For those of you who don't know, the title above is from the legendary Easybeats song, Friday On My Mind. Considering I keep thinking today is Tuesday (due to a long weekend), it looks as though the idea of Wednesday is either going to completely bypass this week or I'm going to confuse myself even further tomorrow by thinking Thursday is Wednesday. Have I confused anyone yet because I think I've just confused myself?
Here's another little piece of information you don't know about me. I have tinnitus, which for those who don't know is a permanent ringing in one's ears. It can be a debilitating condition for some people, causing depression, sleep deprevation and other related conditions. I have worked really hard at not letting it get me down. I still sleep well and tune a guitar by ear. To give you an idea of what this condition can be like, some of the things I don't really hear anymore are my cat purring (admittedly, her purr bone has been broken since she was a kitten, but for ages I thought she just didn't purr until my wife told me otherwise. Her purr is more like a very quiet grunting noise). I can't hear cicadas, crickets or machines that go bing or ping at a high register. I can't hear conversations over loud music, hotels or in nightclubs, which means I don't go out like I used to because it can become pretty frustrating. I can't wear earphones or headphones for prolonged periods of time because my ears become a lot more fatigued a lot quicker than most. There are heaps of other things I can't hear but can't think of at the moment. My wife's patience levels have been well and truly tested at different points. Sometimes a certain timbre in her voice makes anything she say almost impossible for me to hear, which is probably the hardest thing to deal with. But a conversation with her recently highlighted something I hadn't thought about: maybe part of my problem is that I've told those close to me that I have a hearing problem and have expected them to take up the slack. Maybe I've also gotten lazy because of this and maybe I should work harder still at listening to what others say. I think there is an elemental truth to this that could be applied to a lot of situations.
I've decided to go and see a audiology specialist. Having read a fair bit about tinnitus, there are many causes and quite a number of treatments. My hearing will never be 100% but I'd be happy with some approximation of normal. I will keep all informed, but if you call and I don't hear you, at least I have an excuse, of a sort.