed before so I knew the basic story, and should you be interested I recommend:

 

 

And it does not have a thing to do with my being a Star Trek fan.  Anyway, no matter if it was Patrick Stewart or whomever as the Thane of Cawdor, the wordsranalltogethermakingitverydifficult to understand, and there was, for some reason, this hissing sound around me like I had sprung a leak and would at some point go as flat as a Goodyear with a nail in it. My mind would give up now and then and not even pay attention to what was going on on stage. The hissing sound continued at intermission (when I left for home - why sit and hear gobbledygook when I can go home and turn on MSNBC or Fox News and hear it?) and on the drive home and even right now, on a Monday afternoon.  For the last few months I'd been getting a constant popping sound in my ears when I was laying in bed and it could prevent me from sleeping or wake me up.  And it is a change of pace from hearing the voices from the air vent.

 

Per the Mayo Clinic:

 

Tinnitus (TIN-ih-tus) is noise or ringing in the ears. A common problem, tinnitus affects about 1 in 5 people. Tinnitus isn't a condition itself — it's a symptom of an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, ear injury or a circulatory system disorder.

 

So this will just be another thing to deal with.  I will not stop going to performances. I just have to be aware of this change and adjust accordingly.  Then I'll see what MS has in store for me after that.

 

Having MS is like being in a boxing match, except you're Joe (or Josephine) Palooka and MS is the Heavyweight Champion (whoever that is) or Rocky and Apollo Creed in the first match. Jab and run, jab and run.  Wear him down as he wears you down.  See who falls first, and then gets up

 

I'm giving another reading this Saturday at the Library in East Greenbush.  This time one of my mystery stories.  Looking forward to it.

 

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